Corpus Christi 24 all out St Peters 28-1 One would not have been wrong to think that a match in the second round of cuppers between last year’s runners up and a third division side would be no contest, but a dazzling display by Blues captain Jamie Dalrymple turned this tie on its head. The late appearance of much of the Peters team all but confirmed the belief in the Corpus camp that they would be giving the villagers a lesson in cricket. However, ten minutes later, Peter’s star man Mr. Dalrymple arrived. St. Peter’s elected to field first, despite having only nine players ready and only one of their usual opening bowlers. Alexis White bowled consistently on the spot at a difficult length for the batsmen letting the wicket throw up its many surprises. Unfortunately for the Corpus batsmen, the late arrival of the other opening bowler allowed Dalrymple to have some fun with the wicket as well and a rapid succession of magic tricks ensued. Despite some brave batting from the lower order who were eager to get at least double figures on the board, Corpus were bowled out for 24 with Dalrymple finishing his spell with 7 wickets for 4 runs. Corpus were eager to utilise the lively wicket and the teams switched round without a break. However, with the confidence now in the Peter’s camp, the opening batsmen dealt with decent bowling and an unpredictable wicket marvellously well considering the lower standard of bowling in their division. Alan Eddington played some good looking shots with great technical ability and Jules Neave seemed eager to go and finish his essay as he scored every single run of his with a boundary. Neave’s failed attempt to finish the match with a six fittingly brought on Dalrymple who won the match with two fours in two balls. Everyone learnt from Dalrymple’s example in tactical thinking and athleticism. St. Peter’s were lucky to profit not only from his undoubted physical ability but also his ability to read the game and intelligent field management, as those who were not clean bowled were caught by a purposely placed fielder. The game had indeed been a lesson in cricket.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

Men’s Blues 113:99 Women’s Blues 90:100 Men’s Seconds 96:114 Women’s Seconds 69:119 The many spectators that braved the variable weather conditions to watch the 129th Varsity Athletics Match witnessed a day of intense, passion fuelled competition as the Men’s Blues extended their sequence of victories to 6 and the Women’s Blues narrowly failed to repeat last year’s victory. Although both Oxford 2nd teams lost, the performances were gutsy and the pride of representing Oxford in this historic occasion shone through. Many stalwarts of OUAC closed the chapters on their Varsity careers with exceptional performances. Jenny Duff repeated her triple victory of 2002 in the hammer, shot put and discus and was deservedly awarded the Susan Dennler trophy for best female performance. Oxford indeed dominated the heavy throws with C. Kapande placing 2nd in both the hammer and discus and O. Reade 2nd in the shot. Chris Sleeman won the 400m hurdles by 0.1s in 52.8s, overhauling his nemesis, S. Green, with a determined surge off the last hurdle. He also easily won the 400m. Nick Talbot extended his unprecedented sequence of 3,000m steeplechase victories to 5 in his final appearance in dark blue. Women’s captain Helen Edmundson blitzed the opposition with a new personal best of 12.2s in the 100m and a 25.9s 200m victory, ably supported by S. Burns who placed 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 200m. Finlay Wright was cruelly denied victory in the 100m when his hamstring pulled with 7m remaining. Despite the immense pain he still finished 2nd in 10.9, the same time given to 1st place. Sam Watts, who has fought injury this year, ran exceptionally well in the 400m hurdles to take 2nd place in a blues standard time, behind a meeting record by K. Taylor of Cambridge. There were fine performances from OUAC’s Varsity Match debutants. Fraser Thompson was majestic and indestructible in the 1500 and 5,000, leading Oxford to 1-2s in both events with N. Talbot and J. Brooks securing the 2nd places. Steven McCauley’s roars echoed across the track as he launched the shot put and discus to secure 1st place in both events. Sean Gourley got the crowds urging him on as he leapt to long jump victory in an impressive 7.01m. He also won the pole vault in 4.20m. Kathryn Hesketh recovered from injury to achieve a 11.13m leap and Hannah Barnes soared to a meeting best performance of 2.20m in the pole vault. The performances of the veterans were no less impressive. Dave and Pete Harding could not quite manage a 1-2 in the javelin but Dave did finally secure his 1st victory with 53.11m. Sarah Lane was 20cm away from victory in the long jump. Helen Zenner and Emily Crowley performed well to take 2nd and 3rd in both the 800m and 1500m behind Cambridge’s class athlete E. Leggate. Highlights from the 2nd team matches included victories for L. Bromilow in the 800m, S. Lowery in the high jump, G.Davies in the 5,000 and 1-2s in the 110mh by O. Odudu and J. Crawshaw.
ARCHIVE: 4th Week TT 2003

