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Category: Thame news

  • Chinnor in 10-try thriller

    CHINNOR RFC had a dream start to its match against Redruth on Saturday (10/10), despite its squad being depleted by 20+ players unavailable through injury and other commitments.

    Saturday's Man of the Match, Robbie Martey
    Saturday’s Man of the Match, Robbie Martey

    From the kick off, their forwards drove Redruth back. Junior Fatialofa made a 20 metre break and from the resulting ruck Robbie Martey sped through a gap to give Chinnor a five-point lead. Redruth replied immediately with a penalty converted by fly half Mankee.

    Chinnor bounced back with a Jack Adams break, feeding the elusive Martey who split the Redruth defence with his dazzling pace to put full back, Bertie Hopkin over and convert his own try.

    Redruth began to tighten up the game, keeping the ball among their forwards and driving into Chinnor’s 22 metre area enabling lock, Hattam and hooker Cowan – Dickie to score two tries within five minutes of each other. Mankee converted one of these to give Redruth a 13 – 12 lead after 20 minutes.

    Again Chinnor responded with centres Fatialofa and Adams combining well to break the gain line and put winger, George Blewitt, over for an unconverted try. Then the lead switched back to Redruth when a counter attack found a weakness in Chinnor’s defence putting centre Parsons over for a try converted by Mankee.

    The second half saw Redruth maintaining their tactic of keeping the ball tight among their forwards, then flanker Buzza drove from a loose maul and broke through Chinnor’s defence to score under the posts. Mankee converted for a 29 to 17 lead. The Chinnor pack responded well, following long kicks into the Redruth half and driving into the opposition’s pack, sucking them in, then spinning the ball out quickly for winger Blewitt to score in the corner. Then fly half Will Millett touched down near the posts for Hopkin to convert and draw the score level at 29 – 29.

    Redruth came back in a similar fashion with a deep kick to the corner and a rolling maul from the lineout giving hooker, Cowan-Dickie his second try, unconverted, with 15 minutes left and a 34 – 29 lead.

    Replacement Sam Angel kept Chinnor in the game with deep kicks into Redruth’s territory, followed by forward pressure giving Chinnor a penalty converted by Hopkin. In the last eight minutes Chinnor forwards were camped in Redruth’s 22 metre area but were unable to penetrate their defence and so suffered a 34 to 32 defeat.

    All Chinnor tries were scored by the backs including man of the match, Robbie Martey, whereas Redruth’s tries were mostly scored by their forwards reflecting the different tactics of the teams. At least Chinnor came away with two bonus points to help their cause.

  • Thame man admits stolen cheques offence

    A man from Thame has admitted to magistrates this week, that he was guilty of handling stolen cheques.

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    Ollie Cheney, 20, of Hopton Road, Thame, admitted carrying out the offence, in Thame on April 9, 2015. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay a £20 victims’ surcharge, £85 costs and a £180 criminal courts charge.

  • Pedestrian hit by van

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    A pedestrian has been taken to the JR hospital in Oxford, with head injuries, after being hit by a van.

    The collision happened near Weston Lane, close to the Shabbington turn, on the A418, at around 4.45pm this afternoon (12/10) and the road remains closed in both directions (as at 18:50 hrs) with long tail-backs of traffic.

  • Make your voice heard at ‘The People’s Climate March’

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    A group from Haddenham is looking to charter a coach to The People’s Climate March taking place in London on the eve of the crucial Paris climate talks, which will take place from the November 30 to the December 12.

    Haddenham in Transition would like to hear from anyone interested in joining them. To book, or for more information, email: haddenhamtransition@gmail.com. For more information on the March itself, visit the website: http://www.campaigncc.org/climatemarchlondon

  • Thame man admits assaults

    A man from Thame has admitted assaulting another man and a woman in the town.

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    David Craggs, 58, of Wheldon Way, Thame, admitted assaulting a woman by beating her in Thame on July 29. He also admitted assaulting a man by beating him in Thame on the same date.

    Craggs was ordered by Oxford Magistrates Court to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months and must pay a £60 victim surcharge, £85 costs and a £150 criminal courts charge.

  • Bringing tourists to your door – conference

    RICHARD Ingrams, journalist and former editor of Private Eye, will the guest speaker at a conference on how local businesses can make more of the Ridgeway National Trail, which runs through Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

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    The conference is on October 20, in Streatley-on-Thames. It has been organised by the Ridgeway Partnership in association with the North Wessex Downs AONB and the Chilterns Conservation Board to help the businesses along the route work more closely together to generate more business and improve the experience for visitors.

