JCRs throughout Oxford have been calling for colleges to switch to sustainable fish as part of a major environmental campaign.Five colleges have already passed a motion mandating a member of the JCR to request that the college not serve unsustainably caught or endangered fish, and replace them with more sustainably caught species. Worcester, who voted to switch fish sources last term, were recently followed by Magdalen, Regents Park, St John’s and St Hugh’s.Hector Guinness, a Zoology student at Worcester, who has been helping to lead the campaign through the Oxford Environment Group said, “The aim is to have all college kitchens agree to stop serving fish from unsustainable sources by the end of this year.”A fact sheet accompanying the motion by Marica Haig, Worcester’s Environment representative and OUSU Biodiversity representative explains that fishing levels are currently at less than 1% of their 1977 levels. “The over exploitation of our oceans will mean that within our lifetimes the ecology of all seas will have shifted so dramatically that no edible fish species will survive to be of use to humans ever again,” she said.“We have two options – we could ‘hurry while stocks last’, and eat all we can while there are any left, or choose the sustainable future, and demand that kitchens in Oxford are not driving demand for unsustainably caught fish, and send a clear message that we want sustainably harvested fish, or no fish at all,” Haig continued.The proposal added that current over-exploitation does not mean that colleges will never be able to serve fish again. “The sea is a valuable natural resource that can provide some of our dietary requirements if it is harvested in an appropriate way using modern sustainable techniques.”The motion passed with little opposition from the Worcester JCR, despite concerns over the increased cost of buying sustainable fish. Haig explained that this had caused some objections from the Catering Manager. “He thought using sustainably sourced seafood would cause an increase in the cost of the meals which members of all the common rooms would object too, especially the SCR who are served cod and swordfish relatively frequently.”“However the college Dean fully supported the motion and encouraged me to talk directly to the Provost, who agreed that the SCR could live without these fish, and gave his support for the policy. Since then the Catering Manager has been looking into alternative species or sources, and any unsustainably sourced fish have been removed from the menu,” she said.Guinness recognised that the change may involve more effort from kitchen staff. “Some chefs seem to be worried about things getting more complicated for them, which is why the motion is phrased negatively rather than asking for specific alternatives,” he said.Haig has passed the motion and fact sheet on to Environment representatives across the University in the hope that more colleges will implement it. She said, “we are aiming to get as many colleges as possible to pass this motion as it is an important cause which could greatly benefit simply by raising awareness so that people start to think about where the fish they buy came from.”Regent’s Park passed the motion two weeks ago. Emmeline Smart, a third year Geographer and the JCR Environment representative said, “the motion was passed with only one person against and has been widely supported by members of Regent’s Park. Our kitchen staff have been very supportive and have changed the types of fish we use in college- they argue that they only used unsustainable fish before because students were unwilling to try different fish.”She encourages other colleges to do the same, saying, “This just shows how easy it is to raise awareness and make a difference on this issue.”College authorities at St John’s have also been enthusiastic to adopt the changes, and motions have been passed in both the JCR and MCR. The Catering Manager and Dean support the idea and are trying instigate changes in the SCR. Guinness said, “monkfish and swordfish have been taken off the list of choices for the guest dinners and the catering manager has a ‘good fish guide’ to follow when buying for hall generally.”Magdalen JCR has also passed the motion with no opposition. Environment and Ethics representative Jenny Chapman explained that she hoped the Hall Manager would not reject the initiative due to problems of expense. “There is no reason why it should be more expensive, it would just mean that our fish would come from elsewhere,” she said.he journal ‘Science’ has suggested that, if current trends continue, there will be a total marine collapse by 2050, with a loss of 90% of each species.

