Archive
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FOOTBALL: Lockhart at the double
Headington Amateurs 4 (Lockhart 23 pen, 77, Cuff 35, Zaja 37) Winterbourne Utd 2 (Knight 20, Williams 27) Neil Lockhart bagged a brace as Headington Amateurs twice came from behind to beat Winterbourne United in Division 1 West of the Uhlsport
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FOOTBALL: Harding strikes to make point for City
Weymouth 1 (Groves 14) Oxford City 1 (Harding 52) HARRY Harding grabbed a second-half equaliser for Oxford City at Weymouth in the Southern Division Premier Division on his return debut after signing on a month’s loan from Reading. Harding, who
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ATHLETICS: Douglas and England are off to Delhi
Oxford City’s Nathan Douglas and Hannah England have been selected by England for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi from October 3-14. Douglas, 27, goes again in the triple jump, despite struggling to find his best form this season after an injury-interrupted
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Former bomb disposal expert gets trauma payout
A FORMER Army bomb disposal expert from Oxfordshire has won a six-figure compensation settlement from the Ministry of Defence, his lawyers have said. The ex-soldier, who cannot be named for security reasons, was suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder
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Cabbies driven to despair
THEY spend their lives ferrying passengers around Oxford’s congested roads and now cabbies have revealed their top three traffic blackspots in the city. Topping the list is the junction of Windmill Road and London Road in Headington, with taxi drivers
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Man accused of assaulting police
A MAN has been charged after two police officers were assaulted while they were trying to make an arrest. Alan Armstrong, 21, of Couldrey Close, Abingdon, faces two charges of assaulting a policeman and possession of a knife. Officers
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Work begins on leisure revamp
A NORTH Oxford leisure centre is the latest sports complex to be refurbished as part of a £2.2m city-wide investment. Work has started on improvements at Ferry Leisure Centre, Summertown, which will double the size of the gym and replace all current
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A Fresh new store for centre
AN INDEPENDENT trader from Witney will fill one of the remaining units in the town’s new shopping centre. Card, gift and home shop Fresh is set to open in Marriott’s Walk, in Welsh Way, in September. It is the latest retailer to move to the £50m development
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Military families enjoy a day at park
THE families of servicemen and women based at RAF Brize Norton and Abingdon’s Dalton Barracks, currently fighting in Afghanistan, were treated to a special day out to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Arranged by the chairman of Oxfordshire County Council,
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Warning to expect further downpours
Rain and wind has marked the start of the week's weather, with more downpours on the way. Heavy overnight rain has caused localised flooding and the Highways Agency warned drivers to take care using roads across much of England. Some
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Man remanded on golf club murder charge
A man charged with the murder of 32-year-old Chris Varian at The Oxfordshire Golf Club at the weekend has been remanded in custody. Jonathan Limani, 33, of Rycote Lane, Thame, appeared before Oxford Magistrates’ Court today and has been remanded
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Oxford opens its doors
Now in its fourth year, Oxford Open Doors is the annual event when town and gown join together to invite local people to celebrate everything that makes the city special — it is your chance to discover the hidden gems of Oxford’s heritage and curious
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Grand designs
Nicola Lisle discovers that our region’s National Trust properties provide a snapshot of family fortunes throughout the ages. If you want to escape the 21st century for a while, you cannot do better than visit Chastleton House, near Moreton-in-Marsh
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Called to the bar
Oxford can boast many famous historical pubs and inns where revellers have worn the boards bare over the centuries . . . Eagle & Child, St Giles, is famous for being the place where a group called the Inklings, including C S Lewis and Tolkien
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Motor city
How pioneering industrialist William Morris transformed Oxford’s public transport. Of all the great benefactors who have endowed Oxford and Oxfordshire with money one stands alone for the sheer scale of his generosity — Lord Nuffield. His home at Nuffield
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Land of the golden fleece
Broadcaster and farmer Adam Henson explains how Cotswold sheep have shaped the history and landscape of Oxfordshire. Not only does the Cotswolds owe its name to a breed of sheep ‘The Hills of the Sheep Cottes’ but also their heritage and architecture
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Getting to know more about Oxford’s history
Official walking tours of Oxford are packed with information and anecdotes about the city, the colleges, university life, historic buildings, famous people and odd traditions, and the expert guides will be delighted to answer any questions along
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Have you tried Cape's?
