Author: Sonja Francis

Thame Town Cricket Club – Match reports

THAME Town Cricket Club were defeated on Saturday (August 6) by local rivals, Aston Rowant, though the club’s second side was happier, with a win over Leighton Buzzard. The third team drew against old adversaries, Dinton.

MATCH REPORTS contributed by Andy Jinman

Matt McDonald

1st XI

THAME lost at home to local rivals Aston Rowant last Saturday. After winning the toss, Thame elected to bat on a good pitch and battled well to reach lunch at 90 for 5, in the face of consistent bowling. After lunch, Thame never really kicked on as they would have liked and lost wickets regularly. Only Matt Macdonald (57 not out) and Hassam Mushtaq (30) made significant contributions, enabling Thame to reach 162 all out in the 58th over, which was to prove well below par. In reply, Sam Lachlan got Thame a couple of early wickets but Josh Smith, the Aston Rowant captain, scored an unbeaten half-century to steer the visitors past the target for the loss of 3 wickets. With four games to go, starting at Buckingham this Saturday 13th, Thame need to win two to give themselves a good chance of survival.

2nd XI

THAME seconds travelled to Leighton Buzzard knowing that they had to avenge their only defeat so far this season back in June. After Thame had won the toss and asked the home side to bat on a grassy pitch, the gameplan was working well as Leighton Buzzard lost both openers for just 2 runs. The prospect of a quick Thame win then started to recede as Raine and Krynauw built a 99-run partnership. One of the beauties of cricket however is that matches can change so quickly and their two wickets in one over from Ali Thomas (15-3-35-4) swung the game back to Thame. With support from Chris Penny (17-3-57-3), plus 3 catches by James Nielsen, the home side were restricted to 177 for 9 from 53 overs, which looked like a par score on such a variable pitch. In reply, Thame had to endure lively spells from the opening bowlers but, having moved slowly to 25 from 10 overs, they started to score freely. With James Nielsen (92 not out) batting imperiously, supported by Andy Jinman (38), they put on 142 for the 1st wicket. Matt Furness (22 not out) then came in to finish the job, as Thame reached 181 for 1 from 38.4 overs. This Sunday they entertain Chearsley 1sts at Church Meadow, knowing they must continue to record wins to maintain their 22 point lead at the top of Division 5.

3rd XI

THAME thirds travelled to bottom side, Dinton 3rds, looking to keep up with Buckingham at the top of the league. Thame won the toss and chose to bat, with Ian Chappell leading from the front again with 45, ably backed up by Guy Holmes (43) and Christian Warwick (38). Despite several wickets falling at the end, Thame reached a strong total of 212-5 from their 45 overs. Dinton never looked like overtaking Thame’s score but started resolutely, before Pete Tervet got the opening wicket. Thame continued to be frustrated by dogged batting and dropped catches, until Matt Anderson’s fine spell of 3-19 and Danny Thompson’s 2-6 gave Thame hope of a win. Guy Holmes 2-4 put Dinton on the brink, but their youngsters held on well for a draw. Thame took 20 points from the match, but were disappointed not to win and now travel to play Chearsley 2nds on Saturday.

11/08/2016
Thame Swimmers Excel at National Swimming Championships

BEN Williams, Hallam Cozier and Josh Williams from Thame Swimming Club, all competed last week at the Welsh National Open Swimming Championships at the National Pool in Swansea and wow what a week it was!

Ben swam strongly, PB’d in 4 events and qualified for 3 finals in the 50 Back, 100 Back and 200 Back, coming 7th, 5th and 6th respectively which is a great achievement given the 17+ age grouping. Ben also took the 400 IM Open Club Record with a PB time of 5.11.05.

Hallam PB’d in all eight of his events with notable mentions being 5.5 seconds off his 200 Free time and 3.5 seconds off his 100 Back and came 6th in the 50 Free final, taking the 15 Year- Old Boys Club Record.· Josh PB’d in all nine of his events, qualifying for eight finals and coming home with 5 x Bronze medals (100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free, 50 Fly and 50 Back), 1 x Silver medal (200 Back) and a Gold Medal (100 Back). Josh’s outstanding swim in the 100 Back gave him National Champion status with him now being 4th in the Region and 34th in the whole of Great Britain in this event for his 14 year old age group.

