Archive

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Kids’ stream of learning in floating class

YOUNGSTERS swapped their primary school for a “floating classroom” on the Thames in a trial which could be copied across the county. Year Six pupils from New Marston Primary School studied animals, plants and the river environment during a 90-minute

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Mother pays tribute to her ‘wonderful son’, ex-Chelsea youth footballer Jordan Tabor, after hotel death

THE mother of former Chelsea youth player Jordan Tabor has paid tribute to her “wonderful son” after he died on holiday in Turkey on Wednesday. Mr Tabor, 23, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into the stay at the Titanic Beach

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Major delays on First Great Western trains after lightning strike

A lightning strike has damaged equipment causing severe delays to First Great Western trains.  Services between Reading and Slough are facing delays and possible cancellations. Services are running from Oxford and Banbury through to London

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Jordan Tabor: Ex-Chelsea youth player's mother says he was their life

THE mother of former Chelsea youth player Jordan Tabor has paid tribute to her son who died on holiday in Turkey on Wednesday. Mr Tabor, 23, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into the stay at the Titanic Beach Lara Hotel, Antalya

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Weather warning for Oxfordshire this evening

A YELLOW weather warning has been issued by the Met Office after showers were forecast for tonight. The warning will be in place until 9pm and covers more southern parts of the county.  Met office spokesman Andrew Sibley said: “As the evening

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Days of game being for toffs only are lawn gone

IT’S a game normally associated with the country’s elite. Croquet can maybe seem a million miles aways from our everyday lives. But the roots of the historic sport actually lie a lot closer to home. And the Oxfordshire country house where the

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City is at the forefront of disease prevention

HUGE leaps in scientific knowledge mean Britain has a well-established vaccine programme among all ages to combat common but potentially deadly diseases and infections. Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio are among the conditions the

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Hospitals’ £4m boost

The county’s hospital authority will continue to run a city research centre after winning a £4m contract. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust has run the UK Cochrane Centre since 2010 and has now won a contract for April 2015 to March 2020.

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Man charged with 156 offences at Witney company after police pick him up in Spain

A 40-year-old man arrested in Spain has been charged with 156 theft and fraud offences said to have taken place at a company in Witney.  Oliver Trusgnach, of Calle can Marti Feluiu, Palma De Mallorca, Spain, was detained under a European Arrest

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Man arrested on suspicion of prostitution offences

A 40-year-old Oxford man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of prostitution offences. Police were called to Duke Street, off Botley Road, on Wednesday evening. The man is currently in police custody. On Thursday Police had taped off

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Jayden trial: Full statement from Jayden's family + audio

A statement released by Jayden Parkinson's family following the sentencing:  "Finally justice has been done for our Jayden. "First, we would like to record our enormous gratitude to the officers of Thames Valley Police, in particular members

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Red Arrows wow crowds with stunning aces high display

SKIES across Wallingford played host to an amazing Red Arrows display. While RAF Benson keep their annual Families’ Day a private event “due to security and insurance considerations”, it didn’t stop dozens of locals taking photos and videos as

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Lovers’ well for king’s fair maiden needs a bit of TLC

A LOVERS’ well, said to be created by a medieval king for his mistress, needs major restoration work at Blenheim Palace. The so-called Fair Rosamond’s Well is thought to have been built by King Henry II for his mistress Rosamund de Clifford 850

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Traffic system aims to ease school problem

A ONE-WAY system is to be set up outside Eynsham Primary School from September to alleviate traffic problems. The restrictions will be implemented by the entrance in Beech Road before and after school. It follows a traffic survey carried out

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COMMONWEALTH GAMES: It's bronze for Rivers

DIDCOT’S Dan Rivers has won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle final at Glasgow 2014. The Wantage Target Shooting Club member topped the rankings in this morning’s qualifying event with a Games record 623.6 points. And Rivers backed that up

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Update: Fiaz Munshi has been jailed for 13 years for manslaughter + Judge's remarks

FIAZ Munshi has been jailed for 13 years after she was found guilty of being involved in an arson attack which killed two children.  The 38-year-old was convicted of two counts of manslaughter on Tuesday after a “complex and challenging” six-week

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Where is evidence group is not fit for purpose?

