Controversial measures to reform the way the University is run were the subject of a heated discussion at a meet­ing of Congregation, the University’s governing body, on Wednesday.The proposals were part of a green paper, published in May, which highlighted flaws in the University’s existing struc­ture. Many of the concerns raised were due to recent financial and IT management problems. Susan Cooper, a Physics professor who spoke at the meeting, called these “major problems … [which] require urgent attention.”The suggested changes were amended after initial criticism from academics over the role of external observers in the process. The paper originally called for the establishment of a Board of Trustees, composed entirely of ‘external mem­bers’: people who, though alumni, are not part of the University. In the latest version, this was changed to a council composed of seven internal and seven external members, with the Chancellor of the University, Lord Patten, as Chair­man. After five years, an additional external member would be added, and one of the external members would then chair.This proposal has attracted criticism due to the apparent removal of power from Congregation. Nicholas Bamforth, an opponent of the scheme, warned that it would “concentrate power in the hands of the Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellors, without checks or balances.” He has also raised concerns that Congregation’s “sovereignty” would become “a nominal feature of the system”.Along with Cooper and another don, Gavin Williams, Bamforth put forward an alternative proposal which advocated adopting reforms which have recently achieved success at Cambridge.The counter-proposal rejects the plans for the involvement of external members, and instead calls for the establishment of a Board of Scrutiny: an internal body which would act in an advisory capacity and call upon external experts when necessary.They also emphasised the importance of greater transparency in dealings with the Congregation. In her speech, Cooper stated, “Council papers are now classified as either strictly confidential or confidential; there is no third category. The climate of secrecy must be broken.”Many dons, however, supported the proposals. In particular, the need for external input was strongly defended. David Noble, a proponent of the green paper’s proposals, stated, “If we have not learnt over the last two decades that we need powerful friends, with no conflict of interest, to fight on our behalf in the narrow corridors of financial and political influence then we have missed out on one of the major reasons for our failure to stop the slide towards a loss-making enterprise.”Currently, the University is governed by Congregation but the day-to-day business of the institution is dealt with by the Council, an executive body set up in 2000.Council delegates responsi­bility to various committees. Under the proposed scheme, Council would be split up into two bodies, one governing financial and administrative matters and the other academic affairs. Before the governance changes in 2000, the University’s executive was formed of the Hebdomadal (weekly) Council, which had existed from 1854, and the General Board of the Faculties.ARCHIVE: 4th week MT 2005

The death of an Oxford student flung to
the ground by a stunt catapult in 2002 could have been prevented if further
safety tests had been carried out, a coroner’s inquest concluded on Wednesday. Kostydin
Yankov, a first year biochemist at Wadham, died after sustaining horrific
injuries almost three years ago when he was hurled thirty metres towards a
safety net but missed it, hitting the ground. Yankov,
known as dino, was one of a group of students who were members of the Oxford
Stunt Factory and had travelled to Middlemoor
Water Park
in Somerset to
take part in the jump. However the event itself was not organised by the Stunt
Factory which is described on its website as a "dangerous and extreme
sports club", organising the "co-ordination and performance of stunts
– particularly those involving extreme sports – including bungee jumping,
street luging, BaSe jumping, firebreathing and skydiving." The club is not
directly linked to the University, and is not a society registered with the
proctors. David
Boston, spokesperson for Oxford Stunt Factory, confirmed that the event dino
had taken part in was “organised by an uninsured third-party who was not
affiliated with the Oxford Stunt Factory". He added that the Stunt Factory
always conformed to "the high­est possible standard of safety
possible". “Dino’s friends, family and all of the club’s current members
are relieved that the affair is now closed”, he added. Reports
in 2002 said that onlookers had voiced concern that previous jump­ers had only
just reached the net and four students successfully completed the leap from the
medieval-style cata­pult prior to Yankov’s fatal jump. Oliver
nelkin, who would have been next to be catapulted, said he became alarmed that
the jumpers were landing at the very front of the 10 metre by 20 metre safety
net rather than in the mid­dle as intended. In a statement he told the inquest that the first
jumper, Paul Capsey, "landed on the net, but more to the front edge than I
had seen before. For a split second I thought he was not going to make it and I
felt relieved when he did." Nelkin described
Yankov’s jump, saying, "at some stage I saw dino as a ball in the air. He
then missed the safety net, but I couldn’t say by how much. as he hit the
ground I heard a thud and then a second thud."Yankov
broke his legs and spine on impact, sustaining multiple abdominal and chest