    Mr Ingrams has lived at the foot of the Ridgeway for the last forty years. “I have twice walked the Ridgeway, from my home to Avebury, a distance of 40 miles, in one day. It was exhausting but it is remarkable that it is still possible to walk this path for such a distance across the south of England”.

    The Ridgeway is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales, which represent some of the finest walking routes in the country.

    The conference is open to everyone with an interest in the Ridgeway – walkers, riders and cyclists as well as those with a business that is dependent on visitors. It’s being held at the midpoint of the Ridgeway in Streatley to bring people together to:

    Find out more about social media how it can help to create an online community to help businesses and visitors alike.
    Discover how to tap into grant schemes to improve the Ridgeway experience.
    Hear about the free marketing tools that are available to attract visitors into the area.

    The conference runs 10.30am-1.30pm, with workshops after lunch until 4pm.

    To find out more and to book your place (£10 per person) by emailing ridgeway@oxfordshire.gov.uk or download booking form and agenda from www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway.

  • The Big Draw comes to Thame

    TIMELINES –  EVERY DRAWING TELLS A STORY -Join Sparksartists on Saturday, October 24, for a FREE drawing event at Thame Museum, Thame’s event for the annual ‘Big Draw’. This has now become an International event and was launched in Oxford on September, 19, by Philip Pulman and Chris Riddell.

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    This is an event for all ages and the timetable for the day is as follows:

    10am – 11am Costume Life Drawing in the Museum for all ages
    10am – 3pm Mark Making and Drawing with Scissors for all the family: Bring to life Museum Characters and Objects!
    3pm-   3.30 Take Part in a Paper ‘Cinema’ Show

    Find out lots more at: www.thebigdraw.org
    http://www.thebigdraw.org/event/Time_Lines/5673

    Over Half Term work by the Primary and Secondary students, whose drawings helped launch the paper ‘cinema’, a Sparksartists project for Lord Williams’s School, will be on show in a cabinet in the main part of Thame museum.

    Sparksartists’ Exhibition continues to November11: open (Tues, Wed & Sat 10 am-4pm, Sun 12noon-4pm)

    Come and visit the Museum at 79 High Street, Thame.

  • Young Thame squash players make their mark at county championships

    RAQUETS’ Junior Squash players showed real character and determination to take top positions in the Oxfordshire Squash County Championships recently.

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    Oliver Coulcher-Porter became the Under 11s boys champion winning the tournament fairly comfortably, proving that all the coaching and practice definitely pays off. Last year Oliver entered the tournament for the first time and wasn’t placed. Oliver’s mum Jane, said: ‘We are extremely proud parents’.

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    Oliver’s little sister Emily also did her parents and Racquets proud by being runner-up in the Under 11s girls competition. Emily has only just turned seven and was beaten in the final by a 10 year old. This was Emily’s first tournament and winning any matches in a first tournament is a remarkable achievement. Emily’s coach Sue Martin-Downhill said: “‘Emily was really up for playing in this tournament so I wasn’t surprised by her achievement. She is a very determined young lady who plays with much older boys and girls at Racquets and holds her own extremely well.”

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    Sue went on: “Ben Hedger, who has just turned 17, now has to play in the Under 19s competitions.  Fortunately he has worked very hard over the past year and is knocking on the doors of the top senior men in the county.  Ben has brought home the U19s boys trophy.  This is a great result as quite often the first tournaments after moving up an age group can be devastating.  Ben has succeeded where many fail.  Well done Ben.”

    Independent Mortgae Solutions (RGB) - R1One other junior from Racquets Squash Academy who did well but couldn’t quite take home the trophy this year, was Nick Harbour.  Playing up an age group from last year, he lost narrowly in the final of the Under 17s.

    “We, at Racquets, are extremely proud of all the kids playing here,” said Sue, “and hope that we will have more playing  in the County Closed Championships in 2016.  If you would like to be one of them, then please do come down to the club and see what coaching is available to you.” Visit Racquets’ website for more informtion

  • Thame high street named a ‘Rising Star’ in National Awards

    THAME can feel very proud today, after its high street was named as one of just ten, ‘Rising Stars’ in this year’s Great British High Street Competition.

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    Last week the nationwide competition revealed the twenty-one best high streets in Britain – three finalists in each of seven categories, including that of Market Town. Although Thame High Street just missed reaching the final, the judging panel were so impressed by the great strides the community in Thame had made in improving their high street that they awarded them a special Rising Star award and £1000 cash, putting the High Street firmly on the map. The judges were particularly impressed by Thame’s use of social media to promote the town.

    seans_choice_crendon_bedsThe other Rising Star awards went to West Green Road, Tottenham, London; Folkestone, Kent; Dartmouth, South Devon; Newquay, Cornwall; Alcester, Warwickshire; Faversham, Kent; Baker Street, Middlesbrough; Beeston, Nottinghamshire and Lowestoft, Suffolk.

