Summer Eights 2004 After last year’s historic double headship, Pembroke
College came down to earth with a bump or two during this
year’s Summer Eights, with New College W1 and Magdalen
College M1 sitting at the top of the tables come the close of
racing on Saturday. Magdalen M1 had started fourth on the river on Wednesday, and
some thought that despite the obvious speed in the boat, the
inherently unfair nature of bumps racing might deny the
Blue-stacked crew the headship. Magdalen proved all doubters
wrong by bumping Exeter, Pembroke and Oriel on successive days,
to go head for the first time in fifty years, with a day to
spare. Pembroke had lost the headship on Wednesday to Oriel, having
been bumped well past the boat houses on the opening day. But
despite bringing Theology finalist Basil Dixon into the boat for
the rest of the week, Pembroke could neither gain revenge on
Oriel nor hold off Magdalen as they dropped to third. Whilst the decidedly iffy weather meant that tow-path support
was not what it might have been, Magdalen’s bump on Oriel
was met by scenes of jubilation on the banks and boat house
island, with Magdalen supporters and neutral observers alike
happy to see a crew other than Oriel or Pembroke at the top of
the table. Of course, it could have all been very different
– Magdalen, along with Catz men and Somerville women, had
failed to enter their boats into Eights on time, and the college
captains could have voted to bar them from racing or impose
penalty bumps – but in the end the fastest men’s crew
on the river finished head, something that all too often does not
occur. Oriel M1 have often been accused of arrogance, and are
certainly not the most popular crew on the river. However, the
entire crew, led by captain Alisdair Robbie, made a trip to
Magdalen boat house after racing on Saturday to congratulate the
headship holders (along with many other first division rowers),
an action that deserves acknowledgement and commendation. Further down the men’s first division, renowned for the
number of row-overs normally recorded, there were a surprising
number of bumps, with both New College and Balliol moving up
three places, although New’s bump on Christ Church on
Thursday was marred by a pile up on the Green Bank which left the
House’s cox Charles Thorogood in the Isis. Although
everybody involved appeared anxious not to apportion blame for
the incident, Thorogood had a very lucky escape as the rest of
the racing boats thundered towards him before the division was
eventually klaxoned. Balliol captain Andrew Crawford was
overjoyed with his crew’s success after they bounced back
from gaining spoons last year, demonstrating how quickly fortunes
can change. Much the same could be said for Christ Church, who gained
spoons to end up ninth, only three years after they had gained
blades after starting in that position. Captain Lenny Martin was
obviously upset by his crew’s fortunes, but took heart from
Balliol’s comeback. With college stalwart Robin
Bourne-Taylor returning from Olympic duty next year, the House
should find it easier to persuade their other men’s Blues
back in to college boats, something that they had been unable to
do this summer, and real improvement is possible. But as a member of this year’s crew noted, ‘Whilst
we are all obviously disappointed that we have gone down, other
events this week have helped us to keep things in perspective.
We’ve got spoons. It’s hardly the end of the world,
compared to what happened to that poor girl from Catz.’
Indeed, a one minute silence before men’s division one on
Thursday, in memory of Emilie Harris, a rower from St
Catherine’s tragically killed the day before, was kept by
one and all, with crews still on the river from the previous
division easy-ing to show their respects. If women’s rowing ever takes second place to men’s,
it certainly was not the case during this year’s Eights. In
the women’s divisions New College kept us biting our nails,
having to wait three days to gain the headship. Osiris coach Karl
Offord reported that New had come within a foot of bumping
Pembroke on the first day, and the girls in pink did not have an
easy ride on Thursday either. Their downfall was to come on Friday however, when a crew
member crabbed off the start and New took advantage of the
mistake to make an easy bump. They then rowed over comfortably on
Saturday. Other performances of note in the women’s first division
were that of Teddy Hall who won blades and moved up six places on
the river, including an overbump on St Hilda’s on day one,
after the Christ Church and Catz had bumped out in front of them.
Christ Church were also extremely quick throughout the week,
moving up three for the third year in succession. With only two women’s crews achieving blades, the
competitiob was fierce at every level. As one observer noted,
‘Good crews go up three, lucky crews win blades.’
Queen’s also moved up from the seconds division, putting in
an excellent performance. In men’s division two St John’s, Worcester, and LMH
won blades, the latter moving up from the third division, and
looking assured in their new Stampfli. No blades were won in the
women’s second division, although both Oriel and Worcester
were impressive. Worcester’s chance of blades were foiled on
the first day by a klaxon while they were chasing an overbump on
LMH – the first time LMH had not been bumped in Eights for
over two years. At the end of the week, the top divisions of Eights had been
seriously shaken up. Whilst Oriel and Pembroke are unlikely to be
on the back foot for long, it was refreshing to see change and
the top of both first divisions. Almost as refreshing as that
pint of Pimm’s. racing on Saturday. Magdalen M1 had started fourth on the river on Wednesday, and
some thought that despite the obvious speed in the boat, the
inherently unfair nature of bumps racing might deny the
Blue-stacked crew the headship. Magdalen proved all doubters
wrong by bumping Exeter, Pembroke and Oriel on successive days,
to go head for the first time in fifty years, with a day to
spare. Pembroke had lost the headship on Wednesday to Oriel, having
been bumped well past the boat houses on the opening day. But
despite bringing Theology finalist Basil Dixon into the boat for
the rest of the week, Pembroke could neither gain revenge on
Oriel nor hold off Magdalen as they dropped to third. Whilst the decidedly iffy weather meant that tow-path support
was not what it might have been, Magdalen’s bump on Oriel
was met by scenes of jubilation on the banks and boat house
island, with Magdalen supporters and neutral observers alike
happy to see a crew other than Oriel or Pembroke at the top of
the table. Of course, it could have all been very different
– Magdalen, along with Catz men and Somerville women, had
failed to enter their boats into Eights on time, and the college
captains could have voted to bar them from racing or impose
penalty bumps – but in the end the fastest men’s crew
on the river finished head, something that all too often does not
occur. Oriel M1 have often been accused of arrogance, and are
certainly not the most popular crew on the river. However, the
entire crew, led by captain Alisdair Robbie, made a trip to
Magdalen boat house after racing on Saturday to congratulate the
headship holders (along with many other first division rowers),
an action that deserves acknowledgement and commendation. Further down the men’s first division, renowned for the
number of row-overs normally recorded, there were a surprising
number of bumps, with both New College and Balliol moving up
three places, although New’s bump on Christ Church on
Thursday was marred by a pile up on the Green Bank which left the
House’s cox Charles Thorogood in the Isis. Although
everybody involved appeared anxious not to apportion blame for
the incident, Thorogood had a very lucky escape as the rest of
the racing boats thundered towards him before the division was
eventually klaxoned. Balliol captain Andrew Crawford was
overjoyed with his crew’s success after they bounced back
from gaining spoons last year, demonstrating how quickly fortunes
can change. Much the same could be said for Christ Church, who gained
spoons to end up ninth, only three years after they had gained
blades after starting in that position. Captain Lenny Martin was
obviously upset by his crew’s fortunes, but took heart from
Balliol’s comeback. With college stalwart Robin
Bourne-Taylor returning from Olympic duty next year, the House
should find it easier to persuade their other men’s Blues
back in to college boats, something that they had been unable to
do this summer, and real improvement is possible. But as a member of this year’s crew noted, ‘Whilst
we are all obviously disappointed that we have gone down, other
events this week have helped us to keep things in perspective.
We’ve got spoons. It’s hardly the end of the world,
compared to what happened to that poor girl from Catz.’
Indeed, a one minute silence before men’s division one on
Thursday, in memory of Emilie Harris, a rower from St
Catherine’s tragically killed the day before, was kept by
one and all, with crews still on the river from the previous
division easy-ing to show their respects.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

