Magdalen 3 – 18 Keble KEBLE re-asserted their authority in the world of college rugby after claiming their third successive Division One title on Tuesday. Magdalen went into the game with an outside chance of stealing their opponent’s crown but came unstuck against a Keble machine who have not lost a league fixture in two and a half years.
Fittingly, given the importance of the match, Keble had by far their toughest outing this season against a combative and well drilled Magdalen team. Indeed, Magdalen’s structure and moves provided a touch of intrigue among some of the crowd, as it emerged that former Keble player and coach Winnie Humphreys was now managing their opposition.
The home side started strongest, with clear intent to stamp their dominance on Keble before they built up momentum. Winning an early scrum, Andrew Barnes had Keble pinned down with some astute kicking. However, Magdalen’s failure to capitalise on territorial gains proved to be their undoing, as it was throughout the match.
As the game swung back and forth between the respective 22’s,  Keble’s forwards made several powerful drives, attempting to break the deadlock. Reaping the benefit of these territorial gains with a penalty on 15 minutes, the Keble pack also powered over a try to cement their lead.
Yet this half was far from one-way traffic, and just before half-time Magdalen clawed 3 points back with a late tackle on one Waite brother by the other. Barnes easily slotted the resulting penalty kick to gain a just reward for a fiercely contested first half.
The second period was a similar battle of territorial control but again Keble’s sustained pressure reaped dividends as a penalty 10 minutes into the second half gave them  an 11 point lead. Picking up some momentum in the backline as the game opened up late into the second half, Keble completed a sweeping move. Starting from the centre and working the ball from right to left, Keble winger  Fox finished with an explosive dash to make the score 16-3. Peter Bolton then converted from a tight angle to hand Keble an 18-3 victory. 
As is so often the case the score line obscures what was a closely contested encounter. Magdalen will rue their lack of finishing, especially given the strength of their pack whose performance exerted considerable pressure on the champions, particularly in the second half. However, Keble fly-half Pete Bolton’s metronomic boot kept his side out of trouble and formed the basis of their attacks with his devastating accuracy.
Tellingly, Keble captain Max Cole suggested that while the game was well balanced, perhaps Magdalen’s game was too similar to a Keble side that had built up an immense head of steam ahead of this match.
Magdalen captain Andrew Johnson conceded that Keble have had a “great season” and he can console himself that his side came far closer than the score line suggests to derailing this seemingly unstoppable Keble juggernaut that will be already thinking of a fourth title.

WHILST Keble’s hard-fought victory over Magdalen secured a third First Division title in succession on Tuesday, issues at the other end of the table were settled in a more underwhelming fashion.
With St. Hugh’s due to face Teddy Hall in what was set up to be a relegation decider, the prospect of the Teddies beginning next season in Division Two was crushed as Hugh’s conceded the points, unable to put out a side.
Hugh’s will be joined in the second tier by St. Peter’s, who completed a dismal, pointless campaign by going down 34-0 at home to Catz. The visitors were missing several key players, and will be more than happy with a result that sees them claim second place in the table behind Keble.
Hoping to make their mark among the elite next year will be second division champions Christ Church and runners-up LMH/Trinity, who secured promotion after seeing off the challenge of Wadham in their final fixture.
Making their way down to Division Three are Exter, who finished rock bottom without a single point, and Corpus Christi/Somerville, who were playing top-flight rugby not too long ago.
Both Christ Church and LMH will be looking to fare better than Peter’s and Hugh’s, who were both promoted to the top flight last Hilary.
New blood will be a vital injection to a league where the gap between the top and bottom sides this term was truly staggering and, at times, frightening.

