Torpids 1997

MEN'S BUMPS WOMEN'S BUMPS

STANDINGS Start Finish Pos College Pts Pts College 1 Oriel 186 197 Oriel 2 Pembroke 136 125 New College 3 New College 120 123 Pembroke 4 University 105 120 University 5 Brasenose 102 101 Brasenose 6 Wadham 100 99 Magdalen 7 Christ Church 100 96 St Catherine's 8 St Catherine's 99 96 Lincoln 9 Magdalen 98 95 Wadham 10 Osler-Green 86 86 Osler-Green 11 Lincoln 85 77 Christ Church 12 Worcester 83 72 Exeter 13 S.E.H. 80 69 L.M.H. 14 L.M.H. 69 69 S.E.H. 15 Balliol 69 68 Worcester 16 Exeter 63 66 Trinity 17 Queen's 59 65 Queen's 18 Trinity 54 60 Balliol 19 Somerville 52 57 Wolfson 20 Keble 51 53 Merton 21 St John's 50 52 Keble 22 Wolfson 49 51 Jesus 23 Hertford 48 46 Hertford 24 St Peter's 47 43 St Peter's 25 Jesus 43 42 St John's 26 Merton 43 39 Somerville 27 St Anne's 33 38 St Anne's 28 Linacre 30 28 Linacre 29 St Hilda's 28 28 St Hilda's 30 St Hugh's 27 26 Mansfield 31 Mansfield 22 25 Corpus Christi 32 Corpus Christi 20 20 St Hugh's 33 Regent's Park 6 7 Regent's Park 34 St Benet's Hall 5 6 St Benet's Hall 35 St Antony's 4 5 St Antony's