Brasenose won their second Mixed Hockey Cuppers title in three
years after defeating a combined LMH/ Trinity side 1-0 in at
Iffley Road. Both sides had had extremely difficult routes to the final.
LMH/ Trinity drew their semi-final against Oriel 1-1 and it was
left to their keeper, Nick Johansson- Hartley, who displayed some
agility (and no little aggression) to keep out three Oriel flicks
and secure his side’s place in the final. BNC also won through to the final via penalty flicks. They
trailed tournament favourites Worcester for most of the game,
only equalising via a goal minutes from time. However, they
quickly moved ahead on flicks after keeper Eli Mitropoulos saved
two Worcester flicks. The final was a tense affair in which both sides were
obviously tired after their semi-final experiences. BNC always
looked the more likely but struggled to cope with LMH/
Trinity’s midfield in the first-half. Eventually the absence of LMH/ Trinity’s Matt Emerton,
who had been injured in the semi and was only able to play a bit
part in the final, began to tell. BNC pressured their opponents
for much of the second half but only secured victory with another
late goal. After a spoilt short-corner routine the ball fell to
Carl Adkin, who rifled it into the top corner. Winning skipper Ben Lewsley, who had earlier reminded his
players of the ‘historic’ nature of the occasion, was
justifiably delighted, declaring ‘this shows that hockey at
the ‘Nose is back on the map; our men will be looking to
storm the top division next season.’ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

