Sweat, toil and dedication are three words high up in the psyche of Witney weightlifter Dan Middleton, as he continues his meteoric rise in his bid for London 2012 Olympic glory. The London Games may still seem an age away, but for Middleton, it is
Wallingford's Scott Handley bowed out of the British National Championships with a straight-sets defeat by Yorkshire's Lee Beachill in the second round. Handley, the No 12 seed, went down 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 to the third seed at the National Squash Centre
Eynsham were celebrating after their A and B teams booked their places in the Oxford League's aggregately scored Bint and New Team Cups. In the Bint Cup, Eynsham A, from Division 2, shocked Premier Division outfit Cherwell A with an emphatic 5-0 victory
Eynsham were celebrating after their A and B teams booked their places in the Oxford League's aggregately scored Bint and New Team Cups. In the Bint Cup, Eynsham A, from Division 2, shocked Premier Division outfit Cherwell A with an emphatic 5-0 victory
Banbury beat clubmates Banbury A by two wickets in a last-ball thriller in Division 1 of the Banbury Indoor League. Steve Beck hit 27 as Banbury A made 103, Jimmy Phillips taking 2-16. Ian Hawtin (29no) and Ed Smith (28no) then steered Banbury to
Oxford City Stars are out for revenge when they travel to London to take on Lee Valley Lions on Sunday. Stars are raring to go after having last weekend off, and will be desperate to get their own back for a 7-5 home defeat inflicted by Lee Valley back
Once again, there was a fair amount of distruption on the match scene after last week's snow, followed by the thaw and heavy rain, writes Andy Webber. Not only were our rivers filling up, but the snow melt made the water really cold. Hopefully, that's
Blanchfords Oxfordshire Trophy winner Mahers Boy enhanced his claims for the William Hill Pall Mall here next month with another scintillating display in the Dunn Car Sales Stakes at Oxford on Tuesday. Elaine Parker's Sheffield-trained black and white
Abingdon United must replay their abandoned Southern League Division 1 South & West home clash with Swindon Supermarine, after FA threw out the club's appeal. Southern League secretary Dennis Strudwick said the appeal was never actually heard, as the
Police searching for missing Oxford teenager Ben Halsey-Jones found a body in the River Thames at Tumbling Bay, Botley, today. The body, which has not been formally identified, was recovered by the Thames Valley Police Specialist Search and Recovery
TWO men have been arrested after a series of crimes in the Crowell Road area of Temple Cowley which are believed to be linked. In one of the incidents, a man was dragged from his car, in Gaisford Road at around 6.40pm on Thursday, by a group of youths
Two men have been arrested after a series of crimes in the Crowell Road area of Temple Cowley which are believed to be linked. In one of the incidents, a man was dragged from his car, in Gaisford Road at around 6.40pm on Thursday, by a group of youths
The elderly are being warned to be on their guard after more pensioners were conned by bogus visitors and burglars forced their way into another woman's home. Yesterday, three men conned their way into an elderly woman's house in Yarnton at about 3pm
THE elderly in west Oxfordshire are being warned to be on their guard after three more distraction burglaries, taking the total to five in three days. Police say the incidents could be linked and have issued e-fits in a bid to catch the conmen. Yesterday
Jewellery, including wedding rings and a gold watch, has been recovered in the Bicester area, police said today. Officers hope to track down the owners of the items, which they believe were taken to a jewellery shop in the town over the past year.