A man who attacked an Oxford student was jailed for two years after being convicted of assault and attempted robbery at Oxford Crown Court last Friday.
Jacob Chambers, along with 18-year-old friend Aaron Williams, approached the American undergraduate in Pembroke Street at 9:20pm on 12 July and asked him for a cigarette. When he refused, the student was pushed into a nearby doorway and searched.  On finding nothing, Chambers punched him in the face.
Chambers, who is from Cowley, was sentenced to two years in prison for the assault and with a string of other offences, including two attempted robberies and intimidating a witness. Aaron Williams, from Preachers Lane, was given a twelve month supervision order and will do 50 hours unpaid work for attempted robbery. Both men were 18 at the time of the offence.
PC Alex Gill of the Oxford Robbery Team said, “Both these men have been causing trouble in Oxford for a while and we are glad to see them getting a sentence that we hope will make them think twice about the impact their crimes have on their victims.”
The judge justified the sentence on the grounds of emotional distress caused to Chambers and Williams’ victims, and their lack of remorse for their crimes. Chambers is reported to have grinned at friends present in court, one of whom was removed from the proceedings for laughing when Chambers was asked to imagine how he would have felt had someone done the same thing to him.
Although neither man is thought to have been armed at the time, the judge emphasised that Chambers was aware that the people he was with during the attempted burglaries were carrying knives.
Louise Randall, OUSU Vice-President for Welfare, said, “We really encourage students not to take risks with their personal safety when out and about at night. There are actually more attacks on men in the city than women, so this really isn’t just a women’s issue. We recommend that students don’t walk alone late at night, and that where possible they use well lit routes. Attack alarms are a valuable deterrent, and are available for £1.60 from OUSU or your college welfare officer. Make use of the great services such as the Safety Bus and the Walk Safe scheme to make sure that you get home safely.”

Magdalen 1 – 3 St Catz IT’S always going to be a big match when first plays second in the race for promotion to the elite of college football, but when  the famous Magdalen – St. Catz rivalry was added to the mix, getting three points from this match went from being important to imperative.
Both sides came into this match in confident form, and it only took five minutes for Catz to forge an advantage. Midfielder Sam Boaden’s long-range effort was tipped over by the Magdalen stopper, Mark Saunders. But Saunders was left useless when  Ryan Taylor’s cross was met by the head of  Jack Robinson at the back post to open the scoring.
It should have been two for the boys in sky blue after Sam Donaldson threaded a great ball through only to see Taylor fluff the effort on his weaker foot.
Instead of Catz building on their lead, however, they allowed the hosts back into the match. The  visiting backline failed to clear their lines and allowed Tom Clark to bisect the two  centre halves, leaving Dan Thompson a simple finish to get Magdalen right back in the game.
Catz finished the half the stronger of the two sides, but Magdalen started the second period better with John Adamson going close, Catz keeper Tom Monteath tipping  a strong drive round the post.
Minutes later the ever impressive Catz right back Pete Jones’ last ditch tackle saved an almost certain goal after Magdalen forward Tom Clark had only the keeper to beat. Then, after Donaldson was forced into a goal line clearance, it seemed a question of when and not if Magdalen would take the lead.
But the opportunities began to dry up and, as the players tired,  the question of how the  captains would manage their substitutes looked as if it would decide who went home with three points, and the bragging rights.
Magdalen were left to rue their missed chances after a quick free quick by Rossa O’Keefe-O’Donovan put Taylor through, although the Magdalen ‘keeper palmed it out for a corner. Taylor found  Robinson again from the set piece, but this time the skipper headed across goal for O’Keefe-O’Donovan to finish the move he started.
After playing a part in the goal, Robinson then went about making changes, with Rich Mason, James MacNaughton and Dave Innes all adding vital energy to a wilting attack as Magdalen upped the tempo in the search for an equalizer. As the game came to a close those substitutions began to count, Mason sending Innes through with a pass that showed vision. The forward then proceeded to beat his man, making no mistake in slotting home a third, sending the Catz supporters wild and the team to the top of the table.