STATISTICS College All Crews Men's Crews Women's Crews [ ]=ranking Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Wolfson 6[ 1] 22[ 1] 3.67[ 2] 3[ 4] 10[ 3] 3.33[ 3] 3[ 1] 12[ 1] 4.00[ 3] Merton 6[ 1] 18[ 2] 3.00[ 3] 4[ 2] 13[ 1] 3.25[ 4] 2[ 2] 5[ 3] 2.50[ 8] Corpus Christi 4[13] 11[ 3] 2.75[ 5] 3[ 4] 7[ 6] 2.33[11] 1[16] 4[ 7] 4.00[ 3] St Anne's 4[13] 10[ 4] 2.50[ 7] 3[ 4] 11[ 2] 3.67[ 2] 1[16] -1[21] -1.00[21] St Antony's 2[31] 9[ 5] 4.50[ 1] 1[31] 3[10] 3.00[ 5] 1[16] 6[ 2] 6.00[ 1] Jesus 3[22] 8[ 6] 2.67[ 6] 2[18] 9[ 4] 4.50[ 1] 1[16] -1[21] -1.00[21] Mansfield 3[22] 7[ 7] 2.33[ 8] 2[18] 5[ 8] 2.50[ 9] 1[16] 2[11] 2.00[11] Wadham 5[ 4] 7[ 7] 1.40[12] 3[ 4] 2[14] 0.67[16] 2[ 2] 5[ 3] 2.50[ 8] Trinity 3[22] 6[ 9] 2.00[ 9] 2[18] 3[10] 1.50[12] 1[16] 3[ 9] 3.00[ 6] Exeter 3[22] 5[10] 1.67[10] 2[18] 6[ 7] 3.00[ 5] 1[16] -1[21] -1.00[21] Lincoln 5[ 4] 5[10] 1.00[13] 3[ 4] 8[ 5] 2.67[ 8] 2[ 2] -3[27] -1.50[24] University 5[ 4] 5[10] 1.00[13] 4[ 2] 0[19] 0.00[19] 1[16] 5[ 3] 5.00[ 2] St Benet's Hall 1[34] 3[13] 3.00[ 3] 1[31] 3[10] 3.00[ 5] Regent's Park 2[31] 3[13] 1.50[11] 1[31] 0[19] 0.00[19] 1[16] 3[ 9] 3.00[ 6] New College 3[22] 2[15] 0.67[15] 2[18] 2[14] 1.00[13] 1[16] 0[15] 0.00[15] Keble 4[13] 1[16] 0.25[16] 3[ 4] -3[21] -1.00[21] 1[16] 4[ 7] 4.00[ 3] Queen's 4[13] 1[16] 0.25[16] 3[ 4] 3[10] 1.00[13] 1[16] -2[24] -2.00[26] Hertford 5[ 4] 1[16] 0.20[18] 3[ 4] 1[18] 0.33[18] 2[ 2] 0[15] 0.00[15] St Catherine's 5[ 4] 1[16] 0.20[18] 3[ 4] -4[22] -1.33[22] 2[ 2] 5[ 3] 2.50[ 8] St Hilda's 1[34] 0[20] 0.00[20] 1[16] 0[15] 0.00[15] Linacre 3[22] 0[20] 0.00[20] 2[18] 2[14] 1.00[13] 1[16] -2[24] -2.00[26] Magdalen 5[ 4] -2[22] -0.40[22] 3[ 4] 2[14] 0.67[16] 2[ 2] -4[30] -2.00[26] St Hugh's 4[13] -5[23] -1.25[24] 2[18] -5[25] -2.50[26] 2[ 2] 0[15] 0.00[15] Osler-Green 4[13] -5[23] -1.25[24] 2[18] -5[25] -2.50[26] 2[ 2] 0[15] 0.00[15] St Peter's 3[22] -5[23] -1.67[27] 2[18] -5[25] -2.50[26] 1[16] 0[15] 0.00[15] Oriel 6[ 1] -6[26] -1.00[23] 5[ 1] -7[29] -1.40[24] 1[16] 1[13] 1.00[12] Balliol 4[13] -6[26] -1.50[26] 3[ 4] -4[22] -1.33[22] 1[16] -2[24] -2.00[26] St John's 2[31] -6[26] -3.00[31] 2[18] -6[28] -3.00[30] Somerville 4[13] -8[29] -2.00[28] 2[18] 5[ 8] 2.50[ 9] 2[ 2] -13[32] -6.50[32] Christ Church 3[22] -10[30] -3.33[33] 1[31] -4[22] -4.00[31] 2[ 2] -6[31] -3.00[30] L.M.H. 5[ 4] -11[31] -2.20[29] 3[ 4] -12[33] -4.00[31] 2[ 2] 1[13] 0.50[14] Brasenose 5[ 4] -11[31] -2.20[29] 3[ 4] -8[31] -2.67[29] 2[ 2] -3[27] -1.50[24] S.E.H. 4[13] -12[33] -3.00[31] 2[18] -14[34] -7.00[34] 2[ 2] 2[11] 1.00[12] Worcester 3[22] -14[34] -4.67[34] 2[18] -11[32] -5.50[33] 1[16] -3[27] -3.00[30] Pembroke 5[ 4] -24[35] -4.80[35] 3[ 4] -7[29] -2.33[25] 2[ 2] -17[33] -8.50[33]

Notes

• Wed 5 – Sat 8 March 1997

• The Times Wed 5 March

  Oriel will be looking to maintain the headship in the Oxford University Torpids, which start today, although Magdalen are likely to challenge them later in the week. [Starting Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Wed 5 March

  Dominant Oriel fancied again

  The Oxford Torpids have been severely disrupted many times in recent years by floods and fast streams and last week the red flag was again flying on the Isis, preventing crews from rowing in preparation for this year's races, which start today.

  However, unless more heavy rain intervenes, racing should be uninterrupted this week. Oriel have dominated college rowing at Oxford for so long that it is hard to imagine them being deposed from the Headship.

  They have been bumped only once in a quarter of a century [in fact last time was in 1970, they assumed the Headship in 1972] and have lost the top position only once in this period when they were deposed in 1991 for infringing regulations on the Isis.

  Osler House start Head of the women's divisions, a position they took over in the curtailed racing in 1995.

