Category: Sports News

League Match Report: Thame United 2, North Leigh 4 – Saturday, January 20 – Contributed
BEFORE this game, North Leigh were currently second in the league (now top) having only lost one game this season. Thame United, on the other hand were (and stay) second from bottom. On league form therefore the home side should have been trounced on Saturday. Thame was defeated, but played well and with 30 minutes gone were in the lead. By half time the match was evenly poised and could have gone either way.

This game saw the return of Mark West as manager after an eighteen month absence. Mark named himself as substitute and half was through the second half was forced to come on after an injury to wing-back Adrian Smith.
North Leigh went ahead in their first attack of the match when after three minutes midfielder Karl Dodds hit a speculative shot which took Thame?s new goalkeeper Lee Farrow by surprise. Thame came back and created some good chances. They were rewarded with an equalizer in the 21st minute when a corner was headed down to central defender Marc Bell who fired home from 10 yards off the underside of the crossbar. Four minutes later Thame took another corner and a North Leigh defender was judged to have met the incoming ball with his hand. After consulting his linesman the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Nathan Jack hit a strong spot kick and Thame were in the lead. North Leigh?s second goal, scored on 40 minutes was bizarre. Left winger Simon Futcher hit a long high cross but the strong gusting wind caught the ball, deceiving Farrow, and it was blown into the Thame goal off of the far post. The teams went in for half time with the score 2-2 which was a fair reflection of the first half play.

North Leigh dominated the early part of second half and Thame was forced back into their own half for long periods. Just when it looked as if they had weathered the storm, Dodds hit a strong shot from 25 yards which Farrow did well to get a hand to, but the ball fell to Chris Allen who finished well from eight yards. Thame fought back but with 15 minutes to play a cross from the right found Futcher in space and he hit a 20 yard thunderbolt giving Farrow no chance.

Thame United: Farrow, Smith (West), Watkins, Kitson, Bell, Graves, Connelly, Cowan (Weaver), Jack, Reading, Moore.

IT’S a well known fact that exercise can help you lose weight and feel better about yourself physically ? especially at this time of the year, when everyone?s trying to shake those Christmas pounds.
But did you know that it can also help you beat the winter blues?

Research by the mental health organisation Mind, found that:

THAME United Football Club have a new management team. Former manager and Wycombe Wanderers legend, Mark West, returns to the Club for his second spell as manager from Ryman Premier League outfit, Slough Town.
West, who managed the Club when they were in the Southern League and took them on two memorable FA Cup runs, will be assisted by Steve Meredith who steps up from managing Thame United reserves, with Brett Chowns, formerly assistant to Mark West at Thame United, completing the managerial team by overseeing the reserve side.

The Thame-based trio replaces Richard Searl and Chris Penny who have stood down from their respective positions as manager and coach. Commenting on the changes, Thame United Chairman, Jake Collinge, first thanked Richard and Chris for their work at the Club:”Richard and Chris were brought in 14 months ago under tremendously difficult circumstances and have done a terrific job in keeping the name of Thame United alive. Their commitment and effort in simply ensuring we fielded a team, especially last season, should not be under-estimated,” he said.

The structure of the new management team is further evidence of the work of the Thame Football Partnership, a partnership between Thame United Football Club and Thame Boys and Girls Football Club that has been established with the principal objective of creating a sustainable, community football club on a single site in the town.
Collinge commented:”The new management team is a product of discussions between Thame United and Thame Boys and Girls Football Club. Mark has a knowledge of football and contacts in the game that are second to none in the town, but we were keen to supplement that experience with key personnel from Thame Boys and Girls to provide a ready progression for the youth of the town in to the senior side. Both Steve and Brett run sides for Thame Boys and Girls as well as being part of their Committee structure. Not only will their football knowledge and experience greatly assist the senior sides, their links with the youth section will enable that progression to take place”.

