Archive

  • Family killed in A34 crash

    A family of four died when their car was crushed between a car transporter and a lorry in a multi-vehicle pile-up on the A34 today. Four other cars were involved in the crash, which took place on the northbound carriageway, at the junction for Islip

  • Local share prices

    31/07/2009 pm AEA Technology 103.75 BMW 2764 Electrocomponents 236 Isoft Group 62.25 Oxford Bio 22 Oxford Instruments 222.25 Reed Elsevier 535 RM 176 RPS 222.5 Torex Retail 58

  • Local share prices

    AEA Technology 103.75 BMW 2764 Electrocomponents 236 Isoft Group 62.25 Oxford Bio 22 Oxford Instruments 222.25 Reed Elsevier 535 RM 176 RPS 222.5 Torex Retail 58

  • Global view of gardens

    Our England is a garden, as Rudyard Kipling said, but the Millennium Pool at Kiftsgate Court in the Cotswolds is part of a trend for gardeners to look at the wider world for inspiration. This picture of the modernist pool at Kiftsgate is one of the

  • Land of hope and incredible variety

    In this centenary year of the birth of popular poet Sir John Betjeman there can be no better time to reflect on what it means to be English. And there are plenty of books around at the moment to help readers reach their own conclusions. Some publications

  • Local author

    Helen Batting is the nom de plume of "a distinguished British-born novelist, travel writer and freelance journalist" Burford-based Michael Montgomery. S/he has written Wallis Simpson's Diary (Pen Press, £11.99). but should not be confused with the similar

  • History round-up

    Razor's Edge: The Falklands War Hugh Bicheno (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, £18.99) oBicheno's study of the Falklands conflict an unofficial history climbs into more political recesses than virtually all other accounts, while at the same time giving a

  • Taking children on a magic carpet ride

    Jeanette Winterson, who became a star aged 23 with her autobiographical novel Oranges are not the only Fruit, has a fearsome reputation among interviewers. In 1994, she was so outraged by Nicci Gerrard's write-up of their literary chat that she went round

  • Local share prices

    The latest share prices on Monday, July 31, are as follows: AEA Technology 103.75 BMW 2677 Electrocomponents 236.25 Isoft Group 63.25 Oxford Bio 21.75 Oxford Instruments 222.25 Reed Elsevier 534 RM 175 RPS 222 Torex Retail 59

  • SPEEDWAY: Cheetahs face screen test

    Oxford Cheetahs are in the spotlight tonight when they take on Poole Pirates in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the Stadium (7.30). Buoyed by their fine victory over Eastbourne and a fighting display at Ipswich where Todd Wiltshire racked up another

  • WEEKEND RESULTS CHECK

    HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Division 1 Finchampstead 201 (58.1 ovs), Tring Park 183 (49.3 ovs). Finchampstead 25pts, Tring 7. Falkland 348 (65.5 ovs, J Morris 93), Henley 117 (23.1 ovs, K Zafar 5-12, D Balcombe 5-60). Falkland 25, Henley 6. Oxford

  • CRICKET: OCA League results check

    Division 1 Tetsworth 169 (R Foster 36no, R Huggins 35), Witney Swifts 85 (C Quow 5-38, R Foster 4-30). Minster Lovell 241-4 (B Bowman 83, S Cross 53no, D Brown 43), Charlbury 242-9 (R Garrett 104, T Moreby 3-60). Hook Norton 146 (K Palmer 38, G Wilson

  • CRICKET: Matt boosts Marcham bid

    Matt Launchbury was the star of the show as Marcham continued their push for the OCA League Division 2 title with a 90-run win over Freeland on Sat- urday, Launchbury hit 58 in Marcham's 177 all out and then claimed 5-16 as Freeland were shot out for

  • CRICKET: Buckingham stars for Kidlington

    Andy Buckingham was the difference between the teams in a tense struggle at Stratfield Brake which saw Kidlington scrape home against Beaconsfield with their last pair at the crease. In a low-scoring match, Buckingham's unbeaten 89 was more than double

  • CRICKET: Bicester crash again

    Bicester & North Oxford slumped to another defeat on Saturday, going down by seven wickets to Burnham after being shot out for 81. Bottom-placed Bicester decided to bat first on a decent-looking pitch. However, they were soon in trouble at 17-2 as

  • CRICKET: Thame lose out

    Battling Thame lost out to by four wickets to leaders Farnham Royal side in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday. Put in to bat on a good wicket, Thame openers Sam Lachlan and Chris Wynd comfortably saw off the threat of Krishnan Santokie during the

  • CRICKET: Banbury let it slip – twice

    Banbury twice appeared to have built up a winning position against leaders Slough on Saturday but ended up losing the game by 28 runs. After being put in to bat, Slough made a bright start, but the introduction of talented young left-arm spiner Luke

  • Wheels come off for veteran vehicle

    When a car that is almost 100 years old breaks down, even the roadside expertise of the AA is going to be tested. Alan Watkins was on his way to a veteran car rally at Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, on Saturday when a steep hill in Wheatley proved too

  • CRICKET: Rupert to the rescue

    Oxford's legendary off-spinner Rupert Evans captured a wicket with the penultimate ball of the game to clinch a dramatic victory over Reading and lift his side clear of the relegation zone on Saturday. With a victory target of 271 out of reach after

  • Pigeons rescued as battle raged

    RSPCA inspector John Ambrose remembers the day he was caught in the middle of a ferocious battle between students at Jesus and Exeter Colleges in Oxford. There had long been rivalry between the two factions, on opposite sides of Turl Street. He had