Chris Koenig travels back to a time when shopping was a far more elegant and relaxed affair, thanks to Oxford’s long-lost department stores. Most of us remember the closing down of dear old Woolies in 2008 with misty eyes. And some of us may also
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Treasure trove
Our county is blessed with museums great and small, and, writes Julie Webb, visiting them is the perfect way to discover more about Oxfordshire’s history and heritage. Oxfordshire is blessed with a wonderful variety of museums — approaching 30 altogether
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Abingdon's Iron Age roots
Is Abingdon the oldest town in the country? David Ford examines the evidence . . . There are many claimants to the title of the oldest place in Britain and each has its arguments for and against. In the end, it all comes down to definitions. Locally
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Man charged with attacking police officer in Abingdon
A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an incident in Abingdon in the early hours of Sunday. Officers were called to Couldrey Close shortly after 2am, following reports of a disturbance. Two officers were attacked while making
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Murray’s web of words
Who was the greatest dictionary-maker ever? Most people, faced with this question, would instantly think of Dr Samuel Johnson. Yet, pioneer though Johnson undoubtedly was, it is Scottish lexicographer Sir James Murray, the first editor of The
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Call for biological waste disposal
A PARISH council is demanding a re-think over the technology used to dispose of the county’s waste in its latest bid to halt an incinerator in Ardley. The move comes after the public inquiry over waste firm Viridor’s proposal to build a £100m
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'Unique in the world'
Alastair Lack reflects on the history of an iconic Oxford building — the Radcliffe Camera. Every day, dozens of Oxonians and visitors must walk past one of the most significant paving stones in the city, without ever noticing it, let alone understanding
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Celebrating Woodstock
The charm of Woodstock is evident to any visitor. This year, however, the town is celebrating its history, a story rich in events and in people, writes John Forster, archivist at Blenheim Palace. In 1086 the Domesday Book mentions Woodstock
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Woman robbed in Didcot
Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was robbed in Didcot. The 28-year-old woman was walking in Cow Lane, close to Evenlode Drive, when she was approached by two white men. They threatened her and demanded that she hand over
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Lads hold fundraiser in memory of landlord
IT’S enough to make any man wince. Dubbed the ‘Boyzilla’, it’s a beauty procedure which involves hot wax and intense pain in some very delicate areas. But six teammates from a village cricket club are determined to go through with the
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Two charged with Didcot assault
Police have charged two men after a 25-year-old man was assaulted in Fairacres Road, Didcot. A disturbance involving several people broke out at 1.30am on Saturday, during which the victim, from Reading, suffered a fractured cheekbone. He was taken
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Scales of justice: People convicted of offences at magistrates recently
DIDCOT Derek Burns, 48, of Market Place, Faringdon admitted drink driving on the A415 Marcham Interchange on June 26. Namely having 78 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35mg. Fined £308, a £15 victims’ surcharge and
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Robbers strike twice in Blackbird Leys
Police are appealing for information following two robberies in Blackbird Leys. A 33-year-old woman was waiting at the bus stop near Mercury Road, at the junction of Field Avenue, when a male riding a mountain bike passed her and snatched a her handbag
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MURDER: Family tribute to 'gentle man'
THE family of the man killed at The Oxfordshire Golf Club have paid tribute to him as the man accused of murdering him appeared in court. Chris Varian, a 32-year-old restaurant manager, died from serious neck wounds on Saturday afternoon at
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CRICKET: Hawkes is the hero
NATHAN Hawkes starred with bat and ball to help Banbury down leaders Welwyn Garden City by five wickets in Division 1 of the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League. The Oxfordshire all-rounder took 4-58 as Welwyn succombed to 174 all out, then