A key driver in setting up the new management team was Chairman of Thame Boys and Girls, Tim Green. Green commented: “In addition to managing the under-16?s, Steve is also vice-chair of Thame Boys and Girls, with Brett an integral part of the management of the Club. We all felt that with their commitment to local football and the youth of the town, their involvement with the senior side would be an ideal opportunity to put in place a framework that enabled the boys to progress. With his wider knowledge of the game, Mark West provides an added dimension to their football development”.

The new management team was due to take up the reins for the game on Saturday (13th January) against Shortwood United in the Sport Italia Hellenic Premier Division, but the game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
The reserves travelled to Rayners Lane in the second round of the Challenge Cup, and were unlucky to be on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline. Weather permitting, the first game for West and Meredith will be the league match away at Wantage Town, today, Tuesday, January 16, with their first home game (at AFC Wallingford) on Saturday,January 20, (3:00pm kick off) against North Leigh.

THE Thame United vs. Slimbridge game scheduled for last Saturday, January 6, was postponed after a mid- morning inspection, as the pitch was heavily waterlogged.
Only one first team game took place in all three Hellenic leagues.
Thame United reserves played in the only reserve game to be played, going down 3-0 at Hollyport.

CHINNOR Kung Fu Club held its winter grading on
December 19, with success for all candidates ranging from white belt to brown belt, showing a good
standard in each component of the exam.
Ben Beames and Tom Way are now promoted to white
belt whilst Shaun Wingrove, Keiran Calvert and Phil Keavy all gained their orange belts.
Mel Codling and Alex Nesbitt both gained green belts, and Mark Doulin gained yellow.
Matt Vaughan gave a particularly powerful display to gain his brown belt, coming through four rounds
of sparring, stick defence, knife defence and wood
breaking.
Congratulations to all chinnor kung fu students.

THAME MISS GOALIE IN NEW YEARS DAY DEFEAT
Ardley United 6, Thame United 2 – LEAGUE GAME

Thame United registered their fourth successive defeat on New Years Day at Ardley United. Perhaps this was not totally unexpected as Ardley were in second league position (now top), whereas Thame are currently second from bottom.

Thame were without their regular goalkeeper Paul Searl who was injured in Saturday?s game at Shrivenham. Mark West, who was player/manager until August 2005, was in the starting line-up.
Ball possession was fairly even throughout the game but Ardley created more chances, particularly in the first half, and finished well. Ardley?s first goal came after a uneventful opening 25 minutes. The ball was fed to the unmarked Steve Garbutt who hit a well placed shot from 15 yards pass stand-in goalkeeper Mike Higgs. Two minutes later, Carl Standon hit a quality left foot volley from the edge of the area to make it two. Their third came on 41 minutes direct from a free kick, when dead ball specialist Danny Mason beat Higgs from 22 yards. Four minutes later Ardley were awarded another free kick and Mason hit a superb shot from 30 yards which Higgs got a hand to, but could not stop.

The second half was a different story with Thame creating more chances and playing far more positively. On 55 minutes a strong shot from Darren Moore was headed of the goal line, the ball eventually came to defender Matt Graves who hit a strong, low shot from just outside the box to score Thame?s first. Two minutes later Ben Connolly was judged to have fowled in the penalty area, and Mason completed his hat trick from the resultant spot kick, making the score 5-1. With three minutes of normal time remaining Thame striker Nathan Jack hit a speculative shot from 30 yards which bounced before beating the Ardley keeper. The final goal was again scored direct from a free kick, but this time it was Garbutt who beat Higgs.

Thame United: Higgs, Smith (Moore) Watkins, Kitson, Bell, Graves, Cowan, Green, Jack, West (Cairns), Connelly.

Thame entertain Slimbridge at Hithercroft Stadium, Wallingford next Saturday (January 6th)

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30th December 2006

Shrivenham 3 Thame United 2

With heavy overnight rain and a persistent downpour for an hour before the game, it was somewhat of a surprise that the referee deemed the pitch playable. Nevertheless, it was Thame who adapted to the conditions quickest, taking the lead on 10 minutes when Nathan Jack crossed from the right to Ben Connelly on the edge of the six yard box. Connelly held the ball well before laying off to Jordan Weaver to drive the ball in to the left hand corner of the goal from ten yards.

