THE first Thame Para-Swimming Event took place at Thame Leisure Centre recently, and, to say it was ‘a roaring success’ would be an understatement! (more…)
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No change to ’10 balls’ cricket any time soon in Thame
FOLLOWING the news of proposed changes by the ECB (English Cricket Board) to make cricket ‘more attractive’, members of Thame Town Cricket Club have been responding to the news, and generally, are not too happy!
Cricket at Church Meadow, photo coutesy of Mark Lord The ECB has announced a new eight-team domestic competition for First Class Counties and MCC, based on the simple format of ‘100 balls’ for each team, starting in 2020.
Spokesperson for TTCC, Andy Jinman, told ThameNews.Net: “I have taken soundings with a few players and supporters about the ‘100 ball” proposal – by no means a scientific study, but the general consensus seems to be that T20 is short enough; why try to shorten it even further? Is thisjust a marketing gimmick, trying to go even further (but probably too far) down the route of “shorter is better”?
“Competitions like the IPL, the Big Bash etc are hugely successful in their respective countries, so the feeling is that the ECB should concentrate on making the new UK T20 competitions work well, rather than being distracted by ‘100 balls’.
“As for the final over of 10 balls, I haven’t found a single bowler that fancies being hit to all parts of the ground for 10 balls, rather than just for 6!”
Andy concluded: “Finally, TTCC hopes to have midweek T20 matches next season for adults, once the new clubhouse is ready, but no plans for this 100-ball format!”
Announcing the changes on April 19, 2018, ECB’s Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “This is a fresh and exciting idea which will appeal to a younger audience and attract new fans to the game. Throughout its development, we have shown leadership, provided challenge and followed a process. We will continue to do that as the concept evolves.
“Our game has a history of innovation and we have a duty to look for future growth for the health and sustainability of the whole game. There are 18 First Class Counties, playing red and white ball cricket, at our core and these Counties and competitions will be supported, promoted and benefit from the game’s growth.”
ECB Chief Commercial Officer, Sanjay Patel, MD for the new competition, said: “The development team has had strong support and encouragement in its conversations to date and it’s time to take the concept wider as we build the detail. This is 100-ball cricket, a simple approach to reach a new generation. Based on fifteen traditional 6-ball overs, the other ten balls will add a fresh tactical dimension. Crucially, this will also help differentiate this competition from Vitality Blast and other T20 competitions worldwide, maintaining our game’s history of successful innovation.
“The players and our valuable broadcast partners under the new TV partnerships from 2020-24 are vital to the success of this competition and they will see the energy, excitement and simplicity of this approach.”
Clare Connor CBE, Director of Women’s Cricket at ECB, said: “Our World Cup win at Lord’s last July showed what’s possible in terms of our sport reaching a new, younger and more diverse audience. Kia Super League has had a huge impact on participation, player development and the profile of our game. It was a big investment and a bold decision by the Board and paved the way for this next stage of growth.
“To build the women’s and men’s competitions and identities together, side by side, is a prospect that few sports ever have and will give us greater reach, scale and prominence. It will attract more women and girls to the game, ensure that cricket reaches and entertains more families and give our players an exciting stage upon which to display their talent.”
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Record numbers for school fun-run
THE rain held off for runners of all ages and abilities, 250 in total, who took to Lord Williams’s Upper School, Oxford Road, on Saturday afternoon, for a 5k fun run, which saw participants clambering over hay bales, under cargo nets, then negotiating tyres and coloured paint – along with keeping an eye out for an ‘on the run’ panda, monkey and spotted deer!
After a 10-minute warm-up to get runners ready to take on their 2.5k or 5k challenge led by Ali Galbraith of Peak Fitness Bootcamp, the event saw pupils from across all the year groups taking part, along with entrants from Thame Runners, Stuart Barr Furniture and Thame Cricket Club.
The first runner to cross the line, Ed Hayes, did so in an impressive twenty-one minutes, thirty-five seconds, and competition was fierce as headteacher David Wybron took on his daughter, in a nail-biting finish!
David Wybron ‘heading’ for the finish line ! “We hoped last year we’d have a bigger and better fun run, and we’ve just had one,” commented David. “We’ve had a brilliant event, with colour and obstacles and more people than 2017 entering. Everyone’s had a great time. People have raised a lot of money for the school, so we’re all delighted.”
He added: “Thank you to all those who have helped out today, our volunteers, marshals, local businesses including Lucy Electric who sponsored our runner numbers; to the Lord Williams’s School Parent Association (LWPA) and the school premises team. It’s just been a really fun day.”
The fun run is predicted to raise over £4,000 for the school with sponsorship still to come in.
For more information about Lord Williams’s School, visit http://www.lordwilliams.oxon.sch.uk/
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Chinnor RFC to play the biggest game in their history!