Controversial plans to install CCTV cameras along Cowley Road have finally been approved following years of conflict between city authorities and residents groups.
In a meeting held between City Councillors and police last week, it was agreed that 4 wireless CCTV cameras would be set up at strategic points along Cowley Road, statistically Oxford’s most crime-ridden area.
The cameras will cost around £48,000, plus installation, and the University will be asked to contribute.
OUSU President Martin McCluskey, who led a campaign in support of CCTV in the area, claimed to be happy with the decision.
“It’s not exactly what we wanted but we’re happy we’ve managed to find a compromise solution. What we hope to do is make people feel safer in the area.” he said. 
In Thames Valley Police’s original proposal, backed by McCluskey, they asked for 8 cameras to be set up along the road, rather than the final 4.
The long-running campaign to get CCTV in Cowley road came partly in response to statistics showing it to be the worst affected area of Oxford for crime.
According to Thames Valley Police, there have been 900 instances of violent crime in the area in the year April 2006-7, which is home to approximately 3000 students and a number of popular student venues such as the Carling Academy.
The plans have come under heavy criticism from Counsellor Nuala Ann Young, Chairman of the East Area parliament, who accused them of interfering with residents’ civil liberties.
“It [CCTV footage] could be in the wrong hands. This government has already taken away our civil liberties, condoning torture, having to get police permission to demonstrate within a mile of parliament, they even arrested a woman for reading out names of people killed in Iraq outside 10 Downing Street, so this is a worry. The fact that the UK have more CCTV than Australia and Africa combined, and London has more than the whole of the United States is something we need to think about very seriously,” she said.
Many students living in the area have, however, voiced their support for the decision.
Ashni Shah of University College saw it as a positive step towards making Cowley safer for students. “I’m really happy with the plans because at the moment Cowley’s really quite scary, walking home at night with druggies and people with bike-clippers and peoples’ houses being broken into. A guy I know had two bikes stolen in a week. There’s a lot of illegal activity in Cowley and it’s dangerous. I’d say every other student home has a story, like someone breaking in,” she said. 
Daniel Woods, also a Cowley resident, supported the plans. “I’m broadly in favour of more CCTV in Cowley. It does bother me a lot being on CCTV but it does make me feel significantly safer, so I think it’s a fair-trade to make,” he said. 
It is hoped that the cameras will be installed in early 2008.

IF St. Anne were a football fan, as opposed to being the patron saint of knitting, she would surely find her college first team incredibly perplexing.
The home side demonstrated again why they have infuriated spectators this season. Their stylish victory over Brasenose. in a repeat of last year’s Cuppers final, showed that they are capable of wreaking havoc over their opponents, but they are yet to find any consistency, having lost to Christ Church in their opening game. 
Before kick off, Brasenose bemoaned the absence of six first team players, and for good reason. Immediately, St. Anne’s exploited the away side’s makeshift defence when the impressive Jacob Lloyd continued his good form by scoring his fourth goal of the season. 
Following Robbie McDonald’s whipped in corner, the striker’s flailing leg diverted the ball beyond the arms of Brasenose’s outstretched ‘keeper to make it 1-0. Rather than celebrating, Lloyd looked surprised, either because of the fortuitous nature of his touch, or by the amount of room he was given by the hapless Brasenose defence.  Immediately afterwards, Brasenose replicated this blunder- luckily for them, St. Anne’s were unable this time to toe poke it into the back of the net.
Following this second error, the Brasenose WAG contingent arrived in all their Primark glory.  Unfortunately, their presence did little to revitalise their players, who continued to struggle against the home side, particularly in aerial contests.
At the back, St. Anne’s were authoritative and organised, with Fox and Hollindale towering over the Brasenose strikers. The away side’s only opportunity of the first half came from midfielder Yeoh, whose determined run resulted in a misdirected shot which was ultimately of no concern to the keeper. By this stage, the most vocal Brasenose WAG was channelling her energies into a phone call.
If total aerial domination was not enough, St. Anne’s then proved stylish on the counter attack, stringing sixteen passes together only for midfielder Stuart Clark to shoot wide in the thirtieth minute. Nonetheless, the home side stretched their lead shortly afterwards when McDonald impressively beat his man before side footing it into the back of the net. Brasenose restarted with greater pride and vigour, competing strongly against Steve and Stuart Clark for balls in the middle of the park.  In turn, St. Anne’s became complacent, abandoning their urgency that had served them so well in the first half. 
A clumsy challenge on Yeoh offered Brasenose the chance to reduce their deficit to one goal, but the tame free kick that followed gave keeper Butler no trouble. Shortly afterwards, the visiting No. 9 penetrated the St. Anne’s defence, only to be denied by a parry from Mike Butler. Whereas Brasenose did not take these chances, the home side were alert enough to inflict further humiliation on their opponents by adding two more goals in the final fifteen minutes.
If St. Anne’s are proving to be Oxford’s Liverpool, then Ed Border has aptly been nicknamed Peter Crouch by his team mates. Like the England striker, Border has a deceptively good touch, demonstrating this to great effect by scoring the home side’s third goal.  Having received the ball with his back against the goal, the tall forward swiftly turned his defender, before comprehensively beating the ‘keeper. 
Border’s strike quashed any hope of a Brasenose comeback, with the home side resuming their dominance over visibly deflated opponents. Jacob Lloyd’s second goal of the game scored made the score 4-0, reversing the score of last year’s Cuppers final. Whilst this moment of revenge will undoubtedly satisfy St. Anne’s, the three points will matter much more if they are serious in their quest for silverware.

