Eights 1926Eights 1926
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Third Division Race — A view of the river at Oxford yesterday, the first day of Summer Eights, during the Third Division Race, showing Oriel II. and St. Edmund Hall on the left of the picture. In the distance are Brasenose II. and Queen's II. and University II. and Magdalen III., who bumped at the bend.
The Summer Eights races which will be started to-day at Oxford will be almost as abnormal as those which took place in 1919. As in that year, there will be only four nights' racing, but the boats will start with the normal interval between them and not with a longer one, as they then did.The article then lists the start order, with Division times of 4, 5 and 6pm.From the point of view of the spectators it seems a pity that the races could not have been held on the last four nights of the week, as there will be of a certainty many old rowing men who cannot afford to be tempted from office stools except on a Saturday, but the unavoidable consideration that some schools [i.e. examinations] start on Monday has decreed it otherwise, while the fact that Friday is the fourth of June has perhaps added weight to that consideration. Thus not only will the barges be less crowded than usual, but the rowing will have failed to benefit by the extra courses that could have been rowed on last Saturday had the crews been able to have until Wednesday for practice.
As it is the training has been of the most strenuous nature. Ten days may suffice to weld a Leander crew, composed of experienced oarsmen, into a crew that may win the Grand, providing that they have some luck in the draw, but ten days in which to train a College crew presents a more difficult problem. Most coaches have tried to crowd into ten days the work of three to four weeks. Further, counting on the fact that many oarsmen who had been doing hard work, such as at the docks, would be in good physical condition, rowing half courses was started immediately.
The result has been tolerably successful, for although no single crew of a really high class has emerged, the general run of crews is not so far below the average as one would expect, and, indeed, the crews in the lower part of the Second and Third Divisions seem to be, in comparison with those in the First Division, of a higher standard than usual.
The times done in the practice courses are all unusually level, and one would naturally suppose from this that there will be few bumps, at any rate in the First Division. The rowing generally suffers from the two faults that one would expect from the shortness of practice: slowness into the water and a certain clumsiness. On the other hand, there is considerably more work about many of the crews than there was last year, and one or two at least are capable of rowing 38 to 40 at the start, and not less than 33 all over. It is a pity that this year, when one's only chance of truly judging the merit of summer eights would have been at Henley, practically no crews will appear there, as one of the Pass Schools has been postponed to Regatta Week itself. As the Cambridge crews will be inconvenienced in the same manner, it looks as if the very strong Leander crews now practising will have matters very much their own way in the open events. Oxford, it is almost certain, will have no crew for the Grand at all.
In the First Divisions Christ Church will start Head of the River, and in spite of the fact that they had six Blues rowing in the University crew only four will take part to-day, as Pitman has gone down and the younger Edwards is not rowing. Usually four Blues are too much for a College crew, but no blame can be attributed to the stern four in this crew. Shaw at stroke, Murray-Threipland at No. 7, Edwards at No. 6, and Rathbone at No. 5 are all rowing well, if a trifle heavily. It is the bow four who are so weak. Indeed they look very like another four rowing in the same boat. As a crew they are fairly neat and are capable of a full 38 strokes a minute. They are probably good enough to keep their place, but are certainly not in the same class as their crew of last year.
Brasenose, who follow them are very heavy and slow into the water and are not apparently as fast as Christ Church, in front, or Magdalen, behind them, but they have the advantage of length in the water, and if they can keep away till after the gut should be safe in the second half of the course. Popplewell, at No. 7, an old Westminster Eightsman, is rowing well, and Crawford, the Blue, is rowing better than he did in the University crew, and in improved style.
Magdalen, who start third, are probably the best crew on the river, but by so small a margin that they do not look like bumping Christ Church even if they can catch B.N.C. In the last 46 years Magdalen have been one of the first four crews, and except in 1914 one of the first three, and strangely enough in this century they have always seemed to excel when there were practically no Blues in the boat. This year they are a neat and level crew, stroked by Johnson, the winning Trial Eight stroke. No individual stands out, but the crew get their pace by beginning and finishing together. James, at No, 5, is a past winner of the Eton Pulling, who should be watched. At the moment he has an awkward head catch, but in another year, when he is more robust, he might prove a worthy successor to his cousin, the Hon. W. E. C. James, who was President in 1921.
New College have been coached by Dr. Bourne, and in their neatness show signs of his never-failing skill at imparting the technique of wristwork, but their training has been none too easy, and only last Thursday three men were taken out of the second crew and put in the stern seats of the first. Stroke, 7, and 6 went to bow, 3, and 4; 4 to 2, and only 5 kept his seat. After only three days' practice and so drastic an expedient, it is wonderful that they are as good a crew as they are, but they are very short, and it seems as if they must go below fourth, a position which is the lowest they have held for 43 years. No. 5 is rowing extremely well and has a particularly easy style for a rather big man.
