Category: FCBC Rowing

I recall a careers talk given to my sixth form Maths class by David Miles, an alumnus of my school in Caerphilly, South Wales, who had recently studied Theoretical Physics followed by Part III Maths at Fitz, on the topic of death being treated as a discount factor. He was an actuary, a job none of us had heard of, so he was expertly suited to explaining discount factors (which I became extremely familiar with in my later career as a derivatives trader) and how they could aid in the modelling of mortality rates, essential for life insurance and pension analysis. I met David from time to time over the years (often rugby related) but only recently realised that as well as playing rugby he had also rowed while at College, having taken it up in his 4th year when he lived near the river. He sent me some photos from the 1976 Fitz 3rd May boat, which was called “Sludgegulpers”.

The crew was listed on the May Bumps Supper menu, though it is possible that S Crawford might have replaced N Jepps on some or all of the days.

Their results were perhaps not as they would have hoped but i’m sure a lot of fun was had by all.

Coincidentally, Peter Emery had written of his sadness on hearing of Adrian Tollett’s passing, and mentioned that Adrian “was mainly committed to a “gentlemen’s crew” called the Sludgegulpers”, and referenced Ken Olisa’s photo (Adrian Tollett – Billygoats Society) of the 1973 Lent 4th VIII.

I was intrigued by the name and I looked through Ken Drake’s archive at the crew lists from dinner menus. The 1973 Lent 4th VIII were not named on the menu, however, and had no members in common with later Sludgegulper crews, so I suspect Adrian was not in the Sludgegulpers. The Sludgegulpers are first named the next academic year, as the 2nd novice VIII in the 1973 Fairbairns, and became 4th boat in the 1974 Lents but by the 1974 Mays they had dropped to the position of 8th boat. They once more made up the 4th boat in the 1975 Mays, then 3rd boat in 1976 when David Miles joined. Many of these crews had a number of names in common: cox CJ Fish making 5 appearances, S French and P Frost making 4, and S Bagshaw, J Griffin, D Bygate and D Fisher making 3 each. None are currently Billygoats so i don’t know whether any of them will ever see this post. It would be interesting to hear from them about the crew, why it was so named, and how they kept it going for that 3 or 4 year period.

Often we remember 1st boats and their exploits, but we should also remember how rowing at Fitz was an inclusive sport which allowed many undergraduates to take part and enjoy the excitement of bumps racing. The Sludgegulpers are a great example of this, as indeed was Adrian himself, and the tales Ken Drake tells about the 1962 3rd Lent crew, the 1979 4th May crew etc.

Dan George

After spending a very enjoyable day as a guest of Richard Hooke (FCBC Captain 1986/7) at Henley and meeting some of the Billygoat living legends, I felt inspired to rifle through some of my old photos to see if I could locate any more of the disreputable outfits I’d rowed with.

Cross-referencing with Ken Drake’s excellent crew lists allowed me to refresh my memory. This first picture is of the 1985 1^st Men’s Fairbairn’s Novices. I’m sure it’s only the perspective of the photo, but our cox Nick Pyke looks burlier than any of the rest of us! Perhaps the most subsequently notable oarsman, with a very determined expression on his face, is Brian Potterill at number 5, just in front of me, who went on to row for two victorious CUBC lightweight crews a few years later in 1988 and 1989.

This second photo, taken later that academic year at the 1986Lents, is of the 2^nd Men’s VIII. Andy Tanton is at stroke again, with Richard Hooke at number 7. I’m sandwiched between Richard and Brian Potterill. So, do you think that Richard is early or Brian late? Richard looks slightly despairing (perhaps we were being caught?) and I look alarmed (perhaps we were likely to row over?).

The third photo is of the 2^nd Men’s VIII at the 1987 Mays. It looks like a bit of a rocky ride, with the stroke side blades still in fresh air while bow side were finding the catch! Perhaps that’s why I only have it as a proof and never parted with money to buy it. We did seem to have a motley selection of blades. Perhaps they’d been mended from previous collisions? The dinner menu crew list is not quite correct, because stroke and number 2 have swapped places relative to the list. Richard’s other guest at Henley yesterday (see first photo above), John Driscoll, is at number 3. John and three other of that crew (Simon Pratt (7), Giles Foden (5) and Ben Mayes (4)), also rowed with me a year later in the 2^nd Men’s VIII at the 1988 Mays.

During an idle moment last Sunday afternoon, I dipped into that definitive archive, the crew lists taken from the boat club dinner menus. (See Ken Drake Archive – Billygoats Society). It seems that in 1987 I had fallen into bad association with some of the rougher elements of the boat club. In the menu for the dinner celebrating the Lents I am listed in the 3^rd Men’s as Donkeyboy Purdy, rowing at 7 between Crabber Clayton and Warp-spasm Everson. Crabber was not known for his particular skill with an oar, but he had an impressively large lung capacity, made even more surprising by his habit of lighting up as soon as we’d crossed any finish line. I can’t recall where he kept his tobacco pouch, perhaps he persuaded our long-suffering cox to have it at the ready? Warp-spasm and I shared an appreciation of fine literature and spent many pleasant evenings in Fitz bar discussing the corkscrew storylines of Rogue Trooper and Slaine Mac Roth. In fact, Warp-spasm was named (I hesitate to say christened) after Slaine’s ability to channel the powers of mother earth and transform himself into a monstrous warrior. He made it a habit to frighten freshers in Natural Sciences by spontaneously impersonating what he called a sea monster by making the blood vessels and sinews of his neck bulge terrifyingly.

On the surface of it, the 2^nd Men’s of the 1988 Mays seems like a more respectable crew. However, our cox had her hands full as it was certainly one of the most argumentative crews I’ve had the pleasure of rowing with. In particular, there was a lot of backchat from Giles at bow, who would often question the necessity of another Power Ten, or a request to pull harder. I can’t blame him really, as in the Mays we ended up having to row over three times, which is enough to try anyone’s patience. In later years, Giles went on to write the excellent, “Last King of Scotland” and he became something of a celebrity, appearing on Masterchef as an epicurean judge. It rolled back the years when I watched him declare he’d rather, “barbecue his face” than eat one the offerings of a luckless sweat-drenched hopeful. Here’s a photo of us all doing our best.

Graeme Purdy, 1984

MEN’S 2^nd MAY BOAT 1988

Bow      G Foden                                                 

2            K Abnet                                                   

3            A Larsson                                             

4            B E Mayes                                             

5            J Driscoll                                               

6            P M Robbins                                       

7            S Pratt                                                    

Str         G Purdy                                                  

Cox       J Eggleston                                           

 Coaches          C Williams, B Potterill, P H Carroll, R Morgan