Your newspaper reports that Oxford City Council is seeking to remove East Oxford Community Association (EOCA) from the East Oxford Community Centre as it has determined that the association is not fit to run such a centre. EOCA has managed the

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We were unaware of changes to bus route

I was reading your recent article about Stagecoach’s intentions to introduce a new bus service between Carterton and the JR Hospital. Good news I thought, until I read further down the article and noticed the imminent changes to the timetables and

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This ignores widespread anxiety as levels increase

While we are immensely grateful to the teams that look after us during flood events, claims that the damage can be reduced by relying on local defences, such as those here in streets off the Botley Road, rather than investing in the Western Conveyance

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Punishments seem to vary considerably

I was very interested in the article Scales of Justice (July 21). Of the speeding fines, the amounts which the courts were taking varied considerably, as if on a whim. I am intrigued to know what is the purpose of a ‘victim’s surcharge’. With a

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Oxford is beginning to appreciate the need for something proactive

On behalf of the South Oxford Flood Action Group (SOFAG) I enjoyed your letter from Prof Edmund Penning-Rowsell on the proposed Oxford and Abingdon flood relief scheme ( July 19). Edmund and I had met outside Wickes’ Oxford store just two days

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Friday's letters: What are your fellow readers writing in about today?

Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk

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Jayden trial: Ben Blakeley jailed for a minimum of 20 years for murder + audio

BEN Blakeley has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years for murdering Jayden Parkinson.  The 22-year-old was convicted of her murder yesterday.  Jailing him for life Judge Patrick Eccles said Blakeley's decision to bury her in a graveyard was

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Friday, July 25

7:08pm There are delays on First Great Western trains after a lightning strike 7:02pm There has been a weather warning for Oxfordshire until 9pm 

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Stalwart Ron’s police volunteer award

HE is often the first face troubled people see when they look for help. Ron Hollis volunteers on the front counter of Eynsham police information centre – and has been providing help to those in need for the past 11 years. Now the 76-year-old

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Jayden trial: Jury fails to reach a verdict in the case of Jake Blakeley

A JURY has not been able to reach a verdict in the trial of the teenage brother of murderer Ben Blakeley. Jake Blakeley was accused of knowingly helping to bury the body of Jayden Parkinson in a cemetery next to All Saint's Church in Didcot during

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Oxford United sign loan deal for England Under 21 goalkeeper George Long

OXFORD United have signed highly-rated goalkeeper George Long on loan from Sheffield United until January. The 20-year-old will compete with Max Crocombe for a starting place while U’s No 1 Ryan Clarke recovers from foot surgery. Despite his

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Resistance to Muslim’s idea to ban the burka

A MUSLIM centre has launched a national campaign to ban the burka in Britain. The Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford want to prohibit Muslim women from covering their face in public. The campaign is being led by centre founder and director

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COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Rivers reaches final with record score

DIDCOT’S Dan Rivers has qualfied for this afternoon’s men’s 10m air rifle final at Glasgow 2014 with a Commonwealth Games record score. The Wantage Target Shooting Club member topped the rankings in this morning’s qualifying event with 623.6 points

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RUGBY UNION: London Welsh open cup campaign at Bath

LONDON Welsh will open their LV= Cup campaign by taking on Bath at the Rec on the weekend of October 31, November 1-2. The Oxford-based Exiles have been drawn in Pool 4 alongside Harlequins, champions Exeter Chiefs and Ospreys. But they will

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Love and music help couple beat the odds

Jaine Blackman meets an Oxford woman married to a Serbian gypsy How far would you go for love? As far as Faith Ristic? We’re not talking about mileage – even though her romance has taken her from Oxford to virtual exile in Serbia – but her

