Archive

  • FOOTBALL: City are denied top spot

    OXFORD City missed the chance to go top of the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division tonight when they drew 1-1 at Chesham United. City were heading for a 1-0 win until their former Oxford United defender Chris illmottturned the ball past his own

  • Train revamp work begins

    Work started this week to overhaul five class 180 Adelante trains before they return to service on routes between the Cotswolds, Oxford and London. The £6m facelift project will include new interiors and mechanical modifications to improve the trains

  • VIP shopping for our readers

    A VIP shopping night is being staged for Oxford Mail Loyalty Club card holders and readers are being reminded to register for the event. Stores in Marriotts Walk, Witney, recently staged a VIP late night shopping night for Loyalty Club card holders.

  • Hailing a reliable bus driver

    Only on Brian Kilham’s last day driving the No.63 bus did the service turn up late in Oxford. Villagers in Appleton, who say they can set their watch by the time the bus arrives, hijacked the White’s bus to give a leaving present to their favourite driver

  • Building work is enterprising

    A BUSINESS park near Didcot has started building work for a new multi- million-pound Enterprise Zone that is set to boost jobs in the area. Science Vale UK, including Harwell and Milton Park, is one of 10 new Enterprise Zones to be created by the Government

  • Jobs under threat at city DVLA office

    Ten jobs at the Oxford branch of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are under a cloud after the Government last night unveiled plans to close its regional offices. A consultation process has started with staff at the branch in Cambridge Terrace

  • REVIEW: This Goose really is the Mother of all pantos

    It’s not my fault. Seriously, it isn’t – my hands are tied and despite poring over the dictionary, I can’t find any other suitable words. So if you feel like this is deja vu, well, then you’re right, because for the fifth year in a row, the Oxford Playhouse

  • HOCKEY: Oxford pipped in eight-goal feast

    Oxford Ladies 2nd went down 5-3 to a strong Staines side on a frosty Headington pitch. Staines were 3-2 up at half-time, Oxford levelling before two late goals sealed the South Clubs League Division 3A points. Kim Haynes, Helen Backhouse, Laura Smyth

  • HOCKEY: High-flying Hawks six points clear

    Oxford Hawks went six points clear at the top of Premier Division 2 of the Men's South League after dispatching Gore Court 4-0. They went ahead after eight minutes when Ted Bennett slapped in a cross, but an injury to Charlie Ellison, Hawks’ influential

  • Oxford United sign Matthew Fletcher

    Oxford United have today signed Australian striker Matthew Fletcher. The 6'3" 19-year-old joins the U's on a short-term trial having previously been on the books of Sunderland, where he was former manager Roy Keane's first signing. Fletcher has scored

  • DARTS: Peachcroft give Goodlake a run for their money

    Premier side Goodlake Arms A had to battle for a 5-4 victory away to Section 1 Peachcroft SC in the Greene King ODDA Winter League. Preben Krabben (180), Kevin Wilkins, Pete Jones and Dave Exell won their singles for Goodlake and although Peachcroft

  • SCALES OF JUSTICE: Banbury Magistrates' Court round-up

    Jennifer Pugh, 24, of Luther Street, Oxford, admitted shoplifting a can of deodorant valued at £2.99 from Boots in Oxford on June 7. Given a four-month conditional discharge. Blaine Dransfield, 26, of Acland Terrace, Marsh Gibbon, admitted shoplifting

  • SCALES OF JUSTICE: Oxford Magistrates' Court round-up

    Gibran Mangar, 50, of Clarks Row, Oxford, admitted assault by beating in Oxford on September 12. Jailed for six weeks. Matthew Rogers, 23, of Ridgeway Road, Swindon, admitted driving without due care and attention on the A420 at Faringdon on April

  • Arrest didn't stop burglaries spree

    A SERIAL burglar went “out of control” in a month-long spree in Oxford. Darren Scales stole thousands of pounds of items from half a dozen properties in the city. The 42-year-old, who said he was drinking and taking Valium during his offending, was

  • THE QUIZ LEAGUE: Hatchet chop down ‘Bridge’