St. Edmund Hall 2 – 1 Lincoln Teddy Hall laboured to victory over Lincoln on Wednesday in a match that belied the polar League positions of the two teams. If Hall were hoping for a routine win over a team with a solitary point to their name this season before a string of tricky fixtures in the coming weeks, they were certainly shaken by a determined performance from their opponents. In an attempt to stir Hall to improve on recent performances – a scrappy league win at Jesus and Cuppers shoot out victory against Queen’s – captain John Waldron asked his team to ‘enjoy themselves’ during the game. It was Lincoln, however, that started brightest in a high-tempo, if scrappy, opening. They were unfortunate not to make the most of a defensive mix-up early on, while they did not make the most of a series of reasonable openings carved by the clever running of their strikers, with number 9 dragging a shot wide of Ielpo’s left post. While Lincoln continued to create anxious moments for their defence, Hall’s confidence in attack grew as the half wore on; Tom Theodore and Ed Morse began to dictate the midfield, and Lincoln were gradually forced back towards their goal. Lincoln showed impressive resolve, however, with a stubborn pressing game that frustrated Hall’s attacking players who were allowed little time on the ball. Persistence paid off though for Hall, though, as chances eventually came. After great work by Morse and Wilfred Frost, Talbot-Smith’s goalbound effort was hacked away, Will Herbert nodded just wide, while Frost was disappointed not to finish when the ball fell kindly at his feet a few yards out. Nutton, the Lincoln ‘keeper, was having an assured game and the Hall strikers could hardly believe it when his stunning double save kept them out when the opening goal looked certain. When a push on Charlie Talbot- Smith in the Lincoln box was waved away by the referee, it seemed that Hall were in for a frustrating afternoon, but within minutes a long balled was flicked on to Frost who nodded calmly over the stranded ‘keeper to Hall’s considerable relief. Hall came out strongly in the second half, with Talbot-Smith, Morse and Theodore going close. Then when a powerful Waldron header flew out of defence, Talbot-Smith collected and managed to break free and continue his good form in front of goal to finish in the roof of the net for his side’s second. Hall, though, knew that any slip up could easily knock them out of the title race, and their nerves, even when two in front, contrasted with the attitude of their opponents; comments such as ‘let’s double our points tally boys!’ suggested that were playing like a team under no pressure and were enjoying playing on such a fine and sunny winter afternoon. Lincoln, galvanized by Symons in midfield, began to play simple yet dangerously effective football, threatening their increasingly distracted- looking opposition. Their wide players proved a particularly potent outlet, providing the strikers with several clear-cut opportunities to deservedly get back in the game. The pressure soon told, a free kick half-heartedly cleared by Hall and eventually bouncing to a Lincoln striker to volley home. But ultimately this was not enough as Hall’s title hopes were saved from embarrassment by the referee’s full-time whistle. Unnerved by this terrier-like and spirited performance from Lincoln, Hall were left despondent at their performance and their inability to make ground on Worcester’s superior goal difference. Minutes later, though, they were celebrating at having closed the gap to a single point after their rival’s unexpected draw at Brasenose. The title race this year may yet prove far closer than originally expected.by Ed Halliday

by Aneurin Ellis-Evans GQ’s decision to place David Cameron above Gordon Brown in their list of the most influential people in Britain is intentionally provocative. By distinguishing between being in power and being powerful, they have picked up on something much bigger – what it now means to be a political leader. Cameron richly deserves his GQ crown because he has grasped how to make spin a positive force in government. Cameron is unashamedly about PR, and this, I think, is a good thing in a leader today. A distinction has to be made between the kind of spin which covers up the flaws of a government, and that which a politician uses to gain leverage with the media. It is of course inexcusable to redefine corridors as wards to make it seem as if a hospital is reaching its targets for available beds. But this is quite a different thing to what Cameron has been doing. As editor of GQ Darius Sanai put it, ‘He is the initiator and it seems to many of us that Gordon Brown is only reacting.’Take his fact-finding mission to Svalbard in April 2006. I do not know how many ‘facts’ Cameron ‘found’ during the six hours he spent on Svalbard (which makes it more of a day trip than a mission). The next day in Oslo he told an audience that the glaciers were retreating (shock), and that they were doing so quicker than ever before (horror).My suspicion is that these were facts not wholly unknown to the scientific community at large. Indeed, one wonders how many of the ‘facts’ he ‘found’ were not already readily available on Wikipedia (here’s a clue – all). On the same day, Gordon Brown had been due to speak to the UN on the subject of climate change.
Not surprisingly, it was Dave of the Arctic driving a sled pulled by huskies, not dour Brown speaking to a room of suits in a glorified talking shop, which caught the media’s attention. On that day, and for that week, environmentalism went from the bottom of the pile to the top. It was a shameless PR stunt, but an incredibly effective one. Naturally, media attention has to go hand in hand with real action, but the two – style and substance – are not necessarily at odds. My dad, an environmental scientist, has certainly not complained since the ‘obstacles’ to receiving more funding miraculously vanished.We think we don’t want spin, but ignore those who don’t use the media. We want all-action politicians who see things for themselves, interrogate the experts in person and call all the shots, but complain when the impracticalities create a media charade.In a democracy, we cannot complain when politicians give us what we want. We should accept that a leader’s job today is to publicise policies. They are communicators and negotiators. In our sound-bite culture, political leaders are the shop windows of political parties. The media is an inherently shallow medium, and when using it politicians must be similarly superficial. But that does not mean the substance is necessarily lacking altogether. To anyone who thinks Cameron has no policies, I suggest you go on the Conservatives’ website where you’ll find a wealth of detailed reports from the task forces Cameron set up when he first became leader.The problem is not so much spin, as our inability and unwillingness to look past spin. Aneurin Ellis-Evans is the Political Officer of OUCA.