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Remember taken girls

School’s out, and Oxford rejoices in its young families and confident, sassy teenagers. The summer stretches ahead with its long, lazy days and reversal of routine. Spare a thought for those other schoolchildren somewhere in the forests of Northern

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'I'm no more Ms Polite Girl'

The other morning I was walking, quite innocently, into work. Suddenly a guy – who I can only describe as the lovechild of Gordan Gekko and Ice Man from the film Top Gun – walked by. As Ice Gecko passed me he obviously decided that 8am on a Monday

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It's full steam ahead for lunch

Jaine Blackman discovers there’s such a thing as a steam oven and tries her hand at dim sum You know you’re not in a run of the mill appliance showroom when someone excitedly tells you “I just saw Tony Hadley and his wife looking round”. While

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Watching lives through a lens is disturbing telly

Growing up is hard to do, not least when you end up doing it watched by millions to see whether you’ve turned out to be a loser... So, it’s refreshing to see some of the participants of 56 Up get a bit bolshy when they’re probed as part of an experiment

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Liven up your summer with some science

Yes, 2014 is shaping up to deliver us a sensational summer. Amidst the sun, the spectacular storms and the holiday planning I am sure you have all taken a moment to think about the many ways science can enrich your summer! Whether you are in the

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Sex matters in the garden

Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design wonders why it’s women who have green fingers OK, the headline is a bit misleading. This week’s missive isn’t the gardener’s answer to 50 Shades of Grey but rather more tamely about the gender gap in the

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No need for fashion police when you have daughters

The thing about being 48 is that you straddle the fence – you’re neither exactly old but equally neither young and certainly the moniker of middle-aged is friend to no one. So what do you do? Well, in a word, nothing I think. After all,

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Fundraising day to thank hospital staff

SIXTEEN months ago, Tessa Jack faced every parents’ nightmare when her six-week-old son died. Tiny Takai Omari Jack passed away because of a lack of oxygen to the brain following a cardiac arrest, on April 10, 2013, at the John Radcliffe Hospital

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Catch up on our brilliant lifestyle section

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Going away makes you appreciate home

Leaving Oxford, even for a short holiday, highlights its strengths as a place to live and work. Our temperate climate and compact city makes for relatively easy living, whatever the season. Watching the griffin vultures circle above the flower-filled

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Mastering the art of taking time out

Rebecca picks up her paintbrush and refuses to feel guilty about not doing the laundry What do you do at the weekend? Head to the shops? Watch a movie? Go to the pub? I usually spend the whole weekend dreading Monday which somehow only ever

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A vicious cycle

‘Fat-bottomed’ mum Liz Nicholls finds it hard to keep up on an active family break Just beyond Bliss Hill, I am rapidly approaching meltdown, by bike. My boyfriend Richard, who suddenly seems to be made of a different meat from me, is making

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All at sea with paddleboards

With the under 16s finally all on the long summer break, school runs are already a distant memory. School bags have been discarded at the back of cupboards with the festering remnants of the last day of term’s packed lunch preparing to be discovered

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Is it really time to forgive and forget that song?

NO insult was intended or offence taken when enchanting Emily, granddaughter of old chum, Philip, pointed out I came from ‘the Buddy Holly era’. “You must remember him,” she enthused, waving her ticket for one of next week’s performances of The

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‘A family robbed of their lives almost in front of us’

An Israeli shell from the bombardment of Gaza has exploded in the lives of people from Oxford. Hassan Al Hallaq won a scholarship to study for a Master’s degree at Oxford Brookes University. His wife Samar and their two children, Kenan, six and Saji

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Launton's married vicars to conduct first baptism - for their own child

A BAPTISM will be a real family affair on Sunday when two married vicars baptise the first baby in their new church – their own daughter. The Reverends Shemil and Becky Mathew, from Launton, will baptise their daughter Catherine, who is almost

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Crocombe striving to be spot-on at Oxford United