Power giant RWE npower was last night accused of trying to stifle protesters in what was shaping up to be a major battle over civil liberties. Lawyers, politicians and campaigners who live in Abingdon and around the Radley Lakes ash-tipping site condemned
ADDERBURY racing driver Will Bratt could be in line for championship honours this year after setting the pace in pre-season testing for the 2007 Formula Renault UK series. With just a week to go until the first official practice session of the year,
Shares in home shopping retailer Dream Direct slumped after it announced a profit warning. The Witney firm said sales had declined 21 per cent in the four months from October 1 and predicted a pre-tax loss of more than £800,000. The group has also
A LORRY driver died and two children were injured in a crash that blocked Banbury's Southam Road on Thursday evening. The accident happened at 5.45pm near Cope Road when the lorry driver is thought to have collapsed at the wheel. The DAF articulated
RESIDENTS in Bicester were celebrating after controversial plans to build above-ground graves near their homes were thrown out by councillors. Residents in St Mary's Close spent weeks lobbying local politicians and organised a 600-signature petition
THAMES Valley Police has set its council tax increase to 4.99 per cent for the year from April 1. The force, which says it is facing a tough financial year, had been warned the Government would cap any increase at five per cent. The decision was made
Police have issued an e-fit of a man they would like to speak to in connection with a burglary in Woodstock on Monday. He knocked on an elderly couple's door in Cockpit Close between 4pm and 4.30pm. He stated he was from the 'water board' and needed
TOUGH one this week. A sporting fixture clashing with Valentine's Day and the knowledge that your wife won't be impressed. To put it mildly. What do you do? I thought I'd solved the problem by booking a meal out for very early evening – I could even use
TOUGH one this week. A sporting fixture clashing with Valentine's Day and the knowledge that your wife won't be impressed. To put it mildly. What do you do? I thought I'd solved the problem by booking a meal out for very early evening – I could even use
TOUGH one this week. A sporting fixture clashing with Valentine's Day and the knowledge that your wife won't be impressed. To put it mildly. What do you do? I thought I'd solved the problem by booking a meal out for very early evening – I could even use
Thames Valley Police Authority has set its council tax increase to 4.99 per cent for the year from April 1. The force, which says it is facing a tough financial year, had been warned the Government would cap any increase at five per cent. The decision
Meet the fandesk. Based on the arcade game air hockey, it is a strange trolley designed to prolong the life of computers and other electronic goods. Its inventors believe it could help solve the problem of mounting electronic waste, which is often dumped
Many of us drive cars, watch TVs, use computers, and listen to digital radios made there. But it seems few of us know much about the place - although apparently we would like to learn more. That is the experience of David Lee, 38, owner of Into Japan
Aprosperous place, at peace with itself, all sleek wood and steel and complete with shops full of Scandinavian goods by such designers as Jensen and Jacobsen. That may be the stereotype, but after a fleeting business visit to Copenhagen, I would say
We all have at least one story within us to tell and for most of us, it is our own life and times, as Michael Oke discovered when he set up his own company, Bound Biographies. Since he put an advertisement in a local weekly newspaper offering to help
The raft of proposed legislation which has poured from the Government recently has kept planners very busy. At the heart of it has been the Barker report, produced by Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, which has
Starting a curtain and carpet cleaning business in Cuddesdon may sound like a worthy enough enterprise, small but honest and in time likely to lead to a steady income. Graham Orriss did just that 20 years ago; now he is the boss of a business turning
The history of British car production under the various guises of British Leyland/Rover/BMW and beyond would fill the pages of a book, let alone a feature in this magazine. But no company has been more closely associated with this colourful tale from
Cowley, on a cold Saturday afternoon, and most teenagers are enjoying a well-earned break from school.But one intrepid group are manning stalls in the Templars Square shopping centre, determined to make a success of their micro-businesses. Members of
Residents in Bicester were celebrating today after controversial plans to build above-ground graves near their homes were thrown out by councillors. Residents in St Mary's Close spent weeks lobbying local politicians and organised a 600-signature petition
