In this Issue ...

The view across a flooded Christ Church meadow. A few more inches, maybe some buoys, and I think we'll have ourselves an alternative rowing venue.

Less affected by the local conditions, four of our students feature in the Oxford crews announced for this year's Boat Races, yet, for different reasons, even one of those looks like ending up in a 'virtual' race.

There was a brief window of opportunity in which College crews not only managed to get on the water but also to race, although having spent more of the term than usual not wearing rowing kit, there has been a revival of interest in gentlemen's tailoring.

There are recollections of events of 40 years ago (which the more delicate reader may wish to avoid) and news from alumni of that period, while a contemporary, Leslie Singleton, has been piecing together some old programmes.

Isis Winter League E		19th Feb
Crew	Time	Position
Men's A	4:54	4th/19 Men's VIIIs
Women's A	5:39	2nd/20 Women's VIIIs
Women's B	6:14	10th/20 Women's VIIIs
Bedford Head		4th Feb
Crew	Time	Position
Nov 4+	5:15	4th/13 crews
S4 4+	5:17	2nd/5 crews
WS3 8	5:21	9th/13 crews
WS4 8	5:21	8th/12 crews

Crews for the 2007 Boat Race were announced on 12th March. Croatian international Ante Kusurin continues our recent occupation of the OUBC stroke seat while Nick Brodie has once again been selected to cox (no doubt hoping that there won't be another late switch this year). Anthony Mullin, a Yorkshireman who only took up rowing while studying in the US, rows at no.3 in Isis.

A couple of our former Blues have also been involved in the Boat Race crews' practice fixtures. Last Friday, Andy Triggs Hodge (2005) stroked a Molesey crew which got the better of Cambridge, although if Oxford drew any satisfaction from that encounter it would only have lasted until the following day when they themselves came off second best against a Leander crew stroked by Colin Smith (2004,2006). Molesey, Leander and, for once, CUBC, should all be contesting next Saturday's Head of the River Race.

In the Henley Boat Races the following day, Catz will be represented by Alex Zdravkovic rowing bow in Nephthys, the lightweight second boat. As mentioned in the last newsletter, it seems unlikely that Cambridge will be fielding any opposition this year so they may end up just rowing over the course, which must be a tad irritating for them. However, I see that there is also a Nephthys entry for the Eights Head so, sensibly, they seem to found themselves an alternative challenge to justify 6 months of hard training.

Women's Boat Club Report

The Women's 1st Torpid racing in the Isis Winter League at the start of 6th Week.

This term has not been an easy one, but whenever the club was given the opportunity, it really shone. It all started with a week's training camp before term started, during which we were unable to get on the water at all, we worked hard on our fitness and the girls really started to bond as a team. The term was a matter as doing the most we could when the weather was on our side, and when the rain came we did many many circuits and weights sessions.

We got the opportunity to put our hard work into action with Bedford Head, where the girls did extremely well. We entered one eight and raced it twice, I think our performance put the fear in the other colleges that competed, our times equalling that of Queen's College, placed 2nd on the river for Torpids. Our success was repeated when we took part in the Isis Winter league, and came 2nd, beating Oriel who are currently head of the river in Torpids. Our hopes were high in the weeks heading up to Torpids as we knew there was a good chance we were going to move up from 3rd on the river, and might be taking home the headship blades.

The Men's 1st Torpid racing in the Isis Winter League.

Another term, another frustrating state of affairs with the state of the river in Oxford. It was with great disappointment we bore witness to the cancellation of each successive day of Torpids before our boats could reach the bung lines. Thus the headship for the girls will have to wait for one more year, while the men's rapid rise through Division I also took a temporary reprieve.

Still, the term was not completely without its racing with both the men's and women's crews entering Bedford Head for what was thought to be a build up to the term's bumps racing. The men entered two coxed fours in the novice and senior four divisions, posting some strong times. In the senior division they were just one second from the fastest time, with the novice boat then posting a time two seconds quicker, which would have put them at the head of senior four. However both boats noted with satisfaction that with their times they had managed to outpace our namesakes in Cambridge University.

