Archive

  • United still a good bet

    I'M not much of a betting man, but I'm going to have a punt on Oxford United before this weekend. When Nick Merry and Jim Smith took over the helm, I always fancied the U's to lift the Conference title this season and although they have been through a

  • United still a good bet

    I'M not much of a betting man, but I'm going to have a punt on Oxford United before this weekend. When Nick Merry and Jim Smith took over the helm, I always fancied the U's to lift the Conference title this season and although they have been through a

  • United still a good bet

    I'M not much of a betting man, but I'm going to have a punt on Oxford United before this weekend. When Nick Merry and Jim Smith took over the helm, I always fancied the U's to lift the Conference title this season and although they have been through a

  • Distraction burglars steal from elderly

    Two conmen stole money from an elderly woman after talking their way into her home. The two men claimed to be from the water board and said they needed to go into her home in Church Street, Watlington, because there was a problem with the main. They

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 113.5 BMW 3092 Electrocomponents 286 Isoft Group 45.5 Oxford Biomedica 48.5 Oxford Instruments 284.5 Oxonica 123.5 Reed Elsevier 599.75 RM 201 RPS Group 303.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Injured high-flyer awarded £1.1m

    FORMER high-earning financial executive Ingrid Van Wees, 40, formerly of Oxford, was today awarded £1.1m damages in her High Court claim over road crash injuries which destroyed her intellectual abilities and wrecked her career. Miss Van Wees used to

  • United fans cautioned by police

    THREE Oxford United fans were cautioned by police after trouble marred their away clash with Aldershot Town. The fans were arrested at the ground on Saturday and cautioned for being drunk whilst trying to gain entry to a sporting event. There were

  • Jobs at risk after contract loss

    All 122 jobs at a distribution depot could be at risk after a contract held by the owners was not renewed. Bibby Distribution, which run the depot in Charbridge Way, Bicester, has lost its contract to handle the distribution of Budweiser beer. A Bibby

  • Trouble marred United game

    Clashes both before and after the game between rival groups of fans marred Oxford United's away game at Aldershot Town on Saturday. Hampshire Police, who had 85 officers at the match, arrested five people. Police have warned that any fans found to be

  • Thieves steal handbags

    Thieves stole two handbags in the Bicester area. Early yesterday, a handbag was stolen from a house in Leach Road after thieves got in through a unlocked front door. And in Orchard Way, just before 10pm yesterday, a woman's handbag was snatched by

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 113.5 BMW 3056 Electrocomponents 287.5 Isoft Group 46 Oxford Biomedica 49.75 Oxford Instruments 286.75 Oxonica 123.5 Reed Elsevier 604.5 RM 200.75 RPS Group 303.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Torex bailed out with bank loan

    Troubled software company Torex Retail has secured its immediate future with a £15m bank loan. The company, based in Witney and Banbury, said the agreement with a syndicate of banks would be "sufficient to meet short-term working capital requirements

  • Letter to Littl'un

    You are six months old on Saturday, which might not sound like a big thing, but those six months have probably been the maddest time in your mum and dad's lives, so I thought I'd try and write something special. Don't worry, I'll try not to make it too

  • FOOTBALL: Rosie names the day!

    Peter Rhoades-Brown has confirmed the date for his glamorous end-of-season testimonial against a Chelsea XI - and among the star names coming to play for him are several from Oxford United's 1986 Milk Cup-winning side. The match will take place at the

  • FOOTBALL: City back on song

    Oxford City 4, Windsor & Eton 2 Two late goals saw City get back to winning ways in British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West after they had let slip a two-goal cushion against Windsor & Eton at Court Place Farm last night. City

  • FOOTBALL: Didcot go down to play-off rivals

    Swindon S'marine 2, Didcot Tn 0 Didcot finished second best in the battle between these two British Gas Business Division 1 South & West play-off contenders last night. On a difficult, heavy pitch, Supermarine took a 36th-minute lead when Luke Gullick

  • ATHLETICS: Douglas handed Great Britain call-up

    Oxford City triple jumper Nathan Douglas has been rewarded for his victory in Sunday's European Indoor trials with selection for the Great Britain team for the European Indoor Championships, to be held in Birmingham next month. Douglas won on Sunday

  • BILLIARDS: Ashton shock leaders

    Ashton pulled off a shock as they ended Oxford & District League Division 2 leaders' Morris Motors winning streak with a 3-0 victory. Peter Fenn (+60) gave Ashton the perfect start when he defeated Roger Coenen (+70) 150-126. Keith Maskens (-60) then