    Last Thursday witnessed the final round of league fixtures before a well-earned Christmas break. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening was the performance of the Six Bells (Headington) with a crushing, 83-62 rout of championship rivals, the Chester

  • STATE OF HEALTH: Mental health challenges

    OXFORDSHIRE’S MENTAL health services have vastly improved over the past four years, it has been claimed. But there are tough times ahead as the ongoing recession affects people’s personal lives, according to a new report. Dr Jonathan McWilliam, pictured

  • Doing it for the children

    A CHARITY is working to improve youth projects at an arts centre in Bicester. Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership (OYAP) is running a number of projects at the Courtyard Youth Arts Centre and plans to extend its services. Last year, Oxfordshire County

  • Authority freezes council tax

    WEST Oxfordshire District Council will maintain free parking and freeze council tax next year in a “steady as she goes” budget. The ruling Conservatives’ 2012/13 budget has received the backing of opposition Liberal Democrats and was given the blessing

  • DARTS: Hedman is Masters champ

    Oxfordshire's Deta Hedman lifted the Zuiderduin Masters title in Amsterdam with a 2-0 win over Russia’s Anastasia Dobromyslova in the final, having defeated arch rival Trina Gulliver 4-3 in the first round. Meanwhile, Hedman has been drawn against

  • Black widows found in car

    THIS is the little lady who sparked a scare when she and a chum dropped out of Robin Ward’s car 10 months after he imported it from the United States. Yesterday Mr Ward told how first one infamous black widow spider, pictured right, emerged out of the

  • A job did over-ran, trader trial is told

    A BUSINESSMAN accused of “rogue trading” has given evidence in his trial. Trevor Bateman, who is jointly charged with business partner David Merriman and former Premier League footballer Phil King, took to the witness stand at Oxford Crown

  • Local share prices (AM)

    13/12/2011 AEA Technology 0.48 BMW 4508 Electrocomponents 193.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 66 Oxford Biomedica 4.9 Oxford Catalysts 55 Oxford Instruments 993.75 Reed Elsevier 510.75 RM 67.6 RPS Group 184.2 Courtesy of Redmayne

  • Queen honours a life of caring

    MARTIN Miller knew his wife Philomena was a dedicated carer after she helped him battle leukaemia. But now the Queen has hailed the 69-year-old for her quarter-century of service with the Order of St John. Mrs Miller, 69, from Rowstock, near Harwell

  • RUGBY UNION: Alchester edge it in derby

    Southern Counties North ALCHESTER edged out Wallingford 18-17 in a match that saw three yellow cards and one red. Wallingford replacement Paul Lewis was sent off in the second half for what his side felt was an innocuous challenge, but

  • RUGBY UNION: Banbury well beaten at home

    Round-up BANBURY Bulls lost 43-20 at home to Old Laurentians in Midlands 2 West South. Bulls trailed 17-5 at the break, their only try coming from No 8 Simon Brand. Banbury’s second-half points came via tries from fly half Jed Boyle and wing Carl

  • Man jailed for raping teen

    OXFORD: A 47-year-old man has been jailed for 12 years for sex offences against a teenage girl. Zahoor Ahmed, of Cleveland Drive, Cowley, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday having earlier admitted two rapes, a serious sexual assault and two

  • RUGBY UNION: Bart brace proves in vain

    National 2 South TWO tries from wing Christoph Bart could not save Henley Hawks from a 20-16 defeat at Taunton. Centre Alex Cheesman set up Bart for the opening try. Taunton skipper Tony Yapp landed a penalty, then converted No 8 David Bates’s try

  • RUGBY UNION: Witney are hamstrung

    South West 1 East WITNEY’S match at home to Marlow was abandoned on 17 minutes after referee Nigel Boyd pulled a hamstring. Marlow led 7-0 due with a try from wing Miles Noble, converted by fly half Will Fulton, while Witney centre Henry Lamb had

  • COMMENT: It could have been worse!

