Archive
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Brothers still provide chuckles
The Chuckle Brothers are back in a swashbuckling adventure of ghost ships, pirates, fun and calamity when they appear in Pirates Of The River Rother on June 1. Coming to the Oxford's New Theatre for one night only, the famous brothers will be getting
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Gemma loses fight for life
Another Oxfordshire family is having to deal with the grief of losing a teenage daughter after she lost her battle for life in Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Gemma Blackman, 15, died six days after the car she was travelling in hit a tree just outside
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Mini-bikes are a real menace
I am pleased to see you reporting on these mini-bike menaces (Oxford Mail, May 23). They are frequently seen being ridden all over Cowley Marsh Park, Barracks Lane and the new housing estate on the old bus garage site, where I live. I was recently nearly
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Buffs help save lives
The first ambulance service volunteer Community Responder team for Abingdon went "live" this week -- thanks to the generosity of local charitable organisations. A defibrillator -- an electronic device used to establish a normal heartbeat after a patient
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Rees Davies
A former professor of Medieval History at Oxford University, Sir Rees Davies, has died aged 66. Previously a medieval historian at Aberystwyth, where he helped to alter the understanding of his native Wales, he was appointed CBE in 1995, and knighted
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May 25: Tears for a special girl
The death of Sarah Ertl has clearly devasted many people, not only her family but her wide circle of friends. Her father has posted a moving tribute to her online, and others are paying their respects and adding their messages of support and sympathy
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Martial Arts: Super daza eyes golden future
Taekwon-Do expert Daza Usher is looking forward to international action after taking gold at the English Kick-Boxing Championships. The 21-year-old, from Abingdon, won the Under 75kg category at the championships in Gloucester, despite it not being his
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Cricket: Skipper Jobson calls for repeat show
Oxford captain Pat Jobson is looking for a repeat performance from his team as they take on Henley in the CCS Home Counties Premier League at Roman Way tomorrow. Henley lost just twice last year as they picked up the title, but one defeat came away to
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Decision delay on hospital
A decision about the future of Bicester's hospital has been delayed again because the county council had not given its opinion on time. North Oxfordshire's Primary Care Trust (PCT) met in Bicester on May 26 to discuss the results of a consultation on
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Athletics: City host Five-Star show
Oxford City hosted the 24th running of the Five-Star and Ten-Step competition at their Horspath Road track. The popular multi-event competition for young athletes up to the age of 14, was marred by heavy showers throughout the day, but this did not deter
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Athletics: Relay clinches win for Oxford
Oxford City won their Southern Men's League Division 3 West meeting by the slender margin of three-and-a-half points in a thrilling finish at Salisbury. Going into the final event - the 4x400m relay, City knew they had to win the race to secure a narrow
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Athletics: Abingdon reign in the rain!
Abingdon Amblers defied the atrocious weather conditions to see off arch rivals Radley in Saturday's Southern Men's League Division 3 West meeting at Tilsley Park. The meeting was badly affected by the day's torrential downpours and thunderstorms, but
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Brake power
An Underground station, the Post Office Tower, the London Eye...Turin Brakes like playing in some unusual spots. While they are perfectly capable of filling huge venues, there is nothing the duo like more than returning to their roots and playing somewhere
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Creation's decade
Summer Shakespeare is nearly upon us, and GILES WOODFORDE talks to the founder of Creation Theatre Company which is celebrating ten years of drama: O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Once upon a time, Romeo -- not to mention Juliet, Hamlet, Bottom
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Date set for murder trial
A former nurse appeared at Oxford Crown Court charged with the murder of two patients at The Horton Hospital, Banbury. Benjamin Geen, 24, of Kennedy House, Orchard Way, Banbury, also faces 18 charges of GBH with intent, and 18 charges of administering
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Motorcyclist killed on M40
Part of the M40 motorway in Oxfordshire was closed when a motorcyclist died on May 27. No other vehicle was involved in the accident in which a man, believed to be from Cambridgeshire, hit the central reservation at about 3.30pm. He was thrown from the
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Shock as rev admits lying
Villagers have been left shocked and confused after their local clergyman pleaded guilty to perjury. Rev Christopher Walker, 53, now faces jail after admitting at Oxford Crown Court that he lied in the court case of a funeral director who gave the wrong
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Asbo for nightmare neighbour extended across England and Wales
Nightmare neighbour Paul Coombes has been served with a wide-ranging court order which covers not just his native Wood Farm but the whole of England and Wales. On May 17 Coombes was served with a temporary Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) which banned
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Six cylinder model is One to watch
BMW has unveiled the BMW 130i -- a car powered by the world's lightest six-cylinder petrol engine. First seen on the BMW 630i and the BMW 330i, the new car boasts 258 horsepower. The aluminium and magnesium alloy 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine powers
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Cost of clearing up across county nearly £200k
New figures show that Oxfordshire County Council tax payers are having to pick up a hefty bill for widespread fly tipping across the county. County Hall has revealed the full extent of the problem after compiling incident figures for the first time. They
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Review: The Talkhouse, Stanton St John