MAX Crocombe is hoping to make the most of his opportunity to claim a spot in the Oxford United side during Ryan Clarke’s absence. The New Zealander has played in all United’s first-team friendly games during pre-season, with Clarke recovering

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Chelsea FC pay tribute to footballer Jordan Tabor, who dies after hotel fall on holiday

A FORMER Chelsea youth player from Oxford, described as the life and soul of the party, has died while on holiday in Turkey. Jordan Tabor, 23, from Headington, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into his stay with his girlfriend

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Blakeley guilty of both murder and torturing a grieving family

FINALLY, after more than a week of agonised waiting, Jayden Parkinson’s mother Samantha Shrewsbury finally saw the jury at Oxford Crown Court declare her daughter had been murdered. This has been a torturous time for Ms Shrewsbury as well as the

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HOCKEY: Shipperley on a high as England start with win

ZOE Shipperley described her Commonwealth Games debut as unreal after helping England beat Wales 2-0 in their women’s hockey opener, writes STUART WEIR. The former St Edward’s School pupil and staff member, from Marsh Gibbon, played her part as

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Museum starts appeal to retain rare mirror

A RARE Iron Age artefact discovered near Didcot may be allowed to leave the country unless £33,000 is raised by a Woodstock museum. The Oxfordshire Museum needs to raise the funds by Friday, September 12, to retain the bronze mirror. The charity

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Cricket tribute to former Dragon School pupil Felix

CRICKET teammates of Felix Byam-Shaw paid tribute to him before an Oxfordshire Under-14s game against Shropshire on Wednesday . A jersey, printed with “Byam Shaw 14”, was left outside Shifnal Cricket Club, beside flowers and a mini cricket bat

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TENNIS: Oxfordshire men on brink of promotion

OXFORDSHIRE’S men are on the brink of promotion from Group 5 after a thrilling 5-4 success over Durham & Cleveland at West Worthing yesterday. Needing a win to maintain hopes of climbing the ladder for a third successive year, everything hinged

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CRICKET: Banbury enjoy Twenty 20 vision

Banbury captain Jimmy Phillips believes they are well-placed for another decent run in the ECB National Club Twenty20 competition. Phillips’s side take on High Wycombe in the Home Counties Premier League semi-finals at Oxford CC’s Roman Way ground

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CRICKET: No panic for Rowant ahead of crunch clash

Chris Watling says there is no panic in the Aston Rowant camp, despite being just one place above the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 relegation zone. Rowant host second-from-bottom Harefield tomorrow in what is a crunch

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Fixtures: July 26-31

Saturday CRICKET SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Aston Rowant v Harefield, Banbury v Tring Park, Gerrards Cross v Henley, Oxford v High Wycombe. Div 2 West: Cove v Horspath, Falkland v Great & Little Tew, Shipton-u-Wychwood

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ROWING: Headington girls storm in for Britain

Headington School rowers are still celebrating after starring for Great Britain in a junior international match against France at Nantes. After winning the British selection trials in Nottingham last month , the Headington girls J16 quad of Danielle

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CRICKET: Promotion would be amazing, says Eason

Horspath captain Will Eason says it would be remarkable achievement if they can secure promotion from Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2. Eason’s second-placed side visit Cove tomorrow with a 33-point cushion in the battle

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ROWING: National medals for Wallingford crews

Two Wallingford RC crews won bronzes medals in the British Junior Championships at Nottingham. The club’s squad of 11 crews not only won two medals, but also contested numerous A finals. The first medal was brought home by the J15 double scull

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Ben Blakeley found guilty of Jayden Parkinson's murder

JAYDEN Parkinson’s mother wept openly yesterday after Ben Blakeley was found guilty of her daughter’s murder. The 22-year-old killer walked out of the dock, slamming the door behind him as the jury convicted him in a case described as the first

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Fundraising in memory of schoolfriend

ONE of Jayden’s closest friends said last night Ben Blakeley’s conviction for murder was “100 per cent” the right verdict. Layla Smith, 17, who went to Didcot Girls’ School with Jayden, said: “I think everyone thinks the same thing. “I think

