Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Antiques stolen in Chinnor burglary

    THE Police are appealing for information following a high-value burglary in Kingston Blount, near Chinnor, overnight between Sunday, March 10 and Monday, March 11.
    They believe that the offenders forced their way into the house on Kingston Hill through a rear window and stole items worth around

  • Thame FC and Henley game marred by injury

    LEAGUE GAME; March 18, Henley Town 2,Thame United 1 – MATCH REPORT

    THAME United really should not have lost Tuesday evening?s game at Henley. They outplayed the home side for much of the game, and created more chances. Thame hit the Henley crossbar on four separate occasions and, had these efforts been a few inches lower, Thame would have won comfortably. It was however Henley who took the points and, as a result they now move into 9th league position, whilst Thame drop to 10th.

    This fast and entertaining game was marred by an injury to Henley winger George Brewer 14 minutes into the second half. After jumping to head the ball, near the half way line, Brower fell awkwardly and sunk to the grass in agony. The game was stopped for almost half an hour whilst an ambulance arrived, and he was taken to hospital with a suspected fracture ankle.

    The home side took the lead in the 2nd minute when, following a corner, the ball fell to midfielder Graham Toomey whose 8 yard shot found the back of the Thame net. Thame countered and after 10 minutes, Lee Thompson hit the crossbar from about 10 yards. After about 25 minutes play, Thame started to gain the upper hand and created some good chances. With about 10 minutes of the first half, remaining Nathan Jack was fouled in the area but the unsighted referee waved play on. Thame?s best chance was just before half time when Jack pounced of a pass from Adam Rhodes and hit a powerful shot from 8 yards which the home keeper did well to save.

    Thame dominated the first part of the second half and drew level in the 50th minute when defender Chris Watkins took a throw in and found Jack near the left by-line. Jack turned quickly and hit a low ball across the goalmouth, which Richard Jewell met, at the far post, to confidently tap in. After the stoppage It took both sides a few minutes to settle down but Thame looked the more likely to score.

    Matt Graves was unlucky when on 65 minutes he met a corner with a near post header, which hit the bar. Mike Higgs, in the Thame goal, made a good save a few minutes later to maintain parity. With about 15 minutes to play Jack played a superb ball from the half way line, to Luke Ricketts in space, but his 20-yard lob hit the crossbar. Shortly after, Paul Searle who still has an injured finger and had come on as a sub, hit a good cross from the right to Jack, whose strong shot was blocked by the Henley keeper and the ball fell to Adam Rhodes, but his shot was high. With about 5 minutes to play Jack hit a 30 yard blast which, (guess what) hit the crossbar.

    The Henley winner came in the 87th minute when a ball from the right beat the Thame defence and winger Mills finished from a near impossible angle.

    Thame United: Michael Higgs, Thompson, Watkins, Graves, Hocking, Cowan, Jewell (Hoskins), Rhodes, Leach (Searle), Jack, Ricketts,

    Thame play at Wantage on Easter Saturday followed by a league game at nearby Chinnor on Easter Monday

  • When wolves roamed Oxfordshire (Status: Press release)

    A NEW exhibition at Oxfordshire County Council?s Central Library reveals when wolves last roamed the countryside between Oxford and Kidlington – and it was not as long ago as you might think!
    Gosford Hill Farm in Kidlington was the home of Oxford Zoo between 1931 and 1937. A ?zoo-mad? population regularly piled on to special buses from the city centre to see star attractions Rosie the elephant and Hanno the lion.

    Wolves were also housed at the zoo and the escape of three of them in 1937 provided a drama that is now the subject of a fascinating exhibition called Zoo-mad at Oxfordshire Studies in Oxford Central Library.

    Thrilling chase

    The wolves were 14-months-old, and one was said to be six feet in length after it was shot.

    Inspector Barnett of the City Police brought down the first wolf near the police houses in Banbury Road on the same day the wolves escaped.

    Robert Collett of Hampton Poyle shot the second wolf the same evening at his father’s farm. The third wolf survived until Thursday after allegedly killing 13 sheep at a farm near North Oxford Golf Club.

    Press photographer shoots wolf

    That evening, Oxford Mail photographer, Johnny Johnson, gave chase to the wolf, and shot it in Summertown.

    He had commandeered a bike from a cyclist on the A40 and ridden up to the house where children were yelling ‘There’s the wolf, there’s the wolf’; before shooting the animal dead from 30 yards.

    Malcolm Graham, Head of Oxfordshire County Council’s Oxfordshire Studies, said: ?We?ve recently acquired some Oxford Zoo postcards and these inspired me to find out more about this short-lived entertainment venue.

    ?Like so many aspects of local history, it?s an intriguing story once you delve into it and where better to start than Oxfordshire Studies!?

    The exhibition will run until 6 April at Oxford Central Library in the Oxfordshire Studies section, at the Westgate Centre, Oxford.

  • West End performers at Thame Players Theatre

    THE Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company’S production of The Fats Waller Musical Show, ‘Ain?t Misbehavin? will be showing at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame, on Wednesday and Thursday 19th and 20th March at 7.45pm.
    Performers from The Lion King, Carmen Jones and The Wizard of Oz, will be joining OTTC for the show which is a co-production with Pegasus Theatre.