Many thanks to Head Coach Ian Blyth who supported the boys throughout the week and to Sherri Cozier and Paul Williams for officiating.

The boys did Thame Swimming Club proud and the camaradarie and support amongst the three was fantastic.

Well done boys – it was an absolute pleasure to cheer you on!

SOURCE; Contributed

11/08/2016
Make it a cracking August with fresh, native lobster at The Thatch

IT’S lobster season and The Thatch in Thame is marking the occasion with a month of mouth-watering weekend specials dedicated to this amazing British produce.

Native grilled lobster-Avocado, Pink grapefruit and cashew-salad

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening in August, the chefs at The Thatch will be creating a special dish made with the best, freshest native lobster they can get their hands on. There will be a different dish each week, chalked up onto the specials board until it runs out.

“We’ve been on the hunt for the finest native lobster to serve our guests and have found it, caught by local fishermen off the Brixham coast,” said Tom Upham, Head Chef at The Thatch. “We’re proud to work closely with one of the most experienced, lobster fishermen in Devon, Rob Adams, who is born and bred in Brixham and has been fishing the local waters for over thirty years.

“His small day-boat, The Little Pearl, puts out to sea at the crack of dawn each morning to inspect the lobster pots he has set on the sea bed a short distance from the shore. Reaching carefully into the pot, he only picks the lobsters when they’re at their peak and of the very highest quality, ensuring that the fishing remains sustainable and only the best lobster is selected. He rushes his catch back to shore and delivers it the very next day, ready to put on the plate.”

Not only is native lobster the freshest it can be, it is also packed full of flavour, making this British seafood simply the best. Now it’s available every weekend at the pub in three stunning dishes, starting with a superb native grilled lobster with avocado, pink grapefruit and cashew salad from Thursday, Saturday 11, to August 13.

Pop in for dinner between August 18 and 19, and feast on native grilled lobster with garlic butter and skinny fries and if you visit between the 25th to 27th, there’s a divine butter-poached native lobster with new potatoes and samphire to look forward to.

“We’ve caught the best of these British beauties and brought them at their best to the pub,” continued Tom. “Native lobster is undeniably the best and there’s a real ‘wow’ factor in seeing a whole one arrive at your table. But be quick – they’re bound to prove popular and once they’re gone they’re gone. So book your table today!”

Native lobster dishes created by the chefs at The Thatch in Thame, will be served every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening during August, until they sell out.

To reserve your table, go to www.thethatchthame.co.uk or call 01844 214340

11/08/2016
WARNING: M40 major maintenance, junction 6 to 8

HIGHWAYS England will be carrying out major maintenance works on both the northbound and southbound carriageways between Junction 6 (near Adwell) and Junction 8 (A40 Oxford Spur / Wheatley). The works will involve extensive traffic management including some overnight carriageway closures, occasional slip road closures and night time lane closures. It will also be necessary to keep traffic management in place during daytime hours to allow materials to set.

Image courtesy of commercialphotographer.co.uk

For the duration of the works speed restrictions will be in place for 24 hours a day, enforced by average speed cameras, to ensure the safety of our road workers and road users. The works include deep reconstruction of lane 1 in both directions of the carriageway, resurfacing of the hard shoulder and lanes 2 and 3 in both directions and safety improvements to safety barriers.

It is expected that all resurfacing work to be complete by mid-December, subject to weather conditions and progress. Once the resurfacing is complete, the plan is to install traffic sensors in the road surface to help monitor traffic flows. This cannot be done whilst we are laying the new surface and will require additional overnight lane closures for approximately four weeks. The work has been planned to minimise disruptions to road users and it will be carried out when traffic flows are low.

When and where is this happening?