A sublime fourth-wicket partnership for Oxford on Monday saw
off Cardiff ’s hopes of victory in the Parks after two days
of edge-of-theseat action. It was déjà vu in many ways for
Cardiff, who had posted 364 in their previous game but lost to
Durham, as their bowlers, having reduced the hosts to 32-3,
watched Luke Parker and Will Howard put on 275 runs without loss. Ami Suman began with a bang after Paul McMahon put the
visitors in, removing both openers early on. Rodney Lloyd and
Mark Pettini consolidated from 8-2 before Ian Clayton began a
strong partnership with Lloyd, waiting patiently for bad balls,
leading Cardiff gradually in to the driving seat. The score moved
on to 217 before spinner Michael Munday made the breakthrough,
bowling Clayton for 64. McMahon caught Lloyd from Munday’s bowling twelve runs
short of a century, after a fight lasting 230 balls. He and Mula
Richards then picked up two more each in the space of 16 runs to
leave Cardiff 267-9. By stumps a dogged effort from Cardiff
’s last pair had put on 52 runs to leave the game on a knife
edge. Munday sealed his second five-wicket haul in a week as
Lambert fell for 38, having faced almost 100 balls, early on day
two. Oxford were soon in trouble as the highly-rated Paul
Selvey-Clinton, Josh Knappett and Omar Anwar were all unpadding
within the first hour. Howard and Parker settled, however, and looked more
comfortable as the session went on, with Howard especially
striking the ball to all parts of the ground. By the time a late
glance for four brought up Parker’s century, the score had
moved past 260 and a win was all but secure. Cardiff were deflated and Howard’s 29th boundary,
bludgeoning a full toss down the ground, took his score past 150
in 158 balls. He was caught at square leg off the last ball of
the session but soon after the resumption of play, the winning
total of 327 was reached. One more wicket fell before
declaration, though the stroke of luck for Munday was not enough
to claim any bonus points in the second innings. McMahon praised his side’s discipline, “If we win
our two remaining games, we should be in the final at
Lord’s.”ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004 

Part of a terminal at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris
collapsed on Sunday killing four people and injuring three
others. A thirty foot section of the newly built £500 million
Terminal 2E gave way without warning as flights from New York and
Johannesburg were arriving and a flight bound for Prague was
boarding. Eye witness reports said part of the roofing structure
collapsed onto a walkway which in turn buckled, causing the
disaster. Structural Engineer David Adams said, “The cause
of this disaster is completely unknown and we are unlikely to get
to the bottom of it if French bureaucracy plays its part.” The left-wing labour union CGT said it had issued warnings
about the rush to complete the terminal after Air France raised
commercial concerns. The Terminal was completed at the end of
June of last year and was due to be extended in order to
accommodate the new Airbus 380s. The future of the terminal is now in doubt as new cracks
appeared affecting a fresh evacuation. The French authorities
have stated that if the structure proves to be completely unsound
demolition would be the only option available. This would be a
devastating blow to Air France’s prestige project designed
to bring Charles de Gaulle airport to the forefront of
international air travel. Chief architect Paul Andreu has flown
in to inspect the damage and has put himself at the disposal of
the French authorities.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

St Catherine’s student dies after
traffic accident on Cowley Road Emilie Harris, a twenty-year-old student at St
Catherine’s College, has been killed after being knocked
down by a bus on Cowley Road on Wednesday. She was a first year
studying Human Sciences. A friend described Emilie as “a bubbly person with so
much to give. The College, the University and the world had been
robbed of an amazing person.” Another said, “Of all the
people I’ve ever met, she never had a bad word to say about
anyone. It’s so very wrong that she should be taken
away.” St Catz has been in mourning for Emilie’s death. Candles
were lit in the main quad and wreaths of flowers have been placed
at the site of the accident and in Magdalen College chapel. One student said, “We’re all in shock. We sat in
hall silently when the news was announced, the College is just
stunned. She was so integral to this College, everyone knew her
and loved her, its just such a waste.” The College has called all students to attend a meeting on
Friday morning. JCR President Matthew Bambrough emailed students
to notify them about the news and let them know about the avenues
of support available. He asked students not to hesitate in
contacting him no matter how “trivial you think your worry
or grief might be.” He said, “Emilie was a beautiful
individual in every sense of the word, who brought happiness and
laughter to the lives of all she touched. She lived her life to
the full and her kindness and compassion towards others is
something that shall never be forgotten.” The Master of St Catz, Roger Ainsworth, said, “I was very
shocked and terribly saddened by this awful news of the waste of
such a productive young life. Emilie was well known to me as a
very lively, dynamic, engaging and personable student, always
ready to engage in a discussion at a moment’s notice. She
was very able academically, and the whole College sends its
heartfelt sympathy to her family at such a terrible loss. From
the student perspective she was seen as the warmest of people,
very popular with her peers and full of fun. She was known and
loved by all.” Emilie was cycling when she moved out into the road and was
hit by the bus outside The Elm Tree pub at 3.28 pm. Ambulances
and police immediately arrived on the scene but were unable to
revive her. She was pronounced dead at the John Radcliffe
Hospital just after 4pm. Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident. Inspector
Steve Bridges said, “It’s not entirely clear the exact
circumstances that caused this to happen.” It is hoped that
analysis of CCTV footage from cameras on the bus will provide
more information. Emilie was from Shawford, near Winchester, in Hampshire. An
inquest will be opened into her death next week by the
Oxfordshire Coroner. Witnesses are asked to contact Thames Valley Police by
telephone on 0845 8505505.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

