Eights 1979

MEN'S BUMPS WOMEN'S BUMPS

STANDINGS Start Finish Pos College Pts Pts College 1 Oriel 211 210 Oriel 2 Christ Church 205 210 Christ Church 3 Keble 197 199 S.E.H. 4 S.E.H. 191 198 Keble 5 Balliol 165 166 Balliol 6 University 158 155 Lincoln 7 Wadham 149 150 Exeter 8 New College 146 143 University 9 Merton 145 143 Wadham 10 Exeter 145 138 Pembroke 11 Lincoln 141 137 Merton 12 Pembroke 129 125 New College 13 Queen's 114 119 Queen's 14 St Catherine's 110 109 Worcester 15 Worcester 108 106 Magdalen 16 St John's 106 103 St Catherine's 17 Magdalen 97 97 Corpus Christi 18 Corpus Christi 95 94 St John's 19 Jesus 91 93 Jesus 20 St Peter's 89 83 St Peter's 21 Trinity 76 76 Trinity 22 Hertford 76 72 Hertford 23 Brasenose 73 71 Brasenose 24 Osler House 59 69 Osler House 25 Wolfson 42 43 Wolfson 26 Mansfield 31 36 Mansfield 27 L.M.H. 24 27 St Hugh's 28 St Hugh's 24 22 Somerville 29 Linacre 20 22 L.M.H. 30 Somerville 17 20 Linacre 31 St Hilda's 9 9 St Hilda's 32 Regent's Park 7 8 Regent's Park 33 St Anne's 6 4 St Anne's

STATISTICS College All Crews Men's Crews Women's Crews [ ]=ranking Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Crews Bps Avg Keble 6[ 5] 12[ 1] 2.00[ 2] 6[ 3] 12[ 1] 2.00[ 2] Lincoln 6[ 5] 10[ 2] 1.67[ 4] 6[ 3] 10[ 2] 1.67[ 4] Osler House 4[17] 8[ 3] 2.00[ 2] 3[19] 6[ 5] 2.00[ 2] 1[ 9] 2[ 3] 2.00[ 2] S.E.H. 7[ 2] 8[ 3] 1.14[ 8] 7[ 1] 8[ 3] 1.14[ 7] Worcester 5[11] 7[ 5] 1.40[ 7] 5[ 9] 7[ 4] 1.40[ 6] Merton 5[11] 4[ 6] 0.80[ 9] 5[ 9] 4[ 6] 0.80[ 8] Regent's Park 1[32] 3[ 7] 3.00[ 1] 1[28] 3[ 8] 3.00[ 1] St Hugh's 2[28] 3[ 7] 1.50[ 5] 2[ 4] 3[ 1] 1.50[ 5] Mansfield 2[28] 3[ 7] 1.50[ 5] 2[26] 3[ 8] 1.50[ 5] Brasenose 4[17] 3[ 7] 0.75[10] 3[19] 1[12] 0.33[12] 1[ 9] 2[ 3] 2.00[ 2] Wadham 7[ 2] 3[ 7] 0.43[13] 5[ 9] 4[ 6] 0.80[ 8] 2[ 4] -1[ 9] -0.50[10] Oriel 7[ 2] 2[12] 0.29[14] 7[ 1] 2[10] 0.29[13] St Hilda's 2[28] 1[13] 0.50[11] 2[ 4] 1[ 6] 0.50[ 6] Magdalen 2[28] 1[13] 0.50[11] 2[26] 1[12] 0.50[11] Jesus 4[17] 0[15] 0.00[15] 3[19] -2[19] -0.67[20] 1[ 9] 2[ 3] 2.00[ 2] Trinity 3[24] 0[15] 0.00[15] 3[19] 0[14] 0.00[14] Corpus Christi 5[11] 0[15] 0.00[15] 4[14] -3[21] -0.75[22] 1[ 9] 3[ 1] 3.00[ 1] Christ Church 6[ 5] 0[15] 0.00[15] 6[ 3] 0[14] 0.00[14] Pembroke 6[ 5] -1[19] -0.17[19] 6[ 3] -1[16] -0.17[16] Linacre 5[11] -1[19] -0.20[20] 3[19] 2[10] 0.67[10] 2[ 4] -3[13] -1.50[12] Balliol 4[17] -1[19] -0.25[21] 4[14] -1[16] -0.25[17] Somerville 3[24] -1[19] -0.33[22] 3[ 1] -1[ 9] -0.33[ 9] Exeter 5[11] -2[23] -0.40[23] 5[ 9] -2[19] -0.40[19] L.M.H. 3[24] -2[23] -0.67[24] 3[ 1] -2[11] -0.67[11] St Anne's 1[32] -2[23] -2.00[30] 1[ 9] -2[11] -2.00[13] Queen's 6[ 5] -4[26] -0.67[24] 6[ 3] -4[22] -0.67[20] Wolfson 4[17] -5[27] -1.25[28] 3[19] -5[23] -1.67[24] 1[ 9] 0[ 8] 0.00[ 8] Hertford 6[ 5] -6[28] -1.00[27] 4[14] -1[16] -0.25[17] 2[ 4] -5[14] -2.50[14] St Catherine's 9[ 1] -7[29] -0.78[26] 6[ 3] -8[24] -1.33[23] 3[ 1] 1[ 6] 0.33[ 7] St John's 4[17] -8[30] -2.00[30] 4[14] -8[24] -2.00[26] New College 3[24] -8[30] -2.67[32] 3[19] -8[24] -2.67[27] University 5[11] -9[32] -1.80[29] 5[ 9] -9[27] -1.80[25] St Peter's 4[17] -11[33] -2.75[33] 4[14] -11[28] -2.75[28]

