Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Chinnor Oxen Take Revenge Against Marlow (Contributed)

    CHINNOR Oxen 20 – Marlow 4ths 3; MATCH REPORT – Running out onto home turf, the Oxen were looking for a revenge encounter with Marlow and with bright sunny weather and perfect pitch conditions how could they fail.
    From the beginning the Oxen applied the necessary pressure to keep Marlow mainly in their half of the pitch, resulting in an early penalty from Johhny ‘Not so Famous’ Vaughan. A small lapse later and Marlow
    returned the favour to equalize the scores at 3 -3. Undeterred the Oxen brave fought back and a surging forward move saw Steve ‘Bull’ Bridges score a try, with a Johnny ‘he’s not that funny’ Vaughan kick
    the conversion.

    The second half saw a number of early substitutions including Craig ‘The Haggis’ Balzier come on for Tony ‘Old Boy’ Howells. Intially Marlow had the upper hand but with ‘True Grit’ spirit the Oxen forwards,
    including John ‘XXX large’ Cann, fought back to allowing yes, Johnny ‘Who? Vaughan to take a penalty conversion.
    The Oxen continued to apply pressure to Marlow’s weak points with great rolling mauls, sadly resulting in t wo disallowed trys. Sensing blood an aerodinamic performance by Tony ‘Arrow Head’ Wilkinson, smashed through the Marlow lines to take another try for the Oxen, with a JV conversion.

    All in all a great start to the New Year.
    Richard pitman.

  • Chinnor Through To Oxfordshire Semi After Beating Grove (Contributed)

    OXFORDSHIRE Cup Quarter final: Chinnor 1ST 82 pts, Grove 13 pts – Saturday, January 12 – Match report:
    Twelve tries and eleven conversions for Chinnor, with a penalty try and two penalties to Grove, was the order of the day in this Oxfordshire County Cup Quarter Final. Had Chinnor showed a little more composure on occasions they could well have been into three figures. As it was, Grove played with a lot of spirit with their last ditch tackling being an illustration of their commitment.

    Chinnor took the lead in the first minute when Ben Hewitt finished a sweeping move across the park straight from the Grove kick-off. A Cathcart conversion from the touchline set the tone where he missed just the one kick all afternoon. Further tries came at regular intervals from Zane Winslade, debutant, Sam Black, Trevor Powell, Pip Seymour and Andrew McQuire. Grove replied with two penalties from Roger Sevier who also converted a penalty try awarded for an infringment off the ball which few people, among both spectators and players alike, were aware of.

    With Chinnor running the ball at every available opportunity, further tries came from Pip Seymour and Ben Hewitt who both scored twice, giving them a match total of three each, Joe Isofu and Trevor Powell.

    Both Chinnor and Grove rang the changes in the second half, mostly tactical, although Pip Seymour with a dead leg and Adam Hastings, who was the recipient of some vigorous attention from his ex colleagues, were enforced.

    That the game took place at all, amazingly on a surface that was ideal for a running game, was due to the care and attention lavished on it by the ground staff along with the recuperative drainage powers that Kingsey Road enjoys.

    Photo: Chinnor Winger, Pip Seymour, powers through to score a try.

  • Relationship Councilling Now Available In Thame

    PEOPLE living in Thame no longer have to travel to Oxford or Aylesbury to take advantage of what the relationship service, Relate, offers in the way of counselling.
    Both relationship councilling and psychosexual therapy are now available on Wednesday mornings in the centre of Thame.
    The local Relate organiser in Thame, said: “All sorts of people come to Relate and find it helps them to understand what?s going on in their relationships and change things for the better.
    “Relate is the UK?s largest provider of relationship counselling, family counselling and sex therapy which delivers its services through a Federation of local independent charities.
    “Our services in Thame include weekly sessions on Wednesday mornings in the centre of Thame, assessment sessions, relationship counselling, sex therapy,
    counselling for those experiencing domestic abuse or violence and counselling for those contemplating divorce.
    “It?s good to talk and talking about your problems is the start of solving them.”

    Phone any time to speak to an appointment secretary on
    01865 242 960.

    Relate Oxfordshire is a member of the Relate Federation and has provided services in the County for nearly 60 years.

  • Open Day for Lea Park Residents

    THE recently formed Lea Park Residents Association is inviting all residents to an open afternoon on Sunday, January 27, from 3pm – 5pm at Barley Hill School.
    All residents living on the estate are being urged to go along and give their ideas, views and concerns about Lea Park, to find out what the association is about, meet their neighbours for coffee and a chat and elect a committee to run the association.

    There will be stalls representing Thame in Bloom, Thame Museum, St John Ambulance, Friends of Elm Park, Thame District Guides, Barley Hill Church, Thame Boys Football Club, 21st Century Thame and many more. There will be children?s entertainment and a picture competition inviting youngsters to draw or paint their perfect playground and to take their pictures along by 4pm with name and age on the back, or draw them on the day.

    Refreshments, courtesy of Waitrose and the Co-op, will be provided and transport for the less able-bodied and wheelchair accessible transport will be provided by the Thame Community Car.
    Contact Nick Stock on 01844 215813 by Thursday, January 24. Parking for the day is in the Cattle Market. Entry free (donations are welcome).

  • Have Your Say On Crime Priorities

    THE South Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership is writing a plan to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour over the next three years. They have undertaken research during which they asked people’s views to help decide priorities for the plan.
    The draft strategy covers has seven priorities:

    .reducing antisocial behaviour
    .improving road safety
    .reducing acquisitive crime
    .reducing drug and alcohol problems
    .managing offenders
    .supporting and engaging communities.

