Ed Smith's first-ball wicket set the tone for Oxfordshire as they dominated the first day of their Tom Orford Trophy clash with Bedfordshire at Queen's College yesterday. Smith clean bowled David Naik for a duck, and although some consolidation saw
A man left using a wheelchair after he was set on fire and left to die has denied he got into a drunken row with the man accused of attacking him. John Maynard, 37, needed to have both legs amputated after he suffered horrific burns when he was turned
A show guaranteed to make everyone listen closely came to Oxford today. The Bionic Ear Show, at Science Oxford, in St Clement's, featured a giant ear measuring more than 22ft - the size of 116 normal ears. Dozens of children and adults took a detailed
A man left wheelchair-bound after he was set on fire and left to die has denied he got into a drunken row with the man accused of attacking him. John Maynard, 37, needed to have both legs amputated after he suffered horrific burns when he was turned
Devastated parents have said farewell to a pre-school which has served an Oxford estate for more than 20 years. Blackbird Leys Pre-School, situated behind Blackbird Leys Community Centre, has prepared thousands of children for primary school since 1986
About 350 council workers marched through Oxford today in protest over pay. Libraries, schools and leisure facilities were forced to close as members of the Unison and Unite unions across the county walked out over a below-inflation 2.45 per cent pay
Supermarket workers in 12 Oxfordshire stores face an uncertain future after the Co-op announced it might have to sell shops following its £1.57bn buyout of its rival chain Somerfield today. A Co-op spokesman told the Oxford Mail that the Office of Fair
Three paedophiles who were described by police as "family men" have been jailed for being members of an online child sex ring. They will serve a total of six years in jail after police smashed an international gang of perverts who shared images of children
My report last week about the creation of a new 'job' in Oxfordshire County Council's decision-making cabinet, called 'member for place', seems to have touched a nerve. No sooner had we reported as such than the holder of the post, veteran councillor
Drayton Park were left kicking themselves after losing out to Tadmarton Heath in round one of the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes Knockout Trophy. The tie came down to match three in which Drayton's Andy Elmey and Andy Griffiths led Mark Walton and
Was in the lake at 6.45am this morning for a quick 3k swim before work. The Oxford Tri Club swims at a lake off the A40 twice a week which, when the sun shines, is simply glorious. There's always a great vibe down at the lake at this time of year when
We can't imagine there will be too much public sympathy for the council workers' two-day strike. Of course, on the face of it, they have a strong case - they have been offered a pay rise well below the rate of inflation. But isn't that going to apply
Faith Minnion, a political campaigner and health worker in Oxfordshire for more than 20 years, has died aged 73. She started as a cardiac technician in the NHS in her early 20s and was present in the operating theatre when the first British heart transplant
A south Oxfordshire farm is being transformed into a festival site for 6,000 music lovers this weekend. Preparations are well in hand for the annual Truck Festival on Saturday and Sunday at Steventon, near Abingdon. The event, one of Oxfordshire's
Studley Wood's new owners say there is plenty more investment to come after spending £250,000 on the club since taking over. Co-owners Ken Heathcote and Ian Darby bought Studley Wood in December, and since then have set about revamping what they say
The Kennington and District United Church Choirs' recent concerts of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore at five venues in Oxfordshire raised the magnificent sum of £9,410.27. It was divided between Mencap (£463), Christian Aid (£686.36), Oxsrad (£472.50
I would like to thank Insider for introducing the new Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet portfolio Place to readers (Oxford Mail, July 10). The title Place has attracted some lighthearted banter and some dreadful puns, but the title, short and to the
What an odd lot these anti-hunt folk are. David Youd makes a valid point about foxes taking his poultry - Bea Bradley fails to respond. But as per the old saying: 'The truth hurts'. Now (Oxford Mail, July 12), Peter Bunce, of Haddenham, admits he
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Knockout Trophy Drayton Park 1, Tadmarton Heath 2 (Drayton Park first): R Shayler & G Moore lost to I Manning & S O'Connor 5 & 3, B James & M Roberts bt O King & M Hughes 5 & 4, A Elmey & A Griffiths lost to
I am writing to put the record straight concerning my role and that of the county and district councils in trying to assist the Abacus Nursery at Witney to secure alternative accommodation. The proprietors were assisted by the county council's child
I was one of the supporters who missed a penalty at the Oxford United Fun Day, but what a great day for the fans and players (Oxford Mail, July 7). A lot of my colleagues and friends ask why I support Oxford United as they are only a Conference side
We have been told by Oxfordshire County Council that we will have to wait until next year before it reviews our request for extra off-peak buses on the No 16 route in Oxford. I sat at the bus stop at Templars Square, by the old post office, at 10.45am
