In this Issue ...

Andrew Triggs Hodge, stroke of the GB Coxless Four.

World Rowing Championships

Chris Liwski, no.5 in the US Eight.

This year's World Rowing Championships were held at Dorney Lake, near Eton. Apart from being the first time the event had been held in Britain for 20 years, it had special significance for St Catherine's with 4 of our alumni competing. I sneaked off work for a couple of mornings to go and watch, and spotted at least another 14 current or ex boat club members with the same idea.

Andrew Triggs Hodge (M.04) made the headlines with his gold in the coxless fours event, extending their unbeaten run to 24 races. They also made a lot of fans afterwards by pulling into the bank by the public enclosures and wading ashore to mix with the crowds.

Bastien Ripoll, stroke of the French Eight.

Chris Liwski (M.04), rowing at no.5 in the US Eight, won a bronze but possibly took some extra satisfaction in knowing that he had already beaten a couple of the winning German crew in the 2005 Boat Race.

Bastien Ripoll (M.05), after stroking the victorious 2006 OUBC and St Catz crews, stroked the French VIII here but couldn't quite continue his winning run as they finished 2nd in the B final, i.e., 8th in the overall rankings.

Colin Smith, bow of the GB Coxless Pair.

Colin Smith (M.03), partnering this year's CUBC President Tom James, achieved their target of making the 'A' final - his first in a Senior World Championships - but was probably disappointed not to have managed better than 6th.

The Catz contingent helped ensure that it was also a good Championships for the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race: a total of 21 Men's Blues were taking part, 13 Oxford and 8 Cambridge.

At the Under-23 World Championships, held a month earlier in Hazewinkel, Nick Brodie (M.05) coxed the GB 4+ which finished 5th. Rowing in that boat was Rob Hollis, who is now Catz' senior coach.

Fiona Howarth (M.00) and Laura Goodsir (M.99) adjusting to rowing in a Catz boat once more.

At the beginning of July, Paul Halfpenny (M.97) took a bronze in the elite VIIIs event at the Swiss National Championships held on Lake Lucerne. A week later, Lucerne hosted the 3rd Round of the Rowing World Cup, regarded as a useful form-guide for the coming World Championships. Andy Triggs Hodge continued his winning ways in the GB 4-, an event in which Bastien Ripoll's French crew finished 10th. And in their first race of the season, Colin Smith's GB pair came a suprisingly close 2nd.

Meanwhile, apart from Smith & Ripoll, three other members of the summer 1st Eight were racing at Henley Royal Regatta: Bruce Magee and Stephan Moelvig rowing in the Leander & Molesey crew which defeated Oxford University & Oxford Brookes, coxed by Nick Brodie, in the semifinals of the Ladies Plate. Matt Smith (M.99) also made a come-back, rowing for Crabtree & Bosporos (essentially the CUBC and OUBC alumni clubs) in the Vistors'.

Tony Mitchell (M.78), teaming up again with Sarah Payne, won the Mixed VetC double scull at Henley Vets and, racing as 'St Catherine's', took the Mixed Vet doubles title in the recent Pairs Head.

Tony also raced at City of Oxford Regatta, as did Jim Usherwood (M.92), sculling for Falcon, and Charlotte Alldritt (M.04) in a Wallingford VIII, but none of our alumni had much success here.

There were a couple of less competitive summer outings on the Isis: Sarah Boddy rounded up a bunch of old girls on the Sunday after Eights (although the rowing was only a minor part of a weekend of 'social' activities), and a rather more venerable group of gentlemen went out in the afternoon before the Gaudy. It was a hot day and perhaps letting the women's Captain, Amy, stroke was a bit of a mistake.

Leslie Singleton (M.65)

White Blazers are a perfectly splendid way to dress up for Henley or any other Regatta one is lucky enough to have a reason to go to in the Summer, not to mention Boat Club Dinners. Ours is more attractive than most in that the Magenta Wheel on the pocket proclaims who we are.

As is well known, though, there are problems. They are expensive, especially so with the proper dual coloured piping - Magenta and French Grey. Because of this, such few Blazers as have been bought in last few decades tended to be made up on a basis once described to me as 'an economy drive', using single off-the-shelf red (nobody has ever explained why red) ribbon.

A year or two after going down, Mark Stevens and I were at Henley and wondered what was stopping us obtaining pukka Blazers. Mark went off to Darkest Africa - where I think he still is - and I undertook to obtain the best Blazers I could for both of us. I went in to Castells - this was before the merger with Walters - and made it clear that, come what may, Mark and I wanted the proper colours. These were simply the Society's colours (not the original but that's another story) and there wasn't too much doubt about what the colours should be, as a glance at the Boater Ribbons, any tie, the First Eight wrap, the Society scarf or best of all Simon Clark's father's Blazer. Simon is now a Fellow of the College but coxed the First Eight in my time wearing his father's Blazer - none of the present Health and Safety nonsense. His father, also an alumnus, coxed the First Eight in 1922. Simon's father's Blazer was unquestionably dual piping, Magenta and French Grey. Simon also has one of his father's ties. Unfortunately Simon's mother without thinking threw out her husband's Blazer when he died. Sob!

Back to my visit to Castells, they gathered I meant business but said they didn't have anything like a full roll of woven dual Magenta and French Grey piping (they like to think in terms of whole boats at once buying Blazers). Might I see what they did have, I asked? I was privileged to be taken down in to the brick vaults below the shop and we found a roll with nearly two Blazers' worth of piping on it. Being the super chap I am we did the best we could and made up two identical Blazers, one for me, one for Mark. The piping on the sleeves had to be bodged in both cases.

Recently I learnt in Walters that another alumnus - it turned out to be Graham ("Danny") Kaye - had recently fought and won his own fight on the same subject. He too had no time for the 'single red' and came away with correct piping on a new Blazer and very nice it looked too at the last Boat Club Dinner!

The reason I had gone in to Walters was to enquire how easy it would be to have my Blazer increased in size. By report I had expected it to be difficult and expensive (various senior members of the Rowing Society having told me that 'girth' is the reason they no longer wear their Blazers) but in fact it was VERY easy and inexpensive. To be precise, having it taken apart, new gussets (I think they are called) inserted, including on the sleeves, and the piping gaps filled and the piping bodge as above corrected cost £50. Douglas is the man to ask for at Walters.

Walters now have a new technique for dual piping which consists simply of very finely stitching together the two colours. This new method is cheaper than the old with less of a minimum order size.

I write

1. to encourage all Blazer owners with the single red piping to upgrade as above and
2. to ask that Walters be officially notified that red is dead.