Eyes are now focused on the coming term and what is hoped will be a thrilling (and complete) Summer Eights programme. Trinity term will also see the return of those members of St Catherine's who have spent the past two terms with the University Squads. At this stage, then, a sense of optimism is once more possible; all eager to get back on the water after so many false starts, the coming months will hopefully provide a more positive report of proceedings.

The College Barge - scene of many a crime and unnatural act over the years.

We had an Australian graduate (John Corbett) who was an excellent oarsman (think we put him at 5 or 6) but he was a medical graduate and always said he could not afford the time on the river. However, we managed to persuade him to become part of the regular crew (1st VIII '65-'66) on a rather strange condition. Ian Lewis who was Vice Capt of Boats at the time also had something to do with this negotiation. John wanted to try and test his theories about body temperature during high pressure sport reaching surprisingly high levels which might normally be considered dangerous. He really wanted us to row with a monitoring system in the boat and thermometer up our backsides but this proved rather complicated to arrange. He settled for us having to come alongside the Catz barge pontoon (which gave a little more privacy than the OUBC pontoon) and each of us had to leap out of the boat and drop our pants to be measured with the aid of his pretty assistant armed with 8 thermometers and some vaseline!

In the summer of '66 the 1st VIII got into various cars and we drove over to Paris for a return race again HEC (Haute Etudes Commerciale) which was great fun but I really cannot remember who won since it was the event which was actually more important than the result [see p126 of the History for more].

We also had a lot of parties on the barge in the '65-'67 period but it smelt like a brewery the next day until we pumped out the bilges.

It might be a little outside the period but it must have been '68 when, after an unusually raucous BC dinner, a good member of the Catz BC, Ron Collins, attempted to drive a steam engine into the quad but left a trail of broken flagstones behind him. Sadly Ron died recently but he was a very colourful character in Catz BC and a good friend of many of us.

Old Programmes

Leslie Singleton

Programmes means Eights Week Programmes: I have bits, only, of those for 1935, 1936 and 1937. The consecutive dates are pure coincidence which I say because the programmes come from different sources over 40 years. I find what they contain fascinating.

1935 Head of the River?

I only have one page for 1935 but it is of some interest because, in a way, it shows us as Head of the River. How? Well, it is a map of the Barges in that year and our Barge is clearly shown as right at the top up near Salters. Beat that! We know from the beginning chart in the 1936 Programme that we finished 5th in the Second Division in 1935.

1936 Six Days' Racing

Everybody knows that Eights lasted a full six days then but what I for one did not learn till recently was that the racing then was a perhaps counterintuitive Thursday to Wednesday inclusive (rather than from Monday to Saturday as might have been expected, with the last day on a Saturday). At least that's what the 1936 (and 1937) Programme clearly shows.

What I have for 1936 shows on Front Cover: Summer "Eights" 1936 "Blue" Race Chart 18th Annual Issue Order of Starting Monday, May 25th. (the quotation marks are as is and the colour of the cover is indeed Blue - Light Blue in fact)

By that stage we had gone down two, once on the Friday and again on the Saturday meaning we were by then 20th on the River. We obviously went down one more place because we are shown as starting 21st on the River on the first day in the 1937 Programme.

Oriel almost certainly rowed over as Head all week. The only day in doubt is the Tuesday in that the 1937 Programme shows them starting the 1937 week at Head.

1937 Doom and Gloom

Anyone thinking that 1936 was bad should think again. In those days Colleges, or at least some Colleges, produced their own Chart of the Eights. I have Worcester's and New's for 1937 (I hope to be forgiven for keeping it simple and describing these as Programmes above, which they strictly are not).

These both show results as bad as they can be. The First Eight went down six in to the Third Division and I suspect the Second Eight also went down six to 58th, sixth from Bottom in the Fifth Division. The doubt arises because the last day has not been manually entered for the lower boats on the Charts I have. The Second Eight certainly went down five till the last day. New College bumped Oriel on the 2nd day and stayed Head the remainder of the week.

Coming Up ...

In the next newsletter there will be reports on the University Boat Races and arrangements for Eights. There will also be a look back at the Boat Club of 50 years ago, 1957, when David Gebbett was Captain. Items for the News from Alumni section are always welcome.

1 Apr 2007	Henley Boat Races
7 Apr 2007	The Boat Race
23-26 May 2007	Eights
26 May 2007	Boathouse Lunch