So here's the dilemma. New restaurant opens up but doesn't want to be reviewed until it's up and running. Restaurant reviewer is desperate to spill the beans about the refurbished and newly owned premises, even though she knows it's not quite ready for
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No way, Jose
Blenheim Palace bosses have pulled the plug on the first and last night of their annual music festival in Woodstock because of poor ticket sales. But concert-goers have been promised an automatic refund within two weeks. Organisers have cancelled the
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Roger Caddick
A steam engine fan who would wait for hours to catch a two-second glimpse of one puffing past has died, aged 62. Roger Caddick Former Oxford Mail worker Roger Caddick, of Old Road, Wheatley, Oxford, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease more than a
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Cricket: Slade heroics in vain for Challow
David Slade's five-wicket haul couldn't save Challow & Childrey from a crushing 138-run defeat in their third-round tie at Havant. The Oxfordshire seamer picked up 5-62, but Havant still amassed 274-6 after electing to bat, with opener Will Prozesky
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Outdoor pool to reopen after facelift
The open air paddling and swimming pools in Wallingford's Riverside Park will reopen on May 30 after a £395,000 facelift. The work has been done by South Oxfordshire District Council and is the climax of a campaign by Wallingford people. They rallied
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Jail is the best place
You would have thought that Paul Coombes was in enough trouble without asking for it. He was evicted from his flat in Foresters Tower at Wood Farm, Oxford, given a temporary Asbo and banned from the estate for making his neighbours' lives a misery. Yet
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Council picks developer for site
Councillors have picked a developer with a traditional vision for Marriotts Close in Witney but features of the actual development are still being discussed. West Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the site on Welch Way, has picked Simons Development
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Road named
A 14-home development in Thame Park Road, Thame, has been named Limmings Lane in memory of Sister Mary Limmings who worked at the town's community hospital between 1945 and 1973. The nameplate was unveiled by her daughter Bride and retiring mayor David
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Step forward for bid to relocate school
Plans that will allow St Mary's School to relocate to a new site on the outskirts of Wantage have moved a major step forward. The independent girls' school suffered a blow last week when it emerged that planning officers at the Vale of White Horse District
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Tennis: Llewellyn battles into final
Rebecca Llewellyn overcame fellow Briton Melanie South to book her place against South African Surena De Beer in today's ladies' singles final at North Oxford. Seventh seend Llewellyn edged out South 7-6, 7-5 in a tight semi-final yesterday. De Beer,
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Cricket: Laudat returns to boost Oxon
Captain Ian Hawtin believes Oxfordshire will field their strongest batting line-up for years in their Minor Counties Championship Western Division opener against Wiltshire. And this is despite them missing Rob Williams, one of Oxon's most consistent recent
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Cricket: Cooper to make Rowant debut
Division 2 West: Teenage wicket-keeper Thad Cooper will make his debut for Aston Rowant in their Oxfordshire derby at home to Thame Town tomorrow. The 17-year-old Radley College student replaces Lee Lewis and is the only change from Saturday's victory
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Basketball: Cock-a-hoop Ashwin eyes the big time
Years of hard work have paid off for Didcot basketball star Jamie Ashwin after he was awarded a full scholarship to an American college. The 6ft 8in 20-year-old now hopes to make a living from the sport that has become his passion, but he admits this
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SATURDAY
CRICKET CCS HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury v Slough, Oxford v Henley. Div 2 West: Aston Rowant v Thame, Bicester & N Oxford v Gerrards Cross. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury XX v Oxford 2nd, Bourton Vale v Challow, Kingston
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Nan Dunbar
An Oxford academic who devoted 40 years of her career as a classical scholar and don in perfecting the definitive edition of Aristophanes's The Birds, has died. Nan Dunbar, whose version of the play was finally published in 1995, the year she retired,
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Review: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith, or Episode III as the geeks would no doubt have it, serves as a gateway to the 1977 blockbuster (Episode IV - A New Hope, as any good sci-fi buff can tell you). Although this is a notable improvement on the previous two prequels,
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Train travel at the touch of a button
New self-service ticket machines have been unveiled at train stations in Banbury and Kings Sutton. The new facilities have been installed by Chiltern Railways as part of a £1.7m project to provide fast and reliable ticket sales in most stations along
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Athletics: Weakened Radley end rock bottom
A severely-depleted Radley finished last at their Southern Women's League Division 1 meeting in Bromley on Saturday. Radley manager Eileen Kear was let down by several key athletes, with a combination of injuries and unavailability decimating the team
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Football: Buckland to join up with Bampton
Bampton, who recently won the Witney & District FA Division 3 title, are to merge with North Berks League outfit Buckland. The amalgamation came about after Buckland were evicted from their ground by the landowner, and it seemed that the club would
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Memoirs of an icon
One of the most recognisable women of our time, Jane Fonda -- actress, activist, feminist, workout guru, entrepreneur, and philanthropist -- is coming to Oxford on June 1 to talk about her fascinating life. Her visit to the Sheldonian corresponds with
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Clamp down on the tax cheats
