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New College ready to make amends
The fifth week of Oxford's Trinity term once again embraces the Oxford Summer Eights, which start today ( Jim Railton writes). The favourites for the men's head title are New College with a cautious eye on Oriel, who start in third place immediately behind them. The head crew, Christ Church, look ready for abdication while Keble, near the foot of the top division, are prepared at long last for a charge.New College have a chip on their shoulders. Last year they overlapped Christ Church but failed to register the bump and have lived with it ever since. New College include in their crew the Blues, Clay, Jones and Cartledge, together with Peter Sudbury, of Isis. They are tutored by Oxford's coach, Steve Royle, and recently were faster than all the Cambridge Colleges entered in the Head of the Cam.
Oriel look slick and boast not only a brand new shell but also the American Blue, Livingston, together with Isis's Machin and Ward, who was unfortunate not to earn a Blue this year. They have been winning regattas and are coached by Jeff Jacobs, who was instrumental in Isis's most unexpected victory over Goldie this year.
Keble, who have been on the slippery slope for some years, start tenth today but with Isis's men on board are expected to climb the ladder on successive days.
Osler House are fancied to retain the women's title. The challengers are likely to come from St Hilda's and Somerville, who start today in fourth and fifth places. These two will not only be chasing each other but also two St Hugh's crews. Somerville's head challenge may cease abruptly if they cannot overhaul St Hilda's today, who will be chasing St Hugh's second eight. [Starting Order]
Oriel could bounce back
The Oxford Summer Eights, which begin today and continue until Saturday, are likely to involve a keenly contested fight for the headship held by Christ Church.At Thames Ditton recently Christ Church were beaten by a length by Oriel, who recorded the fastest time of the regatta. [Starting Order]
New College at Head
New College went Head of the Oxford Summer Eights last night. They relentlessly closed the gap behind Christ Church and made their bump at the top of the Green Bank.Oriel, in third place, were well clear of the reach of University, but Magdalen had an overlap on St Edmund Hall and failed to make the bump.
By scoring an overbump a few strokes from the finish, Somerville moved up from fifth to second place in the Women's divisions and are now admirably poised to depose Osler House, who rowed over four lengths clear at the Head. [List of Bumps]
New College toppled
New College's brief reign at the Head of the Oxford Summer Eights ended when they crabbed at Donnington Bridge, allowing Christ Church to bump and regain the Headship.An OUBC official on the bank claimed advance knowledge of this bizarre occurrence.
There was no surprise in the women's divisions, where Somerville caught Osler House soon after the University Boat House to go Head. [List of Bumps]
Christ Church go top
Oxford summer eights was full of surprises on Thursday (Jim Railton writes). New College had equipment failure at Donnington Bridge and Christ Church found themselves head crew once again.Other bumps in the men's top division were Balliol at the expense of Trinity, Keble on Pembroke with Worcester overhauling Lincoln. [List of Bumps]
New College again Head
Just as Oriel were closing the gap behind them, New College bumped Christ Church and regained the Headship on the third night of Oxford Summer Eights.St Edmund Hall made a spirited assalt on University in fourth place but faded well before the finish.
Nothing offered by Osler House threatened Somerville at the head of the women's divisions, but St Anne's made their third bump and St Hilda's now look vulnerable to slip into fourth place. [List of Bumps]
New retain headship
New College, who became head crew on Wednesday and again on Friday, predictably retained their headship on Saturday. Oriel, who frustratedly rowed over for the first three successive days, finally made their gain on Saturday to climb to second place with Christ Church acknowledging they had been overhauled by their boathouse.New College had a curious week. They overhauled the House on Wednesday to head the top men's division and then were hauled back by Christ Church on Thursday after an equipment failure. [List of Bumps] [Finishing Order] [Head Crews — as below, with names of coaches added]
Triumph for New College
New College rowed over at the Head on the last night of the Oxford Summer Eights. At the boathouses they were five or more lengths ahead of Oriel, who had rowed clean past Christ Church in a vain attempt [?] to catch the head crew.Extensive repairs necessary to New College's shell provided further evidence that their Thursday night mishap was entirely accidental and that the Head position went to New College on merit alone.
University's first eight finished as powerfully as they had started the week but still bumpless, while Worcester caught S.E.H., thereby earning their blades and moving into fifth place, their highest for 20 years. Wadham also climbed back into the first division.
Somerville's startling ascent on the first two days was sufficient to hold them at the Head of the women's divisions, although Osler House in second place were able to improve their starting distance from St Hilda's. [Head crews — as below] [Finish Order]
Eight's Week last year was not blessed by outstanding weather: none of the days was entirely free of rain, and Saturday was a little spoilt by constant drizzle. This combined with the controversy surrounding the Headship to produce a rather strange atmosphere.It was indeed sad that spectators were denied the chance to see what had promised to be a splendid race between Oriel and New College; these two were far and away the fastest crews out, the Head crew, Christ Church, having been convincingly beaten by Oriel at a regatta some weeks previously. They were quickly bumped by New College on the first day: on the second day, however, they were having a hard job holding off Oriel when they discovered that they themselves bumped New College, whom an equipment failure had forced to stop in the Gut. So close, indeed, had Oriel been to the House that they had for a moment thought they had bumped them, and missed a couple of strokes before powering off again. The third day was a repeat of the first, and on the last day Oriel rowed past Christ Church to take over second place.
Though not quite in the same class as the top three, University had little trouble in maintaining fourth place, and showed their worth at Henley where they pushed Marlow RC to record the fastest time of the day, in a very good race. Elsewhere in the First Division, Worcester won their blades: their third bump, Magdalen, were unlucky to go down again on the last day when their rudder gave out and they careered into the bank. New arrivals were Wadham, who also won their blades.
In the Women's First Division, Somerville rose, as their legend under Donnington Bridge states, from fifth position to Head in two days: this was achieved by an overbump on St Hugh's on the first day and a bump on the Head crew, Osler House, on the second. St Hugh's then found themselves behind their own second crew, St Hugh's II, but did not catch them until the last day, after they had both been bumped by St Anne's. In this division too the new arrivals were blade-winners, namely Pembroke, gaining their college a bump supper.
Somerville
B: | Sophy Dodd
| 2: | Helen Newsam
| 3: | Carys Cassidy
| 4: | Erica Othen
| 5: | Debbie Rogerson
| 6: | Sian Wareing
| 7: | Jean McCollister
| S: | Ali Blythe-Brook
| C: | Sarah Holmes
| Coach: | Jamie Elwin
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