injuries. He was rushed to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol
but died later that evening.Jurors
at the inquest were told that a rope used to help fire the mecha­nism, known as
a strop, had been changed on the day of the incident but had not been tested. The
coroner’s verdict stated, "The accident would probably have been prevented
if a further set of tests had been performed after changing the strop." Aprivate
paramedic who was employed for the day had become concerned about the landing
posi­tions of the first jumpers and raised the matter with richard Wicks and
david aitkenhead, who designed and operated the catapult. Prior to Yank­ov’s
jump the weights on the catapult mechanism that control the length of the jump
were altered. Capsey,
who helped with the op­eration of the catapult following his own jump, told the
inquest that each jumper was weighed, weights on the catapult adjusted
accordingly and a test weight the same as the jumper fired to check for any
problems. Cap­sey said that all safety checks were completed before Yankov’s
jump.Wicks’
partner, Stella Young, was seriously injured in a jump on a pro­totype of the
catapult in May 2000, breaking her pelvis in three places after bouncing out of
the catch net. Young was responsible for weigh­ing Mr Yankov before the jump
and warning him of its dangers. She
described the stunt as "a very, very dangerous thing to do." Wicks
and aitkenhead were cleared of man­slaughter over the death last yearARCHIVE: 4th week MT 2005

St Catherine’s 9St Edmund Hall 3St Catherine’s proved that reputation counts for nothing on the rugby field on Tuesday by deservedly beating Cuppers title holders St Edmund Hall. Hall had scored 130 points in their first two games but in their first tight match it was the boot of Catz fullback Tom Rees which won the day over that of Hall standoff Rob Yates. Catz could now clinch the title if they win at St Peter’s next week, leaving former favourites Hall fighting Peter’s for second place.As if sensing a memorable performance, Catz’ fans turned up in droves. They were rewarded with a match far more gripping than the one-sided drubbings which have dominated the rugby season thus far. Both sides produced defensive performances of the highest order, brutally physical one-on-one tackling complemented by slick defensive alignments. Catz will undoubedtly attribute their victory to their success in preventing Hall not only from crossing the whitewash, but also from scoring at all in the game’s final hour. It was clear from the off that this would be the day of defence and kicking. Catz had all the early pressure, but it was Hall who scored first after a booming Rob Yates clearance set Catz on the back foot. Catz continued to dominate possession, however, and in the 25th minute Hall’s defence finally cracked, handling in the ruck allowing Tom Rees to match Yates’ penalty. As the half hour mark approached, Hall finally found their feet, driving around the fringes of the breakdown and looking to offload in the tackle. However, defence was once again turned into attack as Timothy Carpenter ripped the ball from a Hall back in a bone crunching tackle and broke away in a rapid counter attack from the St Catz half. While some cool last ditch defence from Teddy Hall prevented this exceptional piece of defensive play from producing a try, it was done so illegally. With the last play of the first half, Rees kicked Catz into a 6-3 lead. Hall came out in the second half with the wind at their back, determined to reverse their deficit. Yates was once again pulling the strings, another oustanding kicking forcing Catz into conceding a five metre scrum. As before, however, St Catherine’s stood tall. When Hall’s discipline faltered once more, Catz went upfield and forced another penalty to go 9-3 up. Hall were still within a score of victory; however, for all their efforts, they could neither drive through, pass around nor even, despite persistent attempts to force a mistake out of Rees, kick over the Catz defence. Hall remain an excellent side; indeed, they largely ruled the lineouts, and their back row were outstanding. However, they faced an inspired Catz side whose commitment and incredible discipline in defence made them deserving winners.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

St Anne’s/Somerville 7St Catherine’s 1 St Anne’s/Somerville proved on Sunday that goalkeepers are not indispensable as the newly promoted side overcame a mysterious case of missing kit to overwhelm a lacklustre St Catherine’s. Alex Stewart, the Anne’s/Somerville keeper, was sidelined after his clothing – helmet, leg guards and all – inexplicably vanished from St Anne’s College, forcing the joint team to field 11 outfield players. "Who’d steal a goalie’s kit?" Stewart exclaimed in dismay as he stood in frustration by the touchline. However, what looked to be a hindrance turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Anne’s/Somerville excelled themselves defensively and worked as a tight-knit unit to hit seven past Catz and make the perfect start to the new season. Martin Sykes put in a remarkable attacking performance to score five goals, while Nick Randel added two to complete the onslaught. But no one epitomised St Anne’s/Somerville’s stiff-necked grit more than John McKeane, whose performance in the centre of defence propelled his side towards an amazing victory. It was the Manor Road college, though, who hit first as Richard Hill capitalised on Anne’s/Somerville’s gap in front of the net to slot home for a third-minute lead after a neat interchange of passes. Anne’s/Somerville threatened to hit back, and eventually did on seven minutes as Randel equalised from close