A women's football team showed a clothing company the red card when it went off-side by failing to deliver its new team kit, writes Penny Studdy.

It got a result, however, when the Witney Gazette newspaper blew the whistle, and it received a refund.

Carterton Rangers women's football team appealed for help after company Summer of 76, in Witney's Mill Street, failed to deliver their new polo shirts.

A member of the team, Emma Hayes, 23, of Oxford Hill, placed an order for 18 shirts five weeks ago and paid a 134 deposit. They were promised the shirts would be ready in three weeks - well in time for a tournament this weekend.

Despite several phone calls and visits to the company, run by Peter Spencer, the polo shirts did not appear and he failed to return their deposit.

Miss Hayes said: "The 134 is not a small sum, especially when we are all young and don't have much money. We were getting desperate and thought we would have to approach another team to lend us some shirts for the tournament."

Mr Spencer said: "We are very sorry that this situation has arisen, but we have had a problem with our supplier.

We want to do the honourable thing and refund the money in cash immediately and offer the ladies some free shirts which my brother, who has a similar printing company, will print up."