Archive

  • Cold wait in hospital prompts complaint

    A boatman who survived for more than an hour in the freezing River Thames is the latest patient to complain about the standard of care at an Oxford hospital. Roy Bream, 56, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital after being dragged three miles in floodwater

  • Students on march over fees

    Students marched through the streets of Oxford as part of a national day of protest against tuition fees. More than 100 people joined the event yesterday, shouting anti-fees slogans and waving banners. The march is part of a country-wide protest being

  • Football: Deadman ruled out for Didcot

    Didcot Town travel to Almondsbury Town in the Cherry Red Records Premier Division tomorrow without No 1 choice keeper Alex Deadman, who is undergoing treatment for a pelvic injury. Simon Reeve, who stepped up from the reserves and kept a clean sheet in

  • Football: Fairford Tn 0, Wantage Tn 1

    Wantage recorded a much-needed win at high-flying Fairford in the Cherry Red Records Hellenic League. Roache had two good chances for Wantage before they went ahead in the 15th minute through Bedwell. Frankie Dorrian went close with a lob, but Wantage

  • Rugby: Varsity heroes face Cambridge

    Werner Van Pittius and Jason Hendriks, two members of Oxford University's triumphant side in the Varsity Match at Twickenham in December, will be meeting up with Cambridge University again tomorrow. The South African duo will be in the Henley line-up

  • Recycling plan needs helpers

    Fifty householders are wanted as "guinea pigs" for a new recycling scheme. West Oxfordshire District Council wants them to try a new Green Cone waste disposal unit which can use leftover food and garden rubbish. The six-month trial is to test how effective

  • Truancy success brings top award

    Truancy-busting measures including telephoning the parents of absent pupils have helped an Oxford school win a national prize, writes Madeleine Pennell. Schools minister Jacqui Smith was today congratulating St Augustine of Canterbury Upper School at

  • 'Nightmare' for villagers in 40-year sewage battle

    A group of villagers who have campaigned for mains sewage for 40 years say the rising cost of seeing their wish come true is turning into a nightmare. Following the campaign to replace the current septic tank system, work finally started this year to

  • Cold wait in hospital prompts complaint

    A boatman who survived for more than an hour in the freezing River Thames is the latest patient to complain about the standard of care at an Oxford hospital. Roy Bream, 56, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital after being dragged three miles in floodwater

  • RUGBY: Fixtures - Sunday, March 4

    All Sunday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides DAVID CHARLES OXFORDSHIRE CUP Semi-final: Littlemore v Banbury (2.30). _____________________ DAVID CHARLES OXFORDSHIRE PLATE Quarter-final: Grove v Abingdon (2.30). _____________________ TETLEYS BITTER UNDER

  • Football: Witney boosted by returning trio

    Witney Town are lifted by the return of a trio of key players as they seek to halt a run of three successive defeats against Tonbridge Angels in the Dr Martens League Eastern Division at Marriotts Stadium tomorrow. Midfielder Jason Caffel and central

  • Badminton: Rampant Redefield storm to Division 3 title

    Requiring just 41 points from the final round of play in Division 3 of the Five Disciplines League, Redefield B took the title with an aggregate of 675 points, 94 clear of nearest rivals Evenlode B, writes Dick Hashman. Rob Eden, Graham Ashdown, Annie

  • Football: Fixtures - Sunday, March 4

    All Sunday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides OFA SAM WATERS CUP Semi-finals: Blackbird Leys Sunday v Six Bells Kidlington, South Stoke v Trades Ath. _____________________ MORRELLS OXFORD SUNDAY LEAGUE President's Cup 2nd round: Wolvercote v Wheatley

  • Football: Fixtures - Saturday, March 3

    All Saturday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides NATIONWIDE LEAGUE Div 2: Bristol City v Oxford Utd. ________________________ RYMAN LEAGUE Div 1: Uxbridge v Thame Utd, Walton & H v Oxford C. Div 3: Abingdon Tn v Tring Tn. ________________________