range. Captain Laurie Bennett, playing a crucial organising role in a team containing a number of freshers – to the point of instigating a pre-match name-learning session – was an influential figure and twice came close to scoring. He was backed up by some heroic defence from McKenzie, most notably a last ditch, goal-saving tackle at 1-1 when a Catz score might easily have changed the nature of the game. Anne’s/Somerville recovered from Catz’s early onslaught to stretch their lead to 3-1 at the break, Sykes scoring from a few yards out to put the home side ahead and then running through the Catz defence to add his second just before half time. Catz wasted a short corner just after the interval and were punished three minutes later as Sykes completed his hat trick with a precise first-time shot from the left. He was more fortunate than skilful seven minutes later, though, receiving a long pass and shooting at the Catz goalkeeper, who could only return the ball to Sykes who slotted home his team’s fifth. Randel added a sixth and Sykes a seventh late on to complete their marvellous show, but Catz will be irate at their capitulation after starting with a deceptive advantage. On the pitch at Iffley Road, it was Sykes, Randel, McKeane and Bennett who were the Anne’s/Somerville talismans, but their real hero was the phantom kit-thief, who left some on the sidelines wondering whether more college teams will now turn out without a goalkeeper.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

At the start of each year, Blues’ Captains pray, cross their fingers, throw salt over their shoulders, and generally try anything they can think of to tempt the fates to provide that most prized of posessions – a talented crop of freshers. This year, it seems Athletics President Nick Redford and Women’s Captain Martine Bomb have struck gold. The sheer numbers at the Athletics Cuppers bode well for Oxford, competing at events from the 2000m steeplechase to the javelin. A special mention has to go to Trinity College, who won a resounding number of points with an outstanding output of athletes. The men’s events saw a number of potential stars emerge. Mark Dewhirst dominated the long distance events, placing first in the 3000m and the 2000m steeplechase with ease. danny Eckersley ruled the hurdles, winning both the 100m and the 400m, while Mark Ponsford of Hertford took the prestigious 100m sprint title and came second in the 200m. In the field, two performances really stood out in the shot-put and long jump, respectively by Sean Gourley of Balliol and Tom Brown of Linacre. The women’s times on the track more than overlapped the men’s, showing a depth that is encouraging even at this off-season time when many girls are focused on cross-country. It was inspiring to see so many ‘track-fairies’ burning their fast-twitch muscles at the distance events, and likewise with those muscle-bound distance runners heaving the shot-put (admittedly no higher than their waists). Antonella Banslky’s 3.52m shot-put would have earned her 18th position in the men’s – as it turns out, neither last nor least! Above all the atmosphere, despite the weather at present being better suited to mud-plastering runs through the countryside, was energised and supportive of all those who took part. The number of teams who entered showed a spark of sporting pride from all quarters of the University, which will hopefully continue the trend well into the year. Not only were the larger sporting colleges out in force, but appearances from Harris Manchester, Linacre, Somerville, Wycliffe and St Hugh’s made for unexpected wins and tense competition. With Cuppers placed strategically now at the start of Michaelmas, one can only expect numbers to rise towards summer as bared legs actually become comfortable in the hot weather; unfortunately for some, bravery (or masochism?) in the shorts department went unrewarded. One certainly hopes that Cambridge had their spies out – perhaps their pastel-green athletics vests will be all the paler at Varsity having seen our dark-blue warriors do battle. Shoe!ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Petulance is something we have come to accept, even expect, from sportsmen. John McEnroe made a career out of having tantrums, earning a man who was a ‘supertalent’ the moniker of ‘superbrat’. But not only did he have the talent to match the petulance, he also used venting his anger as a way to improve his performances. The Sun described him at the time as "the most vain, ill-tempered, petulant loudmouth that the game of tennis has ever known."While few would describe Wayne Rooney as vain, his Manchester United team-mate darren Fletcher not only understands but defends Rooney’s transgressions: "You don’t want to rein in Wayne’s hunger because it sometimes spurs him on and makes him play better." If one were being harsh, a quick anger-to-talent comparison between Rooney and Fletcher seems to corroborate this view.More seriously, however, this is not to say that petulance is a prerequisite to talent, but rather that some talent comes with baggage. If we can’t accept their immaturity, we can’t enjoy their skill. Take away Wayne Rooney’s temper and you could be left with another Alan Shearer, but you also risk getting another Bellion.But this is assuming that shows of petulance aren’t appreciated. While the tabloids love to wax lyrical about bringing sports into disrepute, isn’t it time we admitted we all love it? Lee Bowyer picking a fight with Kieron dyer, Tim Henman thumping a tennis ball at a ball girl in frustration, Fabregas hurling a pizza at Alex Ferguson – it’s all fantastic entertainment, and frankly, that’s