 

Worcester 2 – 2 BrasenoseGoing into this match off an impressive victory over Wadham, a dogged Brasenose side made Worcester scramble for a draw in a jarringly physical encounter. Twice taking the lead, Brasenose looked like they might take all three points here, only for Worcester to peg them back late on and go very close to winning it. Despite taking four points from six against two of the toughest sides in the division, Brasenose still face an uphill battle to avoid relegation, whilst Worcester now have Teddy Hall and St Anne’s breathing right down their necks at the top. Early on, a nice one-two with skipper Plaxton put Worcester striker Desai through, only to be denied by a terrific save from Mitropoulos stretching to his left in the Brasenose goal. At the other end, Field-Johnson picked up the ball outside the box and, after being given far too much time and space in which to turn, hit a hard shot straight at the Worcester keeper, who fumbled it through his hands as it bounced in front of him and into the goal. This was a far-cry from the defensive resilience which has given Worcester the best defensive record in the division this season. Worcester quickly bounced back, after a thunderous challenge from Brasenose right-back McCormack on Plaxton gave away a free kick to the left of the area. The otherwise excellent McCormack was lucky not to get booked – only to then see his luck disappear, heading Desai’s in-swinging set-piece into his own goal under pressure, with the ball arching agonisingly over the despairing lunge of Mitropoulos and into the far corner. Then, right on the stroke of halftime, Brasenose re-took the lead – a perfect deep cross from Leviseur curling right onto the foot of Barrett, who side-footed his volley into the top corner with impressive composure. Overhearing the Worcester halftime team-talk, a heated discussion showed how angry Worcester were with their lacklustre performance. Demanding more passion and desire from his side, Plaxton called for a ‘Do or Die’ attitude, knowing that a defeat could see Teddy Hall level with them at the end of this game. Radcliffe was looking threatening down the left for Worcester, but was unable to penetrate the determined-looking Brasenose defence led by the colossal figure of centre-back Nordby. Both sides went close from corners, first Worcester heading over and then Brasenose inducing a chaotic goalmouth scramble, in which two shots were blocked by Worcester defenders. Soon after, at the other end, Worcester went even closer from another corner, with a close-range shot cleared bravely off the line. The equaliser came soon after. Following a throw-in, Worcester crossed from the right for midfielder Grady, unmarked, to beat the keeper to the ball and head home. Brasenose then missed a golden opportunity to instantly re-take the lead, an innocuous long ball somehow going through the entire Worcester defence, only for a surprised Barrett to miss his touch completely when oneon- one. At the other end, the ever more-influential Grady, relishing the physical battle, went close to his second for Worcester, through on goal only to be thwarted by a phenomenal lastditch challenge – the rebound fell to Plaxton, whose shot was desperately hacked off the line by a second defender as Brasenose grimly clung on. Plaxton and Brady combined well again to give Plaxton a shooting chance, only for the skilful forward to shoot straight at the keeper with the unmarked substitute Gee screaming for it at the back post. Straight afterwards another chance went begging, Radcliffe whistling a shot past the post from ten yards. As Brasenose tired, Worcester scented victory, and thought they had grabbed it at the death when Grady burst onto a flickon to fire home – only to see the linesman flagging for an earlier offside. Right at the end Brasenose might have nicked it, with the persistently troublesome winger Lennie fighting off his marker to force a good save from the Worcester keeper. But as the final whistle blew, 2-2 seemed a fair result. Worcester, whilst never showing the quality they are capable of, had been persistent enough to deserve at least a point, whilst Brasenose, having led twice and fought hard, would have been exceptionally unlucky to lose. This was far from a classic, and moments of genuine class were rare, yet the high-octane commitment of both teams made for an exciting spectacle. The title race has been blown wide open. In the words of their captain, Worcester ‘can’t afford any more slip-ups.’by George Kynaston