The parking restrictions in Jericho really don't take lunch as an art form into consideration. You might be able to nip out and buy a newspaper in the allotted time spot, or even see a film, but lunch - forget it. One hour's parking is free, two will
Summers in Jamaica are always hot. But back in the mid-60s the island was sweltering in a ferocious heatwave. So draining was the heat that it became just too much effort to dance to the island's frantic skanking' party beats. The time was ripe for
The community shop in Finstock has just celebrated its first anniversary in business. It took three years for the Three Villages Shop to get off the ground and manager Mary Brunt admits it was a struggle. Finstock had its own shop and post office until
Villagers are set to open a community shop in Radley this spring. The residents are backing the project financially with pledges of more than £20,000 and a supporter is prepared to buy the freehold of the premises and lease it back free of charge. The
Oxfordshire now has 14 community-owned village shops - more than any other county in the country. Local people have taken on the challenge of providing a key service in their community at a time when changing demographics, competition from supermarkets
Christopher Timothy has seven children and lives in a rambling house in West Sussex. So playing David Bliss in Noel Coward's Hay Fever should be a breeze. After all, the farcical comedy of manners written in 1925, about an eccentric family who struggles
AEA Technology 114 BMW 3112 Electrocomponents 294.5 Isoft Group 48.75 Oxford Biomedica 52.5 Oxford Instruments 284 Reed Elsevier 643.5 RM 201 RPS Group 310.75 Oxonica 124.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Sir - A few days in hospital has given me an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful care of ambulance and hospital personnel. When the time came to be moved from A&E to a specialised ward, the familiar cry went up: 'No beds'. Later, a bed became vacant
Sir - Worcester Street Canal Basin could create up to 30 permanent jobs in central Oxford. FOXCAN does not propose that any local authority should commit capital to the basin. Paul Hornby (letter, February 9) rightly says private capital should redevelop
Workers going about their daily, lawful business should not be subjected to any form of harassment and intimidation. If that happens, the perpetrators should expect the full weight of the law to descend upon them. But the legal armoury being used
Sir - An article in New Scientist (23.9.06) entitled 'Water Wisdom' stated that refilling the aquifers may provide a solution by avoiding the evaporation that takes place from reservoirs, according to Tom Brikowski of the University of Texas at Dallas
Sir - How depressing that, barely a week after the publication of the 4th IPCC report with its starkest of warnings about what is in store for us if we don't get a grip on carbon emissions, you should publish a free glossy supplement whose sole purpose
Sir - Thank goodness for last week's snow. It gave the owners of 95 per cent of 4WD vehicles two days on which to salve their damaged environmental consciences by pretending that their vehicles were essential purchases while the rest of the self-righteous
I refer to your headline, Blame it on the booze (Oxford Mail, February 10). So it's OK to have drink and abuse a nine-year-old girl, is it? Drunk or not, there is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. The judge should be ashamed for saying that
With regard to your article Police warn of frontline cuts (Oxford Mail, February 6), I would like to elaborate on a few points raised by the Acting Chief Constable, Sara Thornton. I represent some 2,500 police civilian staff throughout Thames Valley
Sir - Since complaining about the rudeness of Oxford college porters (letter, February 2), I have met several incredibly kind and helpful porters and heard many stories of their generosity. Although I feel my letter raised some pertinent issues, I did
Sir - Mr Emlyn-Jones complains about the rudeness of college porters (letter, February 2). If this were true it is hardly surprising given the poor lot of college porters. On average, working unsocial hours, a college porter will receive less than £12,000
Sir - I write in support of establishing a wet garden' for street-drinkers in Oxford. It is encouraging that a creative and progressive solution has been given serious consideration in the matter. Let us face the fact that street-drinking is a serious
Sir - I suggest that the city council erects signs on the outskirts reading "Oxford, Twinned With Cockaigne". After all, it seems intent on making the city a common-sense-free zone. Hard on the heels of the Cornmarket fiasco (millions to repave a short
Sir - In the summer, we have no egg and spoon races nor sack races (too dangerous) and now, in the winter, after a flurry of snow, we have no schools (also too dangerous). Whatever are we doing to our children's natural sense of competition and risk?