what sport is all about.The only time petulance goes wrong is when you let down the team. Not in a moral sense – who cares about that? – but when your petulance leads to your side losing. Consider Beckham at World Cup ’98 – national hero to national hate-figure with one careless flick of a boot. Sun headline? "10 heroic lions, one stupid boy".But in a time where sports are being criticised for being boring – football, Formula 1, tennis – largely due to the dominance of one participant, we must grasp the opportunity to give petulant sportsmen the credit they deserve. Consider the outrage expressed after the admittedly complacent penalty attempt by Henry and Pires last weekend. The press crucified them for their arrogance, but the fact is, it was great fun. If they’d scored it, great, but the fact they didn’t is almost more entertaining. Since when is attempting the spectacular – or being spectacularly poorly behaved – to be discouraged?Wayne Rooney telling Beckham to f**k off, or Michael Owen? Ronnie O’Sullivan playing left handed, or Steve Davis? Andy Murray showing us all his ‘orgasm face’, or Tim Henman? I’ll take entertainers over goody goodies any day of the week.As if to remind us all of the fact that Wayne Rooney isn’t the only precociously talented England player to suffer from a short fuse, David Beckham emulated his international team-mate’s infamous hand clap in a match against Valencia this weekend. Like Rooney, Beckham had just received a yellow card and, doubtless feeling somewhat aggrieved, decided to show his gratitude to the referee by offering him a short round of applause.    ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Those of lofty stature will be severed, and the haughty ones brought low … And there shall come forth a shoot out. (Isaiah 10:33-11:1) So it was Isaiah who first thought of cup upsets and penalty shoot-outs (at least, I like to think he did). A man of religion putting his stamp on the world of sport – not actually such a rarity. Sport has always born the hallmark of religion, and still does. The Olympics Games started off as a dedication to the Greek gods but was branded a pagan festival once Christianity become the Roman Empire’s official faith. The emperor Theodosius banned the Games in 393. On these shores too, sport and religion have been intertwined as far back as you look. Winner, in his book Those Feet: A Sensual History of English Football, makes the remarkable discovery that Victorian public-school boys were introduced to football to limit the time available for ‘impure’ thoughts. This promotion of ‘clean’ recreation, into which the clergy had a significant input, led to the founding of church teams that evolved into Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City and a host of other modern-day clubs.But not all religious influence in sport has been for the good. The cities of Glasgow and Belfast have been blighted by sectarian violence for generations, that spreads to – or even emanates from – the football grounds. Your identity is defined by whether you’re a ‘Cath’ or a ‘Prod’ and which of the Glaswegian clubs you support – not that you have a choice, as Maurice Johnston found out. Johnston, having played for the traditionally Catholic club Celtic earlier in his career, moved from the French club Nantes in July 1989 to become one of the first Catholics to play for Rangers, seen as a Protestant club. The striker was branded a traitor in parts of the Celtic heartland, but the case turned out to be something of a watershed for Rangers, who only then started to bring in players irrespective of their affiliation.Religion is thus not an inevitable obstacle. It can be a means by which to dismantle the the problems that religion can provoke. In 2002, tennis players Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, a Muslim from Pakistan, and Amir Hadad, an Israeli Jew, fought off criticism to team up as a doubles pair and reach the third round of Wimbledon. “The best part about sports is that they don’t let politics or religion interfere,” Qureshi told a national newspaper. “Sport is free. Everybody comes together. All the cultures and religions, black or white. And you should just keep it free. Everybody’s invited.” Can sport and religion benefit each other, though? In an assembly in my last year at school, an amateur tennis player and practising Christian came to speak about how his relationship with his creator helped him in his sport. He claimed that sport should be a way of “pleasing” Him by taking the body He gave us to the limits of its ability. I recall that our head of Religious Studies walked out in anger at the speaker’s naivety, and quite rightly so. To think that the Almighty delights in seeing his creatures run 100m in 9.77 seconds is an absurdity, for the purpose of sport is more than that, something more central to the very world we inhabit.The relationship between sport and religion may sometimes have been one of violence and corruption but it is also one of freedom and conciliation. What sport brings is an activity with the potential to act as a leveller, a bridge between faiths and races, an opportunity for rivals to make peace – just as the British and German troops did in the First World War trenches, legend has it, by dropping their guns and kicking a ball around on Christmas Day. George Orwell wasn’t totally right. Sport is not always war minus the shooting; more often, it’s life minus the war.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Controversial Islamic scholar
Tariq Ramadan, who has in the past been accused of anti-Semitism and was banned
from teaching in the US, is about
to begin teaching at Oxford.