WITH the addition of ex-Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown into the coaching set up and the prospect of competing in the BUSA regional first division after promotion last year, this was always likely to be an exciting season for the men’s Blues football squad.
Whilst it naturally took some time and no small degree of experimentation to allow the squad to settle and find some rhythm, the unbeaten starts for both the Blues and Centaurs teams have reflected the quality and dedication of this year’s group of players. In fact, four members of our current Blues team have been invited  to train with the England Universities development squad.
The drive towards a greater level of professionalisation of the football setup within the University, encompassing such developments as the creation of the role of sabbatical officer and the recruitment of Martin Keown as team coach, has laid the foundations for success not just in this season but in many other years in the future.
We are striving to improve the quality of football experience across the spectrum from the blues to the college  teams and we are also seeking to identify as effectively as possible those players who could make the step up and compete at higher levels.
I honestly believe that promotion to the national premier league within two seasons is a realistic target for the Blues team and I would like to think that we can buck the recent trend of Cambridge victories in Varsity matches when the two teams meet at Craven Cottage in April of next year.
With the game taking place on the same day as the boat race, and at a venue located on the bank of the Thames in London, we certainly hope to have a substantial number of fans there to support the team in their quest for victory.

Complaints from University staff and students that damaged city sewers are acting as a thoroughfare for rodents has prompted Thames Water to launch a pest control programme.
The company has been called in by Oxford City Council after a series of complaints from Oxford residents. Thames Water plan to lay underground traps in the worst affected areas in an attempt to combat the problem, while Oxford City Council will simultaneously set a series of traps above ground.
In September 2007, Dr Frances Kennett was ordered by a judge to pay council tax after refusing to pay in protest at the city’s waste collections scheme and rat infestation.
A spokesman for Thames Water said that many of the traps would be laid in Greater Clarendon Street and the Jericho area. “We used CCTV to inspect the sewers in some areas of the city, and our responsibility is to make sure they are in good working order,” he said. “We have agreed to help the Council out as they have a legal obligation to ensure that the area is free of rodents.”
Students living out have had to deal with rodent problems in the past. The Oxford Mail recently identified Cowley as one of the worst-infested areas of the city with 105 pest control call-outs between April and September. It claimed that Jericho was one of the least afflicted places, with just 35 rodent-related call-outs, despite recent allegations that fortnightly rubbish collections have made rat problems worse.
There has been some disagreement over who is responsible for dealing with the infestation. Thames Water have cited the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act as evidence that the local authority should have been more proactive about pest control, and the City Council have claimed that Thames Water should have acted sooner.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said, “We’re only doing rat-baiting because the Council asked us to. This is something we are only doing on their request.”
Oxford City Council said that its only responsibility is to handle house calls for individual complaints rather than laying extensive above-ground traps. Councillor Jean Fooks said, “Thames Water have claimed they don’t have the responsibility through statute to deal with it. We would have liked them to do more baiting and they have finally agreed to do a little.”
Fooks added, “Jericho is where we have the least call-outs, at half the number that it was two years ago.” She claimed that there was no link between the rodents and the change in garbage collections to fortnightly.
Referring to Dr Frances Kennett, an Oxford University professor involved in a public row over refuse collection, she said, “We do have a particular resident in Jericho who is convinced there is a huge problem, and she does have a damaged drain under her house so it is possible that is where the rats are coming from. We are baiting as best as we can.”