by Ghayasuddin Siddiqui Several years ago, when I finished speaking to an audience in a mosque in Birmingham on why it was wrong to force children into marriage without their consent, a man came forward and said, ‘I wish you had come six months earlier, I forced my son to marry my brother’s daughter. They are now separated.As a consequence relations between my brother’s family and me are also broken,’ he said. I had spoken in that mosque several times before, but often the advice was ignored because it was thought that I was giving ‘wrong’ ideas to young people.This story is repeated all over the United Kingdom in patriarchal families where parents think that children are their property; it is their responsibility to decide about the future of their children. In such families healthy debate between parents and their children on life choices are always absent. When children disagree, they are emotionally blackmailed, harassed and intimidated. Unable to resist, many young people give in to parental pressure and accept the life of misery. But things are changing. Many former victims have come together to form self–help groups and refuges giving hope to many.The case of Imran Rehman, from Derby, aired by BBC Radio 5 Live recently is typical. When young people become defiant, their families take extreme measures.In his case he was abducted and taken to Pakistan. He was shackled and imprisoned for 15 days until he agreed to be engaged to his 5-year-old cousin.Although cases of forced marriage involving women are more common, some 10-15% of victims are men. In the case of women, the victim is often held back in their native country till she becomes pregnant or gives birth.The Foreign and Commonwealth office has established the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), which deals with some 300 cases each year. The unit helps and often rescues the victims from difficult circumstances if they are alerted before undertaking journeys abroad. It is always advisable to leave contact details with a trusted friend who could contact the FMU in case of emergency.There are some 165 women’s refuges. After Imran Rehman’s case the government has indicated that it would be willing to fund a male-only refuge for victims of forced marriage. In the past, when no refuges existed, victims remained constantly on the move for fear of being caught by the bounty hunters let loose by their parents. The possibility of an impending forced marriage affects the victims in a variety of ways; a drop in performance and low motivation in education, self-harm, depression, attempted suicide and family disputes are common symptoms. But the misery does not stop there. Some 70% of such loveless marriages end up in divorce.Forced marriage is not sanctioned within any culture or religion.
It is a mind–set of patriarchal culture that needs to be addressed through education. For this to happen it is important that children are taught from a very early age that they also have rights, such as when to marry, where to marry, and whom to marry. It is the parents’ duty to help them grow in a loving and caring environment, into mature and responsible adults. Sexual equality and zero tolerance against violence should be part of their upbringing. An arranged marriage is not the same as a forced marriage. In an arranged marriage, the families and friends take an active part in choosing the marriage partner. But the marriage is entered into through free consent of both people. A happy marriage is a gateway to a happy future.
Ghayasuddin Siddiqui is from the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain.

It has emerged that the operation to remove eco-protester Gabriel Chamberlain from his tree sit-in in Bonn Square cost Oxford City Council nearly £12,000.On Wednesday 2 January, Chamberlain, aged 34, set up his home in the tree as part of a protest against the £1.5million redevelopment of Bonn Square.The security operation arising from his protest included security staff, fencing and lighting . It cost the Council £11,700.When asked what this substantial amount of money had been spent on Councillor John Goddard, leader of the Oxford City Council, said, “£9,000 was spent on security guards, which had to be there 24/7; just over £2,000 was spent on fencing; £250 was spent on lighting and £250 on court costs.”Goddard went on to explain that the Council money had to be spent on the protest because, “The contractors very reasonably said that they wouldn’t go on the site until it was secure.“Normally the lighting, fencing and the security is the job of the contractor. If there had been no protest then they would have borne these costs but because of the protest, we had to”.Jean Fooks, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Summertown, described the amount of money spent as a “bad choice”. She said, “It was Gabriel himself who cost us a lot of money. He wanted to make his point, and he did make his point.It’s a shame he didn’t come down after a day or two; he knew he’d have to come down eventually and he ended up costing the City Council and the tax payer a lot of money.”n Sunday 13 January a student from St Annes, Jonathan Leighton, was arrested for attempting to throw a bottle of water to Chamberlain. When questioned whether there was a cost for this Goddard replied, “There was of course no cost for that, it was simply a case of the police doing what they thought was their job.”Leighton was held in the police station in St Aldate’s for three hours and had his fingerprints taken. He said, “One has to ask why the Council are suddenly so keen to throw money at Bonn Square when it is going to sit opposite a massive new shopping centre.“Is this really about improving public space or is it about making the area ‘nice’ for people to waltz down to Westgate and fill the pockets of multinational clothing chains?”Superintendent Brendan O’Dowda refused to comment on either the Council costs or those of the police.He said, “The police did commit to securing the site but we do not talk about facts and figures, we see that as part of our job.