Professor Tariq Ramadan is to begin a visiting fellowship at the postgraduate
college St Anthony’s which specialises in International Studies. He marked the
start of his new position by delivering a speech to the Oxford Union on Tuesday
evening. A spokesperson for the College described
Ramadan as “an internationally recognised scholar” and said that St Anthony’s
is “a forum for free academic exchange on the issues of our times and opposes all
manifestations of hate speech and intimidation designed to curb academic
freedoms”.Ramadan was named by Time Magazine
in April 2004 as one of the 100 innovators of the 21st century for
his work to create an Independent European Islam. Mike Whine from the Jewish Community
Security Trust accused Ramadan of speaking moderately in French and English but
delivering more radical messages in Arabic. In the televised debates between himself
and the French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, Professor Ramadan declined to
condemn the Islamic punishment of the stoning of women for crimes such as
adultery and instead resorted to ijtihad, asking leading thinkers to come
forward to a solution to this doctrinal problem.In 2004 the US State department revoked
Professor Ramadan’s work visa at the recommendation of the department of
Homeland Security shortly before he was due to begin teaching Islam, Conflict Resolution
and Peace Building at Indiana’s Notre Dame University, citing a “public
security risk”. Ramadan was recently appointed to
an elite government task force that reports to Tony Blair and the Home
Secretary Charles Clarke in the wake of the London
bombings to help combat the rise of Islamic extremism in Britain.Dr Edie Friedman, director of the
Jewish Council for Racial Equality said that “some members of the Jewish
community have had positive contact” with Tariq Ramadan.  Dr Friedman said that although she has heard “both positive and negative
things about him” she “welcomes his appointment” and “looks forward to working
with him”.Jeremy Seeff and Tikva Blaukopf, co-presidents
of the Oxford University Jewish Society said, “Professor Ramadan has a fine academic
record” and that as long as “any personal religious and political inclinations
he has do not affect his teaching and in any way sour the atmosphere on campus,
JSoc has no objection to Professor Ramadan’s appointment”. Hassan Malik, President of Oxford
University Islamic Society, said that “one may have disagreementswith Professor Ramadan” but that “differences
of opinion are allowed within reason” and that “his appointment should be good
for the Oxford community,
as he has received some bad press and allegations which were totally unfounded”.He added that Professor Ramadan is
“working to create unity amongst different faiths” and that “for this he should be commended”.