Oxford 25 – 28 Cambridge WITH convincing wins against Exeter, Bristol and Bath behind them, the Blues Women’s Lacrosse team were prepared for a tough match this week in the University Parks, as they played host to their Varsity rivals. But despite having an equal share of possession, they could not have anticipated the reality check they were dealt when on the final whistle they had only one goal to their name.
When Cambridge shot out of the blocks to go 2 goals up after just 5 minutes, the girls in dark blue realised that victory would entail a fight from start to finish. However, some loose passing and turnovers against them at the beginning of the game undermined good work done in defence. After saving the first Oxford shot, a Light Blue fast break clinched them a third goal, asking questions of Oxford’s communication in defence. After their coaches called a timeout, the home side jogged back onto the pitch with renewed resolve, but unfortunately this did not translate into a score, as the attacks settled into rather flat play, inviting Cambridge to turn over, leading to a sustained attack around the Oxford goal and a fourth score for the visitors.
Not long before half-time, captain Els Sobczyk gave Oxford an early lifeline from the goal, pulling off a great save to redeem the score margin, and Claire Strauss made an excellent tackle on a Cambridge player’s shot to suspend Cambridge’s goal flurry. This seemed to lift the players  somewhat; after speedy first-year Leah Templeman flew past countless players in midfield to create a break for the Blues, Oli Valner linked up in attack and finally put Oxford on the scoreboard, deftly nudging the ball past the goalie, the post and into the back of the net.
With an appetite for goals, Oxford’s attack picked up pace, and Kate Hobday ran off a well-placed pick which Emma Readman had sprinted up from defence to set, only to see her shot skim the outside of the post. With the half-time whistle signalling a much-needed break, Oxford seemed to be back in the game, despite being 3 goals down.
Valner and Templeman looked dangerous around the Cambridge goal at the beginning of the second half. However, when the ball was turned over and play swiftly changed ends, Oxford’s defence was caught without a player marking the post and Sobczyk was given no chance against a precision-angle shot from a player running from behind the goal.
 In response to Cambridge’s re-applied pressure, the home attacks ran some set-plays, but some unusually slow stickwork and good hustling by the Cambridge goalkeeper, both in and out of goal, denied them a score.
Despite assertive defence from Rosie Price and Strauss who were forced to make two more checks on players mid-shot, the fast paced game Cambridge had chosen to play was working, and a sustained period of attack and sharp passing were rewarded with more goals. When the score reached 8-1 another Oxford timeout was called, but with 13 minutes left to play it would require something extraordinary for them to turn the game around.
Despite inevitable tiredness at the end of a very physical game early in the season, the Dark Blues did not give up, and the last quarter saw some of the most linked passes of the match. Amy Jordan was instrumental in some promising attacks on goal, and on most occasions it was the frustratingly good play of the Light Blue goalkeeper that prevented Oxford from scoring, as there was no lack of shots. When she decided to stray from her circle on a trip behind goal, Sophie Caulfield and Valner’s aggressive tackling raised spectators’ hopes as they seemed determined to secure another goal for their team.
It was not to be, however, and despite dominating the last few centre draws, Oxford did not have the consistency or finishing ability to match the Cantabs on this occasion. With inevitable complacency in the Cambridge camp, the road to Varsity will be bumpy for the Dark Blues. But glimpses of potential and impressive determination in the face of defeat suggest that this contest is by no means over.

by Jonathan TanThe brief seemed simple enough: travel to London to view the British Museum’s Terracotta Army exhibition and see whether it lived up to the hype.  Actually I had been oblivious to any hype.  How popular could it be?  Surely the principal reason the army is so impressive is the sheer scale of the work:  over eight thousand soldiers filling vast underground caverns.  Yet, in the case of the British Museum, there are fewer than twenty.  Still, it turns out these few statues are enough to turn the museum into something akin to a rock concert, and the British public into screaming, knicker-throwing teenage girls.  And I realise the cost of being part of this baffling phenomenon when my alarm clock sounds at 5am on a Saturday, and I’m forced to obey it.

