Oxford and Oxfordshire news, sport and information updated throughout the day

Stories for 23 April 2004

Oxfordshire Leisure

Bath Place Hotel and Restaurant, off Holywell

The refined Bath Place belies its odd description in top guide...   more...

Bella Pasta, George Street, Oxford

Mama mia - a dish to cry over before the opera  more...

Party Fun at Bistro

It was a proper ladies' night out at Witney's newly opened Bistro 35 restaurant where we arrived on our first visit - I am sure it won't be the last - to find a party of no fewer than 30, with nary a lad among them, ranged along each side the balloon-bedecked, banquet-sized table next to us.   more...

Oxfordshire News

Muslim teacher will share faith at Eton

A muslim who fought to try to save single-sex education in Oxford will take up a historic appointment at Eton College.   more...

Authorities will crack down on students' finals celebrations

Oxford University is devising a code of conduct to clamp down on rowdy antics by students celebrating the end of their final exams.   more...

Bridge party could break city records

Oxford's traditional May Day celebrations will be held on Magdalen Bridge for the third year running - and the turnout could be bigger than ever.   more...

Fund helps girl's wish take root

Young Abingdon girl suffering from a life-threatening illness has had a dream come true - her garden is undergoing a makeover so that she can play in safety and enjoy her pet dog.   more...

City towers to be floodlit

Historic buildings in Cornmarket will soon be floodlit with funding secured for a scheme to light up many of the city's best known sites.   more...

A silent but sticky protest

Workers at a car parts supplier in Oxford are taking part in a 'sticker demonstration' rather than going on strike over union recognition.   more...

Asylum contract to be signed soon

A contract to build and run a controversial accommodation centre for asylum seekers could be signed soon, but construction cannot start until the legal wrangling is complete.   more...

'Marina needs better slipway'

IMPROVEMENTS to the public slipway at Abingdon Marina have been carried out to make it easier to launch large craft -- but a town councillor says more safety measures are needed.   more...

Students taught in cabins and huts

Pupils at 128 Oxfordshire schools are being taught in unsatisfactory mobile classrooms, according to the latest Government figures.   more...

NHS 'must consult over closure of unit'

Health watchdogs are warning NHS managers that they must consult the public before going ahead with plans to close a mental health unit used by 3,500 patients a year.   more...

Oxfordshire Sport

Football: U's must get back on track

Former Cambridge captain Paul Wanless faces his former teammates at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow desperate for a win to kick-start the team as they begin a new era under Graham Rix.   more...

Football: Brock sets sights on play-off dream

Banbury United boss Kevin Brock has told his players to forget about next week's Oxfordshire Senior Cup final against Oxford United - and concentrate on beating already-promoted Folkestone in tomorrow's Dr Martens Eastern Division clash.   more...

Fixtures: All the week's sporting fixtures

SATURDAY   more...

Football: Didcot all fired up for final title push

Didcot Town manager Pete Foley says tomorrow's home clash with Highworth Town is the biggest game in the club's history.   more...

Speedway: Travis is revved up for Belle Vue

Oxford Silver Machine's Australian ace Travis McGowan is raring to go for tonight's Skybet Elite League encounter with Belle Vue at Oxford Stadium (7.30).   more...

Rugby: Henley facing crunch

Henley Hawks face one of the most important games in their 74-year history tomorrow (3pm).   more...

Cricket: Students' bowlers plumb new depths

Oxford UCCE's bowlers gave one of the most inept performances ever witnessed in The Parks yesterday as Somerset 2nd beat them by ten wickets in the second of two one-day matches.   more...

Oxfordshire Whats On

THE STRAITS:

Review: The Straits (Corn Exchange, Newbury) It is May 2, 1982. Three teenage boys laze languidly in Speedos beside the sea in Gibraltar, talking big, talking dirty, talking patriotically of approaching war far away, where (as the Sun has yet to gloat) 'our boys' are going to 'shove it up their junta'. The trio are all sons of servicemen stationed in 'Gib'. The toughnuts Doink (James Marchant, pictured right) and Jock (Freddy White) have been rather longer on the island than the milder-mannered Darren (Peter McNicholl) who is trying hard - perhaps too hard - to become a fully fledged member of the gang.   more...

Haven to hell and back

It's a long way from Penzance to Los Angeles. And it takes a special kind of talent for a group of indie-hopefuls from deepest Cornwall to sell out one of coolest venues in town.   more...

Kill Bill 2 (18)

The second half of Quentin Tarantino's eagerly anticipated martial arts epic begins with a whimper and ends with a bang.   more...

Delving into the bare bones of academia

Seated comfortably in her East Oxford house, author Jan Mark tells me that she sees herself as a speculative writer rather than a science-fiction writer. Her writing is not the stuff of fantasy, but rather an educated guess about where progress will take us. Well-known for her prolific output of children's books, she has recently built up a reputation for adult fiction as well.   more...

Review: Fox in Boars Hill

Was it undercooked? Was it overcooked? Eventually, I concluded that the reason the white flesh of my fillet of baked cod was rather dry and wouldn't part easily from the dark grey skin was probably that the fish had been cooked from frozen. But this couldn't be, surely, since the Fox on Boars Hill boasts on its menu that "fresh fish is the house speciality". One thing was certain: the cod (tail end, folded back on itself) was not very good, and not worth a price tag of £11.95, even with the excellent tomato-ey red wine sauce, the crunchy celeriac purÈe and a dish of first-class vegetables - cauliflower, carrots and red cabbage that had been poached (I think) in cider.   more...