Archive
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Kelly is up for the challenge
Marcus Kelly is delighted to join the U’s – and felt he needed a fresh challenge. The left winger, who will be vying with another new signing, Alex Rhodes, for a starting place with the U’s, joins from Rushden on a one-year deal. “I’d been at Rushden
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Eddie on move to Crawley
Crawley Town have signed former Oxford United midfielder Eddie Hutchinson on a one-year deal. The 29-year-old was the player inadvertently at the centre of the points deduction fiasco last season, when the U’s were docked five points by the Conference
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Homeless ordered to leave tent settlement
A COURT ordered a community of homeless people to leave their Oxford waterside settlement by tonight. Oxford City Council served eviction notices on six people living in five tents on the banks of the Bulstake Stream, in Osney, earlier this month.
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POETRY ROW: Prof says sorry
RUTH Padel, the woman who resigned as Oxford University’s Professor of Poetry, today apologised to her controversial rival for the post, but denied intentionally trying to smear him. Prof Padel would have been the first woman to hold the 301-year-old
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ABINGDON ROAD CRASH: Boy in serious condition
A BOY is in a serious condition in hospital tonight after a collision with a car in Oxford. Police closed the junction of Abingdon Road and Weirs Lane for almost five hours after the 11-year-old was hurt at about 12.45pm. The youngster was on his bicycle
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Oxford swine flu toddler on the mend
A TODDLER from Oxford who became the youngest person in England to be diagnosed with swine flu is continuing his recovery. A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said the two-year-old boy, who has not been named, was being treated with anti-viral
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Smith accuses Greens of smear attempt over expenses
OXFORD East MP Andrew Smith tonight dismissed claims that he was “profiteeering” through his expenses claims as political spin. Oxfordshire Green Party attacked Mr Smith after the Oxford Mail revealed he claimed £73,869 in expenses for his second home
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Central Oxford suffers power cut
Engineers are working to restore electricity to properties in Oxford city centre and university grounds. Electricity was cut to 75 properties shortly before 5pm. Five are still without power. Southern Electric spokesman Morven Smith said: “It’s too
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'Help catch killer for daughters' sake'
THE ex-partner of murder victim Devon Delroy McPherson tonight appealed for help in catching his killer – for the sake of the couple’s two daughters. Victoria Shepherd said Mr McPherson, who died last week after being stabbed in the neck near The Regal
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£1.4m gift for military museum
AN ANONYMOUS donor has given £1.45m to help build a single museum for Oxfordshire’s regimental collections. Today, the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust revealed it had been pledged the cash – which means it can start drawing up plans for the £4m museum
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Train operator records best punctuality improvement
First Great Western, which operates train services from Oxford to London Paddington, has made the biggest improvements in rail punctuality in Britain. In 2008/09, 90.5 per cent of FGW’s trains ran on time – up from 83.1 per cent in 2007/08.
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Loo closure is inconvenient
FLORENCE Park in Cowley is one of the city’s most valuable public open spaces, and is in the midst of dense housing. The Friends of Florence Park do a good job of supporting the park, and it is rightly very popular and very heavily used by all sorts
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We need a debate
UKIP’s John Maden writes (Oxford Mail letters, May 25) that out- of-control immigration is a subject not debated as it should be in the House of Commons. If it was debated properly in the first place, we wouldn’t now be in the predicament of needing
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Double standards?