There’s a petition on Facebook to drop a reading week into the middle of every term. It is true that, if petitions on facebook were ten a penny, then inflation would sky-rocket. Yet there may be some sense in this idea, the second soundest solution to end 5th Week Blues.Unlike other hackneyed clichés that we peddle from time to time, this one actually exists. If Gordon Brown can suffer mid-term blues, why not your average undergrad? In Hilary especially, some kind of annual plague seems to set in; a malaise of the chest cavity assuredly, but also of the mind. It’s a kind of Hypocratic notion, but the middle of term does appear to knock our humours out of kilter.Various tactics besides the posited reading week may be summoned to our aid. It’s not a bad idea to indulge your torpor; to wallow in the melancholy for a few days and come out, if not refreshed, then at least well watered. Listen to Robert Johnson. Listen to Ella Fitzgerald. Listen to The Smiths’ ‘I Know It’s Over’ if you want to do it properly; just don’t overindulge on Miles Davis.Other forms of overindulgence are permitted, even recommended. Which is where the soundest solution of all comes in. Take a sharp object – some scissors, ideally, or a knife. Don’t do anything rash. Instead, turn to our centrespread. Gasp at the smorgasbord of offers, competitions and events. Go forth and eat. Pies, sausages, cake, fresh fish – these and more come cheap in 5th Week.  Then buy a larger size of discounted jeans to accommodate your new and dignified bulk. Spend the early evening at a dance class before showcasing your acquired talents at Eclipse – taking advantage of Cherwell offers and working all that food off again, all at once.5th Week is not the time for panic, nor for solitary confinement. It is the lowest point in the wave that is Hilary term. Let this week’s Cherwell be the surfboard you escape on.

Slovakian food is not traditional romantic fare. The aphrodisiacal effects of sauerkraut, onions, and dumplings are  probably somewhere next to brussel sprouts on the continuum that links custard to caviar. Nonetheless, good food generally gets everyone’s engine a-revving and this St Clement’s fixture knows how to turn out a decent bowl of grub.
Moya is both a restaurant and cocktail bar. The front half has wooden tables and metal stools for those just in search of a tipple. The back half has the same tables, but with proper chairs. These were draped with fabric that appeared to have been recycled from monks’ robes and that was clearly cut for full-height backs. Both my dining partner and I took umbrage to these drapes on discovering that the chairs underneath were considerably less comfortable than they appeared. Much like the inside of a monastery.  The flaccidity of the soft furnishings aside, the room itself was perfectly amenable to romancing: candles and daffodils on each table were a simple enhancement to the otherwise bare surface. Wooden floorboards and pale walls decorated with pictures from around the world (though curiously not from Slovakia) completed the look – it is not a fancy restaurant, but it is homely.
The evening menu has eleven starters and seventeen main courses (four vegetarian dishes in each). My dining partner remarked that it would be quite difficult not to find something appealing on the menu. She ordered Devil’s Toast: sourdough bread with onions, tomatoes, peppers, chillies and goat's cheese. It sounded good in theory and was in practice – a lovely blend of flavours, textures, and colours. I ordered Kapustnica: a ‘hearty soup’ of pork shank, smoked sausage, sauerkraut, root vegetables, and potatoes. It came with two types of rye bread and was absolutely delicious: the prune loitering at the bottom was a spectacular treat. She had rum-battered aubergine to follow. Although deep-fried things do tend towards the oily side, the aftertaste of stale fat was disappointing and not offset by the fragrant horseradish sauce. My goulash was very tasty – the spices were well balanced and the knedla (steamed bread) accompanying it were an ideal mop for the sauce. The portion was too small for a dish with a £10 price tag but, being generous, they had probably run out as it had got quite late by that point.
This brings me on to the service. Though we had not booked a table, the restaurant was not especially full when we arrived at 8.30. There were around twenty people in a room that can sit twice as many. The owner said that food would be slow out of the kitchen, but that does not excuse having to wait twenty minutes to put in a drinks order. Likewise, he obligingly moved us when a table opened up at the back but, with only three other people in the restaurant by the end of the night, let the team down with his nonchalant attitude to fetching our bill. Perhaps this is the curse of being a student – no one expects a tip from you so even if you plan on leaving one you never get treated in a manner that justifies much generosity.
Reflecting on it, there are probably more romantic places to go for Valentine’s Day – Gee’s comes to mind. If you fancy spending £80 before you’ve even thought about wine, to feast upon lemon sole, poached chicken, or mushroom risotto then be my guest. The service will probably be quicker, though starchier to be sure. For a restaurant charging Michelin prices it would be nice to see a menu that pushes beyond what you can knock up at home. Moya, on the other hand, turns out very good food at reasonable prices (£40 for two with drinks). The cocktails aren’t half bad either. So give it a go, but book now unless you want to end up on a lowly bar stool.Four stars.
