Torpids 1995

MEN'S BUMPS WOMEN'S BUMPS

STANDINGS Start Finish Pos College Pts Pts College 1 Oriel 32 34 Oriel 2 Pembroke 22 22 Brasenose 3 Brasenose 22 21 University 4 University 21 20 Pembroke 5 New College 17 19 New College 6 Christ Church 16 18 Christ Church 7 Magdalen 15 15 Magdalen 8 Worcester 14 13 St Catherine's 9 St Catherine's 13 13 Osler House 10 Somerville 13 12 Worcester 11 Osler House 10 11 Wadham 12 S.E.H. 10 10 S.E.H. 13 Wadham 9 8 Somerville 14 Balliol 7 7 Balliol 15 L.M.H. 7 6 L.M.H. 16 Lincoln 4 5 Lincoln 17 Wolfson 3 3 Hertford 18 Hertford 3 3 Exeter 19 Exeter 3 3 St John's 20 Trinity 2 2 Wolfson 21 St John's 2 2 Trinity 22 Jesus 2 2 Queen's 23 St Hilda's 2 2 Keble 24 Queen's 2 2 St Hilda's 25 Keble 1 1 Jesus 26 St Peter's 1 1 St Peter's

STATISTICS College All Crews Men's Crews Women's Crews [ ]=ranking Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Oriel 3[ 1] 2[ 1] 0.67[ 8] 2[ 1] 1[ 1] 0.50[10] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Osler House 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Keble 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Queen's 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] St John's 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Exeter 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Hertford 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Lincoln 1[11] 1[ 2] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Wadham 2[ 3] 1[ 2] 0.50[ 9] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] New College 2[ 3] 1[ 2] 0.50[ 9] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Christ Church 3[ 1] 1[ 2] 0.33[11] 2[ 1] 0[11] 0.00[11] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Trinity 2[ 3] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 1] -1[ 9] -1.00[ 9] St Peter's 1[11] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] St Catherine's 2[ 3] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 1] -1[ 9] -1.00[ 9] S.E.H. 1[11] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] Worcester 2[ 3] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] -1[18] -1.00[18] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Magdalen 1[11] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] Pembroke 2[ 3] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] -1[18] -1.00[18] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] Brasenose 1[11] 0[12] 0.00[12] 1[ 3] 0[11] 0.00[11] L.M.H. 2[ 3] -1[20] -0.50[20] 1[ 3] -2[21] -2.00[21] 1[ 1] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] St Hilda's 1[11] -1[20] -1.00[21] 1[ 1] -1[ 9] -1.00[ 9] Balliol 1[11] -1[20] -1.00[21] 1[ 3] -1[18] -1.00[18] University 2[ 3] -2[23] -1.00[21] 1[ 3] 1[ 1] 1.00[ 1] 1[ 1] -3[13] -3.00[13] Somerville 1[11] -2[23] -2.00[24] 1[ 1] -2[12] -2.00[12] Jesus 1[11] -2[23] -2.00[24] 1[ 3] -2[21] -2.00[21] Wolfson 1[11] -3[26] -3.00[26] 1[ 3] -3[23] -3.00[23]

Notes

• Fri 24 – Sat 25 Feb 1995
• Due to a fast stream there was no racing on the first 2 days, Friday was limited to 3 half-divisions with an extra 3 half-divisions added on the last day.
• The Times Wed 22 Feb

  Torpids prospects bleak

  The first day of the Oxford University Torpids on the Isis today has been cancelled because of the swollen state of the river. With unfavourable weather forecasts there seems little chance of the competition starting, although organisers have planned a further meeting for tomorrow morning. In the unlikely event of conditions improving sufficiently for racing to start later in the week, the competition will be restricted to the top three men's divisions and top two women's divisions.

• The Daily Telegraph Wed 22 Feb, By Geoffrey Page

  Fast Isis restricts Torpids

  Floods on the Isis have again affected training for the Oxford Torpid races, which begin today, and because of the fast-running river, the men's entries have been restricted to 37 crews, and the women's to 31.

  The divisions have been restricted to six for the men and five for the women, with six boats in each instead of the usual 12, plus the rowing-on boat [? presumably sandwich boat] at the end of the final division.

  Last year, because of dangerous conditions, only one day's racing was possible. Oriel, who have not been bumped for 23 years but were demoted briefly in 1991 for a breach of boating regulations, retained the headship, and Somerville rowed over at the top of the women's divisions for the fourth year in succession.

  Oriel will be chased today by Brasenose, who got to a quarter of a length of the leaders last year, and Pembroke, who rose to third. Somerville's immediate pursuers will be Osler House. [Starting Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Thu 23 Feb

  Hopes that today's abbreviated programme of racing in the Oxford Torpids will take place depend on any overnight rain in the Thames basin. The low [?] river conditions which caused yesterday's races to be called off are apparently easing.