  • Rugby: Varsity heroes face Cambridge

    Werner Van Pittius and Jason Hendriks, two members of Oxford University's triumphant side in the Varsity Match at Twickenham in December, will be meeting up with Cambridge University again tomorrow. The South African duo will be in the Henley line-up

  • Football: Wallingford's 16th victory hopes

    AFC Wallingford, who went second in the Courage Combined Counties League after Tuesday's win at Bedfont, look for their 16th successive victory at Merstham on Saturday. Ian Concannon (injury) and Bradley Ward (illness) missed out on Tuesday and remain

  • Boxing: Grant outgunned in finals bid

    Jason Grant failed in his bid to become the Home Counties champion when he fought in front of his own Berinsfield ABC members on Saturday. Competing in the welterweight final against Slough's J Akram, Grant took an early standing count of eight before

  • Badminton: Redefield lose to Bicester

    Redefield A decided to split the strength of their first pair Nick Raven and Dave Wong but the failed and they fell 5-4 to Bicester in Division 1 of the Men's League. Bicester's Cyril Francis and Richard Ward plus Mike Allen and Doug Wells won two each

  • Bid to replace classrooms

    Music and drama lessons taught in temporary classrooms could soon be a thing of the past at a Bloxham school. New classrooms are to be built, subject to planning permission, at Warriner School to replace three run-down mobile units. County council principal

  • Seven in house fire escape

    Seven youngsters were lucky to be alive today after escaping from a blazing house in Banbury. The youths were in an upstairs room when fire broke out in the mid-terrace property in Dover Avenue just before 8pm yesterday. They managed to make their way

  • Court jails drug woman

    A woman was jailed for two years after admitting selling ecstasy for her boyfriend in a nightclub. Katie Ramsey, 23, of The Fair Way, Bretch Hill, Banbury, was caught trying to sell 30 MDMA tablets in The Sound Exchange club, Banbury, on March 18. Rachel

  • Recycling plan needs helpers

    Fifty householders are wanted as "guinea pigs" for a new recycling scheme. West Oxfordshire District Council wants them to try a new Green Cone waste disposal unit which can use leftover food and garden rubbish. The six-month trial is to test how effective

  • Ruling on stadium awaited

    The result of a High Court battle which could decide the future of Oxford United's new stadium will be revealed next week. Neighbouring landowner Les Wells claims a right of way through the Minchery Farm site and yesterday he faced Oxford City Council

  • Rugby: Fixtures - Saturday, March 3

    All Saturday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides ENGLISH CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP South West Div 2 East: Witney v Chippenham. _____________________ CLUB MATCHES Oxford Univ v Imperial Medics (12), Henley v Cambridge Univ, 12.30), Banbury 2nd v Chipping Norton

  • Football: Fixtures - Sunday, March 4

    All Sunday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides OFA SAM WATERS CUP Semi-finals: Blackbird Leys Sunday v Six Bells Kidlington, South Stoke v Trades Ath. _____________________ MORRELLS OXFORD SUNDAY LEAGUE President's Cup 2nd round: Wolvercote v Wheatley

  • One call - and the road was fixed

    It may have been dangerous, but every time I drove through the Osney Mead Industrial Estate in Oxford, I clenched my hands tight on the steering wheel and swerved to avoid the potholes. I'm no Jeremy Clarkson but even I could see they were doing nothing

  • Silver screen successes

    An amateur drama group's venture into cinema proved such a big draw, it is planning another. After the success of Thame Players' first cinema night, two more have been planned. The first, on March 17, will feature Billy Elliott. The second, on April 14

  • Firm gives PCs to kids

    Internet company Mondus has presented five reconditioned computers to schools in Oxford and Bicester. Staff also helped decorate classrooms at Frideswide Middle School in Oxford. Pablo Goulemot, Niels Reidock, Alex Villa and Daniel Edmunds gave up a weekend

  • Turnout delights at forum launch

    More than 130 small firms were represented at the launch of the West Oxfordshire Business Forum. The meeting was held at the Witney Lakes Resort through a link-up between the Federation of Small Businesses and Lloyds TSB. The federation supports, advises