Shrivenham soon hit back in the 15th minute when a free kick from the wide left was met by the head of Jon Peters to beat Paul Searl at his near post. Five minutes later the same player hit the base of the post before a goal bound shot from Weaver on 30 minutes was blocked by a defender on the line. Ten minutes later a well worked free kick between Sion Kitson and Jack saw Jack strike the ball just wide of the left hand post from 25 yards. In the last minute of the half Shrivenham were unlucky to again see a shot come back off the crossbar.

With the wind behind them in the second half and playing down hill, Thame came out with renewed confidence. This was rewarded in the 55th minute when Jack raced on to a through ball before calmly chipping the on-rushing keeper to give Thame the lead. Almost immediately Shrivenham forced Thame deep in to their own half and following a goal mouth scramble Martin Stratford placed the ball in to the left hand corner of the goal for the equaliser.

With a torrential downpour mid-way through the second half, it looked debatable that the game would finish. In the worsening conditions and to their credit, Thame continued to press forward for the winner with Weaver from 10 yards and Jack Green from 25 yards both testing the Shrivenham keeper. Shrivenham also searched for the winner and a cross-shot from the left hit the woodwork for the third time on 63 minutes. By this stage, Shrivenham were in the ascendancy and pushed forward in numbers. Searl was increasingly busy and in the space of 5 minutes made three crucial saves. However, in the 92nd minute a cross from the left was again met by the head of Jon Peters to give Shrivenham the lead for the first time in the match. Thame immediately went in search of an equaliser, with an Alex Cairns shot from 25 yards beating the keeper but dropping agonisingly on to the roof of the net. It was the last chance for a Thame side who battled bravely in poor conditions and deserved a draw for their effort and commitment.

Thame face a tough game at home (Hithercroft Stadium, Wallingford) against Slimbridge on 6th January (3:00pm kick off)

Team: Searl, Smith, Watkins, Graves, Bell, Kitson, Green (Miller), Connelly, Cowan (Cairns), Jack, Weaver (Moore).

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Thame United 0, AFC Wallingford 2 – 26/12/06 – League
BOXING DAY’S match against Wallingford was an uninspiring affair. Although there were long periods when Thame had more of the play they were unable to score. The Thame squad contains some promising players but after a period of disappointing results, they seem to have lost confidence in their ability to win games.

The opening exchanges were fairly even. Wallingford went ahead in the 15th minute when Danny Leggett made a good run into the Thame penalty area, beat 2 Thame defenders, and laid on a square pass to the unmarked Abdouli Taha for a 5 yard tap in. Thame countered and, following a good move, a strong shot from James Tripp forced a superb save from the Wallingford goalkeeper, John Shea. In the 38th minute Thame keeper, Paul Searl came out of his goal to collect a ball crossed from the left. Uncharacteristically, Searl mishandled the ball and dropped it into the path of Aaron Baker who finished well from 8 yards.

Thame had the majority of the possession in the second half and put some good moves together. Their best chance came when Alex Cairns hit a strong shot from 15yards which forced another excellent save from Shea. Apart from the occasional break away Wallingford did not really threaten the Thame goal in the second half and they seemed content to defend. The strategy worked and Wallingford succeeded in snuffing out any Thame chances and held out to collect their three points.

Wallingford is a quite physical team who conceded numerous free kicks in their own half. Thame, frustratingly, totally wasted these by blasting them off target.

Thame United: Searl, Tripp, Watkins, Kitson, Graves, Connelly, Moore, Cairns, Reading, Jack, Smith (Johnson).
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RAYNERS LANE 3, Thame United 2; Linaker Cup 23/12/06
This was a game which Thame could, and should have won. They had the majority of possession and with 25 minutes to play Thame had a 1-2 lead. Their eventual defeat at the hands of a team from a lower division was the result of sloppy defending and poor finishing.