Notes

• Wed 30 May – Sat 2 June 1979
• Division times: 12:10 (W2), 12:50, 1:25, 2:00, 2:35, 3:10, 3:45 (W1), 4:25, 5:00, 5:35, 6:10, 6:45.

• The Times was not published from 1 Dec 1978 until 12 Nov 1979 owing to a labour dispute.

• The Daily Telegraph Wed 30 May, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel's chances bright

  On a flood stream more appropriate to the Torpids, the optimistically named Oxford Summer Eights start today with Oriel fully expected to retain the title they won last year. Opinions vary on the runners-up.

  Oriel are stroked by the new OUBC secretary Chris Mahoney, backed by the Isis caps Barry and Atherton, with Philip Head, the Boat Race bow, at No.5. They have a further Isis cap, Schmidt, at No.2.

  Though they include Mike Diserens, Keble, Oriel's immediate pursuers, are reported to be far from fit and the retiring president John Wiggins, may not join the crew until the last night. They may well succumb to St Edmund Hall today.

  With descents forecast for New College, Christ Church and Merton, Balliol and Lincoln look the best of the rest in the First Division.

  Worcester and Pembroke, with their two Blues, could be better still but as they start adjacently in Division II, only one can score a maximum.

  Women's prospects

  With St Hugh's immediately behind, Wadham are unlikely to retain the Women's Headship and I have had an admittedly biased report that Somerville will prosper.

  The new OUBC president, Boris Rankov, is starring in the Corpus Schools VIII, as is the retiring secretary Russell Crockford. [Start Order]

• The Daily Telegraph Thu 31 May, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel show form to retain headship

  Oriel at the head were at least four lengths clear of Keble when their pursuers were overhauled on the opening day of the Oxford Summer Eights and their continued tenure must be asssured.

  Even with John Wiggins (unexpectedly) and two other Blues aboard, Keble could hold off St Edmund Hall no further than the O U B C, but the five other first division bumps came earlier still. One surprise was that New College survived to the Pink Post.

  Monsoon conditions, which caused the boathouse lights to be switched on before the third division, necessitated special safety precautions at the start, but this only partly excused much abysmal coxing.

  Pembroke got one foot into the First Division by catching Worcester at the second attempt below the Pink Post, but the three crews behind them piled up and a third re-row was offered.

  President out

  Oxford University Boat Club president Boris Rankov missed his exercise in Corpus III with reported chickenpox and even Russell Crockford's stroking could not save them from defeat by Osler House III.

  The usual crop of obstructions and objections in the lower divisions resulted in two £25 fines and two re-rows at 8:30 this morning.

  The women's first division was held up while Somerville repaired a damaged seat. They then broke another but ran into Hertford 60 seconds later. Corpus continued to climb and Wadham were duly deposed by St Hugh's at the Long Bridges. [List of Bumps]

• The Daily Telegraph Fri 1 June, by Desmond Hill

  Top division chaos causes re-row

  Ignoring the now-familiar chaotic situation that developed behind them, Oriel rowed over in comfort at the head of the Oxford Summer Eights nearly four lengths clear of St Edmund Hall to erase any lingering doubts about their superiority.