  • AUNT SALLY: Garsington's title despite big scare

    Garsington Sports Club A were crowned Gladiator Beer Seller Wednesday League champions for the first time - but only after being given a huge fright. Needing just a point to secure the title, they lost the first two legs to lowly Team Monarch, for whom

  • ATHLETICS: Smith smashes best to christen new track

    Witney Roadrunners Sam Benfield, Katherine Smith and Alice Parsons were in good form at the Birmingham Games at the National Indoor Arena. Smith, an under 17 athlete, took part in the first race to christen the new track, which is now ready for the

  • Ex-executive's £1.1m for brain damage

    Former high-earning financial executive Ingrid Van Wees, 40, was today awarded £1.1m damages in her High Court claim for road crash injuries which destroyed her intellectual abilities and wrecked her career. Miss Van Wees, who used to live in Walton

  • Palace set for triathlon

    Blenheim Palace looks set to become a triathlon haven once again this summer as the Blenheim Triathlon makes its return. For the past two years, the event - the second largest race of its kind in the UK - has seen hundreds of athletes from across the

  • Estate 'needs a pukka place to eat'

    Funding is being sought for a Jamie Oliver-style eaterie to give disadvantaged people living on an Oxford estate the opportunity to learn about catering and get into full time work. Community development officer Alan Foukes is behind the scheme he hopes

  • Patients face trip across city for care

    A health director has admitted that building a secure intensive care unit for the mentally ill at Littlemore may mean patients have to be transferred across Oxford. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Healthcare Trust is planning to develop the £2.5m

  • RUGBY LEAGUE: Blackstone re-signs

    PROP Chris Blackstone has re-signed for rugby league club Oxford Cavaliers. Blackstone impressed during last season's fifth-placed finish in the TotalRL.com Conference and should be a key player as Cavaliers bid for a play-off spot. Teammate Mark

  • RUGBY UNION: Henley's tall order

    PROMOTION-chasing Henley Hawks are targeting wins in all seven of their remaining games in National 2. Third-placed Hawks are two points behind Launceston in second - and they clash at Dry Leas on the final day of the season. If this is to be a showdown

  • Kylie called in to rescue lake

    Environmental campaigner 'The Ant' has pitched his tent at the site of threatened Radley Lakes and called it 'Camp Kylie' in honour of the pop superstar. He said energy company nPower's plan to dump fuel ash from Didcot power station in the lakes was

  • Town turmoil as clerk quits

    Witney Town Council has been thrown into turmoil after the town clerk resigned hours after a failed no-confidence vote in two senior councillors. Pat Nevins quit yesterday saying her staff felt intimidated. Her move followed a closed session of the

  • RUGBY UNION: Henderson to miss final

    WALLINGFORD captain Olli Henderson is to miss the Oxfordshire Shield final after putting family first. Henderson, who played a major role in Wallingford's 33-12 semi-final victory over Blue Boar, will be in New Zealand for his sister's wedding. The

  • Should shrunken heads stay in museum?

    THE future of one of Oxford's most popular artefacts - the shrunken heads at the Pitt Rivers Museum - could be in doubt. The South American heads draw hundreds of visitors to the Victorian museum in South Parks Road - and are particularly popular with

  • RUGBY UNION: Perfect start for new skipper

    Oxford University 30, Army 14 JOE Roff produced a perfect kicking display to defeat the Army in his first match as Oxford University captain last night. Roff, playing at fly half, landed six out of six kicks to cap an impressive display in the wet

  • Acted in haste?

    Having read the many letters on recycling and disposal of waste matter, I wonder whether the city council has acted in haste and not given enough thought and consideration as to where householders living in terraced properties or flats would store their

  • Fake policemen ransack house

    BURGLARS posing as policemen broke into an elderly couple's Oxford home and ransacked through their possessions as their victims looked on. Norris Lewis, 78, and his wife Iris, 71, of Spindleberry Close, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, described the ordeal

  • Beware water meters

    So those householders without water meters are again under pressure to have them installed (Oxford Mail, February 2 and 7). Being a gullible sort of chap, I listened to Thames Water and had a meter installed and, boy, have I regretted it. The problems

  • Suspect everyone at the door

    We have lost count of the number of times over the years we have warned people, particularly the elderly, to beware of strangers knocking on their doors. Sadly, these conmen are still operating - and innocent people are still falling for their trickery

