Shoe Fly Baby, the 2004 Asham Award short story anthology, is
eclectic to say the least. Taking us from a London brothel, to a
cancer ward, to a “utopian” state in which Ritalin is
added to the water supply, these stories reflect a wide range of
human experience. However, I would also argue that they vary in
quality. While some of these stories stand out for their
emotional intensity, stylistic sophistication or, in two cases,
downright strangeness, others are less engaging and even banal.
Nevertheless, the wide variety within this collection makes it an
enjoyable read. The Asham Award, named for the house in Sussex
where Virginia Woolf once lived, aims to encourage new female
writers. One of the questions that this anthology left me with,
however, is whether or not an anthology containing solely women
writers is actually necessary. In addition to revealing their own experience, these authors
are also just as deft at revealing the perspective of men.
Rachael McGill’s ‘Butter Fish Parrot Fish’ shows
us a man carrying his baby daughter into a pub, while Naomi
Alderman’s ‘Gravity’ quite successfully narrates a
man’s entire life in the span of 14 pages. The most
impressive of these efforts to assume a new perspective is
undoubtedly the First Prizewinning story by Victoria Briggs. Set
in a North London brothel, ‘Shoe Fly Baby’ tells the
story of Halim, who stares in awe at a shop window lined with
trainers, and that of Debra, the prostitute who dances for him in
five-inch heels. Repudiating any preconceptions the reader might
have about power relations and victimisation, this story is
strong and unsettling. In my opinion, it resonates quite well
with Francine Stock’s ‘Antechamber’ in which a
cancer patient tells us about her experience with strength,
humour, and not the slightest trace of sentimentality. In a sharp contrast to this, Carey Jane Hardy’s
‘Face to Face’ takes on a tone of deep emotion as a
woman most slowly come to terms with her loss of eyesight.
Selected from over 900 entries, the stories in this collection
are of high quality. And the wide range of stories offered by
Shoe Fly Baby ensures that every reader is likely to find at
least some appealing. While you probably will not like all of the
stories in this collection, it undoubtedly a great way to spend
an afternoon. Bloomsbury, Paperback, £6.99ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Martin is a man of destiny – or at least we are assured
as much with mounting insistence throughout Swallowing the Sun.
He has escaped, by dint of stubborn grit, from his brutal
childhood in a Belfast slum, but in his new middle-class
existence he feels awkward and uncomfortable. He is suspicious of
this bourgeoisie to which he suddenly belongs, and is overawed by
money and soft furnishings. Furthermore, he has an old taste for
violence (instilled of course by his father) that is only lying
dormant. And when things in the cosy family unit start to fall
apart, the old horror returns. David Parks makes so much of these tragic totems that you
feel, after a while, like enquiring as to the precise nature of
Martin’s relations with his mother, and whether he has
consulted an oracle recently. But to give away anything much of
the plot would be to spoil the most enjoyable aspect of this
novel. Parks tells a good yarn, and the pace of the narrative mounts
steadily and effectively, even if it seems to lack an ending. But
Parks isn’t content just to say what happens next; he wants to
have a deep and meaningful dialogue with you. Sometimes this
means that he overloads sentences, describing characters’
thoughts with overweight diction, as when Martin has a moment of
reflection in the school hall. However, Parks can show great
sensitivity to the significance of places and objects; a mobile
phone that reappears several times, effectively registers the
shifting boundary between public and private speech in the novel. The objects in Martin’s museum form a lapidary bulwark against
the ravages of time and Martin’s demons. David Parks might
sometimes sound like he’s swallowed a thesaurus rather than the
sun, but he writes compellingly when telling a story and not
thinking about fate. Bloomsbury, hardback, £14.99ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004

Ever since Byron immortalised the famous simile “like
dervishes, who turn as on a pivot” in Don Juan, the dervish
has remained an enchanting fixture in the Occidental imagination.
Sari Gul, the only group in Europe trained in the mystical art of
whirling, mesmerised Oxford audiences into a reverie. For two
blissful hours, the Sheldonian metamorphosed into a cosmic
playground. As followers of the Mevleviyya Sufi order, the entire evening
was conducted more as a religious ceremony than as a performance.
Prayers in Arabic and poetry in Persian accompanied the highlight
of the evening, ‘The Dance of the Planets’, which
symbolised the spiritual journey of every human. With one hand
turned upwards to the heavens, and the other down to the earth,
Sari Gul’s white robes bloomed like luminous corollas, as
the whirling gust beneath their garbs guided them to
enlightenment. They mimicked the harmonious play of the planets
above. Each movement was wrought with such hypnotic grace, that every
individual in the audience sat captivated in leaning pose. One
could still feel the constraints of Western classical notation in
a music style that demands improvisation, a legacy of Sari
Gul’s European background. Nonetheless for one night, Oxford
watched philosophy in action. ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004

