Archive

  • RUGBY UNION: Kamikaze blow away rivals at Abingdon

    Kamikaze, from south Wales, won the 53rd A-Plan Abingdon Sevens, but there was plenty of encouragement for the host club. A 42-12 final victory over tournament regulars Ponysmakers gave Kamikaze the Dr Cherry Cup and made their long journey worthwhile

  • FOOTBALL: City comeback is in vain

    Oxford City suffered their second defeat in succession in the British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division as they went down to Hitchin at Court Place Farm on Tuesday night. Although they made a spirited effort to come back from 3-0 down, it

  • FOOTBALL: Battling Banbury hold on for a draw

    Banbury United had to settle for a point in last night's rain-soaked Premier Division encounter at Halesowen FC. After an even opening, Banbury took the lead when Nicky Gordon fired home from the penalty spot for his second of the season on 35 minutes

  • FOOTBALL: Jack is Didcot spot-kick king!

    A first-half hat-trick from Jack King, including two penalties, earned Didcot their first points of the new Division 1 South & West campaign. King headed home after three minutes to get Didcot off the mark and he made it 2-0 from the spot four minutes

  • FOOTBALL: Chico's late save denied Abingdon

    Abingdon United failed to add to their opening day victory in Division 1 South & West as they went down at Windsor & Eton in a scrappy encounter. Neither side could manage a single shot on target in a first half which saw defences on top. Things improved

  • FOOTBALL: North Leigh hit six of the best!

    Mark Simms hit a brace as North Leigh stunned Slough at Eynsham Park in Division 1 South & West last night. Simms headed in Paul Cooper's cross for the opener after just 36 seconds. Chris Allen's penalty after Andy McCabe was brought down made it

  • Beverly Craven gets it...

    Apparently CDs on bits of string scare the daylights out of birds and, I figured, the more heinous the disc, the more effective. I trawl my collection to prise out the CDs which came free with Sunday papers, which have never been listened to. A selection

  • Water relief as pipe is moved

    A retired builder from Oxford has won a four-year battle to have a dangerous water main diverted from beneath his home. Tony Woodley, 68, feared he would need to demolish an extension to his house in Iffley Road or face a £500,000 bill after Thames

  • Water relief as pipe gets moved

    A retired builder from Oxford has won a four-year battle to have a dangerous water main diverted from beneath his home. Tony Woodley, 68, feared he would need to demolish an extension to his house in Iffley Road or face a £500,000 bill after Thames

  • 'My detention was unlawful'

    An eco-campaigner today admitted trying to escape from a police station - but said it was because he had been detained unlawfully. The 41-year-old campaigner, who calls himself The Ninja Ant and is representing himself in court, accused the Crown Prosecution

  • Get ready for the Last Days of Summer

    OUR very own local heroes Supergrass and Young Knives are among the top acts at the region's latest new music festival. The Last Days of Summer takes place at scenic Stowe House Country Estate, near Buckingham, on Bank Holiday Monday, and features

  • Relief road 'is now in doubt'

    A question mark hangs over whether the second stage of a major town centre relief road for Witney - the so-called West End Link - will ever be completed, the Oxford Mail has discovered. The road, providing another town crossing over the River Windrush

  • August 19

    I am writing this in my office. There is a great view from my office – I look straight down on the finish line of the athletics track in the National (Bird's Nest) Stadium. OK, officially it isn’t really my office, but I have designated it as my office

  • August 19

    I am writing this in my office. There is a great view from my office – I look straight down on the finish line of the athletics track in the National (Bird's Nest) Stadium. OK, officially it isn’t really my office, but I have designated it as my office

  • August 19

    I am writing this in my office. There is a great view from my office – I look straight down on the finish line of the athletics track in the National (Bird's Nest) Stadium. OK, officially it isn’t really my office, but I have designated it as my office

  • August 19

    I am writing this in my office. There is a great view from my office – I look straight down on the finish line of the athletics track in the National (Bird's Nest) Stadium. OK, officially it isn’t really my office, but I have designated it as my office