    Set in Harlem?s famous Cotton Club the show plays tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and 30s. With a live jazz trio and 5 fabulous vocalists the theatre will be alive with the sound of swing. Director Brendan Murray said ?Ain?t Misbehavin? is an exciting departure for OTTC as we have never programmed a musical revue before. It will be a night to remember as the theatre is transformed into a Manhattan nightclub?

    Composed in 1978 by Thomas Wright ?Fats? Waller and written by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, with standards like Honeysuckle Rose, I Can?t Give You Anything But Love, The Joint is Jumpin? and It?s a Sin to Tell a Lie, Ain?t Misbehavin? is two hours of jam jive and everything.

    Tickets cost

  • Save our baby caf

    THAT’S the plea from a facility for mums with new babies in Thame, which is seeking more members and more funds to keep going.
    Mums like Sharon Smits who attend the Caf

  • Planning decisions March 18

    PLANNING Applications Considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on Tuesday, March 18, 2008:

    8435
    P08/E0230 KALPANA, BROOK LANE
    Two-storey forward extension.
    Correspondence was received and noted from the Thame Conservation
    Area Advisory Committee.
    RECOMMEND REFUSAL
    1. Over-development of the site
    2. Unneighbourly
    3. Out of character in a Conservation Area
    8436

    P08/E0216 MEADOWCROFT CARE HOME, TOWERSEY ROAD
    Extension to approved 60-bed care home to provide 11 additional
    bedrooms and ancillary space.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8437
    P08/E0213/A
    THE SIX BELLS, HIGH STREET
    Erection of 7 signs and replacement flood lighting.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8438
    P08/E0214/LB THE SIX BELLS, HIGH STREET
    Replacement public house signage and external lighting.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8439
    P08/E0196 14 ORMOND ROAD
    Conversion of garage into habitable room.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL
    Comment: The Committee approved this conversion of a garage but with great regret (for loss of a parking space)

    8440
    P08/E0231 22 WHITTLE ROAD
    Rear first floor extension, front porch and front first floor extension
    over existing garage.
    NO STRONG VIEWS

    8441
    S.04/08 LORD WILLIAMS?S LOWER SCHOOL
    Erection of 2.4m high security fencing in four separate locations within
    the school site.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8442
    P08/E0292 3 BANNISTER ROAD
    Conversion of one half of double garage to form studio.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL
    Comment: The Committee regretted the conversion of garage space.

  • Town council supports Meadowcroft extension

    THAME Town Council have recommended approval of a planning proposal to provide 11 more units to the new residential home for the eldely, currently being built in Towersey Road, Thame.
    The current Meadowcroft residential home for the elderly was built in the 1960s but does not comply with modern standards for the care of the elderly, which includes en suite bathroom facilities and a bigger room size.
    The additional extension will bring the number of rooms to 71.
    The new facility will include a special garden for suffers of dementia.

  • New summer play scheme for Thame

    FOLLOWING the demise of the Thame summer holiday playscheme last year, Churches Together in the town have got together to organise a new style week of activities for this coming summer, 2008.
    Lighthouse, a Christian holiday week for local children and young people in Thame, will run between July 28 and August 1. There will be 500 places available for children between 4 and 11 years-old, to take part in activities such as sports, craft, drama, Bible teaching and music.

    There will be no admission charge but donations will be invited to help cover costs.

    More information can be found on: LINK

  • Thame W.I.’s 60 years of ‘Country Market’ stall

    THAME WI’s longest serving market stall producer cut a very special celebration cake today.
    The WI first brought its produce stall to Thame’s Tuesday market, from Long Crendon, in 1948, produce stalls first emerging during the war when fresh produce was in short supply and was therefore grown and sold by Women’s Institute members.
    Today, the Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Bretherton, visited the Institute’s ‘Thame Country Market’ as it has become known, and helped Margaret Youens, who first began producing cakes and ‘manning’ the stall in the mid 1970s, to cut a birthday cake bearing the WI logo.
    As well as delicious cakes, quiches and other baked delights to sample this morning, there was a display of photographs going back to the 1940’s and other memorabilia – including the original hand-written Minutes from the meeting where the move from Long Crendon to Thame was first suggested.

    Photo: Margaret Youens with the Mayor or Thame, Cllr David Bretherton, and fellow producers.

  • Business as usual for St Mary’s Church, Thame (Contributed)

    AS many people will know, St Mary?s Parish Church, Thame, has not had a Vicar for some months. However this does not mean that the needs of the congregation and indeed those of the whole Parish of Thame are not being cared for.
    We are hoping that the process of appointing a new Vicar may begin in the next few weeks. In the meantime we have a goodly number of retired clergy and lay people amongst us and each of the congregations at the Church have an appointment person to whom they may contact for any pastoral care needed.
    For the Town as a whole we would like to extend this care and if anyone has any pastoral needs or requires advice they may contact Mrs Rosalie Gibson who will then put them into contact with the most suitable person in our team.
    Please feel free to contact her on 01844 213948 at any time when she will be happy to talk to you and pass on your needs to the right contact.

    Photo: Rosalie Gibson