• The Times Fri 24 Feb

  Torpids delayed

  A swollen river again caused the postponement of the second day of Oxford University Torpids on the Isis yesterday. The river continued to be on red alert, but the race committee has not given up hope of a start being made today. St Catherine's Boat Club captain, John Haynes, said yesterday: "There is no Torpids today, but, if there is no more rain in the next 24 hours, we are very hopeful of racing on Friday"

• The Daily Telegraph Fri 24 Feb

  Oxford Torpids fall to weather

  A second day's racing in the Oxford University Torpids was cancelled yesterday because of the dangerous condition of the Thames.

  Senior National Rivers Authority inspector Eric Kirk said that the river level had risen by 10mm of overnight rain but held out the hope of some racing for the more experienced crews this afternoon.

  If racing takes place today, the novel six-boat divisions offer fresh opportunites to Christ Church men and women's crews, sandwich boats in the second divisions.

• The Times Sat 25 Feb

  Lifejackets required

  After two blank days because of a swollen and fast-flowing river, the Oxford University Torpids got under way on the Isis yesterday, but only three divisions of six crews were staged — without significant incident. It is hoped today to stage 11 divisions, which will again be reduced to six crews. Coxes were ordered to wear lifejackets, and, in the men's second division, St Edmund Hall and Balliol were bumped down a place when their coxes were discovered not to be wearing them. [Bumps & new Starting Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Sat 25 Feb

  Worcester bumped

  Adroit navigation by Emily Johns helped Christ Church make a swift bump on Worcester in the Oxford University torpids.

  University, stroked by Norway international Oddeven Bustnes, were more relaxed in deposing Pembroke.

  The men's races were confined to 13 crews by an NRA stipulation that coxswains should show competence. But SEH and Balliol coxswains earned their crews demotion by not wearing life jackets.

• The Sunday Telegraph Sun 26 Feb

  Oriel at head

  Oriel's rowers narrowly escaped unrelenting pressure from Brasenose and remained head of a 25-boat Torpids at Oxford. Osler House were able to drop to a paddle in the women's, where the once-mighty Somerville were taken down a notch by New College.

• The Times Mon 27 Feb

  Oriel pushed hard

  Oriel were pressed to retain the headship of the Oxford University Torpids on Saturday. The rowing was reduced from four days to two because of a swollen stream, and Brasenose pushed Oriel all the way on both days. There were no bumps in the men's first division, and only one in the women's, where Somerville were caught by New College and Wadham [Bumps & Finishing Order]

  (The article is inconsistent with the reported bumps in W.Div I).
• The Daily Telegraph Mon 27 Feb

  New College closed quickly to take Somerville down a second notch in the women's divisions of the Oxford Torpids. Neither crew had the form to shake Osler House, who paddled home in Head place at under 30.

  The standard of rowing fell away fast below these three eights, a consequence of a shortage of training and racing experience that winter floods have inflicted on the crews. Oriel scraped in from Brasenose at the Head of the men's divisions. An effective evasive course along the Green Bank helped the defending crew survive a very potent threat before BNC chased hard, at times only a quarter of a length down, past the boathouses.

• Review in the 1995 Eights Programme, by Felix Lepetit

  On the eve of Torpids, many in Oxford believed that Oriel might be bumped off head for the first time in 23 years by a Brasenose crew that had been training at Wallingford, thus avoiding the red flag which kept many crews off the water unless they were prepared to migrate to other stretches of the Thames. The persistent winter rain and snow ultimately resulted in Torpids being reduced to two days of racing for the men's top division and women's top half division, and one day only for the top half of the men's second division and bottom half of the women's first division.

  On the Friday Oriel held Brasenose at a length going past OUBC, when a Brasenose push brought them to within a canvas of Oriel. The situation was repeated on Saturday, but this time Oriel were ready for the Brasenose attack and responded with a push of their own to hold off Nose and retain the headship.

  A relatively inexperienced Pembroke crew were bumped off third place by Univ on the Friday, but a sudden bout of illness weakened the latter crew to such an extent that Pembroke were almost able to bump back on the Saturday. In the bottom half of the first division, in the circumstances rowing as the second division Balliol received a technical bump on the Friday for failing to don their cox in a lifejacket, whilst Oriel II bumped back into the division, catching L.M.H. forty seconds after the gun. On the Saturday Oriel II closed to a canvas on Balliol by the gut, but then decided to take a detour through it and some time later emerged a length down. In the third division (usually known as the top half of the second), Lincoln quickly bumped L.M.H..

  In the women's division Osler were heavily tipped to catch Somerville and did so on the Friday convincingly, leaving Somerville to defend itself from being bumped by New. This did not happen as New's cox attempted to T-bone Somerville along the green bank and missed. New succeeded on the Saturday. In the lower half of the division, racing only on Saturday, Univ succumbed to Pembroke early on, leaving the way clear for Oriel to achieve an impressive overbump, catching University at the end of the green bank.

• In other news ... [1995]

  24 Feb

  The Football Association bans Eric Cantona from football for eight months, meaning that he will not be able to play competitively until after 30 September.

  25 Feb

  The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) (Organizacion del Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica [OTCA]) is formed.

  26 Feb

  Barings Bank, the UK's oldest merchant bank collapses following $1,400,000,000 of losses by rogue trader, Nick Leeson.

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