  • Turley on his way back

    Oxford United goalkeeper Billy Turley has taken his first steps back to first-team action by returning to the training pitch. Turley has been on the sidelines since an operation on his shoulder in the summer. But after seeing a specialist on Monday

  • AUNT SALLY: Pollard's haul proves in vain

    Kings Arms' Colin Pollard (5-4-6) clanged off 15 dolls - but it was to no avail as they lost 2-1 to Garsington Sports in the Greene King Oxford & District League Section 1, writes ANDY BEAL. oSports came out on top in a 25-22, 23-27, 25-23 scoreline

  • CRICKET: Oxford fighting point deduction

    Title chasing Oxford are challenging a Home Counties Premier League decision to dock them one point for slow over rate. Oxford are set to receive the penalty following their Division 1 clash with Banbury last month. But league secretary Roger Garrini

  • CRICKET: Kidlington sub ordered off

    There was fresh controversy at Kidlington on Saturday when they were ordered to withdraw a substitute fielder. Kidlington used Mike Taylor as a substitute as Buckingham began their reply in the Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West clash. But

  • Thieving postman jailed

    A postman has been jailed after being caught sifting through sacks of mail and stealing cash from birthday and Christmas cards. Magistrates told Stuart Crayford, 38, of Winchester Way, Wantage, he was guilty of a serious breach of trust. Crayford

  • Rescue donkeys ride high

    It's not only Team GB coming home with medals - six donkeys from Brightwell-cum-Sotwell have also swept the board. And one of them, Baron, was crowned British Supreme Champion at the Donkey Breed Society All Championship Show in Staffordshire at the

  • CRICKET: Smith in Oxon ban

    Banbury seamer Ed Smith has been suspended from Oxfordshire matches for the time being. Smith, who is also banned by his club for a separate matter, has been punished following some unacceptable behaviour in a Development XI game. Meanwhile, victory

  • CRICKET: Waiting game for Over 50s

    Oxfordshire are now hoping to play their ECB 50+ Championship quarter-final with Wales on Sunday. The match was rescheduled for today after being rained off last Sunday at Croesyceiliog, near Newport. But more rain means Wales are still searching

  • Thief hits hospice helper

    A charity fundraiser has vowed to complete an 1,800-mile drive across Europe - despite having his motorcycle stolen days before he is due to set off. Jamie Hyatt and two pals planned to leave Oxford next Monday, having painstakingly planned their

  • Rock along to Woodstock

    A music festival in Woodstock no longer has to trade on the name of the legendary 1969 American event. That is the claim of the organisers of this year's Woodstock Live - which runs from Friday, throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. What started out

  • Switch them off

    The switching off of some street lighting overnight to reduce pollution and costs (Oxford Mail, August 7) should be extended to cover the traffic lights at the Hinksey, Abingdon Road and Rose Hill roundabouts in Oxford. Allowing them to function normally

  • The stranger who made me smile

    I would like to let you know how the words of a complete stranger helped me pick myself up and smile again. After a hugely stressful day, I was cycling home from Headington to Botley and had to stop to catch my breath from the awful Botley Road, where

  • My daily dose

    I agree with Mary Stiff about Countdown (Oxford Mail, August 13). I have enjoyed the programme for well over 20 years, always videoing it when I have to go out. Living alone, and in my 70s, I think of Carol, Susie and Des as my friends, the same going

  • OLYMPICS: Ohuruogu wins Britain's first track gold

    Christine Ohuruogu captured 400m gold for Great Britain as a late injection of pace saw her reel in the field at the Beijing Olympics. The 24-year-old crossed the line in 49.62 seconds to eclipse Jamaica's Shericka Williams and American title favourite

  • Unpalatable truth

    Derek Honey (Oxford Mail, August 12) acknowledges the first-century origin of all four gospels about Jesus, and seems to accept that they may have been based on eye-witness testimony. But he then asserts that the New Testament was a later concoction