  • Not a dry eye in the house

    Medicine cabinets of the future may one day contain a bottle of artificial tears developed at Oxford University. Researchers at the Department of Ophthalmology have discovered and patented a combination of proteins and fats that make up the essential

  • Hero fireman honoured

    Firefighter Gary Walker has been commended for a heroic rescue and also given a long-service award. Award: Gary WalkerSub Officer Walker single-handedly rescued a 70-year-old man from a smoke-filled bedroom in Sinodun Road, Wallingford, in January. He

  • Liaison concern in team scheme

    A district council's plans have left town councillors concerned about their role. South Oxfordshire District Council's new chief executive, David Buckle, has said he intends to create a team of economic experts to promote the region's business interests

  • I can't 'weight' to help others

    A mother-of-two who lost four-and-a-half stone in a year-long diet, is set to become a slimming instructor herself. Samantha Harris, 28, from Hawksworth Road, Grove, saw her weight plummet from 15-and-a-half to under 11 stone after joining a Weight Watchers

  • Family delight at car for disabled Joe

    Little Joe Smith's life is about to be transformed. His family has been given a people carrier to help transport him around. The severely disabled five-year-old from Greater Leys, Oxford, has been virtually housebound until now because his parents could

  • Ammo found under dealer's bed

    Drug dealer Nicholas Dean who was caught with live ammunition hidden under his bed was jailed for 18 months, writes Rebecca Smith. Dean, 35, of Horspath Road, Oxford, had been banned from keeping firearms, but he thought the ammunition did not matter

  • Football: Moores ban sets poser for Thame

    Leaders Thame United have got a goalkeeping crisis ahead of tomorrow's Ryman League Division 1 trip to Uxbridge. Regular keeper Ian Moores is serving a one-match ban after being sent off against Walton & Hersham, leaving manager Andy Sinnott with

  • Quiz fans' favourite to return

    The quiz league boffins, brainboxes and trivia buffs have been missing is back - and it looks set to be more successful than ever. The Oxford Mail Quiz League, a competition open to all pubs and clubs in Oxfordshire, will be up and running again from

  • Park and ride fee increase dumped

    Plans to double park-and-ride charges are poised to be dropped, with urgent talks under way to establish a cheaper ticketing system. Oxford City Council has been taken aback by the outrage provoked by plans to hike up charges from 50p to £1. In a policy

  • Nurses reach breaking point

    Casualty nurses at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital are threatening industrial action over their fears for patient safety. Staff say patients endure little privacy or dignity because of cramped conditions and staff shortages. Nurses also have little time

  • Rowing: Bourne-Taylor's sights set on Boat Race glory

    Robin Bourne-Taylor has seen six years of hard work bring him his ultimate challenge - a chance to beat Cambridge University in this year's Boat Race, writes Mark Edwards. When the Dark Blues sit parallel to the Light Blues on March 24, there will be

  • Football: Weekend team news

    Milton United, who celebrated their first victory of the season at Bicester in midweek, are relishing the visit of Gloucestershire's Harrow Hill to the Heights eager to chalk up another victory. Striker Scott Taylor (groin) and centre back Gary Brown

  • Nurses reach breaking point

    Casualty nurses at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital are threatening industrial action over their fears for patient safety. Staff say patients endure little privacy or dignity because of cramped conditions and staff shortages. Nurses also have little time

  • Clubber assaulted on her way home

    A 40-year-old woman was indecently assaulted as she walked home from a nightclub. Detectives are appealing for help in tracing the attacker, who struck in Park Crescent, Abingdon. The woman had just left Stratton's nightclub in the town centre and had

  • Hi-tech worker convicted of theft

    A man who stole scientific equipment from his employer to sell on became the 'fall guy' in a plot to sell industrial secrets, a court heard. Peter Wilson, 38, of High Street, Milton, near Abingdon, was convicted at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday

  • Bid to replace classrooms

    Music and drama lessons taught in temporary classrooms could soon be a thing of the past at a Bloxham school. New classrooms are to be built, subject to planning permission, at Warriner School to replace three run-down mobile units. County council principal

  • Suits you, madam!