More than 200 staff from Oxfordshire emergency crews took part in a terrorist training exercise yesterday in which nerve gas was released on a coach on the M40. Although those taking part were not dealing with a real-life incident, managers said lessons
A postman who admitted stealing mail - including children's birthday cards - faces jail. Stuart Crayford, 38, of Winchester Way, Wantage, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one count of intending to delay 3,503 postal items, when he was working
16/07/2008 pm AEA Technology 51 BMW 2182 Electrocomponents 142.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 113 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalyst 163.5 Oxford Instruments 223.75 REED 536.25 RM 178.75 RPS Group 276.5
Oxfordshire kept their Home Counties League title hopes bubbling with an excellent 124-106 victory over Kent at Sevenoaks. It was Oxon's third win from four matches and sees them move into second place, two points behind Middlesex, who they play at
Carterton's George Weedon has finally booked his place at the English National Championships at Worthing - after 50 years of trying. He secured his spot at the south coast venue with victory in the Oxfordshire fours semi-finals at Oxford City & County
Bicester notched a double over Kidlington to jump up to second place in Division 2 of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries Garden Centre. With the section being really tight, two consecutive 5-1 victories have seen Bicester leap
COUNTY FRIENDLY Oxfordshire 82, Cambridgeshire 40 (Oxon scores): P McGrath, A Braden, M Pitman, J O'Shea won 21-3; T Backer-Holst, G Watts, B Evans, I Whelpton won 17-4; G Turland, L Eltringham, S Gilkes, B Gilkes won 16-7; M Clarke, P Cross, L Lacey
Radley put on a great display to make home advantage count on Saturday in their Southern League Division 3 match at Tilsley Park. There were nine personal bests and two club records, and during the course of the afternoon, Radley achieved 18 first places
Abingdon Ambler Paul Fernandez notched up his third successive victory at the Didcot 5. The event attracted a field of 250 runners, with Fernandez clocking 26mins 24secs. It was a close battle though, as Fernandez narrow saw off Headington's Vasily
Yarnton 5 race director Hugh Morris has been forced to apologise after runners in the Oxfordshire five-mile County Championship race were re-routed while the race was taking place. The event descended into something of a farce after a six-foot metal
Sean Stratford and Dave Bartlett were in top form as Corner House and Nelson B drew 3-3 in Group B of the Oxford & District Summer League. Stratford, from Nelson, won both his games (10,080 & 9,820) against Tony Harvey, while Corner House's Bartlett
Wartine American band leader Glenn Miller played his last gig in Berinsfield before setting off on a plane journey which ended with him drowning in the English Channel. The story of his last concert, and his connections with the village, will be told
Flood victims across Oxfordshire are turning to an Oxford bookbinder to help them save their precious collections. Ian Barnes, who owns Temple Bookbinders in Headington, said flooding in the county had created extra business. Following the floods
A super-fit team of firefighters from Oxfordshire has triumphed in a gruelling race to climb the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales. The six climbers from Kidlington, Banbury and Woodstock took just under 16 hours to scale Ben Nevis in
Lewis actors Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox have been shooting scenes around Oxford for the latest series of the ITV drama. Episodes of the Inspector Morse spin-off regularly attract eight million viewers and following the success of the second series
Powerstation bosses are celebrating an award for educating the public about energy. RWE npower, the company which owns Didcot power station, picked up a Big Tick award for its Energy to Live, Energy to Learn scheme. It was awarded by Business in the
New on-the-spot "litmus tests" are being introduced in a further clampdown on underage drinking. The system is being tested in west Oxfordshire and has already claimed its first success. All 20 police community support officers for the district are
Granting teachers the power to search pupils for drugs and alcohol would destroy trust, teachers in Oxfordshire fear. The measures could be brought in as part of a crackdown on unruly behaviour following a Government report recommending extending existing
A £6bn package of motorway improvements announced by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly today is expected to bring improvements at junction 9 of the M40. The busy junction where the A34 from Oxford meets the M40 and A41, at Wendlebury, near Bicester, is
A postman who admitted stealing post - including a ruby solitaire ring worth nearly £200 - faces jail, a court has been told. Stuart Crayford, 38, of Winchester Way, Wantage, pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and one count of intending to delay
Police stopped 17 speeding drivers in a two-hour operation near Banbury today. Officers pulled over motorists exceeding the limit at Wroxton between 8am and 10am. Ten drivers received roadside education from Oxfordshire County Council road safety