  Keble broke a swivel and were having it mended when the starting gun went. Balliol rowed past for a technical bump, and with deafening appeals and counter-objections filling the committee room, a limited re-row was inevitable.

  Wadham were baulked by Keble's repairs and though the other First Division bumps, by Christ Church, Exeter and Magdalen were indisputable, incomprehensively the entire Division will re-row at 11.45 today.

  In the Second Division, Osler House continued to climb and Trinity, who initially closed on Queen's, were later involved in a dispute after refusing to acknowledge that Christ Church II had made contact in any one of their five attempts.

  Hertford made a second successive bump for the first time in many years and if they maintain progress could hand BNC the unenviable position of lowest regular first boat tomorrow.

  This excludes the mroe recent foundation Mansfield, making equally rapid progress at the foot of Division III.

  In the women's divisions, St Hugh's kept their newly achieved headship by a margin of four lengths. Somerville scored again, after 45 seconds, rowing in a strange boat since their own "Crisis, What Crisis" was damaged when their second crew was bumped. [List of Bumps]

• The Daily Telegraph Sat 2 June, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel surge ahead in the sunshine

  With the sunshine some semblance of sanity returned to the Oxford Summer Eights yesterday and, for the fourth time in three days, Oriel stamped their authority on the proceedings, opening a five-length lead over St Edmund Hall. Keble are presumably rowing themselves fit, and were never outside their distance from the Hall, while Balliol escaped Christ Church by an inch.

  Osler House scores

  In the second divison Worcester hugged the Green Bank to avoid the flood stream and overlapped Wadham, but they fell back directly they swung out to make their bump. Osler House scored again and, like Hertford and Mansfield in the Third Division, are on a maximum today.

  St Hugh's continued unruffled at the head of the women's division and the accident-prone Somerville, who continued to climb despite their stroke coming off her seat, cannot reach them even if they make a fourth bump today.

  Magdalen and Pembroke took further steps towards gaining their oars while New College, Merton and University continued unbroken descents.

  The morning's re-row at least saw justice done in the First Division, for every Thursday bump was repeated, generally earlier than before. Balliol's technical bump on King's [sic, presumably Keble] was very properly discredited and they finished six lengths adrift. [List of Bumps]

• The Daily Telegraph Mon 4 June, by Desmond Hill

  Oriel keep Headship

  Oriel, winners of the University Fours and Torpids, completed a treble when comfortably retaining the headship at the end of Oxford's Summer Eights on Saturday. At no time were they remotely threatened.

  St Edmund Hall, who caught Keble on the first day but were pressed by them on Friday, were four lengths clear but never fewer than three behind Oriel.

  Exeter completed New College's disastrous week at Donnington Bridge, where Pembroke despatched the equally unsuccessful Merton. Magdalen rowed over, missing the maximum which was achieved by Pembroke, Osler House and Mansfield.

  When mechanical failures put University's No.6 out of action, he unshipped his blade and leapt overboard off the OUBC and the seven men remaining scrambled home safely ahead of Wadham.

  Wadham appealed for a technical bump after touching the floating oar.

  St Hugh's rowed over at a dignified 32 to keep the ladies title, Somerville having earned their oars by catching Wadham to take second place. [List of Bumps] [Finishing Order]

  The article also includes names and schools of the Men's Head crew although it is rather blurred.
• Head crew details from the 1979 Eights Programme

• In other news ... [1979]

  May 30

  Nottingham Forest F.C. defeat Malmo FF, the Swedish football league champions, 1-0 in the European Cup final at Olympiastadion, Munich. The only goal of the game is scored by Trevor Francis.

  June 1

  The first black-led government of Rhodesia in 90 years takes power, in succession to Ian Smith and under his power-sharing deal, in the unrecognized republic of Zimbabwe Rhodesia.

  June 2

  Pope John Paul II arrives in his native Poland on his first official, nine-day stay, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.

St Hugh's
B:	K. Fletcher
2:	H. Hawdon
3:	F. Barnes
4:	C-A. Wood
5:	K. Pritchard-Jones
6:	A. Spilsbury
7:	A. Orlowska
S:	S. Heal
C:	F. Nicholson

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