Crime & Safety
Private school groundsmen win praise for football pitches
Cokethorpe School has been named Grounds Team of the Year 2026 by the Independent Schools Football Association, recognising the exceptional quality, resilience and management of its football pitches.
The accolade is particularly significant given the scale of the operation, says the school.
READ MORE: Oxford United odds-on favourite for relegation
A team of three led by head groundsman Simon Hole, is responsible for maintaining a 150-acre site, including nine rugby pitches that convert into football pitches during the spring term.
The team consistently delivers high-quality playing surfaces, ensuring pitches remain safe, visually impressive and match-ready throughout the season.
Their work supports a busy football programme for boys and girls at the school, alongside use by about 36 community teams across Oxfordshire.
Mr Hole said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised with this award.
“Managing and maintaining these grounds is a huge amount of work, but we take extra care in everything we do. It’s the tiny details that make all the difference and ensure that every pitch looks and performs at its best.”
The school’s demanding sporting calendar requires constant adaptability.
From rugby and hockey in the autumn term to football in the spring, followed by cricket and athletics in the summer, the grounds are in near continuous use. Maintaining consistent pitch quality under these conditions is a significant achievement.
Dale Baker, head of football at Cokethorpe School, added: “This is a fantastic, well deserved achievement for our grounds team. Their incredible commitment and the quality of the pitches they maintain ensure that it is not only our pupils that can train and compete at the highest possible standard but also the wider community”
A key element of the team’s success lies in its proactive approach to maintenance.
The groundsmen ensure there is effective drainage, while the use of high-quality grass seed and a structured fertilisation programme help to maintain strong, resilient turf throughout the year.
The team works flexibly around fixtures, adapting to narrow weather windows and changing conditions.
Prolonged dry summers have led to grass loss across some pitches, requiring extensive reseeding and renovation during school holidays.
Without full irrigation systems in place, the team relies on experience, timing and careful resource management to restore surfaces.
“Everything we do is governed by the weather,” Mr Hole added. “You have to be flexible and make the most of every opportunity, especially when you’re working around a busy school schedule.”
This latest recognition from ISFA highlights the quality of Cokethorpe’s sports facilities and setting, and the skill and commitment of the grounds team.
Cokethorpe School is an independent, co-educational day school for pupils aged four to 18 sand is located on 150 acres of parkland site near Witney.
The school has about 600 pupils, with the prep and senior schools on the same single site.
It benefits from small class sizes, with a wide range of co-curricular activities, clubs and societies covering more than 100 activities, as well as sport, drama and music.
The Grade II listed mansion near Wallingford was first listed in early June last year and since then a buyer has not been found.
Initially it was priced at £10m by agent Savills but in February the classic 17th-century English country home was pulled from the market and then relaunched in March at £1m less than its original listing.
READ MORE: Former CEO at Oxford International College charged with £5m fraud
It is now priced at £9m.
Mr Caine lived there with his family from 1984 to 1999, with the legendary actor, who played Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol, selling the property in 2020.
At that time it was listed on the market for £6.95m.
Its listing states: “Architecturally interesting, this Grade II listed 17th century, quintessentially English country house affords its future custodian a true Swallows and Amazons lifestyle.
“Marrying period charm with the convenience of 21st century living, Rectory Farm House provides the opportunity to entertain on a grand scale.
“It is a perfect country retreat for those seeking a private edge of village estate, hidden from view.”
With 600 feet of River Thames frontage, the six-bedroom mansion comes with a Moroccan-style jacuzzi, a sauna and a 100,000-litre swimming pool.
In addition, it has two kitchens, five bathrooms, a music room, a drawing room and sitting rooms.
It also has on the ground floor a utility room, gym, plant room, boot room and two lavatories.
Outside Sir Michael added extensively to the 17,000 sq ft property and planted many specimen trees in the grounds.
Property agent Victoria Knight, head of office at Savills in Henley, said: “Situated on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks, Rectory Farm House offers hours of hassle-free boating.
“Despite its 600 feet of frontage, the house cannot be seen from the river and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and grounds.
READ MORE: Update amid pothole repair concerns on ‘Grand Canyon’ road
“Beneath the formal lawns, waterside meadows are also a haven for all manner of wildlife, including otters, swans, kingfishers, hedgehogs, sparrowhawks, buzzards, rooks and deer.”
Outside, and included in the purchase, is a cottage equipped with a sitting room, kitchen, downstairs bedroom suite and mezzanine bedroom suite.
A three bay, timber clad garage provides an additional three car ports, a large machinery store, a log store and a first floor storage room.
In addition, there is a lodge that is presently used as staff accommodation.
The rural crime police found and recovered a red Ducati Monster in the Cane End area of south Oxfordshire, close to Reading.
According to officers, the bike was involved in an incident last month where it failed to stop for blue lights and made off in a “dangerous” manner having crashed into a police van.
It was found on Wednesday evening, May 13.
The Ducati Monster is a popular motorbike made by the Italian manufacturer since the early 1990s.
Some 350,000 Ducati Monsters have been produced since the model’s introduction in 1993, making it the best-selling and longest-running motorcycle in Ducati’s history.
Its often credited in the motorbike world as being the one that ‘saved Ducati’ due to its popularity and cheap development costs
The Rose & Crown in Ratley, a village new Banbury on the northern tip of the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), shut down unexpectedly ahead of the festive period in December 2024, due to personal circumstances, according to the owners.
The village pub and restaurant, 10 miles north of Banbury, is now set to be reopened under new owners after more than a year on the market.
READ MORE: Oxford locals unimpressed by city ‘pod’ hotel plans
In a statement released to introduce themselves, new owners Dee and Norm Knight-Barrett said: “We wanted to reassure everyone that we intend to reopen The Rose & Crown as a traditional British ‘pie and pint’ pub.
“There is quite a bit of work to do internally in particular the cellar and kitchen.
“We want to offer the best beers and pies that we can so we need to carry out some upgrades. We will keep you posted with regard to progress so please bear with us.
“We are looking forward to meeting you all and making lots of new friends.”
READ MORE: TV legend’s daughter selling £3.95m Oxfordshire mansion
The new owners revealed the plans include theme nights, pizza, curry and barbecues, live music, a pool table and sports games, and has invited further suggestions from the village.
The property is a grade II listed, detached building which is believed to have operated as a pub for more than 250 years.
No opening date has yet been announced and works to renovate and refresh the venue are ongoing.
Michael Caine’s £9m riverside manor unsold after a year
Remains of second US soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered | Morocco
Ducati Monster found by Thames Valley Police in Oxfordshire
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoBanbury cake company with 400 year history shut down
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoBicester man denies sexually assaulting two young girls
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoBicester crash: Motorcyclist ‘seriously injured’ in hospital
-
UK News3 weeks agoTV tonight: Shetland meets CSI in a new drama about a disgraced cop | Television
-
UK News3 weeks agoStarmer says it ‘beggars belief’ he wasn’t told about Mandelson vetting failure as he faces Commons – UK politics live | Politics
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoOxfordshire ‘hidden trap’ pothole leads to compensation payout
-
Crime & Safety2 weeks agoYoung farmers club hosts fun farm competitions in Bicester
-
UK News4 weeks agoV&A faces calls to become living wage employer on eve of Stratford opening | V&A