Police stopped 17 speeding drivers in a two hour operation near Banbury this morning. Officers pulled over motorists exceeding the limit at Wroxton in north Oxfordshire between 8am and 10am. Ten drivers received roadside education from Oxfordshire
A woman arrested after a man's body was found in a hotel room remains in police custody this morning. The man, in his 40s, was found dead in a room at the Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford-on-Thames, near Oxford, at 12.50pm yesterday. A post-mortem
Distraction burglars grabbed hold of a pensioner's crutches then locked him inside his own home during a theft in Watlington. Police are linking the distraction burglary in Chapel Street on Saturday with two more similar incidents on the same day in
The number of people on unemployment benefit in Oxfordshire rose sharply last month, according to official figures. Those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rose from 3,813 to 3,893 as the so-called claimant count saw its biggest jump nationally in more than
A woman arrested after a man's body was found in a hotel room remains in police custody this morning. The man, in his 40s, was found dead in a room at the Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford-on-Thames, near Oxford, at 12.50pm yesterday. A post-mortem examination
16/7/08 AEA Technology 51 BMW 2168 Electrocomponents 138.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 113 Oxford Biomedica 6.9 Oxford Catalyst 163.5 Oxford Instruments 228.25 REED 525.5 RM 179.5 RPS Group 275.5
Four more schools in Oxfordshire have been added to the list affected by the two-day strike by council workers, taking the total to 10. Today, Unison and Unite members walked out over the Government's below-inflation offer of a 2.45 per cent pay rise
Four members of a nationwide child sex ring who swapped sick images via an internet group have been jailed for a total of seven years. Police said the on-line group contributed to "horrific sexual abuse' of children. David Adams, 45, of Hinton Waldrist
A GROOM set fire to his best man before fleeing with his safe containing £30,000, a court heard. Wayne Barnes, 27, originally from Oxford, set fire to John Maynard leaving him with such serious injuries he needed both legs amputated, it was alleged.
A groom turned his best man into a human fireball before fleeing with his safe containing £30,000, a court heard. Wayne Barnes, 27, originally from Oxford, set fire to John Maynard leaving him with such horrific injuries he needed both legs amputated
Firefighters are continuing to investigate a blaze that broke out at a derelict building in Didcot last night. Fire crews from Didcot and Abingdon were called to Royal Berkshire Court in Green Road at 7.45pm. Two first floor flats and the roof of
A retired guide dog, who sparked fears after going missing, has been found safe and well. Pale yellow Labrador Aden, who is 12, failed to return after a brief spell off the lead in Kenilworth Avenue at about 10pm on Monday. However, he was found in
A protester who camped in a tree in Oxford for 12 days will not face criminal charges. Police this week dropped the case against homeless Gabriel Chamberlain, 34, who spent the time in a Bonn Square tree house in January. He was protesting against
A jealous ex-boyfriend tried to kill a man he thought was a love rival after spying on his former partner, Oxford Crown Court heard. Ian Holland, who denies attempted murder, is accused of attacking computer programmer Adam Dickson after watching
A young man who battled a life-threatening heart condition from birth has died after an accident at work. Matthew Bigden, 24, of Garsington, was working as an engineer for British Gas in Abingdon when he was killed on Saturday - just weeks before
We are not surprised that police are reluctant to tell us how much it cost to investigate the antics of Gabriel, the Bonn Square tree man. It has taken them eight months to come to a monumental decision - that he shouldn't be charged with anything.
The public have responded brilliantly to the call to increase recycling in most parts of Oxfordshire. But councils are lagging badly behind in their methods of disposing of the waste their taxpayers save. Once the recycling material has been collected
Oxford City Council planning officer Lisa Green sipped tea with royalty as part of the Territorial Army's centenary celebrations. TA reservists and their civil employers from across the country attended the garden party at Buckingham Palace
A young man who battled a life-threatening heart condition from birth has died after an accident at work. Matthew Bigden, 24 - known as Matty - from Garsington, was working as an engineer for British Gas in Abingdon when he was killed on Saturday -
A call for tighter drink drive laws was made last night after police collared three drivers a day who were over the limit during a summer crackdown. One out of every 10 drivers tested by police in Oxfordshire during June were arrested for failing the
Fresh and healthy menus have been credited for a 10 per cent rise in the number of Oxfordshire children eating school dinners. More than 1,000 extra children a day are tucking into a hot meal, compared with three years ago. About 34 per cent of pupils
Oxford United manager Darren Patterson praised the efforts of his new strikeforce Jamie Guy and James Constable - and wants more of the same. Guy, who is on a season-long loan from Colchester, scored a double in their 4-0 win against Banbury United
