On Saturday, Oxford’s top swimmers returned for the first time to the scene of their 2011 Varsity defeat, in which Cambridge snatched overall victory by the finest of margins in the final race of the meet. Yet having responded in emphatic style in Oxford at the Rosenblatt pool last year with Oxford’s greatest margin of dominance in history, OUSC well and truly consolidated their revenge by smashing the record margin yet again with a 117-63 final score, just short of the maximum possible difference of 126-54.
The competition started as it was to continue for the Dark Blues with 1-2 finishes in both the women’s and men’s 200m Individual Medley as Naomi Vides, Rachel Andvig, President Tom Booth and Xander Alari-Williams demonstrated Oxford’s superior all-round ability. The subsequent race saw Cambridge seal their first – and ultimately last – victory of the meet, as they put both of their strongest swimmers in the women’s 100m backstroke, gaining maximum points.
From then on Oxford’s domination was more or less complete as Oxford notched up five consecutive 1-2 finishes in the men’s events. The Dark Blues fared almost as well in the corresponding women’s events, taking 1-2s in both the 200m and the 400m freestyle as well as second and third in the 100m butterfly.
One of the more emphatic 1-2s of the day came in the women’s 100m breaststroke, as Naomi Vides and Ellie Berryman-Athey crushed their opponents. Vides, who was named swimmer of the meet for her wins and meet records in both the 200IM and 100 breast, was quick to acknowledge the overall level of team performance: “It was one of those things where everything comes together at the right time in the right way and I was so honoured to be awarded swimmer of the meet especially with such great performances from the rest of the team.”
The men followed with a victory and club record for Teddy Hall fresher Xander Alari-Williams and a strong third place finish from Anthony O’Driscoll.
The final individual events of the meet comprised two big rivalries, with Rachel Andvig up against Cambridge’s Meg Connor and Tom Booth against big-man Dale Waterhouse in the 100m freestyle. Oxford came out victorious in both, with Booth’s win leaving him unbeaten by any light blue in an individual for four years, across five different events. This incredible personal accomplishment doubled up as the final nail in the Cambridge coffin, ensuring that Oxford took an unassailable 89-51 lead into the relay races. However, even with victory already sealed, the Dark Blues did not let up. The women produced a devastating performance in the medley relay, sealing victory by several body lengths. The men unleashed a similar performance, as O’Driscoll opened up a 5-second lead after the backstroke leg and the Oxford quartet never looked back. The meet ended in emphatic fashion as the women’s freestyle team won in club record time, and the men followed suit with a comfortable final victory.