Varsity Women’s Rugby
Oxford 10 – 7 Cambridge For women’s rugby in Oxford, 2004 was a special year, as both
the Blues and Panthers recorded wins on the same day in their
Varsity matches and for the first time won in every encounter
with the Tabs in league and Varsity fixtures. The 17th women’s Blues Varsity match was a sweet victory
for Oxford, having been narrowly defeated in the previous two
encounters. Oxford won the trophy from Cambridge in a
closelyfought game which ended 10-7, tipping the series even
further in the Dark direction – now fourteen wins to
Cambridge’s three. For much of the first half there was little between the teams,
although Oxford had the best of the possession showing
considerably more flair in their game than Cambridge. Relentless
work by lock Charl Harris and the other forwards to retain and
steal possession meant the backs were provided with good ball
which halfbacks Laura McMullen and Rebecca Young exploited well. Following some powerful runs by centre Chris Liciaga and prop
Kate Chidgey, it was only right that shortly before half-time, it
was Oxford who scored first, as full-back Bethan Walsh completed
a penetrating backs move to put the Dark Blues five points clear
before the break. However, the breath-taking speed of the Cambridge full-back
took Oxford by surprise early in the second half, and the Light
Blues ran in an impressive try between the posts, allowing for an
easy conversion which gave them a two point lead. Obviously upset
by this affront, the heavens opened and unleashed a stream of
painful hail on the players which obscured the markings on the
pitch and caused numerous handling errors on both sides as the
pitch became slow and filthy; perfect for the forwards game which
ensued. The Oxford set plays remained solid, with No 8 Jess Gretton
exherting some impressive control. Oxford maintained pressure on
the Cambridge line for around 20 minutes and when the visitors
managed to kick clear, it seemed the chances of an Oxford revival
had disappeared and heads began to drop in the exhausting
conditions. Despite the loss of inspirational captain Zahler Bryan and
prop Katie Smith to injury, the arrival of the fresh legs of
Claire Ferguson and Lizzie Hardwick gave Oxford renewed
determination. In the 76th minute combination of powerful
forwards play and slick backs hands allowed lock Rosie Collins to
push over, regaining a winning three point advantage for the Dark
Blues. Man-of-the- match was awarded to Kate Chidgey on the
occasion of her third Blue. This was the first televised women’s Varsity match, and
with the level of skill on display, one can only hope that the
profile of women’s rugby within, and beyond the university
will rise further. The Panthers had taken to the field earlier in the morning,
and, despite having lost thier entire front row with the game
only twenty minutes old, secured a hard-fought 10-0 win over the
Cambridge second team thanks to tries by scrum-half Sarah-Jane
Hogg and inside centre Helen Taylor. They now lead their ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004

Blues Sailing It is not often that the British weather is obliging towards
sporting events. However, the sun shone and a perfect ten knot
breeze blew as over 200 competitors arrived at Chew Valley lake
for the 2004 British University Sailing Association Team Racing
championships. The event, involving vast numbers of University
crews was hosted this year by Bristol University. It is the high
point in the university sailing calendar. and the three days of
racing is some of the most competitive team racing in the
country. Inland Oxford may perhaps not be able to boast such easy
access to open water as some of its opponents, yet this year
three Oxford teams qualified for the event: two mixed teams and
one ladies team. Led by captain of sailing Nikki Catt (Keble)
represented the University proudly. The first day began with threeleagues, and a round robin in
each league. Oxford 1, with a high seeding of sixth working to
their advantage, fought hard and performed excellently on the
first day. They beat all in their league, only falling victim to
first seed Southampton 1. This took them through to the Gold league the next day. The
lower seeding of Oxford 2 meant they had much to do on the first
day, but led by Captain Rob Grieg-Gran, performed excellently,
securing victories against first and second teams and they also
went through to a second day of racing. The favourable weather conditions held for day two, and racing
in the gold league began with warm sunshine and a strengthening
fifteen knot breeze, which built through the day, leading to cut
down sails being called for. Racing at this higher level was very
competitive, with the second, third and fourth placed teams from
each league coming together to fight it out for the remaining
places in the quarter finals. Oxford 2 continued to show their
best form of the season, winning three out of the eight races,
and worrying many more senior teams. Unfortunately, important losses against Southampton 2 and a
very tight loss to Loughborough 1 led to Oxford 2’s exit
from the competition at the end of day two, coming tenth overall.
Meanwhile Oxford 1’s greater experience showed through and
after winning the all important grudge matches against Cambridge
1 and Oxford 2 made it to through the play-offs to the last
quarter final spot. Day Three dawned with very light winds, and
after a short delay racing got under way, albeit frustratingly
slowly. Oxford 1 took their quarterfinal to a nail biting third race
after the first rounds ended one a piece. Eventually, however,
they lost to Bristol 1. Southampton 1 went on to win the event,
defending their title. In the ladies racing Oxford Ladies
performed well on all three days, reaching the semi-finals, but
did not make it beyond this stage.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004 