An Oxford park is set to lose out on vital funding after not a single person turned out at a meeting to join its friends group. While more than 200 people have joined friends groups at Cutteslowe, Hinksey and Florence parks, Blackbird Leys Park remains
Sir - The letter written to The Oxford Times by the interim city chief executive waved away concerns about creating a strong and successful administration. This is a task that has defeated his predecessors. High city council staff absenteeism, the high
Sir - Oxfordshire County Council has sent to Government an analysis that demolishes point by point Oxford City Council's dreadful bid to become a 'go-it-alone' unitary council. It details the vast underestimates in transitional costs and ongoing costs
Sir - I have lived in Walton Manor for 12 years and, coming from a rural background, have always trapped or poisoned rats. Recently there has been a great increase in the number I am catching, including a misguided youngster that last week made it up
Sir - Chris Gray, as arts editor, has for some years used the platform of the Weekend section of The Oxford Times to vent his spleen on the Liberal Democrats since they became a power to be reckoned with on Oxford City Council. This started in October
As many parents will know, raising a family requires commitment, organisation and bags of energy. But for one Oxfordshire couple, running their home demands almost military precision - as their nine children will all testify. But now Jacqui and Martin
Sir - I hope I'm not alone in writing to say I have no problem with the new recycling scheme. My wheelie bin and those of my neighbours are rat-proof and quite adequate for a fortnight's non-recyclables; the green box is a bit heavy with all the supplements
Sir - A couple of weeks ago you kindly allowed me to defend Jean Fooks (letter, January 19), but it is clear that Christopher Gray is determined to carry on mocking our executive member for a healthier city (Gray Matter, February 9). As soon as a rat
Sir - In the time-honoured tradition of defending the underdog, I'd like to stand up for the present merits of Bonn Square. Individuals with long memories still tend to imagine the area dominated by a group of alcoholics but this has not been the case
The daft behaviour of Oxford city councillors is something we are used to but, somehow, we never cease to be amazed by it. This week it is the issue of wheelie bins that has them all in a spin. The arguments over wheelie bins and alternate weekly
We have steered clear of judging the rights or wrongs of RWE npower's plans to fill Radley Lakes with ash, preferring to report the important issues raised by the debate and leave our readers to make up their own minds. We do not propose to change that
Andy Burgess admits that he is at a loss to explain why he is struggling to recapture his early season form. But the midfielder is determined to try to play his part in the U's winning promotion from the Nationwide Conference. Burgess has gone from
The footballing future of former Oxford United midfielder Richard Hill is in the balance after the QPR assistant manager was suspended by his club this week following the "Great Brawl of China". Hill, the No 2 to John Gregory at Loftus Road, was photographed
A lorry driver has died following a road accident on the A423 in Banbury last night. The man, who has not been named, died shortly after arriving at the Horton Hospital in Banbury. Five other vehicles were involved in the collision on Southam Road
Oxford United are looking forward to seeing the back of winter and ret- urning to good playing surfaces on which their passing football can thrive. And with the team starting to get their act together again, there's a new sense of optimism that they
Trees in Oxford's parks and communal spaces should undergo routine safety checks, say two independent city councillors. Paul Sargent and Tia MacGregor, both former Liberal Democrats, want to know why there are no checks on trees in city council parks
Oxford City' triple jumper Nathan Douglas faces one of the toughest tests of the indoor season so far when he takes part in the Norwich Union Grand Prix at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, tomorrow. Douglas, fresh from his victory at last weekend's
Jamie Butt is set to make is home debut for Witney United when they host relegation-haunted Thame United tomorrow. Butt, who signed last week from Carterton, impressed during his first start for his new club as he helped them to a 1-0 win at leaders
There is increased competition for places as Oxford Harlequins travel to Brackell in South West 1 tomorrow. Backs Elio Recchia and Andy Noyce return to the squad, while props Paul DeLange and Tom Chapman are pushing for starts after coming off the bench
Former Oxford RFC junior Sam Bennett takes the applause as he leads his England Colleges team off the field at Porthcawl. Bennett, who attends Filton College in Bristol, is captaining the England, who began their campaign with a 10-7 loss to a Welsh
