Cambridge have won this year’s Xchanging Boat Race in controversial circumstances.

The race was halted after just over ten minutes due to a swimmer blocking the boats’ path as a ‘protest’.

Very soon after the restart a Cambridge win became a formality when Oxford’s Dr Hanno Wienhausen lost the blade of his oar after a collision with the Cambridge team.

Cambridge began the day by winning the coin toss and choosing the Surrey station, leaving Oxford to row from the Middlesex position.

The Dark Blues came away the quickest, drawing a third of a length ahead before the first corner after a sluggish Cambridge start.

The Cambridge team then moved back into contention, allowing their extra weight to tell against a headwind and settling into a strong rhythm.

At the Hammersmith Bridge Oxford still held a very slim advantage, although the Surrey bend allowed Cambridge to nose in front for the first time.

However, the Light Blues failed to capitalise on their position, and Oxford moved back alongside before retaking the lead at the ten minute mark.

Controversy then followed as the race was stopped by a swimmer blocking the boats with Oxford leading by a quarter of a length. Trenton Oldfield, 35, a privately educated Londoner who has an MSc in Contemporary Urbanism from the London School of Economics, risked being struck by the Oxford boat’s blades and was removed from the water by a police launch. He has since been charged with a public order offence.

Following the stoppage, both crews were affected by a build-up of lactic acid, and the river was choppy due to the supporting launches having to turn round.

The umpire, John Garrett, then restarted the crews with a rolling start from the bottom of Chiswick Eyot. This allowed Cambridge to reclaim some advantage, again benefiting from the inside line around the bend. Oxford were quick onto the second and third stroke, though, moving well and retaking the lead.

However, just thirty seconds after the restart, the race was over as a contest. The oar of Oxford 6, Hanno Weinhausen, lost its blade after a collision between the boats. The umpire had been warning Oxford to alter their line and thus judged the collision to be their fault.

Garrett, who was previously Cambridge University Boat Club President, said after the race, “The rules state clearly that the crews have to abide by their accidents.

“Cambridge was not off their station, but in the immediate run up to the clash Oxford were off their station. Cambridge were in the right place so I was happy to allow the result to stand.”

The Cambridge team then cruised to victory, leading easily by several lengths.

At the race’s end Oxford cox, Zoe de Toledo, was heard arguing with the umpire. She argued that she had not ignored the umpire’s commands to change her boat’s line, “There was so much wash that I could not move as fast as I wanted to.”

De Toledo added, “We can’t have a race that ends like this.”

Weinhausen was heard shouting, “My oar broke down in the first hundred metres. That’s a restart.”

When the Umpire announced that he was rejecting Oxford’s appeal, a member of the Oxford crew gave ironic applause.

However, Oxford’s anger quickly turned into concern for their bowman Alex Woods, who had collapsed in the back of their boat and had to be taken into a launch for medical attention.

[mm-hide-text]%%IMG_ORIGINAL%%5169%%[/mm-hide-text]

Alex Woods collapsed from exhaustion at the finish line

Photograph: Sonali Campion

David Nelson, CUBC President and the winning bow rower, commented, “It’s shocking to see Alex in such a state, I hope he’s alright.”

His Cambridge teammate Steve Dudek added, that the team intended to celebrate with “a bit of class.” He added, “We really, really hope he’s alright. Our thoughts are with him.”

Woods is believed to have suffered from severe exhaustion, though is currently conscious and sitting upright.

In response to the controversy surrounding the race, CUBC Vice-President Mike Thorp said, “All we could do in that situation was just do what we’ve been trained to do, not look around and just keep going.”

The usual presentation at the end of the race was cancelled as Alex Woods continued to receive treatment from the medical team.

Following the race, OUBC President Karl Hudspith took to Twitter, saying that he was ‘proud of everyone in the team and how they rowed.’ He also took the opportunity to vent his anger at Oldfield, tweeting, ‘Finally to Trenton Oldfield; my team went through seven months of hell, this was the culmination of our careers and you took it from us.’

Crewmember William Zeng, a doctorate student at Oriel College, was also emotional, tweeting, ‘When I missed your head with my blade I knew only that you were a swimmer, and if you say you are a protester then no matter what you say your cause may be, your action speaks too loudly for me to hear you.

‘I know exactly what you were protesting. You were protesting the right of 17 young men and one woman to compete fairly and honorably, to demonstrate their hard work and desire in a proud tradition.’

‘You were protesting their right to devote years of their lives, their friendships, and their souls to the fair pursuits of the joys and the hardship of sport. You, who would make a mockery of their dedication and their courage, are a mockery of a man.’

