Fresher’s Week is almost upon us and so too is another exciting year of rowing. The misfortunes of last summer have been put behind us and everyone is chomping at the bit for a piece of revenge. Both the men and women’s sides of the boatclub are looking as healthy as ever and anticipating strong performances throughout the year ahead.
Michaelmas as ever will largely focus on development. The senior crews will be building a base from which to attack in the spring while new novice talent will be put to use in Christchurch regatta towards the end of term.
Support for the boatclub continues to grow, we hope to see you along the river banks soon.
This Sunday will see 4 BCBC members racing at the Henley Races.
Jo Williamson, Christina Schoenbach and Aelwen Wetherby have all secured their place within Osiris, the women’s reserve boat. Having beating their Cambridge counterpart by 8 seconds at Women’s head of the river last weekend, this promises to be a close fight over the 2k distance. However, with such a strong balliol body within the boat, and support from many on the side, we have full confidence that they will come out on top.
Jack Devlin will be rowing with Nephthys, the lightweight reserve boat. Due to Cambridges inability to form a second crew, they will automatically win the race, following a row over.
I am writing to announce the formation of a society to bring together members of the Balliol College Boat Club, past and present. As you may have read in Floreat Domus, Balliol Men’s First VIII went ‘Head of the River’ during Summer Eights this year, and the Women’s First are hoping to do the same next year. The impetus to establish a society of this kind came from Balliol’s Old Members, many of whom got in touch to express their support before Eights, and later their pleasure on learning of our achievement. In the words of the current President of the Boat Club, Hunter Harris (2006): “The support and encouragement of Old Members was a tremendous boost to all of us this year. Receiving ‘good luck’ emails and letters from many of you during Torpids and Eights was one of the highlights of my time as Men’s Captain. The Boat Club is a community which plays a significant part in all of our lives while up at Oxford, and I hope that it continues to play a role in our lives after we leave.”
Old Members have expressed what those of us currently in the BCBC feel: rowing at Balliol is more than a sport – it forms a community that supports you during your time here and, in many cases, forges friendships that continue after you leave College. I realise that not everyone who receives this letter will still be interested in rowing or the fortunes of the Boat Club. However, judging from so many messages of goodwill and support, and the presence of so many of you down at the river during Eights Week, I believe a good number of you are. I hope that, by writing to everyone we have from old boat lists, those of you who would like to keep in touch with the BCBC via the Society will make yourselves known to us.
We have named the Society, the John Blacker Society, in honour of the Balliol oarsman whose efforts put Balliol Head of the River in 1952, for the first time since 1879. John was an inspiration to generations of Balliol rowers, not least the current generation. He was with us at the river during Eights Week last Term – only months before his death on 28 September 2008. Please find his obituary in the attached newsletter, written by Neville Mullany (1950), honorary Senior Member of this Society.
I have gladly accepted the task of organising the Society with the full support of BCBC members and the BCBC Trustees, and am pleased to enclose the first edition of our termly newsletter, The Blacker Bulletin. It contains information about the current status of the Boat Club, updates on race results, and contributions by members on key times and features. Please do send us any articles, anecdotes, tales, or records of your own rowing memories at Balliol. We would also appreciate any stories of how rowing has affected your lives.
For the Society to reach its full potential, it will need the involvement of Balliol’s Old Members who rowed at College and who would like to stay in touch with the BCBC. To do this, we ask you to visit our website, www.bcbc.co.uk, and sign up online to become a member of the Society, through which you will receive the newsletter by email. If you prefer not to sign up online, please do contact me, either by email or by post so that we can keep in touch in other ways; naturally, please do let us know if you’d rather not receive the newsletter in future.
Neville Mellany (1950)
John was a member of the 1952 Eight that went Head of the River, and attended this year’s Summer Eights and watched the 2008 1st VIII in their triumph regaining the headship. John was also a member of Leander Rowing Club after competing in the 1950 University Boat Race. He came to Balliol in 1948 to study history and politics and went on to study for a PhD at LSE. John worked as a demographer throughout his life working finally as a free-lance consultant in demographic statistics after work in East Africa, several governmental departments and universities.
John was probably the oarsman who had the most impact on Balliol rowing in over a century. An exaggeration? Let us see.
John came up in 1948 having already won the Ladies at Henley with Eton. One day he was asked to sub in the Leander Grand crew – rowing so well, he was given the seat and duly won the Grand. He got his Blue in 1950, but was told not to do the Boat Race again on medical grounds. Oxford’s loss was Balliol’s gain.