  • OLYMPICS: Mason leaps to silver for Britain

    Germaine Mason captured Great Britain's first athletics medal in Beijing as he claimed high jump silver behind Russian Andrey Silnov. The 25-year-old, who switched allegiance from Jamaica in 2006, cleared 2.34m at the first attempt to win a medal on

  • 'Average rise' so misleading

    Your readers will have noted with concern the threat by various water companies to impose swingeing increases in their charges over the next few years (Oxford Mail, August 12). One aspect of the information given to the public is the seemingly slight

  • Wheel make it to Greece -despite theft

    A charity fundraiser has vowed to complete an 1,800 mile drive across Europe - despite having his moped stolen days before he is due to set off. Jamie Hyatt and two pals planned to leave Oxford next Mondayaug25, having painstakingly planned their route

  • Deport him now

    An immigrant abuses the hospitality shown to him by this country by an extensive driving licence fraud (Oxford Mail, August 16). Eventually, he is brought to court and sentenced to two years in prison, maybe followed by deportation. With the immense

  • Final hurrah

    New Labour may not be responsible for the house price slump, but they are responsible for a 40 per cent increase in the cost of building houses since 1997, due to Government building regulations. Most of these 'improvements' do little for the enjoyment

  • Double dutch

    I read with interest Tim Siret's letter, Invisible souls (Oxford Mail, July 31). A few years ago, I recall Gordon Brown saying that he intended to axe up to 40,000 civil servants. Did I dream that, as I have never seen it happen? If, as Mr Siret

  • NHS staff could spread infection

    With the ongoing battle with MRSA and C Diff, you would think that hospital managers in Oxford would be leading the way by eradicating the simplest risks first. Doctors and nurses wear blue or green two-piece work wear inside hospitals instead of their

  • Litter - it's the council's job

    I read with some amusement that three fast food outlets are to carry out half-hourly litter patrols in Cornmarket Street, Oxford (Oxford Mail, August 16). Perhaps someone should inform the managers of these establishments that the populace of Oxford

  • Director's hunt for film location

    An Oxford student inspired by the movies of legendary director Stanley Kubrick is set to shoot his first film. David Abramsky, from Summertown, wrote the short film - called Let's Think - last Christmas, and has ploughed £4,000 of his own savings into

  • Cuban dance group looks for members

    Dance lovers are being invited to audition for a new Oxford-based dance theatre company. Dance teacher Max Gonzalez wants to set up a new company based on Cuban dance, open to people aged eight and upwards of all abilities. Her eventual aim is to

  • OLYMPICS: Hoy lands historic third gold

    Britain's Chris Hoy clinched a superb hat-trick of gold medals after beating team-mate Jason Kenny in the sprint. The 32-year-old becomes the first Briton in 100 years to win three golds at the same Games, after his earlier success in the team sprint

  • OLYMPICS: Pendleton wins GB's 14th gold

    Victoria Pendleton won Britain's sixth track cycling gold of the 2008 Olympics - and 14th in all - with victory over Australia's Anna Meares in the women's sprint final. The 27-year-old was in a class of her own, winning the first two races of the

  • Moving and grooving

    We’ve had a really good week and have come to several milestones – Daddy heard baby’s heart beat for the first time using a special monitor and he felt him move. Baby’s not just moving lots more which I feel all the time, I can actually see him

  • Loch Fyne fined £2k for flytipping

    Loch Fyne Restaurants have been fined £2,000 for fly-tipping rubbish bags in Jericho after being prosecuted by Oxford City Council. The company has also been ordered to pay the council's costs of £258.85 following the hearing at Oxford magistrates.

  • Fine for fish eatery

    Loch Fyne Restaurants have been fined £2,000 for fly-tipping rubbish bags in Jericho after being prosecuted by Oxford City Council. The company has also been ordered to pay the council's costs of £258.85 following the hearing at Oxford magistrates.

