Torpids 2000

Notes

• No racing due to high stream

• The Daily Telegraph Tue 29 Feb, by By Geoffrey Page (Headline and main article discussing Lents, which run different divisions on different days)

  ... At Oxford, the Torpids start tomorrow for all divsions... Oriel were deposed by Pembroke after years of dominating Torpids and Summer Eights. However, they stayed Head in the latter last summer and could take over the top spot again this week.

• The Times Wed 1 March

  The opening day's racing in the Oxford University Torpids today has been put back because of adverse conditions.

• The Daily Telegraph Thu 2 March

  Torpids Cancelled

  The first day's racing of the Oxford University Torpids was cancelled because of fast stream conditions.

  Today's programme has also been cancelled but there are provisional plans for the first three men's and first two women's divisions to race in half-divisions tomorrow.

  Race secretary Nick Harding reported that racing had been abandoned after discussion with the environment agency, the senior umpire and the lock-keeper at Iffley, where the weirs are fully open and the river level still rising.

• The Times Fri 3 March

  Racing today in the Oxford University Torpids has been cancelled for the third successive day because of the dangerous conditions on the Isis.

• The Daily Telegraph Fri 3 March

  The shortened programme of 10 half-divisions in the Oxford Torpids scheduled for today has been cancelled because of the continuing fast stream and extremely high river level.

  There is a slight chance of the abbreviated programme being raced tomorrow.

• The Daily Telegraph Sat 4 March

  A high river level caused the cancellation of the fourth day's racing in the Oxford Torpids today.

• Review from the 2000 Eights Programme, by William Breeze

  For the first time ever [actually since 1977], Torpids was cancelled this year. An exceptionally high stream, due to very heavy rainfall, made the river, in the eyes of OURCs, the boatmen and the Environment Agency, unrowable. While the decision was reasonable, it was immensely disappointing to rowers who had trained, in some cases, for nearly six months.

  There was not a great deal of previous rowing information to provide a guide to form. The OUBC regatta in Eighth Week saw a victory for Exeter over Jesus, who had in turn beaten Pembroke. Would Pembroke have retained the Torpids Headship? At Bedford Head, Oriel posted faster times than Exeter, as well as visiting Tab crews Caius and 1st and 3rd Trinity. Towpath pundits predicted a return to the Headship for Oriel, but any such assertions can only be supposition. The events of Eights Week will provide some guide as to what might have been.

• In other news ... [2000]

  March 2

  Indictment and arrest of Augusto Pinochet: The UK deports Augusto Pinochet to his native Chile where he will face trial for human rights violations.

  March 4

  The PlayStation 2 is released in Japan, followed by other releases in western markets in late 2000.

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