  • Police find another cannabis factory

    POLICE have found another cannabis-growing factory in Oxford. Officers raided a house in Derwent Avenue, Headington, and found what they have described as a sophisticated set-up and 450 mature cannnabis plants. Police spokesman Toby Shergold put the

  • Lewis star pays tribute to John Thaw

    The star of Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis has paid tribute to actor John Thaw, who made the Oxford-based detective series a worldwide hit. Old School Ties, the first of three new two-hour long episodes starring Kevin Whately, starts on Sunday at 9pm

  • Library unites families in fun

    A library with a difference is helping to unite children and their parents - as well as improve their reading. The Reading Quest family libraries project, which runs at four Oxford schools each week, encourages children and their parents to spend time

  • Couple tie knot on Empire State Building

    A FIREFIGHTER will be making his wedding vows on the top of the Empire State Building today to be closer to his son killed in a road crash. Bob Paterson, 47, and Rosie Franklin, of 41, of Cumnor, are one of only three couples from Britain granted permission

  • County backs 4% tax rise

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council has agreed a four per cent increase in its share of the annual council tax bill. Taxpayers will see the county council part of their bill rise by £41 a year for a band D household, from £1,008 to £1,049. Cllr Keith Mitchell

  • £90,000 of cannabis plants seized

    Police believe they uncovered one of the most sophisticated cannabis factories in Oxford yesterday. Officers found five rooms filled with about 450 mature cannabis plants after smashing their way through the front door of the house, in Derwent Avenue

  • FOOTBALL: Unlucky Stanford lose out at death

    North Berks League A goal deep into injury time denied Division 2 strugglers Stanford-in-the-Vale a vital point against Sutton Courtenay, who sneaked a 2-1 victory. Jimmy Mills powered in a shot which was not held, and Scott Ollif tucked in the winning

  • Row looms over shrunken heads

    The future of some of Oxford's most popular artefacts - the shrunken heads at the Pitt Rivers Museum - could be in doubt. The South American heads draw hundreds of visitors to the Victorian museum, in South Parks Road, and are particularly popular with

  • Council's £390,000 for play areas

    Some rundown playgrounds in Oxford could be saved from closure after councillors approved spending almost £400,000 on extra repairs. Of the 97 play areas across the city, 16 are under threat of closure, because there are similar facilities nearby and

  • Valentine couple wed on NY tower

    A firefighter will be making his wedding vows on the top of the Empire State Building today to be closer to his son killed in a road crash. Bob Paterson, 47, and Rosie Franklin , 41, of Cumnor, are one of only three couples from Britain granted permission

  • On the mend

    THE past week has seen me complete a triathlon of sorts, although not quite to the same level as my Oxford Mail colleague Emma-Kate Lidbury. My sore shins, as reported last week, meant running was off the menu at least for a few days, so I opted for a

  • On the mend

    THE past week has seen me complete a triathlon of sorts, although not quite to the same level as my Oxford Mail colleague Emma-Kate Lidbury. My sore shins, as reported last week, meant running was off the menu at least for a few days, so I opted for a

  • On the mend

    THE past week has seen me complete a triathlon of sorts, although not quite to the same level as my Oxford Mail colleague Emma-Kate Lidbury. My sore shins, as reported last week, meant running was off the menu at least for a few days, so I opted for a

  • Fake policemen ransacked house

    Burglars posing as policemen got into an elderly couple's Oxford home and rifled through their possessions in search of cash as their victims looked on. Norris Lewis, 78, and his wife Iris, 71, of Spindleberry Close, Blackbird Leys, described the ordeal

  • RUGBY UNION: Roff's pride at confidence vote

    JOE Roff has spoken of his pride at being elected Oxford University captain and pledged to be an inclusive skipper. The 31-year-old former Australian international was preferred to fly half Craig McMahon for the post, which culminates with December's

  • FOOTBALL: Bardwell halt Garsington run

    Garsington Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division title hopes suffered a dent as they crashed to their first defeat of the season against lowly BCS Bardwell. In one of only two matches to survive the bad weather in the top flight, Garsington dominated

  • Leader defiant after councillor quits

    LIBERAL Democrat leader John Goddard says the departure of a third high-profile councillor will not make any difference to the party running the city. Mr Goddard, leader of Oxford City Council, was speaking after Tia MacGregor, councillor for Quarry