You report that Oxford City Council is trying to recover unpaid council tax going back many years (Oxford Mail, May 12). This raises a serious question of maladministration and ineptitude in allowing people to deliberately and repeatedly ignore the mandatory
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'Old' members ignored rules
I read with interest the letter (Oxford Mail, May 19) about Woodstock Town Council, referred to by your correspondent as the 'Woodstock mafia' and comparing it to a 'banana republic'. Presumably the writer is not aware that the term applies to authoritarian
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Clean-up fuels firm's growth
A hi-tech engineering company which specialises in nuclear decommissioning is to double in size in the next year. RWE Nukem, based at Harwell, plans to boost its workforce from 150 to 300 as it looks to cash in on a new Government drive to renovate power
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May 28: Aria isn't so sweet
Businesses and charities have seen a market in Oxfordshire for bringing in celebrities to entertain us. Popular music still attracts the crowds, it appears, but opera? It looks like a big turn-off. Organisers have been forced to pull the plug on two events
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Picking up big pick-up deals
Motorworld Mazda is offering a range of pick-up trucks aimed at everyone from farmers to lifestyle buyers. Prices for the B-Series range at the dealership in Botley Road, Oxford, start at £8,995, plus VAT, a saving of £1,448, plus VAT, rising to £14,995
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Still a sexy Lexy
Let's go boys. Forget all the marketing spiel about more women being attracted to the Lexus IS200 than ever before. This is an out-and-out boy's toy. From the Brietling chronograph wristwatch-styled instrumentation to the howl from the straight-six 2.0
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Go west to drink the best
Pubs in the Welsh town of Newport serve the best pints of real ale in the country, according to Cask Marque, an independent body that assesses the quality of beer in pubs across the UK. They have put together a list of the best and worst places to get
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Centre hit by delays
Didcot's new £50m Orchard Centre shopping complex has been hit by more delays. It was planned to open in April but now it could be September before most of the shops are open. The launch event, Didcot Enjoy, due to feature Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flying
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MP's estate to be sold
Former Witney MP Shaun Woodward has put his 459-acre Oxfordshire estate on the market for £25m. The Labour junior minister, who defected from the Conservative party in 1999 while MP for Witney, has lived at Sarsden House, near Churchill, for 11 years.
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Redesign for the Radcliffe
A firm of international architects has beaten competition from 60 other companies to design new teaching and research facilities at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary. Rafael Violy Architects, based in London and New York, will develop plans for the 10.5 acre
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Council picks developer for site
Councillors have picked a developer with a traditional vision for Marriotts Close in Witney but features of the actual development are still being discussed. West Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the site on Welch Way, has picked Simons Development
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Prison drug smuggler jailed
A son who tried to get drugs into Bullingdon Prison for his father has been jailed for 11 months. Nicholas Lambrianou, 30, admitted trying to get cannabis to Nicholas Lambrianou senior, the brother of the Kray twins' feared henchman Tony Lambrianou. The
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Cricket: Battling Oxford peg back Lancs
Oxford UCCE did well to restrict Lancashire to a lead of 120 on the second day of the three-day match in The Parks yesterday. The county, 27 without loss overnight in reply to Oxford's 300-9 dec, were dismissed for 420, and the students, left to bat for
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Football: United swoop for ace Gray
Brian Talbot is set to make Rushden & Diamonds skipper Stuart Gray his second signing at the Kassam Stadium. The 31-year-old was made a new offer by Rushden, but turned it down, revealing that he had been offered a better contract at another League
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One grand idea
Grand adj & n. 1 splendid, magnificent, imposing, dignified. Those four words neatly sum up all the best aspects of Mitsubishi's majestic people mover, the aptly-named Grandis. The Mitsubishi Grandis For this is one strikingly impressive way of whisking
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Subaru special edition scorcher
Subaru is continuing its tradition of introducing coveted special editions with the launch of the new Impreza WRX 300. On sale from late May, the WRX 300 will feature a performance pack, developed by Banbury-based Prodrive, boosting power to 265 horsepower
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Clamping down on cowboy clampers
Measures to crack down on cowboy wheelclampers have taken effect. Clamping on private land without a licence becomes a criminal offence in England and Wales with offenders facing fines of up to £5,000 and up to five years in prison. Clamping on private
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Audi's A4 tribute to tour car winner
A new road-going A4 sports Saloon developed by the Audi division responsible for the RS 4 and RS 6 quattros is to commemorate a landslide championship victory for Audi in the 2004 German Touring Car Masters (DTM). Limited to 250 right-hand-drive examples
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Citroen in focus
The new Citroen C4 2.0 My father, owner of a couple of Citroens in recent times, was quick to offer a positive opinion on the styling of the C4. "It looks rather like a Ford Focus," he said. That is probably no bad thing when you are hustling for a slice
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So many 'breakthroughs'
Harry Landon enthusiastically reports that researchers in the United States have claimed that research carried out on fruit flies could provide a vital breakthrough in the treatment of cancer (Oxford Mail, May 18). He then sarcastically comments that
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Unipart boss's pay package up £61,000
John Neill, the chief executive of Cowley-based logistics company Unipart, saw his pay package rise by 9.2 per cent last year, from £662,000 to £723,000. According to the company's annual accounts for the year ending end December 31, 2004, he also saw
