Category: Sports News

THAME United go in to the new season next week looking to improve on their mid-table position last season and push for promotion back to the Hellenic League Premier Division. United have been given a tough opening fixture, with a home game against Kintbury Rangers on Tuesday evening (12th August; 7:45pm kick off at AFC Wallingford). Kintbury, who finished fifth last season, are known to have strengthened their side over the close season and the game will provide a good measure of the quality of the squad put together by Thame boss, Mark West.

With the exception of Player of the Year last season, Adam Rhodes who has joined Southern League side Aylesbury United, West has kept together the ?backbone? of his Thame-based team from last season. New signings include former Oxford United youth team player Brynley Spence, Mark Jones from Chinnor and Matt Miller who has been a prolific goalscorer at Southern League level with both Slough Town and Burnham. Alongside his playing role, Miller will also form part of the Management Team, acting as joint assist manager with Frank Thompson. Vince Saunders completes the Management Team as physio.

In addition to these new signings, West will have the benefit of a number of younger players progressing from Thame Boys, Youth and Girls FC, and will not be afraid to use the players, in a similar manner to Luke Ricketts last season who progressed from the youth side to a First Team regular.

Thame United Reserves, managed by Marcus Walker, do not begin their league campaign until the start of September, but will be playing home fixtures at the Southern Road Recreation Ground.

Photo: Mark West

THE first Thame Triathlon, held yesterday, was such a success that the organisers have already said that it will be repeated in 2009.
Based at the Thame Leisure Centre, competitors swam 400 m in the 25m pool, followed by a superfast out-and-and back 11m cycle course, which included the Chinnor Road, and finished off with a superfast, flat out-and-back 5k run along the Phoenix Trail.
A full list of the results can be found at the following LINK
to Just Racing UK.

DESPITE the result, a young Thame United side gave another battling performance following their victory against Oxford City, and made Premier Division side Shrivenham work hard for their win.

In a game made difficult by the wind, the opening exchanges were fairly even as both sides took time to adapt to the conditions. However, Shrivenham broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when a breakaway down the Thame right resulted in a corner for the home side that was floated in towards the near post and headed beyond the out-stretched arm of Thame keeper Paul Searl. Thame looked to respond immediately, with the most threat initially coming from Stuart Barr and Ben Connelly, the former causing the home defence problems with his close control and the latter driving just wide in the 35th minute following good work from Sam Cowan. Nevertheless, the 1-0 scoreline to Shrivenham at half time was probably a fair reflection of the play.

The first twenty minutes of the second half were a different story as Thame, making use of Connelly and Luke Ricketts on the wings, pinned the hosts in their own half. Unfortunately, and despite good chances for Ricketts and James Bloomfield, United were unable to force an equaliser. Following a number of substitutions for both sides, the game became more end to end, and further chances were created for both sides. However, Thame could not find an equaliser and, in the end, had little to show from another encouraging performance from all members of the squad.

Thame United have a ?home? game against Winslow United on Friday 25th July at Watlington (6:30pm) kick off, followed by a game at Eton Wick on Saturday 26th July (3:00pm) kick off, before travelling to Abingdon Town on Tuesday 29th July (7:30pm kick off).

Squad: Searl, Newell, Stocker, Ansell, Graves, Cowan, Connelly, Jones, Barr, Leach, Ricketts, Bloomfield, Bell, Gascoyne, Hoskins, Gibbs.

Thame United will open the season proper with three home games. On Tuesday 12th August United face one of the favourites for the League Title, Kintbury Rangers, before playing Bitton in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on 16th August. South Kilburn, newly promoted from the Middlesex League, will visit United on Tuesday 19th August. For the third season, Thame will play ?home? games at AFC Wallingford.

19th July 2008

Photo:Ben Connelly who created several chances for Thame.

THAME United opened their pre-season campaign with a match against Southern League Premier Division new boys, Oxford City, at Watlington on Tuesday evening (15/07/08).
The score was Thame United 3, Oxford City 0.

Despite being three leagues higher than Thame, City were never really in the game as United came away with a hard earned but well-deserved victory in which all First Team squad players took part.

United took the lead after only four minutes when Ben Connelly was fouled in the box and striker Matt Miller calmly dispatched the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way. United dominated possession for the next twenty minutes until a mix-up in the Thame defence let in former Thame player, Alex Stewart who, in attempting to walk the ball in to the net, was caught by new signing Steve Newell who produced a goal saving tackle to keep Thame in front. Five minutes later and United were 2-0 ahead thanks to an opportunistic goal from Ben Connelly. Connelly collected the ball on the edge of the centre circle and, spotting the high line of the City defence, chipped the ball over the City centre backs, and raced through before rounding the keeper and scoring with ease.

2-0 to the good at half time, United made a number of substitutions in the early part of the second half and City came more in to the game. Searl produced a fine save from Bell, before seeing a Stewart header come back off his bar. However, it was United who extended their lead after 75 minutes. Thomas Hoskin was fouled on the edge of the box and Daniel West stepped up to place the free kick around the wall and beyond the despairing dive of the City keeper. Whilst City looked for a consolation goal in the remaining 15 minutes, the United defence held out and secured a morale boosting victory against higher league opposition.