Professor Ramadan told Cherwell, “I’m happy
to be here”, and described his work as “important in bridging the gap between
two worlds. It is really interesting for me meeting interesting and challenging
people, asking questions about the future of Islam in Europe
and in Islamic majority countries”.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Oxford 15London Wasps 41The underdog’s audacity lost out to professionalism on Monday as a brave, adventurous Blues side was overpowered by the superior stamina and raw power of London Wasps. Despite the result, this was the Blues’ best performance of the season; in an impressive team effort, winger Jonan Boto provided a man of the match performance by scoring two of “the best tries seen at Iffley Road this season.”The visit of the Premiership champions brought a large crowd to Iffley Road, and the huddled spectators packing its stands were treated to a very high quality game, both teams playing with pace, width and flair. The quality of Oxford’s basic skills and set pieces was a step above previous displays: the line outs were superb, the Blues even stealing a few off the visitors, and the ball handling was almost faultless. This was all the more impressive in view of the difficult conditions, as light, swirling rain built to an all-out rainstorm over the course of the match.Oxford scored all their points during a first half display which contained moments of brilliance. After Ed Thrower had drop-kicked Wasps into an early lead, Boto put the Blues in front with a scintillating try, coming up in support of a Matt Sherman brake in his own 22 and outpacing the cover defence to the tryline. The Blues followed this up with a great time try, driving captain Andy Dalglish over the line. Though Garth Chamberlin pulled one back for Wasps, Boto restored the Blues lead with a try few fans will quickly forget. Sean Fauth turned the ball over in the Blues’ half and Boto stepped past the Wasps’ defence, including wrong-footing skipper Mark Lock, before sprinting to the tryline.Wasps responded to their surprise deficit with ferocity. They shackled the Blues’ pacey backline, keeping it scoreless for the rest of the match despite continuing enterprising play. On attack, they ruthlessly exploited weaknesses in the Oxford line; tries came from Ireland international Jeremy Staunton, Ali McKenzie and Rob Baxter. The Blues still looked like they could strike back as Boto and Fauth combined but Wasps went in at half time 27-15 ahead. After half time, the visitors’ raw power shone through, as Baxter soon completed his hat trick. Oxford had the best of the last ten minutes, with Jon Fennell and Peter Jenkins hitting Wasps hard, but once again their line held firm.The Blues’ performances are certainly improving. They have moved on from their crushing defeat against Leicester three weeks ago, and the likes of Fennell and Boto are emerging as potential match winners. But they have already lost twice as many matches as they have won, a ratio unlikely to improve against upcoming opponents Harlequins, Tonga and Leinster. The must make full use of the few winnable fixtures remaining to build the compusre and match awareness essential to win close games or, for all their promise, they could come unstuck in the Varsity match.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005

Oxford 37Worcester 26Oxford’s netball team got their season off to the best possible start at Iffley Road last Wednesday. The Blues decisively beat Worcester, likely to be one of their biggest rivals for BUSA league promotion, while the reserve team, the Roos, crushed their opponents. The Blues’ performance was particularly encouraging for the season ahead. The game against Worcester was always going to be tight. The two teams had built up a rivalry in the BUSA Midland’s Conference 1A, the highest league below the Premiership. Last year, both sides were just one win away from promotion, and thus have their sites firmly on going one better this season. With only one team to be promoted, Oxford couldn’t afford to start the season with a home loss. With the usual difficulties of a first match – a brief training period of just a week and having to become familiar with the ten new freshers in the squad – the pressure was on the Blues to perform. They rose to the challenge extremely well. Individual skills suffered from a lack of match practise, particularly goal-shooting, which hovered around a disappointingly low average of 60% accuracy; but the team performance was impressive so early on in the season. In defence, they operated an area defence which created perhaps a dozen turnovers by forcing Worcester into difficult or speculative passes, starving them of possession. Going forward, the Blues were marshalled by the experienced trio of player of the match Sarah Hannibal, star Captain Becky Swarbrick and top scorer Caroline Sherrington; with their team-mates constantly looking for space off the ball, these three were able to create numerous shooting chances. These two qualities won Oxford the match. After the first half had finished at 16-all, the Blues put in a devastating spell with the defence working flat out to prevent Worcester from even attempting to shoot and supplying their own shooters with a flood of scoring opportunities. By the time Worcester had responded, they faced an insurmountable seven point lead. Their resistance was largely broken, and Oxford slowly stretched out their advantage over the remaining twenty minutes to a good margin of victory.In the first half, the Blues had looked anything but comfortable. Hannibal and Swarbrick dominated the midfield but, faced with Worcester’s tall defenders, Sherrington and Goal Shooter Venetia Barrett struggled to convert the chances created for them. In the first quarter, Oxford were largely handed a 10-6 lead through a stream of needless Worcester penalties; however, when they improved their discipline in the second quarter, their more accurate shooting allowed them to equalise the scores by half-time. An away win looked a real possibility until Oxford’s charge after half time.Commenting on the win, Captain Swarbrick attributed the victory to the Blues’ superior work off the ball and desire. She admitted a “half time speech” was needed to inspire the Blues’ decisive charge, but they are looking to use it as a base for securing the promotion that they narrowly missed out on last year.Earlier, the Roos had set the tone by demolishing newly promoted II. While the victory reveals little about how they will cope with tougher opposition, it was impressively clinical and will serve as a confidence-boosting start to the season. Derby II 67-3.ARCHIVE: 3rd week MT 2005