    The news comes just days after Thame was voted one of the 10 ‘Greatest Places in England’ in the Royal Town Planning Institute Competition. (See below for voting details)

    High Streets Minister, Marcus Jones, said: “We had 230 high-quality entries to this year’s competition – a record number. This is testament to the pride local people have and the brilliant work being done to boost Britain’s high streets. The local high street is the life and soul of towns, villages and cities across the country.

    Independent Mortgae Solutions (RGB) - R1“These awards are a great opportunity, not only to celebrate those that are the best of the best, but also to help others learn valuable tips for success.”

    Nichola Dixon, the Mayor of Thame, said: “Thame High Street is the heart of our town, and we’re very proud that it has been recognised as a Rising Star in this national competition. This will be a real boon for the town. Thame High Street has also just been nominated as one of the Top Ten Greatest Places in England in a competition being run by the Royal Institute of Town Planners, so we are absolutely delighted to receive this second accolade from the Great British High Streets’ judging panel. We will continue to do all we can to continue to make Thame High Street a destination of choice, and to be chosen as a winner in next year’s competition.”

    The Great British High Street Competition 2015 – sponsored by Boots, Costa, Post Office, Marks & Spencer and Tesco – is now in its second year and supports those working to adapt, revive and diversify high streets. Not for profit and government-funded, the Great British High Street aims to provide resources for high street regeneration and celebrate innovative work going on in high streets across Britain.

    *Even though Thame is now out of the voting, you can still vote for another of your best-loved high streets online via thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk

    ** There is still time for vote though for Thame as the ‘Greatest Place in England’ poll (SEE LINK TO PREVIOUS STORY) in the Royal Town Planning Institute Competition. To vote for Thame High Street (or one of the other nine Greatest Places), go to http://www.rtpi.org.uk/egpvoting before Friday, November 20.

  • Salon owner sets talented gymnast on the road to greater things!

    A THAME business owner, moved by the plight of a budding young, Thame gymnast, has made the very first donation in a sponsorship plea, to help the young Gold medalist progress to her full potential internationally.

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    Erica Grace, who owns the hair salon, Cutting Rooms, in Buttermarket, Thame, was moved by the plight of Aysha Hutter, an elite acrobatic gymnast who trains with the Oxford School of Gymnasts, based at Lord William’s Lower School in Thame, after learning of fund-raising appeal via facebook.

    Aysha told Thame.Net: “My love of acrobatic gymnastics began back when I was eight years-old. I am now 17 and train for five or six days a week, attending national and international competitions, still wholly committed to what I do!

    “My partners, Abi and Samara, and I have had an amazing year filled to the brim with successes and emotions! We won Gold in January at Heathrow, Gold in February at Bristol and Gold in March at ‘Prelims’ in Southampton which qualified us for the National Event in Stoke-On-Trent in June.

    “At the Nationals we became National Champions in Grade 6 in the Women’s Groups with another Gold. Our last competition before the summer was in Turin, Italy at the beginning of July. We not only won a Gold medal there but we also scored the highest score of the whole competition!

    Aysha (left) with Erica Grace outside The Cutting Rooms salon, Thame
    Aysha (left) with Erica Grace outside The Cutting Rooms salon, Thame

    “This past year has been a dream for me and next year is expected to be even more challenging and exciting! I will be competing in a new partnership with Elspeth and Samara this coming year. We will be in the FIG 12-18 age group with even more demanding routines than last year. We hope to compete in at least one, potentially two, International competitions during the year, plus the British Championships in Liverpool in July. There will also be various UK-based competitions, including an International in Bristol.

    seans_choice_crendon_beds“Last year my family worked incredibly hard making and selling craft items, attending car boot sales, organising a raffle and an on-line fundraising site that friends and family donated to. This year I would really love to get enough sponsorship to make it so that they can have a bit of a rest!

    “I would like to thank Erica at Cutting Rooms for supporting me and donating £200 to my acrobatic fund – my first donation of the year – a great way to start! Thank you Cutting Rooms!”

    “Each International competition costs around £700. The first competition is potentially the Valentine Acro Cup in The Netherlands in the middle of February. Competition leotards are upwards of £300. As you can see, Acrobatic gymnastics is incredibly rewarding yet also very expensive. It isn’t just a sport, it is a lifestyle which requires the whole family to be committed and make sacrifices.

    Independent Mortgae Solutions (RGB) - R1“If anyone would like to sponsor myself or another gymnast I would love to hear from you! You can make contact via email: hummingbird@asia.com”

    Or visit Aysha’s Gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/hz2fkk