Plain sailing for the Blues?
Oxford will go into the BUSA finals hosted by Birmingham Uni in early April as hot favourites. Once again, the Southern Universities are set to dominate the latter stages of the competition, in a scrap for who lines up against Southampton to race for the title. Of the semi-finalists from last year, only our boys have kept the same team for 2002, and Chris Webber - the current World Student Laser 2 Champion - Captain Mark Ellis and Ali Hall will be hoping to overcome their notorious inconsistency and peak when it really matters. Sponsors Deloitte & Touche have certainly bet on them to come out tops.
As for the rest? Century-old rivals the Tabs counted themselves 'unlucky' to get knocked out in the quarters last year, though they claim to be much improved. We're unimpressed so far. London sneaked in to win it last year, though now sport a much weakened team on paper. Indeed, of the 24 teams who made it through their regional qualifiers only the Blues and Southampton look likely victors. In the Ladies' event too, Jeni Tod, Nikki Catt and Josie Gibson, future Britsh Olympic Team star, are quietly confident of defending their title against their Southampton counterparts. But, as history has shown - Oxford, bizarrely, haven't won since '92 - anything can happen at the BUSA Finals, especially the morning after the BUSA Ball!
25th Apr 2002