  • Firm fined for sewage leak

    A demolition company has been fined £10,000 for pumping thousands of gallons of sewage into an Oxfordshire stream. London-based Davis and Samson Contractors were fined at Oxford Magistrates Court after they admitted polluting Thrupp Ditch close to

  • Car fleets Hit for Six

    Over the next year, car fleets can expect seismic changes to their operations following a series of government announcements. Changes to capital allowances come into force in April 2009 and could change the way fleets acquire vehicles. Fleets need to

  • Gary Glitter could be heading back to UK

    Banbury-born Gary Glitter is thought to be heading back to the UK today after being released from a Vietnam jail, where he was serving a sentence for child sex offences. The former glam rock singer, real name Paul Gadd, was to be driven from Thu Duc

  • Firm fined for sewage leak

    A demolition company has been hit with a heavy fine for pumping thousands of gallons of sewage into an Oxfordshire river. London-based Davis and Samson Contractors were fined £10,000 at Oxford Magistrates Court after they admitted polluting Thrupp Ditch

  • Family back from Georgia

    A British family caught up in the war in Georgia have arrived back home in Banbury. Peter Mayne, his wife Mia and sons George, 14, and Nick, ten, were on holiday in the country when fighting broke out with Russia. The family, who were visiting relatives

  • Man jailed for blade attack

    A labourer who collected a stash of knives in his Oxford flat, and stabbed a man in the street has been jailed. Oxford Crown Court yesterday heard Kojo Ritchie, 21, stabbed Courtenay Austin in the leg with a machete outside a newsagents in Barns

  • Park 'a no-go area'

    People living near an Oxford park have demanded more police on the beat after a series of violent robberies. Several teenagers have been beaten and mugged at knifepoint in a string of attacks in Gillians Park and the surrounding roads. People in

  • OLYMPICS: Goodison lands GB's 13th gold

    Paul Goodison made up for his Athens heartbreak by winning sailing's laser class on Tuesday for Great Britain's 13th gold of the Beijing Games. Goodison, fourth in 2004, led going into the medal race and held on to top spot by finishing ahead of Sweden's

  • OLYMPICS: Nathan's dream is shattered

    Oxford City's Nathan Douglas suffered major disappointment as he failed in his bid to reach the triple jump final at the Olympics in Beijing, writes STUART WEIR. But the 25-year-old still hopes to feature in London in four years time - and maybe one

  • Parents proud of Olympic heroine

    Mara Yamauchi, the Oxford woman who matched the best ever finish for a Briton in the Olympic marathon, was only five when she fell in love with the Games. Her proud father Norman Myers recalls catching her standing on a coffee table imagining she was

  • Charity shop marks anniversary

    A charity shop is celebrating 15 years in Oxford, along with a store worker who has volunteered since the start. Clic Sargent, in London Road, Headington, was one of the first charity shops to open in the area 15 years ago. And one volunteer

  • Parks are for people, not thugs

    It is outrageous that families at Greater Leys in Oxford are being denied the right to use their local park this summer. Eight recent robberies have meant that people are reluctant to walk through it and enjoy its amenities, particularly at night.

  • Super sixth

    In all the excitement of the Olympics, one name has been largely forgotten - our own Mara Yamauchi. The Oxford Mail has been almost alone in singing the praises of this outstanding marathon athlete. The Oxford runner came a creditable sixth in the

  • Our park a no-go area after muggings

    People living near an Oxford park have demanded more bobbies on the beat after a series of violent robberies. Several teenagers have been beaten and mugged at knifepoint in a string of attacks in Gillians Park and the surrounding roads. People in

  • Man jailed for blade attack

    A labourer who collected a deadly stash of knives in his Oxford flat, and stabbed a man in the street has been jailed. Oxford Crown Court yesterday heard Kojo Ritchie, 21, stabbed Courtenay Austin in the leg with a machete outside a newsagents in Barns

  • Authority 'on back foot' over cancer treatment

    A campaign group last night claimed the Government's drug licensing body was on the back foot over its decision not to fund a life-extending cancer drug on the NHS. Kidney cancer patients in Oxfordshire are fighting to overturn the National Institute