Merton, who follow them, are rowing with shortened slides, and this had robbed them of much of the robustness of style and length which has been so marked a feature of Merton rowing during the last few years. They are short in the water, with the exception of Hoare at 6 and Mounsey at 5, both of whom, particularly the latter, are rowing well, and they will be lucky if they maintain their place.
Queen's are reputed to be a very fast crew off the mark, but they are clumsy and do not show to such advantage in the second as in the first half of the course. Of the other crews in the First Division Wadham have some neatness and length. Trinity and Lincoln, where Franklin is rowing excellently at 5, are both hard-working crews. Pembroke, who start one from the bottom, row the fastest stroke of any crew on the river, which should be of help to them, particularly this year, when crew have not had the time to acquire pace by style.
Balliol, who start head of the Second Division, are supposed to have done the fastest times of any crew in practice, but their rowing is not so convincing as their paddling. Peppercorn at 6 is individually rowing better than anybody on the river at the moment, and the well-drilled precision of the crew does great credit to the coaching of Mr. Pazolt, the Beaumont coach. At the same time they lack the drive which would be necessary for them to make bumps if they were starting higher on the river.
Magdalen II and New College II, both good second crews, start immediately behind Balliol, and it is difficult to say which will remain the head second crew. University, with the President [J. D. W. Thomson] rowing 6, are fourth, but they are not a good crew, and are unlikely to improve their position, although No. 5 is one of the best men rowing in the eights, a really solid worker of the type too rarely seen.
Jesus, who start seventh, are as good a crew as their successful crew of last year were, and might easily make four bumps. Jesus rowing is very much to the front now and, at the present rate of improvement, may yet be challenging the position of her more famous sister college. After Magdalen and Balliol this crew is the best combined on the river.
In the Third Division all crews seem up to the average. Keble should improve their position, and apart from this, the most noticeable feature is the appearance of a second St. Catherine's crew.
There was a large attendace on the College Barges and on the riverside yesterday at Oxford, when racing in the Summer Eights was begun.Owing to the strike, the races have been curtailed to four days. The number of boats entered is 40, one more than last year. Pembroke and Jesus have withdrawn their second crews, and Hertford and St. Catherine's have put in second crews and Christ Church a third.
Third Division
Order of starting in the Third Division was :— Brasenose II, Queen's II, University II, Magdalen III, Wadham II, Oriel II, St. Edmund Hall, Keble, Trinity II, St. John's II, Lincoln II, Hertford II, St. Catherine's II, and Christ Church III. Queen's II bumped Brasenose II shortly before reaching the Long Bridges, and near the same spot University II were bumped by Magdalen III. St. Edmund Hall were bumped by Keble near the Weirs Bridge, and Lincoln II displaced St. John's II after passing the Freewater Stone.Second Division
The order of starting in the Second Division was :— Balliol, Magdalen II, New College II, University, St. John's, Corpus Christi, Jesus, Merton II, Hertford, Christ Church II, Worcester II, Balliol II, St. Catherine's, Brasenose II [? Queen's II presumably]. Magdalen II drew up on Balliol from the start, and bumped them at the Red Post. Near the Long Bridges University were bumped by St. John's. Hertford went off at a great pace, and bumped Merton II at Haystack Corner, and Balliol II bumped Worcester II at the Green Bank.First Division
The order of starting in the First Division was :— Christ Church, Brasenose, Magdalen, New College, Merton, Queen's, Exeter, Oriel, Wadham, Trinity, Lincoln, Worcester, Pembroke, and Magdalen II. Christ Church, who have been at the head of the river in the past two years, kept the position with ease, but between the next two boats, Brasenose and Magdalen, there was an exciting struggle. The latter were close up at the Boathouse, but Brasenose drew away slightly, and passed the post half a length to the good, New College at the time being about the same distance away from Magdalen. Oriel were bumped by Wadham at the Long Bridges, and Trinity were bumped by Lincoln at the Free Ferry.The races will be continued to-day.