The exhibition runs from September to April, but advance tickets are already sold out until January and are likely to sell out entirely within a month. Fortunately, five hundred are released every day for purchase at the museum. It is all for one of these precious tickets that I find myself in line at eight in the morning, a full hour before the gates even open. This, it seems, is just enough commitment to warrant sixtieth place in the queue. I ask the frontrunner what time he arrived. He shrugs. “About 6.30.” Nodding sleepily, I take my place in the line, which, within minutes, extends behind me, out of sight.

9am arrives and I’ve never been so glad to see it.  I trudge inside to take up position in a new queue. The £10 tickets are issued in timeslots to avoid overcrowding and the earliest times sell out first. Finding myself with an hour to wait, I foolishly decide to ascertain the length of the queue. Part accountant, part harbinger-of-doom, I shuffle down the entire line, informing those that ask of their predicament. There are over eight hundred people queuing for five hundred tickets, and it’s only 9.20 am.

I queue again (briefly) to actually enter the exhibition. By this point, the anticipation has me expecting the archaeological equivalent of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Instead, I find myself in the Reading Room, a reasonably large, circular area with a high, ornate ceiling. The exhibition itself is modern, with temporary stages erected, but I can see rows of old bookshelves just behind the makeshift walls. 

The atmosphere is a welcome relief from the chaos outside. Thanks to the timeslots, the exhibition is uncrowded, even peaceful, and there is ample time and space with which to savour the presentations. The magnificence of the history is unquestionable, but I want to view the displays for what they are, without feeling as if I’m obligated to bow in reverent awe, so I’m less than pleased by the opening chunks of information. The First Emperor ‘was unique in both life and death’ claims the British Museum which makes me wonder if it was them who started all the hype. Thankfully, most of the placards let the facts speak for themselves. 

This is not simply a display of ceramic figures, but an intriguing immersion into the Qin Empire. As I follow the layout, I am schooled in culture, history and architecture, before learning about the archaeological site itself. The Emperor, who viewed himself as an eternal, universal ruler, was driven to create an entire world for his afterlife out of a terrible fear of death.

“He wanted to live forever!” exclaims one lady behind me.

“So do we all,” replies her elderly friend dryly.

It’s interesting, but it’s all foreplay.  Everyone’s looking for the main exhibit.

There are about twenty complete terracotta warriors and horses displayed together (the largest ever collection outside of China), and numerous security guards watching over them, presumably on edge ever since an environmental protestor managed to sneak face masks on them.  Indeed, when one observer leans in too close, the tranquillity is shattered by alarms.  A guard surreptitiously whispers to me that one of the ‘objects’ in the display is worth £1.5 billion (approximately the GDP of a small country such as Suriname), but refuses to say which one.  I retain a healthy scepticism about his claim.
The figures themselves are slightly more than life-sized, uniquely detailed, staring impassively through two thousand years of history, betraying nothing of the pain that went into their creation.  It is certainly a privilege to be able to stand so close to such essential historical artefacts and I even find myself shivering- although it later transpires I’m standing on an air vent.

If the exhibits answer copious questions, they also raise some more.  Why may archaeologists never excavate the Emperor’s tomb itself?  What mysteries lie inside?  And still the question persists: why exactly is this relatively small exhibition so popular?  It is fascinating and well-designed, yet the hordes of people clamouring for tickets must expect something more.  Perhaps for some it is the chance of a lifetime, their only opportunity to confront such mythical heritage.  If not the statues themselves, perhaps it is the idea that compels.  The sheer audacity and grandeur and madness of one man.  Yet as I leave the museum, I see the last remnants of the queue and, gazing at their forlorn expressions, I wonder where the madness really lies.