Balliol had not been Head of the River since 1879 and John made up his mind to put that right. At London Rowing Club he asked the President, the legendary Jock Wise, multiple winner of the Wingfield Sculls, to be the head coach. He also recruited Tony Rowe, a fellow Etonian, past President of OUBC and Trinity man! He got enormous support from Hugh Stretton, a Fellow of Balliol, who also coached the 1951 VIII.
But this was not enough. John wanted more. In the Thirties Balliol had two eights in the First Division and John recruited Stephen Jones and Arthur Pyper. These two, with Jock Wise and Jim Lindars, the BCBC President, coached our Torpid to the Headship in 1954. The arrival of Don Cadle, another legend, to Balliol in 1950 was just what John needed. With Don we had more superb coaching, enhanced by its continuity. Balliol started winning everything!
But the real impact had come with what the 1st VIII achieved. Starting 10th in 1950 they went up to 7th and up to 3rd in 1951, activating the first Bump Supper in living memory. And then came 1952! On the Saturday, right in front of the OUBC, Balliol bumped Merton, with its 5 blues, to row Head of the River for the first time in 73 years ! Monday’s Times had a memorable first paragraph: “The totally unexpected but not altogether unforeseen occurred at Oxford on Saturday when Balliol bumped Merton to row Head of the River.”
John had put things right. With the exception of himself, Don and Ken Keniston, all the other five rowers and cox were homegrown. Our ’54 Head of the River Torpid had only one man who had ever rowed before. Very much the same with the Head of the River VIII of ’56. This continued through the Glorious Fifties – all due to the continuity and excellence of coaching.
The impact of his work was immediate. Some, like Jim Hugessen and myself, were quickly converted and started tubbing – the original Cadle Pair! The next term, Michaelmas 1952, Don put together a novice VIII. We won the Novice Pennant in the University Long Distance Race by half a minute. The following term, as the 2nd Torpid, we made 6 bumps in the 6 days of racing never rowing more than 25 strokes. The 1953 summer 2nd VIII will always maintain that they were faster than the 1st VIII, which was 2nd on the river, having destroyed all in their way. The Balliol VIII duly won the University Long Distance Race in 1953. The previous year’s 2nd Torpid became the 1954 1st Torpid, regaining the Headship lost in 1930. The 1959 Torpid won it back again. Balliol boats were always at the top – in Torpids and Eights. Success after success seemed to be the norm in the 50s! John – and Don – had done an incredible job.
John’s interest in BCBC never wavered. I shall always be grateful for the massive support he gave me with the BCBC Training Fund. We spoke frequently and met on Saturdays of Eights. This summer he borrowed my blazer and tie and attended the celebratory dinner, before getting on his bike and cycling back to the station for the train to London. He would have roared with laughter at seeing himself on the cover of the Balliol Record!
John’s timing was always impeccable. He lived long enough to see Balliol row Head of the River again. He died a couple of days before a BCBC Trustees meeting and a Balliol Society dinner to give us a chance to honour his memory. A legend. A great man, A lovely man. Thank you, John.
With lungs burning and punished legs screaming for relief, the only thing more welcome on the afternoon of May 24th than the sound of the finishing post was the knowledge that we, Balliol men, were Head of the River once more.
The moments following Saturday’s race are a blur. Collapsed in the boat, I could see our coxswain standing in his seat, roaring words of victory; our coach jumping on the spot in elation, a flip-flop in each hand, hastily removed during his run along the boat house island; and in the distance, past blue turtles on Oriel backs, the heaving mass of the island, silent witness to hundreds such victories, cheering now for Balliol.
Standing next to our boat at Wallingford at the beginning of Trinity term, few of us imagined that we’d be where we are now. Balliol are routinely underrated in the world of Oxford rowing, and all of the river chat, as well as the infamous ‘Talkrowing.co.uk’, focussed on whether Pembroke could knock Magdalen off the top spot and how much damage the Christ Church ‘gunboat’, bristling with OUBC talent, would inflict upon the crews in its path. But, guided by the steady hand of our coach, Colin Williamson, we gradually got faster. Some strong performances at regional regattas were a boost to our confidence, and as we approached Eights week, there was a cautious optimism building in the boat.