 – By Adam Ross

Gown 8 – 4 Town There was little room for free speech at the union on Monday night, in fact there was little room at all. The compressed nature of the seating allowed for a steamy atmosphere, added to by the exertions of the boxers. What was witnessed was not mindless aggression, as some mindless people have boxing, but a highly skilful and measured sport where uncontrolled rage would lead to defeat. The University side often looked less built than their opponents yet often won through technical display, a sure indication that a boxer needs brains as well as brawn. Overall the standard was high, and the dedication shown by the pugilists’ exemplarary, months of training spent to buy 6 minutes of potential pain. They will surely tell you that for a convincing 8-4 victory, a massive boost in the run up to varsity, it was worth every penny. BOUT 1 | J.JOHNSON BEAT K.OSBOURNE Oxford landed both the figurative and literal first blow of the evening thanks to an assured performance from the women’s captain. Her superior footwork tired her opponent who spent much of the 3rd round on the ropes and had to endure the first count of the evening. BOUT 2 | B.LEE BEAT M.MIKADO Mikado started sprightly but her reliance on the quick left jab was soon exposed, and as Lee settled in the fight she landed some nice combinations that bloodied her opponent’s nose, and led to a comfortable victory. BOUT 3 | M.CHEN LOST TO R.ECCLESTONE Chen lost a bout in which he was technically superior purely as a result of his inferior reach. After being kept at arms length in the 1st, he managed to breach Ecclestone’s defences in the 2nd, but the three big rights Ecclestone landed on him in the 3rd were enough for him to hold on. BOUT 4 | J.ROBERTSON BEAT A.HOOD A measured display and a powerful left landed Robertson the judges’ boxer of the night award as well as many punches on Hood’s body. Good skills in the close ensured Hood’s desperate attempt at a comeback stayed just that. BOUT 5 | J.MCCARTHY BEAT P.BROWN The contest never really recovered from its staccato opening, the referee constantly intervening, and it was no surprise when the town boxer was disqualified in the 3rd for illegal punching. McCarthy would have gone on to win anyway, his direct attacks being met with an ineffective flinch defence that negated the chance of a counter-attack. BOUT 6 | T.HUGHES BEAT L.LYMANT Oxford maintained their dominance within seconds in this fight, Lymant chewing canvas after receiving a devastating left. Hughes dominated the ring after this, periodically chasing Lymant into corners to inflict punishment. Watching from ringside, it was something of a relief when the referee ended this mismatch before the final bell. BOUT 7 | P.KIBBE LOST TO D.MORRIS A sapping match, with both fighters landing big punches. The town boxer managed to find the necessary reserves of stamina to come out on top, Kibbe tiring in the 3rd. BOUT 8 | N.ROBERTSON BEAT A.BARNES A fight that would have had more relevance in a high street on Friday night. Robertson was twice warned for use of elbow, Barnes bounced off the ropes like a wrestler and neither boxer seemed to want to face up, rather preferring to charge sideways into each other. Not pretty, but the Oxford southpaw deserved it through usage of a big wraparound right. BOUT 9 | R.HIGHET BEAT I.ALI Another dominant display by an Oxford boxer. Ali opened up with some direct punches (too many of the town’s boxers had an undeveloped flailing style), but it became more and more obvious that he had no counter to Highet’s relentless combinations, ending up significantly out punched. BOUT 10 | R.BRIGGS BEAT D.TOMALA With more than enthusiastic support, Briggs was under pressure to perform and didn’t disappoint. A tight frustrating style early on aggravated Tomala, who adopted some dubious pushing tactics which were vigorously condemned by the partisan crowd. Towards the end Briggs opened up to land some solid hits and take a deserved victory. BOUT 11 | C.BATTISTA LOST TO P.FIELD The Italian stallion couldn’t live up to his nickname but can take encouragement from losing one of the more skilful bouts of the night. Field’s 4 punch combo in the 2nd probably decided it despite Battista’s brave comeback. BOUT 12 | P.ANDERSON LOST TO G.BIDETT The shortest fight of the evening ended through stoppage in the 1st. Anderson landed some good blows early on, but one giant wraparound left from the giant Bidett wrapped things up. Certainly not a match indicative of Oxford’s night.by James Kelly