Thame had a good chance after 16 minutes when Darren Moore found himself 5 yards from goal and in a 1 to 1 with the home team?s goalkeeper, but he took the season of goodwill too far when his shot hit the delighted keeper. Rayners lane took the lead in the 38th minute after Thame goalkeeper Paul Searl had parried a shot which Ian Jones collected and fired home. Moore equalized for Thame on 45 minutes with a strong 20 yard shot low into the left corner of the home goal.

Thame took the lead 8 minutes after the restart when Nathan Jack made a quality run to the left by-line before hitting a low cross which the goalkeeper fumbled and Adrian Smith tapped in. Rayners Lane equalized 15 minutes later when Jones netted his second from close range following a defensive mix up. Thame continued to have more of the play but frustratingly squandered their goal scoring chances. With 15 minutes remaining the home side made a rare trip into the Thame half and Jamahni Henry beat Thame goalkeeper Paul Searl with a blistering 25 yard shot to give Rayners Lane the lead.

The last few minutes saw relentless pressure on the home goal with at least 2 goal line clearances. Searl joined in the attack and Thame should have been awarded a penalty when a defender clearly blocked a shot with his hand. The referee however did not see the infringement and a few seconds later blew the final whistle.

Thame United: Searl, Tripp, Watkins (Da Silva), Bell, Kitson, Cairns, Jackson (Reading), Moore, Smith, Jack, Ricketts.

CHINNOR v Chipping Norton at home, Sunday, Dec 17.
This Sunday saw a beautiful sunny morning for Chipping Norton?s visit to Chinnor RFC. The frost was soon forgotten as the Under 12 B team played first. They started slowly as seems to be the norm this season and Chipping Norton took advantage by scoring four tries. However, all was not lost as Tom Lidington scored a superb individual try lifting the Chinnor squad?s spirits for the second match. Final Score 5-20.

The Under 12’s, ‘A’s match got off to a cracking start as prop Guy Carter powered over to score immediately after a great pass from Ross Bunsell. This was quickly followed by a try from Ollie Wingfield after some lovely passing from the whole team. Lewis Aitken scored soon after and then Connor Green ran over to score after his own great take. Guy Carter went on to score again after powering over after a penalty on the 5 metre line.
The As finished the match off with one more try from lovely passing scored this time by Ross Bunsell. All in all the boys performed brilliantly in this game and this set them up for their final match of the morning. The final score was 30-0 to Chinnor.

A MIXED team played a by now admittedly tired Chipping Norton team and Nick Barker had quickly scored four (yes, four) tries. Ollie Wingfield added to this with another, but Chipping Norton managed to raise their game and score two tries (one from Chinnor old boy George Davis!) in the final minutes of the morning?s rugby. The final score was 25-10 and the Under 12s can be satisfied with a good morning?s work!

Strong forward pressure from Matthew Smith, Greg Alvey, Iestyn James and Aaron Milburn, supported by cracking tackles from Thomas Strathdee, Charlie Krabbe and Charlie Proctor and solid support from Andrew Kay, Liam Evans, George Kent and James Millett meant that Chinnor As continued their unbroken record of conceding no tries when they played Chipping Norton on Sunday. Any weakness shown by the opposition was ruthlessly capitalised upon, and the players deserve to be very proud of their performance. In the first match, tries were scored by Thomas, Liam, Matthew and James ? final score 20 ? 0. Tries in the second match were scored by Iestyn (2), Matthew, Thomas, Charlie K and James.

Teamwork was the word of the day when Chinnor B1s got on the pitch against Chippy. Charlie Morris, Tomas White, Ben Chapman and Ollie Bevan bulldozed their way through the opposition, giving Harry Lowe, Chris Wright and Harry Stansfield the chance to show off their superb ball skills. Finn Tapping and Henry Leggett gave the daily tackle demonstration, and Jack Gibbins and Sam Edwards stretched their legs in some superb runs. The pressure proved too much for Chipping Norton who lost both matches 20 – 0. Tries in the first match were by Charlie(2), Harry and Jack, and in the second by Harry, Tomas, Finn and Charlie.

