FEAR Report 2020

Lee Valley, 29th February

Match Report: Field Events and Relays

Our indoor Varsity competition FEAR was, as ever, tense and competitive, as the team scoring element meant every extra second or centimetre counted. A strong Oxford squad turned out to take on the Tabs for the first time in 2020 and anticipate what lies ahead for summer Varsity. Our efforts were rewarded with wins in the women’s track and men’s field and a number of meet records. This leaves the team in a strong position going into the outdoor season, where our sights are firmly set on breaking the record books at Varsity once more.

Women’s track: Oxford 5 - 1 Cambridge

Having not won this title for a number of years, a dominant performance brought it agonisingly close to a clean sweep for Oxford, our only loss being in the 60m (by just 0.01s!). High quality relay teams were victorious in the 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and the DMR. In the latter, Anna Sharp, Rebecca Keddie, Eliska Freibergerova, and President Charlotte Dannatt took the match record with 12:13.20, and Charlotte still had enough energy to run an extra lap for an 1800m leg…

Women’s field: Cambridge 5.5 - 2.5 Oxford

Victories in the triple jump, led by Maddie Smith’s 11.17m and javelin, led by Abi Jones’ 35.41m, weren’t enough to hold off a strong Cambridge team who took the long jump, discus, hammer, shot and pole vault. However, our team did manage a match record in the javelin despite blustery, rainy conditions. The high jump was a tense competition, as each Oxford clearance was matched by the Tabs, eventually resulting in a draw. These results came despite several injuries for Oxford, including for our 2018 BUCS indoor HJ bronze medallist Teele Palumaa, and give us confidence looking forward to the outdoor season.

Men’s track: Cambridge 4 - 2 Oxford

It took a match record from Cambridge to beat Oxford in the 4x200m, but the Dark Blues returned the favour in the DMR. Both teams put their former GB junior internationals on the anchor leg, but it was the Oxford quartet of Miles Weatherseed, Max Buckley, Sam Brown and Jacques Maurice who ran 10:18.43 for the record. Oxford were also victorious in the 4x800m thanks to fantastic running by the middle-distance squad under coach Kyle Bennett, but Cambridge won the 60m and 4x400m, taking the overall win. There was also a gutsy solo (non-scoring) 5000m effort from Oxford alumnus Dan Mulryan, who ran 14:43.91 with the whole club cheering him on from the stands.

Men’s field: Oxford 4 - 4 Cambridge

The highlight of the day came when Jake Watson flew over 4.72m in the pole vault, setting a new individual match record (although Cambridge won the pole vault overall). Oxford took the high jump, shot put, discus and hammer, while Cambridge won the long jump, triple jump and javelin. Injury had side-lined two of Oxford’s star jumpers in Jude Bright-Davies and Dan Smith, so to win by retention in spite of this was a success and the Tabs can only fear our strength in the jumps this summer.