IT has now been confirmed that Chinnor RFC will be playing at home in Thame, next Saturday, May 5, against Sedgley Park Tigers in the play off to decide which team will get promoted to National 1 next season. This is a one game winner takes all.
Matt Williams The Director of Rugby of Chinnor commented “We came close last season but very narrowly lost out. This is a tremendous achievement to have only lost three games out of 30. Should we succeed in this final test we will be by far the youngest club to have reached level three and it is testament to the current squad and my team management.
“We are also lucky to have tremendous sponsors, members and supporters who have supported us in our quest. I would urge all to come along on May 5, for what will be a thrilling encounter. We are aiming to give the Town’s people and surrounding area something to be proud of. “
Kick Off 3pm Saturday, May 5, at Kingsey Rd, Thame OX9 3JL
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Golfers raise funds for Mayor’s charities
THE Mayor, Cllr Tom Wyse’s charity Golf Day on Friday, April 20, raised over £4,500 for the his chosen charities – the Red Kite Family Centre and the Thame & District Day Centre, with team ‘The Shankers’ successfully defending their title from 2017.
The Shankers team members L to R – Simon Martin, Gareth Davies, Gary Bunney and Simon Copley The event, hosted by Studley Wood Golf Club, was sponsored by many local companies with 68 players taking part.
The Mayor commented: “The course was in great condition and everyone enjoyed the lovely weather. One comment summed up the day; ‘great golf, great food and a wonderful atmosphere’.”
The event was supported by www.onlinegolf.co.uk.
Pictured: Team members (l-r) Simon Martin, Gareth Davies, Gary Bunney and Simon Copley, aka “The Shankers” successfully defended their title!
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Kind Thame resident raises funds for theft victim
IN early April an elderly lady shopping in a store in Thame had £1000 in cash taken from her handbag which she had just withdrawn from the bank to buy new carpets for her home.
Sympathetic to the elderly victim’s plight, a Thame resident created a Just Giving page on Facebook to raise money for her. Through the generosity of Thame residents and businesses, £1000 was very quickly raised.
The kind man who created the page transferred the funds into the victims account last night, witnessed by neighbourhood PCSO’S at Thame police station.
The victim has publicly thanked everybody who donated for their generosity.
PCSO Graham Davey from the Thame neighbourhood team, looked after the victim after the incident to make certain that she was reassured and well looked after by friends and family.
Thames Valley Police are still investigating the theft by following up all CCTV in the area.
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‘World class stuff’ for Thame Town Music Festival 2018
THE founder of the Thame Town Music Festival, John Littler, has been talking to Thame Town Councillor about how a Simple Minds album he bought 35 years-ago, gave him the inspiration to organise his own music festival in Thame.
John attended Thame Town Council’s meeting on Tuesday (24/04) to bring the council up-to-date with the arrangements so far, for a Thame Town Music Festival and Convention, in June, 2018. No report could do justice to John’s eloquent presentation, so here it is in full:
“A town centre filled with joyous people”
“IN 1982 I bought the recently released album: “Live in the City of Light” by grandiose Scottish stadium fillers, Simple Minds. Not particularly inspiring to me musically but visually a critical inspiration. The inside of the gatefold sleeve, (remember them?), showed a photograph of the Glasgow pomp pop merchants playing to an entire town in Locarno Switzerland; a town centre filled with joyous people bathed in an orange glow as the sun set, communally watching world class artists perform in their own town.
“A mere 35 years later I achieved my version of that night. On July 7, last year we had 8,000 visitors see 58 acts in eight venues all over Thame. We had our free, multi-genre festival that brought the people of Thame out of their homes and into the community and bought people from outside our community into Thame.
“It was a success. Three of the high street business had the best trading day in their history; we had no security incidents, two minor medical calls, no official complaints, we started and finished on time and, like the well bought up children we all are, we cleared up after ourselves.
“Thame is an ambitious town”
“So, for 2018. What’s next? Well, Thame is a growing town, and I believe Thame is an ambitious town; ambitious for a quality of life that aspires not only to a choice of restaurants, not only to a high street where the shops are not all hairdressers and seemingly most importantly, not only where the streets are pot-hole free. No. Ambitious for a cultural life. To be a great place to live. To do our part, we are expanding and aiming higher. We are offering more and going for high quality.
“Our festival is adding three more elements; a classical concert and a songwriter’s competition on the Friday evening, and a music convention to join the main festival on Saturday, July 14. The classical concert will be in St. Mary’s Church with a programme that will take us from Bach to Broadway via Chopin, Rachmaninov, Puccini to Gershwin, Cole Porter and more. I’m thrilled that the we have managed to get renowned soprano, Ann MacKay, who was trained by Schwarzkopf and sung all over the world – Sydney opera house, Royal Albert Hall and now St. Mary’s Thame!