A blog that appeared on the internet yesterday, entitled ‘Elitism Leads to Tyranny’ and described as a ‘Statement by Trenton Oldfield’, states, ‘This is a protest, an act of civil disobedience, a methodology of refusing and resistance…I am swimming into the boats in the hope I can stop them from completing the race’.

Reflecting on the race, Cambridge student Julius Handler said, “This is certainly not the way we would have wanted to win. It was a sombre end to a race fraught with misfortune but it was heartening to see the two teams come together in support of Alex Woods.’

Curtis Gallant, another student at Cambridge, added, “What a ridiculous race. I felt so sorry for the guy rowing without an oar for the last five minutes.

‘They were warned multiple times about steering towards the Cambridge boat so they brought it upon themselves somewhat. Even so, this race was definitely not cricket. I feel pretty bad for Oxford, but by the rules Cambridge are rightful winners.”

Gallant added, ‘This is not a proud day for either Oxons or Cantabs’, and, commenting on the swimmer who had caused the race to restart, stated that the event should also raise concerns about “security at the Olympics’.

Sam Rodrigues, a history undergraduate at St Anne’s, said, ‘Considering the delays, the rainy weather and severe overpricing of the beer, I think it was a bit of an anticlimax.’

Lincoln second year Ruth Burrows agreed that the race had been ‘disappointing’, while engineer Oli Roberts described the race as ‘carnage.’

Oxford’s consolation prize was a victory in the reserve competition. The Isis beat Goldie, the Cambridge boat, by four lengths, despite being a stone per man lighter.

Estimates suggest that over 250,000 people attended this year’s race.

Researchers at Oxford have discovered that bones found in the grounds of St John’s College may be those of tenth-century Viking raiders.

It was previously speculated that the remains might have been those of Danes killed in the well documented St Brice’s Day Massacre in 1002 AD, when King Aethelred the Unready ordered the deaths of all Danish men in England.

Academics from the University’s Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art undertook analysis of bones, collagen and dental enamel, which suggested that the skeletons were captured professional warriors from Denmark who were then executed, rather than Danes living in England.

The researchers carried out radio-carbon dating, analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the collagen, and analysis of oxygen and strontium isotopes in the dental enamel. They came to their conclusion by combining these results with a preliminary investigation of the bones by Thames Valley Archaeological Services.

Professor Mark Pollard, Director of the Research Laboratory in the School of Archaeology, explained, “Carbon-dating gives an age slightly earlier than the St Brice’s Massacre, although there are various technical reasons why it might do so. However, results from the collagen showed the group had more seafood in their diet than would be expected for the Oxfordshire region. Furthermore, enamel analysis clearly did not suggest that they were brought up in the Thames Valley.

“We have an ongoing project to look at human populations around Oxford right back to Neolithic times. Further finds will be compared and may help confirm this hypothesis.”

The researchers found similarities to a group of skeletons found on the Weymouth Ridgeway in Dorset, who were identified as Viking raiders.

The skeletons were found in 2008 between St Giles’ and Blackhall Road, buried in a mass grave in sthe ditch of a Neolithic ‘henge monument’. They were mostly of men aged between 16 and 25 who were “robust and taller than average”, analysts explained.

According to the research paper, published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, it appeared that all the skeletons had been stabbed many times shortly before they died, and severe wounds show they were brutally slaughtered.

Some of the men also appear to have older scars, which experts believe could point to the fact that they were professional warriors. There is also evidence of charring on some of the skeletons, showing they may have been exposed to fire before being buried. According to the paper, “this evidence left little doubt that these bodies were the result of a mass execution.”

The knife wounds and charring initially associated the bones with the massacre at St Frideswide’s Church on St Brice’s Day. The church was burnt down during the Massacre, leading to the construction of Christ Church Cathedral.

Three finalists studying at Oxford have been awarded prizes in a national student writing competition.

The Student Prize, organised by the London Library, was awarded to Ben Mason, a Philosophy and German finalist at Trinity College, while Caroline Criado-Perez from Keble, and Andrew McCormack, a finalist at Mansfield, were named as runners-up.

Mason was awarded £5,000 for his 800-word piece responding to the statement, “The future of Britain lies with the right-hand side of the brain”. His winning entry will be published in The Times and the London Library Library Magazine later this year.

On being named as the winner, Mason said, “I am thrilled to have won. It was very refreshing to spend some time thinking about ideas totally unrelated to my course, and to write something in a totally different style to a tutorial essay. Of course it was a surprise to be named winner and the prize is extremely generous.”

When asked for his thoughts on the essay topic, Mason told Cherwell, “I think it was really well chosen – there’s enough material out there to write something fairly informed, but it’s not so well-trodden either, and there was plenty of scope for taking an original line.”