Oxfordshire 3rd's hopes of celebrating the Division 5D title were dashed when they were pipped 8-7 by Devon in their Inter-County Championship match at Radley College. The hosts, who had won all their previous matches, including a 9-6 victory in Devon
FOOTBALL NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE Oxford Utd v Gravesend & Northfleet. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Bath City v Banbury Utd. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Winchester City, Didcot Tn v Taunton Tn, Lymington & New Milton v Oxford
A LORRY driver has died following a road accident on the A423 in Banbury last night. The man, who has not been named, died shortly after arriving at the Horton Hospital in Banbury. Five other vehicles were involved in the collision on Southam Road
The new comedy from the creators of Shaun Of The Dead is a hugely enjoyable romp in the country that handcuffs the loopy plotting of Midsomer Murders to the hysterically overblown action of Lethal Weapon. While Hot Fuzz certainly isn't as satisfying
SPEED limits on seven roads where 17 people have been killed are being cut to 50mph. Oxfordshire County Council has ordered the cut from 60mph to 50mph in a safety drive on the B4027 from Holton to Islip, A329 from Milton Common to Thame, B4012 from
POWER giant RWE npower was last night accused of trying to stifle local protesters in what was shaping up to be a major battle over civil liberties. Lawyers, politicians and campaigners who live in Abingdon and around the Radley Lakes site condemned
Patients waiting for a range of routine operations could find their surgery axed to help the NHS save money. Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust managers are looking at five treatments to decide whether to cut the number of operations they commission
You can help smash the growing phenomenon of cannabis factories in Oxford neighbourhoods by being the eyes and ears of the police in your street. Yet another sophisticated cannabis factory was uncovered yesterday - this time in Cricket Road, Cowley.
When gas prices went through the roof last year, everyone dreaded their gas bill dropping on the doormat. But staff at an Oxford University college had more reason than most to be alarmed by the soaring price of gas - when they got a bill for £4.6m.
Oxford has been used as a test model for areas hoping to introduce congestion and pay-per-mile road charging. Two-hundred people from the Oxford area were interviewed in a survey about four theoretical charging schemes - but don't panic, as there is
More of the country's top comics are being lined up to perform at a star-studded concert in Oxford to raise funds for Helen and Douglas House. Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and Harry Enfield are the latest celebrities to confirm they will appear at the Childish
A Police officer used CS spray as he arrested a parish council chairman during a brawl at an Oxfordshire hotel, a court heard. Sgt Robert Whitaker, based at Woodstock, told Oxford Crown Court he tired to restrain Christopher Kimber, 53, during an incident
Speed limits on seven roads where 17 people have been killed are being cut to 50mph. Oxfordshire County Council has ordered the cut from 60mph to 50mph in a safety drive on the B4027 from Holton to Islip, A329 from Milton Common to Thame, B4012 from
Moves to force residents to use wheelie bins are threatening to ignite a major revolt by Oxford city councillors. A council vote against the city's controversial waste collection strategy of rolling out wheelie bins across the city looks likely to be
Bering Gifts, from Alan Hill's Aston Rowant stables, seeks to continue his love affair with the nearby Kingston Blount course, near Chinnor, at Oxford University Hunt Club's charity meeting on Sunday. The 12-year-old has won five of his six starts at
Didcot Town manager Stuart Peace (pictured) says his side must start performing - or risk dropping out of contention for the British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West play-offs. A month ago, Peace's side, who were promoted from the
NISSAN'S new UK-designed, engineered and built Qashqai 'crossover' is available for test drive and ordering at the company's dealers with deliveries due to start on March 1. The firm says business should be brisk if early interest from customers is
Of all the cars in all the world I bet you never expected James Bond to be seen at the wheel of a Ford Mondeo. OK, the new 007, Daniel Craig, makes only a brief appearance in the car in Casino Royale, and it is the yet-to-be-launched 2007 model, but
FORD is offering a new high specification version of its Zetec S to mark 30 years of sales success for Britain's favourite small car. The Fiesta Zetec S Anniversary edition model will be a limited run of just 400 vehicles and will be on sale in March
MEMBERS of the public are being warned to be on their guard after distraction burglars targeted the elderly twice on the same day in the Woodstock area. One man knocked on an elderly couple's address in Cockpit Close, Woodstock, between 4pm and 4.30pm