The City Council, an Oxford Mail front page and the suspended Labour “MP for Baghdad” caused confusion for students on both sides of the political spectrum this week. An Oxford Students Stop the War Coalition meeting to be addressed by George Galloway MP was due to be held at the Town Hall today, before being controversially cancelled and then rescheduled at the last minute. The farce was complicated by the prospect of the Oxford University Conservative Association’s “first ever protest,” over Galloway’s close links with Saddam Hussein. Managers at the Town Hall cancelled today’s meeting because of fears over the numbers expected to attend. However, OUCA trumpeted the cancellation as a moral victory and the headline on the Oxford Mail’s front page on Wednesday declared, “City council bans ‘traitor’ Galloway”. City Councillor Rick Muir, one of the organisers of the meeting, said that the details of the piece in the Oxford Mail were, “simply untrue” while an email circulated on the Oxford Stop the War mailing list early on Thursday morning accepted that the meeting had been moved from the Town Hall but affirmed, “This is not due to banning of George Galloway by anyone.” John Townsend, the OUCA President who had organised protest to bring attention to the Glasgow MPs support of Saddam’s Ba’athist regime told Cherwell, “I see this as a victory for freedom of speech. Galloway needs to be challenged.” Organisers are now hurriedly seeking an alternative venue so that the meeting can go ahead as planned on Friday evening. Townsend insisted that if meeting was moved the planned protest would follow it saying, George Galloway is not a whose views should be given free airing in an uncritical environment.” Joe Silk, of the Oxford Students Stop the War coalition, said, “George Galloway and other speakers all have interesting views about this and they all have right to speak out in public”. The cancellation and threatened protest comes as another blow Galloway, the disgraced MP Glasgow Kelvin, who has been suspended by the Labour party pending the outcome of Government inquiry into dealings with former Iraqi leaders. At the time of press Galloway’s office confirmed to Cherwell the MP will be coming to Oxford today, but the venue is still open question.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003

St. John’s undergraduates passed a JCR motion last Sunday to buy a bulldozer. Impending debate with the SCR over rents and charges prompted the decision to purchase the vehicle and park it provocatively close to the SCR building’s partially constructed extension “to use as a bargaining tool”. Though sufficient funds of £15 000 were readily available thanks to JCR funding, much debate ensued over more minor matters, such as the colour of the bulldozer and who was to drive it.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003

Despite threats made via e-mail Cherwell to stop slanderous allegations against them, ducks continue to make prominent news. Those the LMH quad wandered across grass for the majority of this week, occasionally flapping their wings and making appropriate noises. When asked about over-exposure student newspapers, most of ducks seemed unconcerned about receiving too much publicity, preferring instead to chase the solitary female.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003

Just weeks after the elections for the Oxford Chancellor, the University is already turning its attention to filling another major position, Vice- Chancellor. But the aftermath of the Chancellorship race may yet cast shadows over attempts to fill this more substantial post. The current Vice-Chancellor, Sir Colin Lucas, is due to retire at the end of September 2004 after completing an extended seven-year term. Two college heads, the Hon Michael Beloff QC of Trinity and Dame Fiona Caldicott of Somerville, have been rumoured to be seeking the post. Both happen to have been high-profile supporters of Chancellorship aspirants; many also regard them as somewhat unlikely candidates. At least one college head believes the University may instead appoint an outsider with experience in the American Ivy League in the hope that robust financial skills could help solve Oxford’s £23 million teaching deficit crisis. Late last year, Cambridge University nominated Professor Alison Richard, Provost of Yale, as its own Vice-Chancellor. . Subject to governing body approval she will take up the post in October. But at the moment Beloff and Caldicott are the front-runners, though not the only rumoured aspirants. The President of Magdalen, Anthony Smith, had also been mentioned in connection with the job, but is said to believe that, at 65, he too old for the post. Beloff became a Queen’s Counsel in 1981 and has been President of Trinity College since 1996. Once described by Legal Business as ‘The Bar’s Renaissance Man’, he is one of Britain’s most successful lawyers, but courted controversy as a key supporter of unsuccessful Chancellor candidate Lord Bingham when he tried to exploit his legal standing during the campaign by emailing barristers a personal recommendation. Beloff also caused a storm last week when he announced that Trinity is to reduce subsidies and raise costs for Trinity students by 57 per cent over four years. Caldicott meanwhile, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, has been the Principal of Somerville College for six years and managed Chris Patten’s successful campaign for Chancellor. However, she is playing down any suggestions that she would benefit from his victory, remarking, “The university has to choose the best person for the job,” and declining to say whether or not she would take the job if nominated. If chosen, however, she would be Oxford’s first female Vice- Chancellor. The Vice-Chancellor will be selected by a nominating committee that represents both the academic divisions and the colleges. He or she will not take up the role until October 2004, holding office for an initial period of five years after which the term may be extended by up to two years. Whoever is chosen will preside over finance and fundraising and carry out ceremonial and civic duties.
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003

French finalists were dealt yet another blow last Thursday when the Chairman of Examiners and the Proctors issued a letter stating that the listening examination for this year was to be discounted. Students across the University are enraged that greater weight will be placed on the oral examination, claiming that this disadvantages candidates who are poorer at speaking than listening. There is further anger that their revision and teaching time over the past three years has been wasted on a part of the subject which will no longer have a bearing on their overall degree. The decision was taken after a flood of complaints from both students and dons criticised “shambolic” execution of the new style of listening exam, which took place in 0th week and was brought to wider public attention by Cherwell in 1st week. Students feared that muffled sound quality, poor video footage and tiny television screens could have reduced their overall marks by a whole class and some emerged from the exam room distressed at having answered less than 20% of the paper. However, the Junior Proctor, Ian Archer still claims, “the Examiners made every effort to ensure that this new-style examination ran smoothly.” A French finalist at Lady Margaret Hall expressed her disappointment at the “slap-dash attitude” of the French department in dealing with the shortcomings of the exam. She added that the Language Faculty “would struggle to organise a piss-up in a brewery.” A French don urged students to concentrate on preparing for the rest of the examinations rather than dwelling on the failings of the listening exam. It would seem though that the mood among language finalists is one of indignation and many already feel that they have been put through a “traumatising ordeal.”
ARCHIVE: 3rd Week TT 2003