United travel to Shrivenham on Saturday 19th July, 3:00pm kick off, before entertaining Winslow United at Watlington on Friday 25th July (6:30pm kick off).

Squad: Searl, Newell, Ansell, Graves, Hocking, Cowan, Catlin, Connelly, Ricketts, Brougham, Miller, Gascoyne, Rogers, Leach, Hoskin, West, Stocker, Bloomfield, Bell.

A young Thame athlete was the faster junior lady in the recent Thame 10k race, and raced over

THAME produced three excellent sessions of cricket to eclipse a Burnham team that needs to rapidly improve to avoid any thoughts of relagation.
Thame were invited to bat and got off to an excellent start with some fine batting from Manog Parmar(82) and 15 year old Michael Beard (64).

On a difficult pitch Parmar and Beard laid the foundation for a magnificent 241 with a partnership of 135 for the first wicket. With the middle order all pitching in with useful contributions, Thame set what was to be a formidable target of 241.
In reply Burnham could not find any momentum on a pitch that wasn?t getting any easier on the batsman. Merry(5-58) and Lachlan (4-41) were supported by some excellent catching and in particular some very tidy work from Mitty behind the stumps.

Burnham stuggled to come to terms with the accurate Thame attack and lost wickets at regulat intervals to finish 111 all out in the 37th over.

Score card

Batsman How out Bowler Runs
M Beard Ct Nadeem Hussain 64
M Parmar LBW Hussain 82
L MERRY Bowled Gandam 25
A Krol Bowled Hussain 12
R Brooks Ct abd bowled ditto 26
J Bhatti Not out 13
M Meredith bowled Hussain 14
M Higgs Not out 1
C Mitty dnb
S Lachlan dnb
T Hogan dnb

Extras: 4 nb, 2 w,2 lb ( )
Total: 241 for 6 ( 60 ovs)
Fall: 1-135, 2- 165, 3- 175 , 4- 194, 5- 221
6-240, 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-

Bowling:

Name Overs Maidens Runs Wickets
N Baig 10 2 46
H Gandham 14 2 53 1
M Fazal 6 2 15
Y Hussain 21 2 89 5
N Nawaz 8 36

Innings of: Burnham

Batsman How out Bowler Runs
H Khan Ct Mitty Lachlan 8
A Javed bowled Merry 7
M Fazal St Mitty Lachlan 13
Y Hussain Ct Meredith Lachlan 26
S Nadeem Ct Mitty Merry 16
A Chaudrey Ct Parmar Bhatti 18
H Gandham Ct Krol Lachlan 5
N Baig Ct Parmar Merry 0
E Miah Lbw Merry 0
I Aziz Not out 2
M Nawaz Ct Hogan 9

Extras: 7 nb,1 w,1 lb (4)
Total: 111 for 10 (37 ovs)
Fall: 1-11, 2- 29, 3-41, 4- 64 , 5- 76 , 6-82 , 7- 83 , 8- 83 , 9- 102,
10- 111

Bowling:

Name Overs Maidens Runs Wickets
L merry 19 5 58 5
S lachlan 15 5 41 4
J bhatti 3 1 7 1

ONCE AGAIN, a team from the contuously successful Oxford School of Gymnasts, based in Thame, have have excelled themselves.
A team from the club became winners of the Saltney Classic competition, coming away from the Hampshire Open County Championships at Andover with 5 Gold, 4 Silver and a Bronze medal!

This was the club’s first time at this event.

AS long as you can run and hold a stick at the same time, you can join the men and women of all ages and abilities who play hockey at the Astro at Thame Leisure Centre, on Wednesdays at 8pm.
For further information email thamehockeyclub@yahoo.com, or contact Mr Japypee Wentzel, Chairperson, 07927 975097.

PLANS for a new home for football in Thame have been given the green light, following a meeting of the South Oxfordshire District Council planning committee yesterday (June 4).
The committee gave its approval for the

THAME Runners, who are organising the 24th, Thame 10km road race, say that the current rate of entries means that close to 1000 runners will enter this popular event, to be held on Sunday 29th June.
This year’s new course starts and finishes on the playing fields next to Thame Leisure Centre and also takes in more of the Phoenix Trail to provide a more traffic-free and scenic course.

A temporary five minute closure of the main Oxford Road at 9.30 am will allow the overwhelming majority of runners to reach the Upper High Street in safety. Another closure has been granted for the Eastern By-Pass between the Risborough and Chinnor Road roundabouts, as runners cross the ring road twice on the way to and from Towersey.

A detour through town will be in place for the traffic requiring this section of the by-pass during the period 9.30 to 10.30 am.

Race entry forms are available from Thame Leisure Centre, the town hall and Top Sports,in Buttermarket, Thame, or downloadable from the website: LINK

On-line entry is also possible via: RUNNERS WORLD WEBSITE

The children’s fun run (one lap of the perimeter of the playing fields for 7 to 11 year olds, and two laps for 12 to 14 year olds) is back with