The works will take place between junction 6 (near Adwell) and junction 8 (A40 Oxford Spur / Wheatley). Preparation works will start on Monday, August 15. Main reconstruction works commence between junctions 6 and 8 on Thursday, September 8, 2016 and will continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When junction 6 to 8 northbound carriageway works are complete, works will then commence between junctions 8 to 6 southbound.

For further information, visit the Highways England website: LINK HERE

10/08/2016
Armed robbery thwarted by brave members of the public

THAMES Valley Police are appealing for the help of the public, after a garage owner and a customer were injured during an attempted robbery by two men, one armed with a hammer.

Police interviewing witnesses after the incident at Miles’ Garage, Haddenham yesterday (Image courtesy of Haddenham.Net)

A police statement reads: “Were you in Churchway Haddenham, this afternoon (Tuesday, August 9) at around 4pm?

“We’re currently at the scene of an attempted armed robbery when two men entered a garage (Miles’ garage), one carrying a hammer. They demanded cash. A bit of a scuffle ensued between the offenders and the man at the garage and a member of the public also in the garage.

The bump on the head of the brave customer, who struggled with would-be robbers armed with a hammer (image courtesy of Haddenham.net)

“The two offenders then ran off, empty-handed — they even left their hammer. The two victims are being treated at the scene for injuries. It’s believed the two offenders are injured too.”

Anyone with any info or concerns about this incident is asked to call 101. Or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

10/08/2016
Only 9 days left to say what YOU think of new Local Plan

PEOPLE in Thame and the rest of South Oxfordshire have only days left if they want to give their views on updated proposals for how the district should meet, what the district council says, is a need for more new housing to 2032.

So far almost 1,000 responses have been submitted while over 1,300 people have attended special drop in sessions across the district to find out more about the plans. However, people only have until 4.30pm on Friday, August 19, to submit their comments on the plans.

‘No thanks’ says Thame Town Council to ‘dreadful’ plan

SODC’s Local Plan 2032, includes its ‘Preferred Options’ – which for Thame, include provision for an additional 600 new homes, on top of over 700 ‘enshrined’ in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. At a packed public meeting held last Thursday, August 4, at St Mary’s church in Thame, the most strongly expressed feeling was against any more new homes in the town, and that any necessary infrastructure should be in place before any additional development, if there was any.

Thame Town Council is strongly against any more development in Thame and at a meeting of its Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Commmitte, Councillors called the plan ‘dreadful’, and ‘a poor piece of work with holes all over it’. Cllr Ann Midwinter questioned SODC’s motives, and said that it needed to be made clear to SODC that it was necessary to concentrate on the impact the proposed plan would have on Thame, and not on the discussions about a Unitary council.

People of Haddenham feel ‘dumped on’

Councillors also fear the impact on Thame of the proposed Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan, for whcih a public meeting meeting was held last week in Haddenham, attended by three district councillors and a Senior Planning Officer. Reporting back to the NPCC, Cllr Mike Dyer said: “The people of Haddenham feel as though they are being dumped on big time!” (5,500 extra houses are proposed for Haddenham)

He reported that a very strongly worded letter to Wycombe District Council from Haddenham, accused Wycombe DC of ‘abusing ‘ its position, by allowing a lower housing density in its own area, thereby forcing more houses elsewhere, to meet an unmet need for houses in its own district (15 houses per hectare in Wycombe, and 25-30 in Thame) !

What else?

Over the past three years, South Oxfordshire District Council has been preparing its new Local Plan 2032. The document will set out where the main new housing sites in the district should go, as well as the shops, jobs, road improvements and leisure facilities needed for the district. The plan will also include detailed policies the council will use to help decide planning applications for the lifetime of the plan. It is hoped that this will be delivered through the neighbourhood planning process – in Thame’s case, a revised Neighbourhood Plan.

A completely new settlement?

The consultation includes seven possible options for a new sustainable settlement of 3,500 new homes. The council’s preferred option is to build a new community on the Chalgrove Airfield, which is near to existing and future employment sites. Most of the other options are in the green belt, which the council has said it does not believe is appropriate.