    A retailer has identified a niche for selling menswear in Wallingford. Lesley Vernon, of Underhill, Moulsford, will open her new shop, Elements Menswear, in the redeveloped shopping parade in St Martin's Street on March 23. She will sell made-to-measure

  • Lick of paint for town hall

    A 17th-century town hall is to get a new look for spring - yellow. Contractor E W Beard has put up scaffolding round Wallingford's 1670 town hall and will spend the next six weeks giving it a £10,000 lick of paint. The face-lift is part of a general make-over

  • Hero fireman honoured

    Firefighter Gary Walker has been commended for a heroic rescue and also given a long-service award. Sub Officer Walker single-handedly rescued a 70-year-old man from a smoke-filled bedroom in Sinodun Road, Wallingford, in January. He was off-duty at the

  • Liaison concern in team scheme

    A district council's plans have left town councillors concerned about their role. South Oxfordshire District Council's new chief executive, David Buckle, has said he intends to create a team of economic experts to promote the region's business interests

  • Football: Pegasus Juniors 1, Didcot Tn 1

    Didcot bounced back from last week's defeat in the Cherry Red Records Hellenic League to take a point at Pegasus. After a two-hour coach trip, Didcot were rocked when the match officials deemed the Hereford Leisure Centre pitch unplayable and it was decided

  • Trainers back seven-day shutdown

    Racehorse trainers in Oxfordshire have backed the decision to suspend racing for a week due to the foot and mouth crisis. Wantage trainer David Gandolfo said: "I think it is exactly right because basically I have the utmost confidence in the Ministry

  • Football: Terry's out

    Banbury United will be without midfielder Terry Muckleberg (suspension) and striker Steve Jenkins (foot injury) for their trip to Rothwell in the Eastern Division. Player-manager Kevin Brock, who missed seeing his in-form side hammer St Leonards 4-1 last

  • Big boost for sports fans

    Minister for Sport Kate Hoey will officially open a new sports hall on Monday. The £850,000 project at Witney's Henry Box School was funded by Oxfordshire County Council from the sale of surplus playing fields and replaced a smaller hall with much improved

  • Turnout delights at forum launch

    More than 130 small firms were represented at the launch of the West Oxfordshire Business Forum. The meeting was held at the Witney Lakes Resort through a link-up between the Federation of Small Businesses and Lloyds TSB. The federation supports, advises

  • Vicar says: 'Think again about your marriage'

    A vicar is offering couples the chance to take a second look at their marriages. The group will look at various aspects of marriage in four informal sessions. Haddenham vicar the Rev Chris Denham says the sessions will not involve small discussion groups

  • Silver screen successes

    An amateur drama group's venture into cinema proved such a big draw, it is planning another. After the success of Thame Players' first cinema night, two more have been planned. The first, on March 17, will feature Billy Elliott. The second, on April 14

  • Liaison concern in team scheme

    A district council's plans have left town councillors concerned about their role. South Oxfordshire District Council's new chief executive, David Buckle, has said he intends to create a team of economic experts to promote the region's business interests

  • I can't 'weight' to help others

    A mother-of-two who lost four-and-a-half stone in a year-long diet, is set to become a slimming instructor herself. Samantha Harris, 28, from Hawksworth Road, Grove, saw her weight plummet from 15-and-a-half to under 11 stone after joining a Weight Watchers

  • Rugby: Fixtures - Saturday, March 3

    All Saturday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides ENGLISH CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP South West Div 2 East: Witney v Chippenham. _____________________ CLUB MATCHES Oxford Univ v Imperial Medics (12), Henley v Cambridge Univ, 12.30), Banbury 2nd v Chipping Norton

  • Rugby: Littlemore eyeing up a giant-killing

    Both Littlemore and Banbury have much to play for when they meet in the semi-final of the David Charles Oxfordshire Cup at Peers School on Sunday (2.30). In addition to the prestige of a place in the final, the victors are guaranteed a place in next season's