A Christ Church student is in a critical condition in hospital
after falling from a first-floor window in Blue Boar Quad. The first year student fell from the 1960s building on
Saturday. The Senior Censor at Christ Church, Dr Judith Pallot,
said that he had “sustained a fall”, although she
stated that no one is thought to have witnessed the accident. She
pointed out that the alarm was at once raised and the student was
“immediately attended to” by college authorities, who
contacted the emergency services. Friends of the student have requested that he remains
anonymous. As a result of the fall, he has suffered serious
injuries. He remains unconscious and in a critical condition. A Christ Church undergraduate told Cherwell that she feared
his condition was “critical”. “I think it’s
very worrying that such a serious accident could happen to a
student here,” she said. JCR President, Jonathan Edwards, said that he was not in a
position to comment on the accident and felt that it was
inappropriate to provide any further information as he did not
“know all the facts”. He was keen to emphasise that
“the college and the JCR are doing all they can to support
his friends and that our thoughts are with the student and his
family”.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

The decision by Oriel undergraduates to remain outside OUSU
has been criticised by 23 JCR Presidents who feel that their
members “subsidise” services which Oriel JCR does not
pay for. Yet, as the plethora of JCR Presidents request Oriel to join
them in OUSU, the vast majority of JCR members considered
themselves to be better served by independent status. In a letter
to Cherwell, the Presidents cited their
“disappointment” that Oriel will continue to “miss
services and support”, citing in particular the role of
sabbatical officers. Last Thursday, Oriel JCR members voted overwhelmingly against
re-affiliating to OUSU in last week’s referendum.
Constitutional change in Oriel requires a two thirds majority but
on a turn out of some 77% of the JCR, over 70% of students voted
against affiliation. Returning Officer, Mohammed Khuram, defended the sovereignty
of Oriel members and stated that their overwhelming rejection of
Student Union membership “showed that College members
neither want nor need” such services. However, the referendum did not pass off without controversy;
a tribunal had to be called after complaints of electoral
malpractice were made against David Follows, the leader of the
“no” campaign. Follows had quoted various people
criticising OUSU on “Vote No” posters. Two of those
quoted complained that their comments had been taken out of
context. The tribunal report concluded Follows had not misquoted them,
but conceded that neither individual was “anti-OUSU”.
It suggested that in future referendums permission should be
sought for use of quotes in the context of the referendum.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004 

Questions of dodgy dealing have arisen regarding the sale of
bicycles at the Oxford Union this week, following a complaint
from a student who claims that her own bike was sold there just
two weeks after it went missing. Eleanor Stringer, a second year at Lincoln, had her bike
stolen in Fifth Week of Michaelmas outside Lincoln’s sports
ground, only to see it locked up outside Jesus in Eighth week. After several more sightings she eventually found its new
owner, who told her she had bought the bike for £45 at the Union
bike sale in Seventh Week of Michaelmas. Stringer said that the
bike was “pretty battered” so she decided not to make a
complaint to the police. Just as the allegations were being made earlier this week,
links to the company running the bike sales disappeared. The
Union informed Cherwell that, unlike most other cases where
companies are allowed to use their premises, no formal written
contract existed between the Society and the bike company. The company was unavailable to comment on the allegations face
to face, and the weekly bike sale did not take place this
Wednesday, although a spokeswoman for the Union explained that
this was normal in the second half of Trinity. In normal circumstances the company does sell stolen bikes
that have been recovered by the police. Thames Valley Police explained that stolen goods that are not
claimed after three months are sold cheaply by the police to
raise money for victims support charities. A spokeswoman said, “The auctions are jam packed and
there’s usually a dozen or more bikes at each auction.”
She went on to explain that “bikes are particularly
problematic because so many students don’t report them
stolen and even if they do they don’t have them security
etched or know enough details about them for us to find their
bike from the hundreds on the stolen goods database.” Thus, while in normal circumstances the bikes on sale at the
Union are perfectly legitimate, questions still linger in the
case of Eleanor Stringer’s bike. Commenting on the matter
she said, “It is entirely possible that it was sold in good
faith, but I do wonder.”ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004