Thame Town Council will be submitting its draft response to the Consultation to SODC, along with the presentation it made at the public meeting in Thame last week.

How YOU can have your say

To view the proposals and have your say on the Local Plan 2032 and the Sustainability Appraisal, visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/newlocalplan.

10/08/2016
Summer wins for Thame Squash siblings

WHO thought that squash was a winter game? Throughout the school holidays there have already been three junior tournaments: The Mote Kent Open, the Winchester Open and the Abingdon Open – and that doesn’t even include the local Racquets Open Junior One-Day tournament recently won by Ollie Dudley-Heidkamp, from Thame.

Oliver and Emily Coulcher-Porter with Nick Matthew, former World Number one, now ranked World Number four

Oliver Coulcher-Porter, 10, and his sister Emily, aged 8, train and play at Racquets Fitness Centre in Thame, and both have been competing and being highly successful all around the South of England tournament scene.

Oliver has won the Under 13 boys’ Mote Kent Open, the Winchester Under 11 boys Open and the Abingdon Under 11s boys Open tournaments. These results will take his ranking well into the top ten boys in Great Britain.

Meanwhile, sister Emily won the Under 11 girls Abingdon Open – despite being a full two and a half years younger and much lower ranked than the other finalist. She also came fourth in the London Open Under 13 girls where she was the youngest by about four years! Mum, Jane, said: “‘I couldn’t be more proud of my kids who are punching above their age and succeeding. We’re visiting clubs all across the country and meeting so many wonderful people.”

“We love squash and try to go to Racquets for the morning squash drop-in training sessions throughout the summer holidays as much as possible, said Oliver. “We enjoy playing with all the different standards of players, whether they are beginners or nationally ranked. It was great to have one of our older boys from Racquets, Oliver Cartwright, support me in my tough final at Abingdon. He played so well in the U15 boys section against extremely formidable opponents.”

The next tournament for Oliver and Emily will be the Silver South Great Britain Tournament in August, which will be held in Exeter.

09/08/2016
New ‘Elms’ plan will over stretch services, say petitioners

A new planning application for an Extra Care housing development, on land at The Elms, Upper High Street, Thame, submitted by Rectory Homes, is currently open for Consultation until August 31.

The application is for apartments, houses and a communal residents’ centre with basement parking and storage areas and creation of new public open space, provision of new vehicle access from Elms Road and a new pedestrian/cycle link onto Upper High Street with associated infrastructure works and landscaping.

A previous application by Rectory Homes for 37 dwellings on land at The Elms, was awarded Planning Permission over a year ago, but no work was ever started.

An organisation that lobbied against the original application, the Elms Petition Group, has stated in its recent news letter: “This volume of housing clearly exceeds the allocation of ‘up to 45 houses’ which is detailed in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. This volume of housing of this type will also heavily increase the pressure on local support services such as doctors and ambulance first responders. Anyone that currently lives in Southern Thame will testify that ambulances and fire services (first responders) are already an all too regular sight at the existing care homes in the area.

You can read the full application on South Oxfordshire District Council’s website HERE

09/08/2016
A masterpiece of love and loathing that speaks to us today

DAVID Hare’s new English version of Lorca’s great masterpiece of love and loathing, The House of Bernarda Alba, is being performed by Thame Players during the week September 6 – 10.

The play is one of three in Lorca’s ‘rural trilogy’ – the others being Yerma (successfully revived at the Young Vic in a new adaptation starring Billie Piper this summer) and Blood Wedding.

Val Cockayne, who plays Maria Josefa, in rehearsals for ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’

The play was written in 1936, the year that saw the start of the Spanish Civil War and also Lorca’s murder by Franco’s nationalists at the age of 38 – he never saw his work performed. With an all-female cast, The House of Bernarda Alba tells the story of five daughters living in one household with their tyrannical mother. When the father of all but the eldest dies, a marriage plan is advanced which has dramatic and tragic consequences for the entire family.