IN the continuing furore over MPs’ expense claims, two important facts seem to have been overlooked. A national newpaper offered advice on how to best complete expenses claims and avoid tax. That advice was given by the Daily Telegraph
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Church revamp gets Bishop's blessing
A VILLAGE church porch which was dilapidated and in need of repair will be rededicated by the Bishop of Oxford. The Rt Rev John Pritchard will conduct a special service to mark the £150,000 revamp at St Leonard’s Church, in Sunningwell. The Friends
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Bike marathon honours fallen Marine
THE father of Royal Marine Dale Gostick is making a poignant cycle ride through France with 240 others as a tribute to his fallen son and other service personnel. The cyclists are undertaking a 350-mile ride across France to raise funds for
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CRASH UPDATE: Abingdon Road reopens
A busy Oxford road has been reopened following an accident which left an 11-year-old cyclist with serious head injuries. The boy was injured after a collision with a silver Volkswagen Sharan in Abingdon Road at 12.45pm. Police closed the junction of
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A song for Didcot
FOLLOWING Jeremy Smith’s appeal for songs about Oxfordshire (Oxford Mail, Man About Town), what about the Billy Fury number, I’m Only Halfway to Didcot Parkway? John Sandalls, Locks lane, Wantage
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Victoria brings taste of Russia to Oxford
THE cosmopolitan food offerings of Oxford are about to expand with the city’s first Russian restaurant. Victoria Tsoy, who was born in Moscow, and her husband Mustafa Barcho, a Kurd, plan to open the Russian House in Cowley Road by August. The eatery
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Cumnor pupils apply a bit of science
SCHOOLCHILDREN experimented with forces of nature during a week focusing on science. Pupils at Cumnor Primary School spent last week carrying out activities on the theme of Science Around Us. All 220 pupils at the school took part in events aimed at
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Children in Need boosts arts projects
CHILDREN in a deprived area of Oxford are saying a big thank you to Pudsey Bear after receiving a £31,000 boost. Cutteslowe Community Association was granted the money by Children in Need to spend over three years on art and dance schemes in the area
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AUNT SALLY: Dennis is such a menace
VETERAN Dennis Baxter rolled back the years by clanging off 15 dolls (4-6-5) as George beat Kidlington Sports 3-0 in the Premier Section, writes ANDY BEAL. He was assisted well by Steve Walton and Kevin Giles, who both hit 13 dolls, as their side won
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Off-duty Pc in rescue drama
AN OFF-DUTY police officer told how she rescued a woman fleeing from a late night sex attack, before calling in colleagues to make an arrest. Police are appealing for help after a 20-year-old woman was sexually assaulted near the Four Pillars Hotel,
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Animal charity's plea after dog dumped
AN ANIMAL charity has urged people who can no longer afford their pets to come to them for advice after a one-year-old dog with a suspected broken tail was dumped at an adoption centre entrance. Staff at the Burford Blue Cross centre found the frightened
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County council leader wants expenses check
OXFORDSHIRE County Council leader Keith Mitchell has asked for his expenses to be re-examined after anomalies appeared over how much he was paid. Mr Mitchell has published the details of his expenses claims over the past four years on his website.
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CRICKET: Mixed fortunes as Oxon women hit back in style
Oxfordshire Ladies experienced the highs and lows of cricket in their back-to-back home matches in the ECB County Championship over the weekend. On Saturday at Stratfield Brake, Kidlington, Oxfordshire could not respond to the experience and accuracy
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CRICKET: Shirazi is star as Banbury ease in
Damian Shirazi shone with bat and ball as Banbury cruised into the third round of the ECB National Club Championship with a six-wicket victory at Barnt Green. Shirazi claimed fine figures of 4-39 as Banbury restricted their hosts to 211-8 from their
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CRICKET: Beard's net gain
Oxon Under 17 all-rounder Michael Beard had some success as he took part in a net session during the second one-day international between England and West Indies at Bristol. Beard got through the defences of England seamer Stuart Broad and West Indies
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CRICKET: World Cup winners passes on tips
World Cup-winning captain Charlotte Edwards has finished a six-week coaching session at Oxford CC – grooming the stars of the future. Edwards, captain of the England team that won the World Cup by beating New Zealand, has been undertaking coaching for
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OBITUARY: Stalwart Thornton dies after illness
Former Oxfordshire Over 50s opening batsman and well-known local umpire John Thornton has died aged 75. Mr Thornton, of Benmead Road, Kidlington, passed away in the John Radcliffe Hospital last Wednesday after a year-long battle with cancer. He was
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CRICKET: Rowant cruise into last eight
Aston Rowant cruised into the Oxfordshire semi-finals of the npower Village Cup after an eight-wicket win over Great & Little Tew. Batting first, Tew struggled to get to grips with a tight bowling performance, with Tom Foster taking 5-38 and Tim Morgan
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Gang of muggers attack teen
TWO teenagers were attacked by a gang. A 17-year-old boy was stopped by two boys and three girls in Kynaston Road - Didcot who pushed him and demanded his belongings. A second victim, also 17, who saw the robbery was also attacked. Police are appealing