  • Company pays £500 mud fine

    A quarry company whose lorries left mud on roads was fined £500 by Bicester magistrates. Stratton Audley Quarries Ltd was also ordered to pay £5,000 costs to Oxfordshire County Council, which brought the prosecution. The case also cost the business a

  • Football: Deadman ruled out for Didcot

    Didcot Town travel to Almondsbury Town in the Cherry Red Records Premier Division tomorrow without No 1 choice keeper Alex Deadman, who is undergoing treatment for a pelvic injury. Simon Reeve, who stepped up from the reserves and kept a clean sheet in

  • Firm gives PCs to kids

    Internet company Mondus has presented five reconditioned computers to schools in Bicester and Oxford. Staff also helped decorate classrooms at Frideswide Middle School in Oxford. Pablo Goulemot, Niels Reidock, Alex Villa and Daniel Edmunds gave up a weekend

  • Internet degree honour

    The inventor of the World Wide Web and the first female prime minister of Norway are among eight people to receive an honorary degree from Oxford University this summer. Prof Tim Berners-Lee, OBE, the inventor of the web, is an honorary fellow of The

  • Football: City look for new players

    Oxford City boss Paul Lee is also looking to bring players in for his side's game at Walton & Hersham in the Ryman League Division 1. Lee is talking to a midfielder and a striker after City picked up a number of injuries in Tuesday night's bruising

  • From rails to footpath

    Part of the route of a disused railway will be turned into a path and cycleway. Sustrans, which is working with local authorities in creating the National Cycle Network, has negotiated lease agreements with landowners along a two-mile section of the former

  • Liaison concern in team scheme

    A district council's plans have left town councillors concerned about their role. South Oxfordshire District Council's new chief executive, David Buckle, has said he intends to create a team of economic experts to promote the region's business interests

  • Students on march over fees

    Students marched through the streets of Oxford as part of a national day of protest against tuition fees. Protest: Students on the streets on Thursday More than 100 people joined the event yesterday, shouting anti-fees slogans and waving banners. The

  • Clubber assaulted on her way home

    A 40-year-old woman was indecently assaulted as she walked home from a nightclub. Detectives are appealing for help in tracing the attacker, who struck in Park Crescent, Abingdon. The woman had just left Stratton's nightclub in the town centre and had

  • Football: Fixtures - Saturday, March 3

    All Saturday fixtures involving Oxfordshire sides NATIONWIDE LEAGUE Div 2: Bristol City v Oxford Utd. ________________________ RYMAN LEAGUE Div 1: Uxbridge v Thame Utd, Walton & H v Oxford C. Div 3: Abingdon Tn v Tring Tn. ________________________

  • Butchers count the cost of foot and mouth

    The cost of meat in Oxfordshire has nearly doubled as the effects of the foot and mouth crisis start to bite. Butchers across the county are being faced with soaring prices as supplies of lamb, pork, beef and even poultry start to run dry in slaughterhouses

  • Suits you, madam!

    A retailer has identified a niche for selling menswear in Wallingford. Lesley Vernon, of Underhill, Moulsford, will open her new shop, Elements Menswear, in the redeveloped shopping parade in St Martin's Street on March 23. She will sell made-to-measure

  • Matalan fails to excite the City

    Discount retail chain Matalan failed to meet the high expectations of the City despite notching up strong sales and announcing further shop openings. Shares in the group, which has a branch in the John Allen Centre, Cowley, Oxford, slipped after a trading

  • Small firms catch on to e-commerce

    Small businesses are beginning to plug in to the benefits of online buying and selling, according to e-commerce company Mondus. Mondus, set up by Oxford post-graduate students Mr Rouzbeh Pirouz and Mr Alex Straub, has its UK headquarters at the Oxford

  • Court jails drug woman

    A woman was jailed for two years after admitting selling ecstasy for her boyfriend in a nightclub. Katie Ramsey, 23, of The Fair Way, Bretch Hill, Banbury, was caught trying to sell 30 MDMA tablets in The Sound Exchange club, Banbury, on March 18. Rachel