Come Wednesday of Eights, we were all pretty nervous. We took a warm up run to our customary tree by the Cherwell, and stood facing each other, our expressions a mixture of fear and determination. Stroke looked across the meadow; hulking 5 cracked a joke about crabs; 6, as he would each day, delivered a short but effective pep talk; 2 kicked the dirt. And we were ready.
Wednesday’s bump was an unexpected gift. We gained on Pembroke throughout the first minute, but they suffered a rudder failure and swerved into the bank, tempering our joy: were we really fast enough, or was this a lucky break? On Thursday, we proved that we were. After a fast start sequence, we gained on Magdalen into the gut. The bellowing of ‘shut the door’ by our coach (our call to go for the bump) mingled with the cheers from the bank, as our bows made contact. Yet again however, our joy was less than total: we were now Head of the River, but while we knew that we could row over in front of Magdalen the next day, they would likely be caught by Oriel, who had proved to be one of the fastest crews on the river. And so it was.
As we gathered on Saturday, in the confines of our boat house replete with blades and photos of men long gone, the tension hung heavy. Many old BCBC members had come to show their support. John Blacker, a member of the 1952 Balliol crew that went Head of the River, gave us a short, sharp piece of advice: ‘When they’re getting close, stay long and row hard.’ A couple of us smiled at the hint of the double entendre; the rest continued to stare out into space, each in his own world of hopes and fears. Our 3 man had fixed his gaze on a point on the floor, knowing what awaited us.
Pushing off from the raft, we were cheered by the thousands that had gathered to watch. Oriel’s controversial substitution earlier in the week had earned the ire of the island, and we knew that most of the people on the banks of the Isis were behind Balliol. We paddled to the start and manoeuvred onto the bung line. As the one minute gun went off, bow pair tapped up to pull the line taut, but overshot and the blue cord came out of our coxswain’s hand. If we couldn’t reattach, we would lose before taking a stroke. Stern pair backed the boat down. 30 seconds to go. Our cox reached for the rope offered again by Steve Gaisford, our boatman, and missed. 20 seconds. He reached again and grabbed hold. 15 seconds. More gingerly, bow pair tapped again. With mere seconds to go, and the rope still visibly slack in the water, we had no choice but to square up and hope that those precious two feet would not cost us the headship.
The shot of the starting gun shattered the still silence, replaced by the cacophony of blades, coxes’ shouts and supporters’ screams. Rating at 46 strokes per minute under Donnington bridge, we started strong, but Oriel closed through the gut and were half a length off outside Longbridges. As our cox called us to push across the stream, we moved, holding them off to a canvas. I could see their bows inching closer, pressed along by Olympic talent, but was secure in the absolute trust that had developed amongst our crew. We would defend, or pass out with the effort.
Nearing Boathouse island, the quiet of the Green Bank gave way to a wall of noise that overwhelmed everything else. Oriel had overlap on our stern, and now our cox came into his own. Drifting across the river towards the island, he denied them the bump. Oriel’s cox, realising too late what was happening, tried to swipe our stern and missed. I could see the turtles on the back of their blades, and only one thought was in my mind. No. You. Don’t. We maintained our rhythm and held our nerve. Oriel tried to swipe again, this time from the other side. We pushed in response, every muscle on fire, begging for relief, and they missed by inches. Our cox thundered: ‘We’re moving boys, give them everything you’ve got!’
And as we passed the island, a fierce determination overtook our boat, fed by the knowledge that in 200m we had the chance to stand on the shoulders of the Balliol oarsmen who had carried us to this place through years past, buoyed by every stroke they took in the months and years of training, and hold on. The turtles got a little smaller. And with a final thud of our stroke in unison we crossed the line.
The euphoria on the island was incredible. Screams. Embraces. Champagne and sweat soaking blue and red lycra. We carried a boat back to college: the Don Cadle, named after one of the 1950s generation of Balliol oarsmen who were last here. And as we cheered and sang and took photos in the front quad of college, a man closer to the end than the beginning wept tears of joy.
On that sunny afternoon in May, in a small place in the world, dear to many, the ten of us made history. It is a day we will never forget.