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Birthdays in administration
WORKERS at two Oxfordshire greetings cards stores have been left fearing for their jobs after the company was taken into administration. About 20 staff at the Birthdays shops in the Castle Centre, Banbury and Templars Square, Cowley, face an uncertain
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Mother's anger with Royal Mail
A BANBURY mum is furious after she paid extra to send a parcel by recorded delivery, only to find the contents were not insured when she tried to claim. Linda Hayward sent birthday and Easter gifts to her sister and nephew in Scotland, but it was only
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Medal for ex-MoD worker
A FORMER Ministry of Defence worker has been awarded the Imperial Service Medal. Martin Weir worked for 31 years keeping troops supplied across the world from Defence Storage and Distribution Agency in Bicester. The Banbury town and district councillor
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Shake-up for Cherwell executive
CHERWELL’s executive has been given a shake up and one new post created. Cropredy councillor Ken Atack has joined the executive for the first time, taking on the post of performance management and improvement. Debbie Pickford takes on the newly created
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Greens set out plans for county in election manifesto
SCHOOLS would get wind turbines or solar panels under Green party plans going into next week’s Oxfordshire County Council elections. The party, which currently holds five seats at County Hall, is fighting 72 of the 74 seats up for grabs on June 4. Leader
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Man robbed in brutal attack
A MAN was beaten until he was unconscious by two robbers. The 49-year-old man was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground in Wantage Road, in Wallingford, sometime between 12.15am and 2am on Friday police said today. They said the man got back
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Abingdon Road blocked after accident
A cyclist is in a serious condition after a collision with a car in Oxford today. The cyclist, a boy thought to be about 12, is said by police to be slipping in and out of consciousness following a collision with a car at the junction of Weirs Lane and
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'I've been silly' says ex-poetry professor
THE first woman to become Oxford University’s Professor of Poetry today said she had been silly and naive, but denied purposely smearing her rival for the post. Ruth Padel, who resigned from the position last night, admitted emailing journalists to
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'I was silly and naive' says poetry professor
THE first woman to become Oxford University’s Professor of Poetry today said she had been silly and naive but denied purposely smearing her rival for the post. Ruth Padel, who resigned from the post last night, admitted emailing journalists
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Chargrill kings retain a place in our hearts
DENISE BARKLEY finds a trusty favourite has added some razzle-dazzle to make dining there more of an occasion. In these days of ever more varied and sophisticated dining it is comforting to see that Beefeater retains a place in the heart of the
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United sign two more
Oxford United manager Chris Wilder further strengthened his squad today by signing winger Marcus Kelly and goalkeeeper Ryan Clarke. Kelly, 23, signs on a one-year deal from Rushden while 27-year-old keeper Clarke, who was outstanding for Northwich at
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Still peachy at The Thatch
DENISE BARKLEY enjoys an excellent dinner at a Thame eaterie which first found fame through TV’s The Restaurant IF there is a company that appears to be bucking the trend in credit crunch Britain it is the Oxfordshire based Peach Pub Company, which
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Revealing the tastes of fabulous France
GILL OLIVER speaks to an Oxfordshire chef passing on the gastronomic secrets of Burgundy at her French cookery school Family holidays to France when she was a child marked the start of a love affair with the country that is still going strong for
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Arsonists torch cars
Firefighters attended two suspected arsons in Oxford this morning. At about 1.50am, a crew from the Slade station was called to a car on fire in Brocklesby Road in Littlemore. At about 5.55am, a car was found alight in Shepherd’s Pit, off Bayswater
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Wilder chases key to success
Manager Chris Wilder believes success for Oxford United next season could hinge on having strong back-up players. Emphasising the importance of a quality squad, Wilder says it could be just as important to have effective players in his 12-20 as in the
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Show some self-respect
THERE are some sorry sights around this city and the county. When we appealed for our readers to ring in with the messes blighting their neighbourhood, we knew there would be a healthy response. But it is also disheartening to see the state some properties
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Sheltered homes stand empty as council mothballs flats
A FORMER council-run sheltered home in Oxford has been mothballed until there is an upturn in the property market. In March, the last resident moved out of Grantham House in Cranham Street, Jericho, where there were 35 sheltered flats. The council planned
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Council vows to take action over untidy streets
THE man responsible for keeping Oxford’s streets clean has vowed to make untidy tenants pay the cost of removing their mess. City councillor John Tanner, board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford, said the council would investigate properties