  • FOOTBALL: Town regain charity cup

    Abingdon Town regained the Charity Cup after a gap of two years when they beat derby rivals Abingdon United 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at Culham Road on Saturday. Town showed their intentions when a low right wing cross from James Clarke was headed

  • Boots bore teethmarks

    Joan Clifford had plenty of frights with animals as a Land Girl on Banbury farms during the Second World War. On one farm, owned by an old and eccentric lady, were two enormous sows, Luscious Lucy and Gracious Grace. She recalls: "When I went to feed

  • FOOTBALL: History repeats for City

    History repeated itself 100 years on as Oxford City beat Bishop Auckland 3-0 at Court Place Farm on Saturday. This was the exactly the same score as City beat the then northern giants to win the FA Amateur Cup at Stockton way back in 1906. To commemorate

  • Conservationist's brush with death re-enacted on new tv show

    The first time a television production company asked Greg Rasmussen to tell the story of his miraculous escape from the African bush, he turned them down. "I had been lucky to survive, indeed I shouldn't be alive and I definitely shouldn't be walking

  • MP Boris unveils affordable homes

    Berinsfield's latest affordable homes six of them for key workers have been opened by south Oxfordshire MP Boris Johnson. The newly built flats and the refurbishment of 18 existing ones is part of Soha housing's massive investment in the village which

  • Music store stays open

    Vinyly there is good news for music lovers in Oxford the city centre's only independent record shop is staying open for now. Avid Records in Gloucester Street was due to close earlier this year after it was hit with a back-dated rent bill of £21,000

  • Computer firm praised

    The managing director of a Bloxham computer games company has been named Oxfordshire's Young Business Person of the Year, and his firm Gusto Games completed the double by getting the Creative Company of the Year trophy. Celebrating his triumph, Simon

  • Rising price of fuel hits buses

    The rising cost of fuel could spark price hikes on Oxford's buses. Fuel prices broke the £1-a-litre barrier at many forecourts across the county this week. Yesterday, the average unleaded price was 99.3p per litre and a litre of diesel averaged £1

  • American Graffiti: Football is a way of life - for the girls

    I am a woman. I play football . . . This doesn't strike me as a contradiction in terms. I've quickly learned, however, that the average British male has a hard time grasping the fact that these two characteristics can co-exist in one individual.

  • No resemblance

    I refer to the tragic accident at Chester-le-Street, County Durham, involving the giant inflatable art exhibition. As a bouncy castle hire operator, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved, and I am sure we speak for other bouncy

  • Council puts people at risk

    It has recently come to my notice that Oxford City Council is sending outside contractors to council tenants to assess their central heating. Normally, this would take the form of a letter to the tenants from the council, informing them that a surveyor

  • Drugs war must be cracked

    The battle against drug use in city pubs, bars and clubs is clearly not going to be won easily. Our second investigation into the use of cocaine in drinking venues shows, sadly, that for some people a drink goes hand in hand with drug use. We found

  • Water coolers aken out at RI

    Nursing staff have complained following the removal of two water coolers from an Oxford hospital during the heatwave. Staff at the eye hospital at the Radcliffe Infirmary, in Oxford, are demanding that the machines are returned and fear others could

  • Hoodies urged to try a kayak

    Kayaking for Hoodies is being launched by an Oxford watersports club to stop bored youths causing mayhem on a city riverbank. Falcon Rowing and Canoeing Club coaches are set to start teaching youths who hang out on the riverbank near its Donnington

  • Artist designs mural for estate

    A wall of love featuring a giant smiley face emblem has been proposed in Barton to celebrate the lives of all those on the estate who have died. The inspiration for the two-foot diameter smiley face is an inscription on the gravestone of teenage motorbike

  • School nets top football accolade

    Bicester Community College beat hundreds of schools across the South East to net a top award for its contribution to football. The college, in Queen's Avenue, Bicester, was one of only eight secondary schools in the country to be given the Charter Standard

  • Path bars BMW expansion plan

    BMW, the German owners of the Cowley car plant, has announced modernisation plans it says would secure the long-term future of Mini production in Oxford. The company wants to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds extending the railway sidings across

  • Fugitive says his drink may have been spiked

    Fugitive Oxford University student John Washington claimed yesterday that his drink was spiked shortly before he was accused of attacking a banker and leaving him in a coma. Mr Washington, 43, went missing following the alleged assault in a St Tropez

  • Dispersal order comes into force

    A dispersal order came into force today to help tackle antisocial behaviour on Oxford's Rose Hill estate and at Iffley Lock. The order, agreed by Thames Valley Police and the city council, was signed by Oxford police commander Supt Jim Trotman earlier

  • Grieving dad pleads, 'fill in ponds to save lives'

    The father of a Bicester toddler who died after falling into a garden pond said a memorial would be created in its place once the water feature was filled in. Adrian and Caren Black tried to resuscitate their son Tyler, aged 20 months, after he fell

  • Secrets of the mummy revealed

    Doctors at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital are used to dealing with patients with all sorts of different needs. But this 1,900-year-old patient, who had come all the way from Egypt, was definitely one of the most unusual. The three-foot Egyptian

  • Premature baby fights for life

    A mother has spoken about her baby son's fight for life after he was born weighing less than 2lb. Jakki Brown, 33, of Masefield Crescent, on Abingdon's Tithe Farm estate, said it was still "touch and go" whether her son Archie would survive. He was

  • City fails new set of drug tests

    New tests carried out by the Oxford Mail have found evidence of cocaine use in 11 out of 16 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the city. Our survey, carried out between 9.30pm and midnight on Friday, found traces of the illegal drug in more venues than