While Oxfordshire grinds to a halt and millions switch to the television for an afternoon of tension, beer and the dreaded penalty shoot-out, life goes on for those who loathe the national game.

And so, for you non-football fans, we have come up a few alternatives.

At precisely 4pm on Saturday when England kick off their tense World Cup quarter-final clash in Gelsenkirchen, not only are the shops and cinemas expected to be quieter than usual but it is good news for steam engine fans and museum buffs.

Instead of watching the match the television viewers for England's clash with Sweden peaked at 19.9 million both the Clarendon and Westgate shopping centres in Oxford will be open and crowd-free.

Town centre manager Bill McCardle said: "There's a fantastic atmosphere in the town at the moment.

"Most of the shops are very busy before the football and in the afternoon, when an England game is on, it's very quiet."

Cinema fans can visit Vue at the Kassam Stadium to watch the new Pixar family production Over the Edge, starting at 4pm.

Both the Morris Motors Museum in Long Hanborough and Cogges Manor Farm exhibition of Victorian laundry will remain open.

Railway fanatics can enjoy a broad gauge Fire Fly locomotive at Didcot Railway Centre or a special Isambard Kingdom Brunel exhibition in Long Wittenham.

There is also jousting at the 30th anniversary celebration of Jan Weller Pre-school in Beckley, a beer festival in Burford, the Grand Peace Fete at Coleshill or you can make a dreamcatcher at the Pitt Rivers Museum Native Indian exhibition.

Jeanette Howse, marketing manager at Didcot Railway Centre, said: "To be honest, we might as well be closed when the football is on. But if people want to get out and about, then they should know the museum is open and all the engines here will be in steam."

For a more leisurely afternoon, visit a flower festival in Freeland or stroll through beautiful gardens at an open village event at South Newington.

But one place where busy crowds are expected is in the town centre bars and restaurants which have reported an average 20 per cent rise in sales thanks to the popularity of the World Cup.