Due to lack of numbers with Chipping Norton, Harvey Goddard and Richard Hanlon donned the red and black for the first match and Theo Keeping and Thomas Bellars did sterling duty in the second. Their efforts, however, could not undermine the team spirit shown (variously) by Theo, Chris Hopgood, Thomas, Cameron Matthews, Callum Wright, Adam Pipkin, Sam Hook, Jake O?Neill, Joseph Lynch, Richard and Harvey. Sam Hook, in his first match with Chinnor, was cruelly robbed of the first try of the match because of an overzealous ref and a badly placed dead ball line. The first match ended in a hard fought 15 ? 15 draw, with tries by Cameron, Adam and Thomas. By the second match, Chinnor had warmed up and, with superb tackling and forward driving, the final score of 20 ? 5 was a better indicator of effort. Tries were by Adam (2), Iestyn (ringer from another team) and Sam Hook ? finally!

Thame United 2 Pegasus Juniors 2, 16/12 – Saturday. MATCH REPORT
With only two minutes remaining, Thame United looked to be heading for their fourth consecutive 2-1 defeat, this time against the well organised and resolute Herefordshire side, Pegasus Juniors. However, in the 88th minute, and having been on the field for only five minutes, substitute Paul Reading fired the ball home from the edge of the six yard box to give Thame United a well deserved draw.

The game had started brightly for Thame with their neat passing football creating plenty of space on an otherwise heavy pitch. Indeed, Thame forced a number of early corners with Graham Jackson and Nathan Jack both going close with shots from distance in the opening ten minutes. However, Pegasus started to build some momentum and their two lively forwards created problems for the Thame centre back pairing of Marc Bell and Matt Graves. Paul Searl in the Thame goal made a crucial save in the 12th minute but could do nothing five minutes later when centre back Paul Brown powerfully met a corner with a well placed header to give Pegasus the lead.

Thame United responded with a series of corners, but it was Pegasus who looked the more dangerous, with Searl doing well to deny Ben Price in the 21st minute, and Bobby Aldrich hitting a powerful shot just wide of the right hand post on 30 minutes. For the remainder of the first half Thame forced Pegasus on to the back foot and after efforts from Chris Watkins and Jack narrowly missed the target, Nik Gibson let fly on 44 minutes from fully 25 yards to beat the keeper high to his left and secure the equaliser for Thame. Jack then had a great chance to give Thame the lead before the interval, but saw his shot go over the bar.

The second half was a more scrappy affair with both teams feeling the pace on a heavy pitch. After chances at each end, it was Pegasus who took the lead on 80 minutes when a through ball was met by Ben Price who calmly placed his shot between the legs of Searl. At this stage, it looked as though the three points would be going to Herefordshire, until the intervention of Reading on 88 minutes ensured a share of the points.

Team: Searl, Tripp, Watkins, Bell, Graves, Kitson, Jackson, Da Silva (Reading), Gibson, Moore, Jack.
Subs not used: Collinge, Searl.

Thame United visit Rayners Lane on Saturday 23rd December (1:30pm kick off) in the Linaker Insurance Challenge Cup. On Boxing Day Thame are at home against their landlords, AFC Wallingford, in a 3:00pm kick off at the Hithercroft Stadium.

Thame United Reserves lost to top of the table Rayners Lane 2-0 in a battling display.

THE Oxfordshire Golf Club, near Thame, has lost its bid to host the 2011, Solheim Cup.
The competition is known as the ‘Women’s Ryder Cup’, and the club’s failure to get it has come as a blow to the Oxfordshire, which felt it had a very strong case, after being awarded the new, Ladies’ European Masters from 2007.
The successful club was Killeen Castle, Failte in Ireland.

Photo: Killeen castle

CampSOLL Holiday Programme: 18 December to 22 December.
Thame Leisure Centre. CampSOLL children’s holiday activities run thorughout every school holday and are packed full of games, activities, crafts and fun. CampSOLL is suitable for children of all ages.
Visit www.soll-leisure.co.uk or contact Thame Leisure Centre on 01844 215607.