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‘Only Ben can explain why he chose to rebury her body in an existing grave’

IT WAS the news everyone was dreading. On December 14, 2013, Jayden Parkinson’s family had to be told that the police search for their daughter had become a murder inquiry. At the time Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Murray, head of force

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Final steps in a life cut tragically short

WHEN Ben Blakeley left his cousin Faith Kennedy’s house in Reading where he was staying on the morning of December 3, he locked her and her boyfriend in. He claimed it was an accident. Jayden left the One Foot Forward hostel on Iffley Road at 3.27pm

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‘Crime school’ helped shape Blakeley’s violent character

A CARE home once branded a “crime school” for boys is where Ben Blakeley spent part of his early teenage years. For years before it was knocked down in 2011, Thornbury House off The Moors in Kidlington was troubled by reports from neighbours of

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FOOTBALL: AFC Hinksey fold

UHLSPORT Hellenic League side AFC Hinksey have folded after only two seasons, writes NICK FARRANT. The club, who ground-shared with Abingdon Town, won promotion to Division 1 East in 2012, but failed to register in time for this season. It

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Jury told of violence, a life on the streets, jealousy and blackmailing

DETAILS of Blakeley and Jayden’s turbulent relationship emerged throughout the trial. And evidence from his previous girlfriends portrayed him as violent and controlling. Katie Gale, 21, told the trial that Blakeley tried to strangle her about

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Trial littered with outbursts and an unaccepted apology

THERE were angry and emotional scenes in Oxford Crown Court when Ben Blakeley first admitted killing his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend. The 22-year-old made the surprise admission during a plea hearing on March 17 this year and it prompted gasps and

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Case review taking place after tragedy

OXFORDSHIRE’S social care authorities are carrying out a serious case review following the murder of Jayden Parkinson. After she became homeless in autumn last year, 17-year-old Jayden accepted an offer of accommodation at One Foot Forward, a supported

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‘Relationship would have been like an addiction Jayden couldn’t give up’

BY the age of 17, Jayden Parkinson had lived a more chaotic life than most teenagers. Born in Ashford, Kent, in September 1996, she grew up near Folkestone, moved to Lancashire for a year, then when her parents split up, moved to Berinsfield with

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Oxford United seal trio of deals for shirt sponsorship

OXFORD United have agreed deals for three new shirt sponsors this season. The companies will be unveiled next Thursday at the traditional pre-season squad photograph. One will feature on the front of the home kit, while there will also be logos

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RUGBY LEAGUE: Baird blow as Oxford face Gateshead test

Oxford RL will be without JJ Baird for the rest of the season after the second row forward suffered a knee injury in their 58-16 defeat by York a fortnight ago. This is a big blow for Oxford, who have a mounting injury crisis as they bid to climb

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CYCLING: Waller smashes 50-mile record

Oxford City RC veteran Howard Waller obliterated the club’s 50-mile time trial record with a superb 1 min 47. 33 secs in the Shafesbury 50. The 48-year-old’s time smashed 30 seconds off the old record, despite the hot and sticky conditions.

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TENNIS: Tolson eases North's fears of the drop

County captain Emma Tolson helped North Oxford ease their relegation fears in Oxfordshire LTA Wilson League Ladies’ Division 1. She won both rubbers with partner Julie Wood in a 3-1 victory at Oxford City. Portcullis secured early promotion

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Mind the gap... there’s a £50m shortfall in funding + video that flies over and through the scheme

A £50m funding gap in the Oxford Railway Station redevelopment is “bridgeable”, council bosses have said. They were speaking as the masterplan for the £75m development was formally unveiled yesterday at the Said Business School. Funding is

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CYCLING: John Paul suffers early exit

TRACK cyclist John Paul, Oxfordshire sportsman of the year in 2011, was knocked out in the men’s sprint qualifying. The Scotsman, whose parents live in Wantage, finished 14th with only the top 12 progressing. FORMER Oxford University student