    TO find one black widow spider in your car is unfortunate. To find two is downright disturbing. At least the spiders in Robin Ward’s car were both females. Imagine what would have scuttled out after a few more months if not!

  • Library groups seek legal advice

    LIBRARY campaigners will seek legal advice after councillors backed changes which will see 21 branches across Oxfordshire forced to rely on volunteer staff. Last night, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet approved a restructuring set to save £986,000

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Top duo training hard

    2011 OXFORDSHIRE SPORTS AWARDS THE main two awards of the night – sportsman and sportswoman of the year – both went to Olympic hopefuls who could not be there because of their training programmes. Athlete Hannah England was winning the title for the

  • Former international was butted court is told

    A FORMER England youth footballer suffered a split cheek after being headbutted in a pre-season friendly, a court heard. Lee Stevens told jurors at Oxford Crown Court yesterday he was attacked by Coleshill United player Adam Bradley. Bradley, 30, denies

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Frank's recognition

    Frank Marulanda said that he was “simply overwhelmed” to win the unsung hero award at the 2011 Oxfordshire Sports Awards. The basketball coach has almost single-handedly transformed the fortunes of Oxford Hoops. Under Marulanda’s leadership, the club

  • RACING: Banned Sam free to ride Long Run

    Sam Waley-Cohen will ride Long Run in the William Hill King George VI Chase – despite being hit with a 12-day riding suspension at Fakenham yesterday. He was in a clear lead on Otage De Brion in the handicap chase over two miles and five furlongs when

  • Finishing touches to grand house

    BLENHEIM Palace has been dressed in white for the festive season. The decoration, which sees the World Heritage Site covered with icicles, snowflakes, and silver white birches, will stay up until Friday. The dining table will be covered with crystal

  • RACING: Thornton in Oxford operation

    Robert Thornton is due to be have an operation on his broken right arm in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, today after being moved from the Hereford County Hospital. The 33-year-old jockey suffered the injury in a fall from Western Whisky at Hereford

  • King's Speech starts film festival

    This year’s senior citizen’s Christmas film festival gets off to a right royal start today with its screening of the The King’s Speech at 11am. Pensioners from all over the city and county are invited to join the Oxford Mail, and the festival’s co-sponsor

  • RUGBY UNION: Seymour is the spark for Chinnor

    Chinnor 33, Newton Abbot 5 TWO quick tries before half-time ensured Chinnor stayed top of National 3 South West with a bonus-point victory. Fly half James Cathcart and man-of-the-match Pip Seymour struck in a three-minute burst, but Chinnor were pushed

  • RUGBY UNION: Bowers hails creativity

    CHINNOR head coach Jason Bowers felt their victory over Newton Abbot had been a job well done. He said: “I thought Newton Abbot were very competitive. They were very strong up front. “Early on we allowed them to get over the gain line, but once we got

  • RUGBY UNION: Quins suffer heavy defeat

    National 3 South West OXFORD Harlequins’ four-match winning streak was emphatically ended by a 40-3 home defeat to Barnstaple. Fly half Joey Todd gave lacklustre Quins the lead with a penalty on three minutes, but they had wing Tom Jelley

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Abingdon's double glee

    2011 OXFORDSHIRE SPORTS AWARDS ABINGDON Vale Swimming Club celebrated a sensational double success at the 2011 Oxfordshire Sports Awards. The club, which enjoyed a 64 per cent rise in members over the past 12 months, were named as club of the year

  • ON YER BIKE: We need to introduce a new road system

    As A society, we allot reasonable expectations to different modes of transport. In cities, bikes are about getting from A to B quickly and hassle-free. We use cars, trains and buses to go longer distances at higher speeds. Trains are pleasant but over-priced

  • A big thank you

    WE would like to thank everyone at The Bus Museum, Long Hanborough, for the brilliant time when visiting Santa with Chloe my five-year-old granddaughter on Saturday. It was without doubt the best Santa experience a small child could hope for. It was

  • Save our Post Office

    THE Summertown ‘post office lobby’ described by Paul Lumley (Oxford Mail, December 5) would be delighted if any newly vacant shop could take over the post office the centre so badly needs. But there are a couple of obstacles. Firstly, any new post office