“World class stuff”
“With Ann will be Jack Gibbons, a phenomenal pianist and the world’s leading interpreter of Gershwin. He plays Carnegie Hall and is flying in from the US. This is world class stuff!
“Also, on Friday, in the Barns Centre, we will have our songwriter’s competition final. We have invited songwriters to submit original songs. We have a panel of industry experts who will select the 10 best to come and perform their song and talk about it in front of a live audience. The winner will get to play on the main stage on Saturday and receive significant financial and career support from sponsor, Christopher Ward limited. Can we find the next Ed Sheeran in Thame?
“The third new bit. On Saturday we have added a music industry convention. Again, in the Barns Centre we have Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, rock star in his own right and leading advocate of new music. Tom is hosting the convention aimed at helping career musicians understand and navigate the music business. Tom will be hosting panels including Martyn Ware of the Human League and Heaven 17, record producers John Leckie (Radiohead, Stone Roses) and George Shilling ((Steve Winwood, Teenage Fanclub) and also we have artist managers, agents and promoters from the music business. There’s also going to be workshops on song-writing, social media and getting radio play. It’s aimed at people who want help in moving their musical ambitions forward and ‘Saddo’s’ like me who just find the whole world of music and creativity fascinating. I’ll go just to hear the stories and anecdotes.
Eight venues, Main stage, stalls and bars – all for FREE!
“And of course, Saturday is also Thame Town Music Festival day: Again eight venues, a main stage in front of the town Hall, stall holders and bars. And again the festival will be FREE. Our headliner, this year is Dr Feelgood, the legendary Rhythm and Blues band. We have had over 250 applications to play. We should be able to give 60 of them the opportunity.”
John concluded: ” So, undoubtedly, we are going to throw a huge party in Thame on Saturday, July 14, but it is a party with a purpose. In the same way that an 18-year-old boy in Sheffield was inspired by a photograph on an album sleeve, if we manage to inspire even only one person to follow their music dreams, understand the value of community and be proud of Thame then we will have done our job.”
Visit the Thame Town Music Festival website HERE
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Fun and games to celebrate ‘Love your Local Market’
TO celebrate ‘Love your Local Market’, a national initiative to promote markets, the traders at Thame’s Tuesday Market, Thame Town Council, and Thame Farmers Market which joins the main market on the second Tuesday of each month, have a host of fun activities for Thame shoppers to get involved.
These are:
May 1: Live music from Simon Markland at 11am, and the chance to win a free family ticket to Music in the Park
May 8: Free tasters throughout both the weekly Charter and Farmers’ markets.
May 15: Warming you up for the Royal Wedding – come and take a selfie with Prince Harry, and look out for the sweet treats being handed out.
May 22: An exhibition featuring photos from the market as it used to be circa 1900
May 29: Family fun for children hosted by Creation StationTo find out more, follow the Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/ThameMarketTraders/ and https://www.facebook.com/ThameFarmersMarket/ Use #LYLM2018 on social media when you visit Thame Market and take and post pictures!
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Young performers to take centre stage in ‘Youth Hour’
THIS year, Thame’s annual Music in the Park on May 6, in Elms Park, will feature an hour dedicated to young performers aged 16 and under. The youngsters, who have been assembled by local music tutor and performer, John Reid-Hansen, will begin their dedicated hour at midday.
Maria Karteris who won LWS Lower School Singer of the Year in 2017 – Photos courtesy Elliott McRae Visitors will be able to enjoy solo guitar performances from Bradley Baker, Jomani Naani, George Boydon, Steven Young, Katie Pollard, Joseph Endicott and Anna Pain. In addition, guitar ensembles from the Crown House School and Griffin House School will perform. Youth hour will conclude with a special performance from vocalist Abigail Feek. Abi is a very keen singer and performer and has been a singer of the year finalist for the last three years at Lord Williams’s School. She has recently joined a signing group at Thame Youth Theatre and is a popular singer at local pubs.
Music in the Park Chair, Chris Fram, said: “Music in the Park has always been committed to providing a platform for talented local performers, especially young artists. This year, we’re delighted to be able to incorporate a special ‘Youth Hour’ into the programme. This is in addition of course to the many local artists performing in bands, choirs and dance groups in the rest of the day’s programme across three stages.”
You can now buy tickets for Music in the Park from the following local outlets in Thame: Thame Town Hall, Wally’s Toy Shop, Vintage and Modern Guitars and the Falcon pub.