Racing in the Summer Eights was continued at Oxford yesterday. In the three divisions 11 bumps were made.Third Division
The order of starting in the Third Division was :— Queen's II, Brasenose II, Magdalen III, University II, Wadham II, Oriel II, Keble, St. Edmund Hall, Trinity II, Lincoln II, St. John's II, Hertford II, St. Catherine's II, and Christ Church III. Near the Long Bridges Magdalen III gained rapidly on Brasenose II, but lost some distance through one of the crew catching a crab. They recovered, however, and made their bump at the Cherwell. Wadham II gained on University II from the start and bumped them at the Willows. Oriel II were quickly bumped by Keble at the Free Ferry, and Hertford II bumped St. John's II shortly after passing the Freewater Stone.Second Division
The order of starting in the Second Division was :— Magdalen II, Balliol, New College II, St. John's, University, Corpus Christi, Jesus, Hertford, Merton II, Christ Church II, Balliol II, Worcester II, St. Catherine's, and Queen' II. St. John's bumped New College II at the Free Ferry. Corpus Christi gained rapidly on University in Iffley Reach and bumped them at the Freewater Stone. Christ Church II bumped Merton II at Haystacks Corner, and Worcester II were bumped by St. Catherine's at the Free Ferry.First Division
The order of starting in the First Division was Christ Church, Brasenose, Magdalen, New College, Merton, Queen's, Exeter, Wadham, Oriel, Lincoln, Trinity, Worcester, Pembroke, and Magdalen II. Christ Church kept the lead easily, finishing two lengths in front of Brasenose, who again had a severe struggle to escape Magdalen, half a length separating them at the post. Queen's were bumped by Exeter in front of the latter's College Barge. Oriel were bumped by Lincoln at the Free Ferry and Pembroke were bumped by Magdalen II at the Long Bridges.The races will be continued to-day.
The showery weather caused the attendance at the Summer Eights at Oxford yesterday to be smaller than on the two preceding days, and there were fewer bumps than usual.Third Division
The order of starting in the Third Division was :— Queen's II, Magdalen III, Brasenose II, Wadham II, University II, Keble, Oriel II, St. Edmund Hall, Trinity II, Lincoln II, Hertford II, St. John's II, St. Catherine's II, and Christ Church III. Keble gained rapidly on University II, and bumped them at the Free Ferry, and at the same spot Trinity II were bumped by Lincoln II. St. John's II were bumped by St. Catherine's II at the Willows.Second Division
The order of starting in the Second Division was :— Pembroke, Balliol, St. John's, New College II, Corpus Christi, University, Jesus, Hertford, Christ Church II, Merton II, Balliol II, St. Catherine's, Worcester II, and Queen' II. Balliol were bumped by St. John's shortly after passing the Freewater Stone. Jesus were within a quarter of a length of University at the finish. Merton II were bumped by Balliol II at the Weirs Bridge, and Worcester II were bumped by Queen's II at the Willows.First Division Order
The order of starting in the First Division was :— Christ Church, Brasenose, Magdalen, New College, Merton, Exeter, Queen's, Wadham, Lincoln, Oriel, Trinity, Worcester, Magdalen II, and Pembroke. There were only two bumps in this division, making the total eight. There was no change in the first six boats. Christ Church retained the Headship without exerting themselves, but Brasenose were so hardly pressed by Magdalen that at the post only a quarter of a length separated them. Queen's were bumped by Wadham at the Free Ferry and Oriel were bumped by Trinity at the Willows.The races will be continued to-day.
Racing in the Summer Eights was concluded at Oxford yesterday. Eleven bumps were made, bringing the total in the four days to 40.Third Division
The order of starting in the Third Division was :— Worcester II, Magdalen III, Brasenose II, Wadham II, Keble, University II, Oriel II, St. Edmund Hall, Lincoln II, Trinity II, Hertford II, St. Catherine's II, St. John's II, and Christ Church III. Magdalen III bumped Worcester II at the Free Ferry. Keble made another upward move by bumping Wadham II near the Freewater Stone. Oriel II bumped University II at the Willows, Lincoln II bumped St. Edmund Hall before reaching the Free Ferry, and at the Green Bank Trinity II were bumped by Hertford II.Second Division
The order of starting in the Second Division was :— Pembroke, St. John's, Balliol, New College II, Corpus Christi, University, Jesus, Hertford, Christ Church II, Balliol II, Merton II, St. Catherine's, Queen' II, and Magdalen II. Pembroke lost the Headship of the Division by being bumped by St. John's at the Freewater Stone, and before reaching this point Balliol were bumped by New College II, and very early in the race Merton II were bumped by St. Catherine's.First Division
The order of starting in the First Division was :— Christ Church, Brasenose, Magdalen, New College, Merton, Exeter, Wadham, Queen's, Lincoln, Trinity, Oriel, Worcester, Magdalen II, and St. John's. Christ Church maintained the leading position without difficulty, thus retaining the Headship of the River for three consecutive years. Brasenose, after narrowly escaping disaster on the two previous evenings, were bumped after an exciting struggle by Magdalen opposite the barge of the latter. Merton at one time overlapped New College, but failed to make the bump. Queen's were bumped by Lincoln near the Freewater Stone, and Oriel were bumped by Worcester at the Free Ferry.
Return to Bumps Index