  • Vital countryside is at risk from development

    I AM increasingly concerned about the Government’s planning reforms. They’re right to talk about protecting Green Belts, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty when decisions are made about where development should take place. But what

  • Outrageous demands

    DIRECT debits can be an excellent way of spreading essential bills across 12 monthly payments, hopefully breaking even over the summer and winter periods for energy supplies. However, energy companies in particular have started to make outrageous demands

  • Recycle this Christmas

    I HOPE your readers will reduce, reuse and recycle this Christmas. It’s never been easier for householders. Wrapping paper and bottles go in the blue wheelie. Cold turkey and sprouts go in the food waste caddy. Christmas trees can be taken to 17 different

  • What a jobsworth!

    DOES it really matter what the Lord Mayor wore to the repatriation or how she got there? All credit to her for saving public money by not using the mayoral car! It’s smallminded jobsworths like John Kelly who are a pain in the rear. It’s the mayor’

  • Mixed messages

    When are the politicians going to start using common sense in this country? At 16 you can join the army and fight for this country, but you can’t vote! At 16 you can consent to sex with numerous partners but you cannot watch pornography at cinemas!

  • Use independent shops

    With our thoughts beginning to turn to Christmas shopping, may I urge your readers to support Thame’s smaller, independent retailers this year by ‘Trying Thame First’ and purchasing as many of their gifts as possible from our great little shops? More

  • FOOTBALL: City wait on duo

    Oxford City give late fitness tests to James Clarke (knee) and Steve Basham (Achilles) ahead of tonight’s Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division trip to Chesham United. Darren Pond returns from suspension. Boss Mike Ford, whose side

  • Man badly injured in "shocking attack"

    A “SHOCKING attack” outside an Oxford nightclub left a man with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. Shaheed Syed was hit over the head with a bottle outside The Regal in Cowley Road and needed emergency surgery and an eight-day stay

  • School closure

    N OXON: A primary school was forced to close yesterday after it is believed a parent drove into an electricity pole and cut the power off. Five Acres Primary School, in Blackthorn Road, Ambrosden, closed shortly after 9am. Electricity was reinstated

  • Melville: We have battlers

    Andy Melville believes that Oxford United’s performance at Morecambe on Saturday has proved there is more to their game than just playing attractive football. The U’s were forced to really dig in to earn a point and end their poor run of five straight

  • Bats won't halt rail plans

    THE threat of bats in a railway tunnel near Wolvercote holding up a new rail service from Oxford to London Marylebone looks to have been lifted. Chiltern Railways and Natural England have told the Government they are close to solving the bat problem

  • Father and son hailed for rescuing driver for burning car

    A FATHER and son have been hailed heroes for pulling a man from a burning car after it crashed in Chipping Norton. The two men drove past the car which had traversed the A44 just outside the town and hit a tree just after 8am yesterday. With smoke

  • Dozens of problems as high winds hit Oxfordshire

    POLICE were called to dozens of incidents caused by the high winds hitting the area overnight. Between 10pm and 5.45am, officers were called to 39 incidents across the Thames Valley, with parts of South Oxfordshire among the worst hit. Officers said

  • Economic gloom causes rise in burglaries

    THE bleak economy and Christmas are fuelling a new rise in house burglaries across Oxford, it emerged last night. New police figures show a 17.3 per cent increase in burglaries in the seven months up to October 31 compared to the same period 12 months

  • BADVENT: Christmas in the cells is on the cards

    CHRISTMAS in the cells is on the cards for this Badvent suspect who is wanted on a warrant. Day 13 of our crime crackdown features Derek Brady who was jailed for a knifepoint robbery and who is now wanted on recall to prison. With links to Oxford, police

  • Former soldier plans community radio station

    A FORMER soldier is preparing to launch a community radio station in Abingdon from a log cabin in his back garden. Mark Holland, 37, of Andersey Way, is looking for volunteers and sponsors to get the Abingdon Xtra project on the air for his target launch