To keep up-to-date with news of next year’s Music in the Park event, visit the Facebook page LINK HERE or THE website LINK HERE. Follow Music in the Park on Twitter: @MusicInThePark
PHOTO: Maria Karteris will be performing in the Thame Music Academy slot on the ASM Acoustic Stage
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New Mayor and other news from Thame
IT’S a busy time in Thame – so much to report to day, so here goes with one of Thame.net’s ‘News in Brief’ digests to bring you up to date with what’s been happening:
NEW Mayor Elect – Cllr Ann Midwinter was elected unanimously this evening by fellow town councillors. Ann was the Mayor of Thame both in 1990 and in 1991. Her Deputy will be Cllr Linda Emery, who was Mayor in 2016 -2017. She will take office from the current Mayor, Cllr Tom Wyse, on May 8, 2018.
Cllr Ann Midwinter – Photo courtesy of Thame Town Council POLICE report of illegal scrap metal collections from homes in our area. They have received reports of a white transit van. TVP ask that residents remain vigilant and report any suspicious looking people or vehicles, taking down detailed descriptions of the people, the vehicle and registration plates. Call 101 and quote reference 43180116539 with any information or 999 if a crime is occurring at that time.
THAME IS TO GET NEW CCTV CAMERAS but some town councillors are unhappy that that they will not be the very latest, state-of-the-art cameras available, that they feel will serve Thame better than those proposed by South Oxfordshire District Council. The Town Clerk, Graham Hunt, is to write to SODC at the request of town councillors, expressing their concerns and asking if it’s a matter of budget constraints. It was also suggested that a leasing arrangement might be better so that cameras could be updated more frequently.
The statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square AS THE STATUE OF Millicent Fawcett was unveiled today, TAL Festival has announced that it will be celebrating the centenary of Suffragism with two great speakers, Jane Robinson author of Hearts and Minds, and viv Newman, who has written Suffragism and the Great War. The TAL Festival takes place October 18th-21, 2018.
SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE Charitable Lottery will be drawn for the first time on Saturday, April 28, online via the SO Charitable Lottery website. The community lottery was launched last month by South Oxfordshire District Council to raise funds for local charities and voluntary groups. So far, 53 good causes have successfully applied to become beneficiaries of the lottery. From each £1 ticket bought, 60p goes to good causes and the local community. The rest of the money goes to the prize fund and running costs – the council does not receive any of the proceeds. MORE INFORMATION – HERE
WANT SOME FREE TICKETS TO TOWERSEY FESTIVAL? The festival organisers have a pair of Adult Weekend tickets with camping up for grabs in their latest competition. Enter before the end of April, and you could be in with a chance of seeing The Shires, The Proclaimers, Richard Thompson and loads more for free! ENTER HERE
WANT TO CLIMB TO THE BELL TOWER OF THAME CHURCH? The Friends of St Mary’s Church, Thame, are holding an open evening on June 15, 2018. As well as trips up to the Bell Tower and interesting and informative talks, Bell-ringing demonstrations and organ demonstrations, there’ll be a treasure hunt through the church, highlighting various aspects of the history of St Mary’s Church. The evening is free, refreshments shall be available with a retiring collection for the upkeep of this 13th Century building.
Catherine Jones with her latest novel, outside The Book House in Thame THE SECRETS OF A SMALL TOWN are the subjects of the latest book by prolific, local author, Catherine Jones. And although LITTLE WOODFORD, the town which is the subject of her latest book, isn’t Thame, it does have a sleepy high street, a weekly market, a weathered old stone church and lovingly tended allotments. “A peaceful, unexciting place, the very heart of middle England.” Catherine was at The Book House, Thame, on Saturday (21/04) signing copies of her book. Catherine happens to be an independent town councillor when she’s not writing books but anyone thinking that local, Thame characters may have crept there way into the book, will probably be disappointed. But this cracking read (yes, I’ve read it, and yes, there is a local journalist in it) is available in hardback from The Book House in Thame, or as an ebook from Amazon.
Pat Shepherd, Chairman, Thame Players, and Simon Vickers, CEO of Rectory HomesTHAME THEATRE’S SPONSORSHIP by Rectory Homes, has been renewed for a further year, with a review in 2019. This follows Rectory’s previous three-year sponsorship of Thame Players which ended in March. Rectory Homes’ sponsorship of Thame Players has two strands. One relates to creative development, enhancing productions through the addition of special effects such as musical accompaniment and lighting, as well as the hire of authentic costumes and props. The other strand relates to improvements to the theatre, such as the installation of a new internal acoustic door (co-funded by South Oxfordshire District Council), a redesign of the theatre frontage (with additional sponsorship from other sources), and improvements to the side access. On the creative side, Rectory’s contribution will help Thame Players host celebrity appearances, often requiring sizeable fees, and build in special effects for forthcoming productions such as Oh, What a Lovely War! (September).
ONE WEEK left to apply for a Town Council grant. If you are a community or non-for-profit group working for the benefit of the people of Thame you can apply for a grant up to £2,400 from Thame Town Council. If your project addresses the needs, aspirations and issues of the people in our community, then you are eligible to apply. Applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. You can download an application form from www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/grant-aid