The play deals with themes such as arranged marriage and illegitimacy, providing an insight into social conditions in rural Spain in the 1930s. It explores passion, repression and conformity, showing the powerful influence of family reputation on events.

Lorca was the homosexual son of a wealthy landowner, a celebrated poet, artist and musician as well as a playwright. A gentle man with republican sympathies, he heard first-hand in his father’s household from the servants gossiping about village life, about how women were treated in 1930s Spain, and this drama, set in the villages of Andalusia, shows how oppression, tradition and class prejudice affected women’s lives.

The director of Thame Players’ production is Bernadette Tildesley. She explained: “This play is challenging and draws you in because all the characters are strong and credible. The action is dramatic, but you sense an underlying ironic humour which deepens audience engagement. The leading character, the matriarch of the family, is fascinatingly awful to watch – men are mesmerised by her just as much as women.

“Although it relates to life in rural Spain over 80 years ago, this play has meaning for us in the 21st century.” Referring to a 2012 adaptation of Bernarda Alba by Emily Mann at the Almeida Theatre, Bernadette continued: “This adaptation reinforced the political resonances first seen in the 2005 premiere of David Hare’s version. These are relevant, for example, when you look at the oppression, particularly of women, that is happening now in contemporary Iran. These undertones enable the audience to appreciate and empathise with the poignancy of the story, while pondering its political dimensions. The play is beautifully written and well worth experiencing.”

NOTES

• The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca in the new English version by David Hare is at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP from Tuesday 6th until Saturday 10th September, starting at 7.45 pm. Tickets cost £9 and £8 (concessions) and are available from Spear Travels, telephone 01844 217228 or online from www.thameplayers.co.uk

• Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936), one of the greatest Spanish writers of the twentieth century, was born in Fuente Vaqueros, a village west of Granada. His early years growing up in the countryside had a lasting effect on him. In 1928 he found national fame with the publication of Gypsy Ballads. Returning to Spain from a visit to New York in 1929/30, Lorca found the left-wing government more to his liking. Using a government grant, he ran a travelling theatre company, La Barraca, from 1932-36. During this period he completed his ‘rural trilogy’ including The House of Bernarda Alba. Following the outbreak of civil war in 1936, he was targeted by Falangist thugs, arrested, and shot dead near Granada. Although his death was recorded in 1940, his body was never found.

• David Hare, born in Sussex in 1947, is the author of twenty-nine plays for the stage, seventeen of which have been seen at the National Theatre. His new version of Lorca’s play, premiered at the National in 2005 in a fine production by Howard Davies, leaves little doubt of the play’s political resonance. He has also written many screenplays for cinema and television and written and directed a trilogy of films for the BBC.

• Thame Players is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers offering a varied range of productions all year round, from serious theatre to comedy and pantomime, including their own productions, visiting shows, and film screenings by Thame Cinema 4 All. For more information about Thame Players call 07938 857291 or visit www.thameplayers.co.uk.

09/08/2016
Field Fire threatens houses near Chinnor Heritage Railway

JUST two days after a warning was issued about the dangers of grass fires in the current weather conditions, a grass fire, that threatened near-by houses yesterday, is thought to have been started by embers from a passing steam train.

At 5.30pm yesterday, August 7, fire crews from both Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Services were called to a substantial field fire near Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway line in Chinnor, just off the Lower Icknield Way.

Watch Manager, Andy Ford, from Thame fire station, said: “The area affected by fire was approximately 200m x 200m and there were houses and horses nearby. Six fire engines and 35 fire crews brought the fire under control and made sure it was out. They managed to stop the fire spreading to nearby houses and made sure horses in the area were led away to safety.

Andy continued: “The crews worked so hard in hot weather to make sure that this fire didn’t spread; I’m really proud of them. This is a reminder that during hot dry weather we need to be very careful in the country side with any kind of potential ignition source!”

NOTE: Visit www.365alive.co.uk for fire safety advice. If you have a fire safety question you can call the free phone community safety helpline on 08000 325 999 or email: community.safety@oxfordshire.gov.uk

08/08/2016