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Signalling the future of the railways
AT FIRST sight it looks like just another of the business units that have sprung up around Didcot in recent years. But its location, wedged into the triangle of railway lines just west of Didcot Parkway station, and the small Network Rail sign
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I'll keep chipping away to get my money
A MOTORIST has vowed not to give up on a battle to get compensation for damage caused to her car by loose road chippings. The windscreen of Dorothy Holloway’s Kia Sportage was cracked in West Oxfordshire in May when Oxfordshire County Council was resurfacing
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Fly-tipping decision cost woman dear
A WOMAN who dumped bags full of household waste by the roadside has been ordered to pay £265 in fines and costs by magistrates. Stacey Whitlock, 25, of The Lees, Faringdon, pleaded guilty at Didcot Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday to fly-tipping domestic
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CRICKET: Bhatti haul in vain for Thame
A WEAKENED Thame Town side fought hard, but could not deny Farnham Royal victory despite Jaydeep Bhatti’s six-wicket haul in Division 2 West of the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League. Thame inserted Farnham and good opening spells
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CRICKET: Oxford hopes take a blow
OXFORD had the better of their home draw with Aston Rowant in Division 1 of the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League, but the result helped neither sides’ ambitions. With neither Welwyn Garden City nor Henley winning, victory at Roman Way would
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FOOTBALL: Abigndon's nine-goal super show
Abingdon Tn 9 (Hodgkins 5, 10, 60, Thomas 12, 25, Reid 20, Howard 43, Harriott 77, Green 81) Pegasus Juniors 1 (Clark 75) STRIKER Niall Hodgkins hit a hat-trick in a dream debut as Abingdon Town went goal crazy to thrash bogey side Pegasus Juniors
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FOOTBALL: Banbury waste two-goal lead
Banbury Utd 2 (Gordon 11, Shariff 36) Tiverton Tn 2 (Bushin 41 pen, Saunders 69) BANBURY United let slip a two-goal lead as they were held to a draw by Tiverton Town in the Premier Division at Spencer Stadium. The home side took the lead in the 11th
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FOOTBALL: More woe for North Leigh
Almondsbury Tn 1 (Brown 88) North Leigh 0 NORTH Leigh’s miserable start to the Southern League Division 1 South & West season continued as they slumped to their third successive defeat with a late goal giving Almondsbury Town victory. With time
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FOOTBALL: Heapy saves point for Didcot
Bashley 1 (Gamble 11) Didcot Tn 1 (Heapy 29) Jamie Heapy’s equaliser earned Didcot Town their first point of the season in a Premier Division draw at Bashley. Heapy fired into the roof of the net from 15 yards after exchanging passes with Josh Dutton-Black
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FOOTBALL: McMahon is last-gasp hero for Abingdon
Abingdon Utd 5 (McMahon 6, 90, Odhiambo 31, Melledew 40, Mills 44) Cinderford Tn 4 (Billing 4, O’Sullivan 68, Miller 85, Maplin 90) JOHN McMahon hit an injury-time winner to give Abingdon United a dramatic victory over Cinderford Town at Northcourt
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Elder Stubbs Festival: Produce, picnics and a little magic
MUSICIANS, vegetable sellers and wand makers nestled among the trees next to wooden dinosaurs and food stalls in the summer’s quirkiest festival. The Elder Stubbs Festival was held in an urban oasis on allotments off Rymers Lane, Cowley, on
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CRICKET: Arnold inspired over 50s
KEITH Arnold marked his first appearance for Oxfordshire Over 50s with five wickets in their 119-run quarter-final victory over Hampshire at Oxford Downs yesterday. The county’s all-time leading wicket-taker, who said he would not play for the over 50s
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CRICKET: Shipton reach Lord's
THEY did it – somehow! Super Shipton-under-Wychwood kept their heads as Rowledge lost theirs to secure the most dramatic of semi-final victories yesterday. Paul Hemming’s men will go for a third national title against Sessay at Lord’
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Computer problem causes cash chaos
A NATIONWIDE computer problem with Barclays Bank caused chaos for thousands of Oxfordshire shoppers on Saturday. The problem, which affected cash machines and some payments at shops, is believed to have been caused by an electrical blackout shortly after
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War memorial on verge of collapse