  • Hi-tech worker convicted of theft

    A man who stole scientific equipment from his employer to sell on became the 'fall guy' in a plot to sell industrial secrets, a court heard. Peter Wilson, 38, of High Street, Milton, near Abingdon, was convicted at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday

  • Seven in house fire escape

    Seven youngsters were lucky to be alive today after escaping from a blazing house in Banbury. The youths were in an upstairs room when fire broke out in the mid-terrace property in Dover Avenue just before 8pm yesterday. They managed to make their way

  • Library gate plan attacked

    The Bodleian Library, Oxford, has been accused of vandalism over plans to cut a double doorway through its historic Great Gate. The gate dates from 1610 and overlooks the Bodleian Quad, which would effectively be closed to the public. If the planning

  • Breakthrough could help muscle victims

    Researchers at Oxford University have identified another form of muscle disease. It is hoped the discovery will lead to new treatment for patients with myasthenia gravis - commonly known as rag doll syndrome because it leaves its victims floppy. MG is

  • Park and ride fee increase dumped

    Plans to double park-and-ride charges are poised to be dropped, with urgent talks under way to establish a cheaper ticketing system. Oxford City Council has been taken aback by the outrage provoked by plans to hike up charges from 50p to £1. In a policy

  • Cold wait in hospital prompts complaint

    A boatman who survived for more than an hour in the freezing River Thames is the latest patient to complain about the standard of care at an Oxford hospital. Roy Bream, 56, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital after being dragged three miles in floodwater

  • Internet degree honour

    The inventor of the World Wide Web and the first female prime minister of Norway are among eight people to receive an honorary degree from Oxford University this summer. Prof Tim Berners-Lee, OBE, the inventor of the web, is an honorary fellow of The

  • OFA to hold 'surgery'

    The OFA are holding a divisional surgery at Carterton Town FC next Tuesday (7.15) for member clubs in the west. They will hear what is happening within the FA and the OFA, and will have the opportunity to ask questions.

  • Football: Witney boosted by returning trio

    Witney Town are lifted by the return of a trio of key players as they seek to halt a run of three successive defeats against Tonbridge Angels in the Dr Martens League Eastern Division at Marriotts Stadium on Saturday, March 3. Midfielder Jason Caffel

  • 'Casual post staff dump mail at wrong addresses'

    Post in Oxford is being dumped at the wrong addresses by casuals taken on to deal with the backlog, according to people living in the north of the city A resident from Grantham House in Cranham Street, Jericho, said: "I have mail here for about four or

  • Knight on a mission

    In-from-the-cold goalkeeper Richard Knight is determined to prove a point when he returns between the sticks for Oxford United at Bristol City tomorrow, writes Jon Murray. The former Derby County keeper has been omitted from United's starting line-up

  • Women's football: Reagan at the double

    Mansfield Road put three goals past Thame Ladies without reply in their Southern Region game. Emma Livingston-Jones scored first for the visitors, with two more goals in the second half from Helen Reagan ending Thame's resistance.

  • Garden experts grapple with crime

    Organic gardening guru Bob Flowerdew gets to grip with plants that could help fight crime. Bob FlowerdewBob visited Kidlington with other experts from the BBC Radio 4 show Gardeners' Question Time to see a "defensive planting" scheme created by police

  • Quiz fans' favourite to return

    The quiz league boffins, brainboxes and trivia buffs have been missing is back - and it looks set to be more successful than ever. The Oxford Mail Quiz League, a competition open to all pubs and clubs in Oxfordshire, will be up and running again from

  • Fears disinfectant could run out

    Farmers in Oxfordshire fear supplies of disinfectant needed to combat the spread of foot and mouth disease could soon run out. Demand for the virus-killing chemicals has soared since the beginning of the outbreak last week. One Oxfordshire livestock farmer

  • Football: Paterson struck down by pneumonia

    Abingdon Town midfielder Corin Paterson faces a spell on the sidelines after being struck down by pneumonia. Chairman Phil Evans said the youngster wasn't in any danger, but they weren't expecting him to play for a few weeks. Meanwhile, Abingdon are waiting