[wozza1991]

People may mock Trenton Oldfield but he doesn't see to have met with a wholly hostile reception in the world outside the boat race... Will be interesting to see how he's covered in tomorrow's papers.

What really rankled with me was when someone in the commentary team suggested that the Oxford team pull up to ensure that the race was recorded as unfinished rather than as a significant Cambridge win. Disgracefully unsporting suggestion which nobody took the time to shoot down...

[fudgesundae]

(Original post by wozza1991)
People may mock Trenton Oldfield but he doesn't see to have met with a wholly hostile reception in the world outside the boat race... Will be interesting to see how he's covered in tomorrow's papers.

What really rankled with me was Jonathan Ledgard's commentary when he, and those alongside him, suggested that the Oxford team pull up to ensure that the race was recorded as unfinished rather than as a significant Cambridge win. Disgracefully unsporting suggestion which nobody took the time to shoot down...

I think he said it so that in the record books something would be written so that people will remember the whole debacle of the swimmer and broken blade. After all it was hardly a race after the blade broke (very early into the restart), more a casual row to the finish.

As it is, in 50 or even 100 years time this could be remembered as a dominant Cambridge win by 10 lengths or whatever, which gives no credit to the Oxford crew who undoubtedly would have won were it not for the swimmer.

Karl Hudspith's tweet sums up how they must be feeling perfectly tbh

"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."

Although kudos to them for rowing to the finish. Not sure how many people would have carried on after all the emotions they had probably been through in the last half hour.

[the bear]

There is nothing to stop other losers doing the same next year...

[remiquaver]

I felt absolutely awful for both teams to be stopped like that though especially Oxford, they really did look to be the better boat at first. And that disgraceful man deserves a good talking to. I also feel for the oxford cox who was maybe unjustly penalised for going too close in quite bad watery conditions, it seemed to be 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, it went Cambridge's way of course... I wonder why that was. Though to be fair to the Cambridge lot, they were really respectful at the end and it was nice to see someone with a Cambridge hoody help an Oxfordian out of the boat. Very bizarre boat race but hope Alex gets better soon! From what I've read on the BBC news app, he's in a stable condition so that's good news.

[Woffles]

(Original post by Foghorn Leghorn)
I don't doubt he could have been badly injured, but it's not a guillotine lol.

You have no idea how fast these boats are moving. I, and any other rower, can guarantee that at speed, an oar could potentially take a head off.

[Cast.Iron]

(Original post by Woffles)
You have no idea how fast these boats are moving. I, and any other rower, can guarantee that at speed, an oar could potentially take a head off.

I'm struggling to see it.

(and yes, I row)

[Foghorn Leghorn]

(Original post by Woffles)
You have no idea how fast these boats are moving. I, and any other rower, can guarantee that at speed, an oar could potentially take a head off.

They were rowing at about 10-13mph roughly. Now consider this, a guillotine blade weighs roughly 40kg and it cuts at a speed of 14.3mph (6.4 m/s), it has a really sharp serrated edge and cut and an angle almost exactly perpendicular to the horizontal of the neck. That's what it takes to chop off a head.

Now an oar on the other hand weighs about 2.5kg a considerable amount less than a guillotine blade. It is made of carbon fibre, they are not serrated nor sharp and are probably a fair bit more flexible than a metal gullotine. If this were to hit the guy in the water even at 14 mph with the variables i have just stated, including the force of the rowers arms, plus the fact that it may not have hit him clean perpendicular to his neck or skull, plus the fact the man was in water and had it hit him, unlike in a guillotine, nothing was keeping his head steady therefore the force would have been dissipated into the water rather than onto the point of contact, there is absolutely no way that the oar could have physically chopped this mans head off. No doubt he may have got some severe lacerations, but to claim his head "potentially" could have been taken off is absolutely ludicrous!!!!

[the bear]

I would like to set Mr Asbo the badass swan onto this loser

[Roobsa]

(Original post by wozza1991)
What really rankled with me was Jonathan Ledgard's commentary when he, and those alongside him, suggested that the Oxford team pull up to ensure that the race was recorded as unfinished rather than as a significant Cambridge win. Disgracefully unsporting suggestion which nobody took the time to shoot down...

As much as I dislike Ledgard, it was the other guy that said that.

[wozza1991]

(Original post by Roobsa)
As much as I dislike Ledgard, it was the other guy that said that.

I stand corrected

[the bear]

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