• The Times Thu 6 March

  Oriel comfortably rowed over at the top of men's division one on the opening day of Oxford University's Torpids on the Isis yesterday. In the women's division one, Osler-Green, the leaders, held off a late challenge by St Catherine's. [List of Bumps & Starting Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Thu 6 March

  Osler-Green withstood St Catherine's series of sustained challenges for the headship of the women's divisions on the first day of Oxford University torpids.

  The mature medical students maintained their form despite the sight of St Catherine's snapping at their rudder a quarter of a length down off Donnington Bridge and again at the finish. [List of Bumps & Starting Order]

• The Times Fri 7 March

  Lincoln make progress

  There was little movement by the leading crews in the men's and women's top divisions on the second day of Oxford University Torpids on the Isis yesterday. The first six crews in the men's first division rowed over. Lincoln and Oriel II were the only colleges to progress. Christ Church have dropped four places over the two days, as have Pembroke, who were bumped by University and Lady Margaret Hall in the women's first division. [List of Bumps & Starting Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Fri 7 March, By John Allen

  New College fail their bump test

  The second day of Oxford Torpids saw the men's and women's head crews rowing over unscathed.

  Competent Oriel finished a healthy distance ahead of Pembroke. New College overlapped Brasenose but then missed the bump, while Christ Church were taken down a further notch, this time by Lincoln.

  St Catherine's women, having shown their hand on Wednesday, made little impression on Osler-Green. [List of Bumps & Starting Order]

• The Times Sat 8 March

  Christ Church improve

  Christ Church ended their downward spiral by rowing over on the third day of the Oxford University Torpids on the Isis yesterday. They held off Worcester in the men's first division, which produced only one bump — by Exeter, who caught St Edmund Hall approaching the Gut. Christ Church were, however, bumped out of the women's top division when they were caught by Lincoln. [List of Bumps]

• The Daily Telegraph Sat 8 March, just contains a list of bumps and the Saturday starting order.
• The Times Mon 10 March

  Headships retained

  Oriel and Osler-Green retained the headships of the Oxford University Torpids, which ended on the Isis on Saturday. Oriel were never seriously threatened by Pembroke, the nearest challengers, who finished well clear of Magdalen, the third-placed crew, but Osler-Green were made to work hard by St Catherine's in the women's first division. [List of Bumps & Finishing Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Mon 10 March, just contains a list of bumps and the Finishing order.

• Review from the 1997 Eights Programme, by William Breeze

  Among crews tipped as potential headship material were, aside from Oriel, both Pembroke amd Magdalen, starting second and third respectively. In the event, there was no change in the top three positions, and after the first day, the top six positions, in the men's first division. Despite valiant attempts on all four days, Pembroke were unable to dislodge Oriel from the Head, while Magdalen, having been coached all year, will have been disappointed not to have moved up. New College, after a fine Eights performance, moved up only one place, having been held off by Brasenose, something of an unknown quantity this year and certainly not expected to gain a place, moving to fourth in the process. Queen's won blades and moved into the first division, while Oriel II, not content with being the only second boat in the top two divisions, moved up three places to ninth on the river. In the second division, Trinity and Jesus both won blades, Jesus bumping the same crew as Trinity each day. Merton joined these two in winning blades, leaving the third division in the process. S.E.H. II suffered the ignominity of the greatest fall, eleven places over the four days of Torpids.

  The women went one better than the men and produced no change in the top four places, despite an assault on the headship by St Catherine's that must have had Osler-Green worried. Osler retained their position with rather more confidence on the following three days. Univ won blades and shot up five places, to fifth, while L.M.H. also won blades, although with the more traditional four bumps. Wolfson, ending up as sandwich boat, was one of three blade winners in the second division, along with S.E.H. and Keble. The largest fall seen in the women's divisions, as in the men's a collapse of eleven places, was that of Pembroke II.

• Men's head crew details taken from the photo caption in the 1997 Eights Programme

• In other news ... [1997]

  22 February

  Scientists at the Roslin Institute announce the birth of a cloned sheep named Dolly seven months after the fact.

  27 February

  The UK government loses its Commons majority again after a Labour victory at the Wirral South by-election.

  March 7

  In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers overrun a military base and kill at least 100.

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