The runners-up were each presented with a cheque for £1,000. Caroline Criado-Perez stated that the prize money would be “very useful” as she “scrabbles for funding for a Master’s”.

Both the winner and the runners-up also received a year’s membership of The London Library and a year’s subscription to The Times, as well as the opportunity to take part in a mini-internship at the newspaper.

The entries were judged by a distinguished panel, including Bill Emmott, former editor of The Economist and Chairman of the London Library, The Times Books Editor, Erica Wagner, and actress and author Sheila Hancock OBE.

Wagner stated that The Times were “keen to foster talent in the brightest and the best, and this is a wonderful way to do that.”

He added, “The quality of entries received, including Ben’s particularly fine effort, show the depth of talent out there among students whose original thinking and clear, persuasive communication indicate they have exciting futures ahead of them.”

A London Library spokesperson told Cherwell that the prize was launched “to discover the next generation of writers, thinkers and opinion formers.”

The London Library Student Prize will run for the next three years, offering final year undergraduates a “fantastic opportunity to kick-start a career in writing,” the spokesperson added.

Oxford City Council’s controversial move to install CCTV cameras in every Oxford taxi have been put on hold.

The programme of installing cameras, which record both images and audio, was due to begin on April 1st, but has been paused while the Information Commissioner’s Office investigates privacy concerns.

Council spokesperson Lousia Dean said, “We have had an inquiry from the Information Commissioner who wishes to better understand the scheme. We are happy to assist in those inquiries.”

Taxi drivers were previously told that they needed to install the £460 devices by 2015 or face having their licenses revoked. The CCTV cameras and microphones activate once the ignition in the car is turned on, and remain recording for 30 minutes after the engine is turned off. The council says the recording equipment is necessary to protect drivers and passengers, as well as  to deal with any disputes over fares.

However, there has been strong opposition to the proposal since it was announced. A protest was held on 21st March, while over 250 drivers have signed a petition against the scheme.

Nick Pickles, director of the group Big Brother Watch who have led the campaign against the policy, said, ‘It is clear that recording the conversations of every taxi journey was an unacceptable intrusion into people’s privacy, so we welcome the news the council has suspended its policy.

‘However, the only acceptable outcome will be if the Council abandons the plans and we remain ready to take legal action to ensure Oxford does not become one of the most spied upon places in Europe.’

He added, “This policy is not only a huge intrusion on privacy, but sends a terrible message to the wider country and indeed the world about Oxford as a city. Do the council expect senior businessmen or visiting academics, let alone tourists and local people, to put up with their conversations in taxis being recorded?”

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood agreed, commenting, “It does seem the city council has crossed the line. It is an invasion of privacy and undermining of civil liberties that neither passengers nor taxi drivers themselves have welcomed.

‘The ICO stated to me that recording conversations between passengers is highly intrusive and unlikely to be justified. CCTV plays an important role in combating crime but that has to be balanced with privacy concerns and used within common sense limits.”

Taxi Driver Arif Khan also voiced serious concerns about the decision, telling Cherwell, “I oppose the scheme for two reasons: the first and most important being that our customers simply don’t want it. When people are traveling in a taxi they’re often talking about confidential things. Whether they’re discussing important business plans with a colleague or on the phone to their partner, a lot of the time they don’t want to be overheard.

‘The truth is not a single customer of mine has said they’re happy with it. From a taxi driver’s perspective, this move could seriously affect our trade and our living, and the council is disregarding that.’

Khan continued, “On a personal note, I use my car both at work and at home. I don’t want to be recorded when I’m spending my time away from work with my family; it’s a huge invasion of personal privacy and the council are really crossing a line.

‘I’m not against CCTV in general, but video and audio equipment in a small vehicle is ridiculous. Oxford isn’t a big city with a staggering crime rate, and it doesn’t need this kind of invasion.”

A statement from the council assured that “The risk of intrusion into private conversations has to be balanced against the interests of public safety, both of passengers and drivers. The footage won’t be routinely viewed but will be stored on the CCTV hard-drive for a period of 28 days.”

It continued, “There are laws in places that require the viewing of such images to be necessary and proportionate, and therefore must relate to a specific complaint or incident. The Officers are not permitted to view any images that do not relate to the actual matter being investigated.”

The council concluded by stating that the encryption of recordings, and the ability to access them solely “in the event of a police investigation or investigation into a complaint against a driver”, were “added safeguards.”

Students seem largely in agreement with the suspension of the proposals, with Lincoln student Cameron Cook describing them as a “terrible idea”.

He added, “I don’t want the council to see who I bring back from Wahoo on a Wednesday night.’