1 Headship crew, 41 bumps, 6 sets of blades, 4 sets of tankards, 2 medals.
This year has been a successful one for Balliol College Boat Club. Michalemas started with an impressive intake of 52 novices, forming 3 men’s and 3 women’s crews. The weather appeared to be on our side for most of Michaelmas, allowing the novices to train properly in preparation for Christ Church regatta. This included entry into Nephthys head and regatta, where the Women’s novice A crew managed to race all the way into the semi finals and the Men’s B into the quarter finals. Unfortunately, at the last minute, the weather turned against us, and once again, Christ Church Regattawas cancelled. However, encouraged, the majority of novices returned in Hilary, for another chance to prove what they had trained for.
In the meanwhile, the seniors continued their training to maintain the hard work put in the previous years. The women decided to challenge themselves, entering two fours into the New College Indoor Regatta. The A team, went on to win by an impressive margin, with the B’s putting in a great effort. The strength of Balliol was supported by their skill when they won their division in Nephthys Regatta.
Hilary term saw the usual increase in erg based training, as river levels hit some impressive highs. However, this did not seem to affect the Boat Club, as come Torpids we went out in force. The first two days saw M1 bumping University and St John’s, and entering the first division for the first time in twenty yearsby bumping LMH. In the next two days, they climbed a further 4 places, to finish 8th in top division. M2 started strong, bumping Oriel II and Hertford II. Although Hertford II managed to bump back the following day, M2 went out on the last day to gain their revenge, and successfully sent Hertford back down. The women had a fantastic week, with all 3 crews winning blades. Both W2 and W3 went up a division. W3 bumped Brasenose II, Linacre II, Jesus II, Trinity II and Exeter II, to end 7th in 4th division, and W2 bumped Linacre II, St Anne’s II, Queens II, Wadham II and Pembroke II, to reside 12th in 3rd Division. W1 secured the hat-trick of women’s blades by bumping Wolfson, St Hugh’s, Exeter and Hertford and are now placed 2nd in the 2nd Division.
With good weather and a determination to keep up the good work, the crews hit the water hard in Trinity. For M1, the pressure was mounting, with the race for the Headship as competitive as ever this year.. The women were determined to keep their unbeaten record. In preparation for Eights week, M1, M2, W1 and W2 attended Bedford regatta. M1 won the Senior 3 division, and W1 won S4 for the second year in a row. With the tankards resting on our shelves, we entered Summer Eights with quiet confidence. A confidence well deserved.
W3 got drawn bottom of the 6th division, and with no where to go but up, they were determined to do so. The first two days saw them row over, that by the time the third day came, they took that step up and bumped Hertford V. W2 were the blade winning crew who bumped Osler-Green II, Queens II, New II and Keble II. They currently reside top of division V, with their sights set on entering the fixed divisions next year. W1 started the competition with a slight lack of luck, where they were offered a technical row over following carnage in the gut. However, the following three days allowed them to prove their skill. Bumping Hertford and Somerville, they entered the top half of the top division, and on the last day, they went out with Gordouli blades and bumped Pembroke.
The men’s divisions continued to provide suspense. Despite facing troubles with rudders, banks and klaxons, M3 managed to gain a bump on Somerville II. M2 started the week as sandwich boat, entering the 4th division in style with an over bump on Osler-Green. They went on to bump Hertford II and Worcester II, and are currently 8th in 4th division.
M1 took the week in style. Starting 3rd in top division, Headship was in their reach. And it only got closer. With quick bumps on Pembroke and Magdalen, M1 moved up to Head on Thursday evening. Friday saw them row over in their stride. However, Saturday held the best rowing seen all week. With Oriel on their tails, the race started. As they raced past Boathouse Island, they had the support of the entire crowd, who watched in suspense as they held of and succeeded in twice pushing away from the overlapping Oriel crew. Skillful coxing and powerful determination allowed M1 to become the first Balliol Headship crew in 52 years. This momentous occasion was celebrated by all present, including members of the glorious 50’s crews. It was a well earned and fitting culmination to a successful year for the boat club.
The newly formed John Blacker Society welcomes old members of BCBC. Through the society we hope to improve contact between the current members and those who have left to join the real world. We aim to produce a bi-termly newsletter, with all the latest news on the crews, training and results. A day will also be dedicated to the society, where you will all be invited to join us at the boathouse, to reawaken those muscles (and memories) by getting back in the boat, before spending the evening having dinner in hall in true BCBC style.
We would like to encourage you to sign up, where you can choose to receive the newsletters, and receive the invitation to all the events we will be holding. We are also forming an archive of crew lists, which you are highly encouraged to contribute towards, by remembering those who you rowed with.
