Newsletter#2, Michaelmas Term, 2001 (15th December)
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Report from Matt Hilton, Men's Captain (Photo:right)

Last year, rowing in Michaelmas term was stifled somewhat due to the inordinate quantity of rainfall Oxford saw. This time round, we have been a lot luckier with the weather, the Isis holding its 'no flag' status throughout. This has allowed us to focus on getting as many novices involved in rowing as possible. Four novice eights (two men's, two women's) were entered in Christ Church Regatta. The two first crews both got as far as the quarter finals before being knocked out, and were unlucky not to go further, making 2001 our most successful Christ Church for some time. The senior squad has also made a successful start this year. With the new coach, Marcus Munafo on board, training has been focussed on fitness for Torpids next term. Again this year, we have taken advantage of the excellent facilities at Dorney Lake, Eton College's man-made rowing lake, to run technical training weekends. With a large amount of talent coming in with the 2001 intake, and with many from last year's 2nd VIII progressing in terms of fitness and ability, the squad is in an excellent position and currently has great potential for Torpids 2002. The year was aptly ended with a win in the Novice IVs category at Wallingford Head: Alasdair Howie (bow), Peter Dale, John Goldfinch, Simon Risoe (str), Matt Denmark (cox). Things are looking promising.

This term the senior women's squad have been training as a coxed four. Although they did not compete in any competitions they improved dramatically over the course of the term and that four will make up the core of the eight next term. We spent two weekends at the Rowing Lake at Eton using Army equipment, courtesy of the new men's coach, Marcus Munafo. During these weekends the girls went out in singles and pairs and the four and improved their watermanship enormously. Coupled with a strong crop of novices we are looking forward to next term when the challenge of retaining the Headship will be grappled.

The big national rowing event of the term was the Fours Head of the River on 2nd November. There were no St Catz entries but a number of students and alumni took part. Matt Pinsent (M.89) and Neil Chugani (M.87) rowing in Leander III finished 12th overall, winning the coxed four pennant; Mike Bull (Nephthys I) 199th; Will Mulholland (Nephthys III) 209th; Ben Parry (M.95, Reading V) 293rd; Caroline Trotter (M.95, Vesta IV) 343rd; Fiona Howarth (Osiris III) 399th. Matt Smith (Isis I) and newcomer Angus Warner (Isis II) also had good rows but were disqualified, apparently due to the names on their entry forms bearing insufficient resemblance to the names of the people actually sitting in the boats. One of the hazards of a 'squad system'.

Photo: Matthew Smith at the British Indoor Rowing Championships (Photo from the Concept2 web-page)

Last Wednesday, Matt Smith and Angus Warner both featured in the OUBC Trials Race, rowing stroke in Bitter and no.4 in Sweet respectively. No danger of a disqualification there, I suppose. Bitter won by 8 seconds and the headline writers seem to have decided where the blame lies: 'Smith inspires victory' (The Times) and 'Smith's Bitter settles well' (Daily Telegraph). Matt Smith is St Catz' 10th and most recent OUBC Blue, but whatever happened to our 1st Blue, Peter Miller (M.65), cox of the 1967 Blue Boat? Nigel Lloyd (M.67) sends word from Cambridge that they are both active members of what used to be the Free Press Boat Club - perhaps the only boat club in the country named after a pub - but which, since the landlord moved taking the crew with him, has recently been renamed the 'X-Press Boat Club'.

The College is arranging a series of Anniversary Dinners throughout 2002. To coincide with these, the Rowing Society & Boat Club hope to organise outings for those who would like to get back into a boat, probably late afternoon before the dinner itself. Details to follow, but you might want to start talking your contemporaries into/out of it now. You may also recall that our club room in the new boathouse is still looking rather bleak. All fine and character-building for the current rowers, of course, but we old folk deserve something a little more comfortable. Anyway, decisions have been made, costs approved and, by Torpids (and the first of these alumni outings), things should be looking a lot smarter.

Meanwhile, two years on, the weeds continue to grow undisturbed over the burnt-out ruins of the OUBC boathouse. With a nicely ironic twist, the surrounding wire fence bears notices warning 'Construction Site - Keep Out'. However a large shed has now been erected behind OUBC to serve as a temporary boathouse for Univ and other former residents from next term.

Finally a request from Bruce Mitchell. Those of you (well, OK, those of us) who haven't got around to returning the revised Standing Order forms are urged to do so as soon as possible. If you've lost yours you can get a copy from the Rowing Society web-page or by contacting me.

Anu Dudhia (email: dudhia@atm.ox.ac.uk )

Links

St Catherine's College

Oxford University Rowing Clubs

St Catherine's College Boat Club

St Catherine's Rowing Society