A FIRST World War memorial remembering fallen North Oxford soldiers is on the verge of collapse despite a community battle to save it. The memorial stands next to St Margaret’s Church, on the corner of Kingston Road, and was erected in 1919
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Pedestrian badly hurt in Southern Bypass crash
A man is being treated in hospital this morning after being hit by a lorry at a south Oxford roundabout. Police were called at 6.43am after the pedestrian and a lorry collided at the Kennington roundabout. Police spokesman Rebecca Webber
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Tonkin frustrated by United's derby draw
ANTHONY Tonkin said that Oxford United would have accepted a draw before Saturday’s game at Wycombe – but came away disappointed not to have won it. The defender added that United were disappointed with their first-half showing, but delighted with their
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Speedy brainwave
IT’S just an idea, but with reference to the recent withdrawal of all speed cameras in the area, it might be an idea to avoid minor distractions while driving if every vehicle were equipped with an exterior speed meter. This could be positioned on the
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Schoolchildren set off in a good cause
THESE schoolchildren were looking surprisingly cheerful, considering the challenge they faced. They were about to set off on a 13-mile hike on country roads and paths. A total of 140 pupils from Harlow School, Old Marston, Oxford, took
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Footballers sported unusual kit
THE frilly collars and bows made this football team look distinctive, if a little silly by today’s standards. They were the forerunners of the present Oxford United team – Headington Football Club – pictured in the 1911-12 season. The only player we
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The changing face of Didcot
ROTARY Club members raised enough money in 1976 for two ‘eye camps’, to help save the sight of scores of people in Indian villages. Chairman Charles Bradley is seen in the first picture handing a cheque for £280 to Mary Shellan, Midlands organiser for
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Technical School students enjoyed seaside break
STUDENTS at the Oxford Secondary Technical School toiled hard at their studies in the classroom. But there was also time for pleasure, as these four photographs show. They were taken at a summer camp in 1939, just before the Second World War began.
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Headington United team went season unbeaten
FIVE readers put forward names for some of the players in the Headington United picture from the 1930s (Memory Lane, July 12). But Stuart Fathers, of Eynsham, has beaten them all – he has supplied not only all the names, but the club’s record for the
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Puppet show just magic
PUNCH and Judy stole the show for these smiling children at the Ferry Centre in Summertown, Oxford, in 1978. While they sat absorbed by the puppets’ knock-about antics, their parents were able to enjoy themselves at an autumn fair. The fair was organised
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Cowley car workers identified
WORKERS at the BMW Mini plant at Cowley put their heads together to try to identify their predecessors at a presentation (Memory Lane, July 19). The picture was sent in by Sheila Charles, of Wendlebury, with only one man named – Duggie Pearce. But
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MURDER: Golf club victim named
THE man killed at The Oxfordshire Golf Club has been named this morning as Christopher Nigel Varian. Jonathan Limani, 33, from Rycote Lane, Thame, will face magistrates in Oxford shortly accused of murdering Mr Varian at the club on Saturday
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NHS bears cost of botched cosmetic ops
A PLASTIC surgeon warned botched private cosmetic surgery is costing the NHS in Oxfordshire ‘thousands and thousands’ each year. County people flocking to places like Poland and India for unregulated breast augmentation and tummy tucks are relying on
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Wear a hat with pride
Pictured is what all the fuss has been about. And as you can see – it’s a hat (albeit a very stylish, jaunty fashion accessory). But from the attention it’s garnered this week, you’d have thought I’d taken to wearing pants over my head instead. Still
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Worst cheats are the middle class
WORKING-class benefit cheats are being made scapegoats. The worst benefit cheats are the middle class – being gifted with better education and the know-how to work the social security system to their favour and go undetected by employing the best accountants
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Squatting wrongs