Jock Strip always endeavours to be light-hearted but last week
took a step too far. The very notion that Oxford’s glamorous
and brilliant women’s football side should be commiserated
on “defeat in Varsity” was absurd. Of course the real
score was 4-3 to the might of the Dark Blues in a hugely
entertaining encounter. The Tabs had started as favourites,
having won twice in a row in 2002 and 2003, but to no avail.
Apologies to readers and the side for the mistake, and the very
best of wishes to the side for next season. It is all change at the top of the Oxford Sports hierarchy as
Georgie Webb, third-year star of the recent Varsity basketball
triumph, takes over the sabbatical post of Sports Federation
President from fellow Brasenose sportswoman Libby Payne before
the Michaelmas term. Given that the main task of the President is
to ensure the efficient running of University sports clubs, the
fact that her Basketball Club was recently chosen as the Sports
Club of the Year certainly bodes well. Thursday marks the anniversary of sporting history being made
at Oxford – 50 years since Roger Bannister ran the four
minute mile on the track at Iffley Road. To mark the occasion,
Oxford University Athletics Club are re-creating the fixture of
6 May 1964 against England AAA where the record was broken. Races
begin at 3pm, with an elite mile race at 6pm, the time that
Bannister set off half a century ago. Tickets for the event cost
£10 and are available from the University Sports Sports
Department. With dreary February mornings only a vague memory in the
average rower’s mind, it is only four weeks until Eights,
reminding us why anyone endures the hell of Torpids – for
the sake of Summer Rowing! While the Isis is crammed with
bare-chested boaties, business minded spectators can play the
rowing stockmarket via www.bumpsdaq.com You can now trade in
shares in Oxford colleges, gambling on race results and trying to
make a virtual fortune out of your boatclub. Sounds intriguing,
though Jockstrip would always bet on topless rowing over topless
trading.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004

Women’s Cricket Oxford UCCE 241/2
Cambridge UCCE 137/6
Oxford won by 104 runs Oxford UCCE women’s cricket team began this season as
they finished the last – with a comprehensive victory over
their Cambridge rivals. This time the arena was not the Nursery
Ground at the home of cricket, Lord’s, but the Pembroke
Sports Ground in Cambridge, and the match the team’s first
in the BUSA Southern Premier League. Last year’s Varsity match was won by an outstanding
bowling and fielding display, which restricted the Light Blues to
a paltry 56 runs – whereas this weekend’s result was
thanks to some extraordinary batting, especially by last
year’s captain Kat Dickens who carried her bat for a
superbly fluent 124 not out. The opening partnership between the two St Anne’s
players, Dickens and Heather Lang, lasted for 33 of the
game’s 40 overs and contributed 174 runs, before Lang was
bowled by the Cambridge captain, Abi Carter. After a slow start
against the new ball, Lang compiled an excellent and patient 59,
while her partner ruthlessly punished the Cambridge bowling. Once the opening partnership was broken, Georgia Gale Grant
fell for 1 but Annie Bowden joined Dickens to make 25 in as many
balls, to accrue an unbroken stand of 66 in the last 6 overs. The final score of 241/2 in 40 overs put Oxford in a very
commanding position, but Cambridge’s openers were resilient
and rode their luck in taking a few unwise singles. The first wicket did not fall until the 21st over, Olivia
Sanderson being bowled for 25 by Amy Stamp’s second ball in
an Oxford shirt. Despite the fact that the openers had lasted
this long, the score was only 68 and the Tabs were well behind
the asking rate. After a run-out brought about by some sharp fielding the
following over, an Oxford victory seemed inevitable. The presence
of Cambridge’s senior batsman, Rachel Cowans, at the crease,
though, did leave the Light Blue eleven with some hope to cling
desperately on to. Cowans carried her bat throughout the innings
for a steady 77 not out, but received little support from the
rest of her team. They succeeded in occupying the crease but
never came close to achieving the run-a-ball target. Emma Collins, who bowled superbly throughout her eight over
spell and was backed up by some energetic, effective fielding
from her team-mates, took two wickets in two balls to finish with
2/22. The return of the rejuvenated opening bowlers, Helen Turner
and Gale Grant, quickly put paid to any lingering hopes the
Cambridge side had of saving the game, removing two further
batsmen. Turner and Gale Grant finished with identical figures of
1/26 in their eight overs as Cambridge finished with 137/6 in 40
overs. Helen Smith and Annie Bowden both bowled impressively but
were unlucky to finish wicketless. The result, a superb 104-run victory, will give the Blues
much needed confidence as they go into matches against Brighton
and Exeter. Bettering last season’s BUSA performance –
the team reached the quarterfinal, only to lose a hard fought
game against Durham by four wickets – is a tough but
eminently attainable goal. The recent victory in the 2004 BUSA Indoor championship, where
a strong Exeter side containing a number of England
internationals were emphatically defeated in the final, certainly
bodes well. This year’s Varsity match, where Oxford will
hope for a repeat of last year’s victory, will take place
concurrently with the men’s match when The Tabs next come to
Oxford on Wednesday 12 May. ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2004