    The partnership now wants to check whether it has got these priotities right and are inviting local people to take part in the debate by completing a short questionnaire at www.southoxon.gov.uk or by asking to be sent a questionnaire – email: communitysafety@southoxon.gov.uk or telephone 01491 823423.
    Comments need to be in by Tuesday, February 19.

  • Planning Recommendations From Thame Town Council – 08/01/08

    8396
    P07/E1606/LB 5 CHURCH ROAD
    Alterations to internal layout on ground and first floor, amendments to listed building consent P07/E0753/LB.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8397
    P07/E1617 9 DENBIGH ROAD
    Conversion of existing garage space. Rear single and two-storey extension in place of the existing single storey conservatory.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8398
    P07/E1631/LD
    (Lawful Development) 19 VANE ROAD
    Formation of room in roof space with rear dormer extension.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8399
    P07/E1615 2 CROMWELL AVENUE
    Change of use of strip of land from recreational/amenity space to
    residential use. Erection of single storey extension. Conversion of
    existing internal garage to provide living space.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8400
    P07/E1477 12 & 12a CORNMARKET
    Alteration to existing flat. Formation of two dwellings.
    Minor alterations to form WC for existing shop.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8401
    P07/E1478/LB 12 & 12a CORNMARKET
    Alterations to existing flat. Formation of two dwellings.
    Alterations to form WC for existing shop.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

    8402
    P07/E1634/A (Advertisement Consent) 12a BUTTERMARKET
    2 x externally illuminated fascia signs and 2 x internally illuminated wall mounted menu boxes.
    RECOMMEND REFUSAL
    1. Materials inappropriate in a Conservation Area
    2. Against policy, as specified by South Oxfordshire District
    Council

    8403
    P07/E1585/LB
    2 UPPER HIGH STREET
    Replacement of both upper windows on south west elevation.
    RECOMMEND APPROVAL

  • Reader’s Response To Housing Consultation

    A ThameNews.Net reader had sent the following comments following our report about the current Consultation about the future development of housing in the district (Report: 04/01/08)

    Dear Editor

    Thanks for drawing attention to the issues and options plan. For your information I copy below an e-mail I have sent to the South Oxon council about it. Presumably our Town Council is on to the whole thing as there doesn’t seem to be much time. Presumably the building of my house blocked the view of someone else at some time so I could not object to a new estate on the field at the bottom of my road (Fanshawe). But I think it is reasonable to consider whether a breach of the by-pass boundary on the eastern side of the town would lead eventually to urban sprawl.
    Copy of e-mail text follows:

    “Looking at the Thame planning options from A to F it seems to me that people are understandably likely to choose a site which is not near to them. I would find it difficult fairly to indicate my preference for that very reason. It does occur to me though, that if new housing is built on the eastern side of the Thame by-pass, an established boundary would be breached and this could open the way to an urban sprawl which would swallow up Towersey and in the very long term create a new conurbation.”

    Norman Brand

    Let us know what YOU think. Email: editor@thame.net

  • News Digest For Week Ending January 11

    THAME Town Councillors are unhappy with the plastic, stuck on lettering, used by Prezzo, the restaurant chain that has taken over what was, Jimmy Figgs.
    The council’s Planning committee said that the lettering does not comply with the requirements of the Conservation area.

    THAME Town Council is to buy 25 Silver Medals at a cost of

  • GCSE and A Level League Tables Published Today

    THE government has today published the performance tables for secondary schools, relating to GCSE and A Level examination taken in 2007.
    Lord Williams’s School, Thame, ranked 20th out of 49 schools in Oxfordshire, with 57% of pupils taking GCSEs gaining five or more grades ‘C’ or above, including English and Maths. This score was above both the national average and the Oxfordshire average.
    The average A/AS Level points scored per student however, were below both the national and the local authority averages.
    Click on the LINK
     to BBC News, to compare Lord Williams’s School, Thame, with others in Oxfordshire and the National average.

  • Oxfordshire Schools ‘Must improve’

    OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has issued the following statement, following the publication of school’s ‘league tables.’
    “The latest achievement and attainment tables for GCSEs and A levels, published today, show that Oxfordshire schools have made some progress since 2006.
    “The number of students achieving five or more grades at A*-C in Oxfordshire has increased to 57.4 per cent when compared to last year’s figure of 56.6 per cent.

    “The proportion of students performing well based on the tougher measure of 5 A*-C grades, including English and maths, is 48.1 per cent, which is 1.4 percentage points above the figure for all schools nationally, including the independent sector (46.7 per cent).

    “Bartholomew and John Mason schools both demonstrated significant improvement on their performance in relation to this measure, moving from 63 per cent to 73 per cent and 45 per cent to 57 per cent respectively.”

    Contextually Value Added scores
    “Contextually Value Added (CVA) scores provide a more meaningful measure of the difference schools make, being a measure of progress made by pupils between joining the school and GCSEs.

    “On the basis of this measure two Oxfordshire schools, Cheney and the Cherwell, are in the top 25 per cent of all schools nationally.

    “The county council’s Cabinet Member for School Improvement, Councillor Michael Waine, said: “A few of our schools have demonstrated great progress in terms of Contextual Value Added results.
    “Similarly, some schools have made great improvements on last year’s performance, such as Bartholomew and John Mason.
    “There have also, of course, been great examples of individual student success.”
    “However, while, overall our GCSE performance more or less follows the national pattern we must and will perform better than average.
    “At A level the pattern is similar and while there are some great examples of individual pupil and school success, the overall position is less than satisfactory and we should, again, be seeking performance which exceeds national averages.

    “Oxfordshire county schools can and must improve.”