Keith Mitchell was obviously sufficiently nettled by my letter of July 6 to offer me what might be construed as a gratuitous insult, to which I beg a right of reply. I am not sure what the “chattering classes” are, but from Mr Mitchell’s comments about
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Unpopular idea
WHEN the idea of grant-maintained schools was offered to parents by a previous Conservative government, very few schools ‘opted out’, even with the offer of an extra sum of money for schools which did so. Most parents preferred their elected representatives
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Cruel season
THE lovely ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ will soon be upon us, marred only by the knowledge that it also heralds the start of the new hunting season. For those of us who are well versed in the sights and sounds of hunting, the beauty of
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Party is proud of its achievements
Commenting on the coalition government’s 100 days, Andrew Smith makes the extraordinary statement that ‘people voted Lib Dem, especially in Oxford, to keep the Tories out’. Really? Even in Oxford East, where the Conservatives were nowhere and it was
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Bus driver in the firing line
EMERGENCY powers had to be taken during the Second World War to keep Oxford bus services running. City of Oxford Motor Services, now the Oxford Bus Company, faced severe shortages as staff went off to join the forces. City councillors and ratepayers
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Former deputy headteacher banned
A FORMER deputy headteacher of John Mason School in Abingdon has been found guilty of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ by the General Teaching Council. Despina Pavlou used school money to buy champagne, wine, a wooden shed and a business class flight
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£1.4m grants kick off hope for arena
FOOTBALLERS and netball players are celebrating after scoring more than £1.4m in grants for a major revamp of their grounds next year. The money means Oxford City Football Club and Oxfordshire Netball are now one step away from developing a ‘community
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Warning after car crash
A CAR crashed into a house in Tetsworth near Thame during the early hours today. Fire crews were called following the incident in Thame Road shortly after midnight. Police and paramedics also attended but no-one was seriously hurt. Crew manager Kevin
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River on Floodwatch after downpour
ONE river in Oxfordshire has been placed on Floodwatch following heavy rain overnight. There is a risk of flooding on low-lying land and roads near the River Ray from Shipton Lee to Islip, according to the Environment Agency. There are 11 Floodwatch
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Hotel manager murdered at elite Oxfordshire golf club
A HOTEL manager was knifed to death following a row at Oxfordshire’s leading golf club. The 32-year-old suffered horrific neck injuries and died before paramedics could get to him at The Oxfordshire Golf Club in Milton Common, near Thame, on
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Bypass traffic chaos
OXFORD'S Southern Bypass was shut northbound this morning after a lorry crash. Traffic is heavily congested in the area, stretching back on to the A34 and also on the Eastern Bypass back past the Littlemore roundabout.
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Man charged with murder at The Oxfordshire Golf Club
Police have charged a man with murder following an incident at The Oxfordshire Golf Club, Rycote Lane, Thame. Jonathan Limani, 33, of Rycote Lane, Thame, has been charged with murder and remanded in custody to appear before Oxford Magistrates Court
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Oxfordshire Golf Club murder - man charged
A man has been charged with murder following the death of a hotel manager at The Oxfordshire Golf Club in Milton Common near Thame. The 32-year-old manager died on Saturday afternoon after suffering knife wounds to the neck. Jonathan Limani, 33,
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Wilder: Sort it out, Sam
OXFORD United boss Chris Wilder says young midfielder Sam Deering has to “sort himself out” after the club disciplined him, withdrew him from the squad at Wycombe on Saturday and sent him home. The 19-year-old was late at the meet-up point for the League
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NHS wants to know how Oxford over 65s stay fit
IT’S hardly a secret that exercise leads to a longer life, but the NHS has launched a push to get older people in Oxfordshire fighting fit. The county’s primary care trust, NHS Oxfordshire, is encouraging county residents to stay fit into old
