Somerville Women take blades in 2025 Torpids

This year’s Torpids was a huge success for Somerville College Boat Club, with the women getting blades for the first time since 2019! Harriet Breakey (2022, Classics) takes us through this year’s Torpids, accompanied by brilliant photos from Somerville and SCBC alumna Lauren Hazel.

With bad weather causing last year’s Torpids to be cancelled, it was touch and go whether we would be in the same position this year. Fortunately, the competition was able to go ahead – but not without major caveats. Heavy rain upstream the preceding week meant that Torpids had to operate with reduced capacity. This was a big blow for Somerville; despite hoping to enter a whopping five crews, only two were able to race. This was especially disappointing after W3 and M2 successfully “rowing on” the previous Saturday and whispers about W2 perhaps being on for blades. Despite these setbacks, this Torpids was our most successful since 2019. Here is what went down…

Day 1 – Wednesday 26^th February

Wednesday set the tone for Somerville’s entire competition. M1 got off to a strong start, achieving a solid row-over. They were chasing Worcester who managed to bump the three crews ahead; it would have been a tall order for Somerville to catch them. However, this did place St John’s in an ideal position to be a target of prey to Somerville’s M1 when Thursday rolled around.

Success breeds success and M1 had instilled our Women’s crew with great hope for their race. With two absolute powerhouses in the boat, Captain Rosalind Weir and President Catherine Stephenson in seats 6 and 5 respectively, Somerville W1 had no problem completely overtaking St Anne’s before the gut. They hadn’t even broken a sweat and could save their legs for another day.

Day 2 – Thursday 27^th February

As Thursday dawned, both Somerville’s crews were raring to go, eager to maintain this positive trajectory. M1 got off to a flying start, bumping St John’s M1. St John’s went on to bump Linacre, enabling Somerville to over bump and move up two spots within division iii.

Feeding off their speedy energy, Somerville’s W1 were on the offensive again and having overtaken Mansfield, left them in their dirty water. W1’s bumps campaign remained unimpeded.

W1 on Friday

M1 on Friday

SCBC alumna Caroline Lytton coxing for W1

Day 3 – Friday 28^th February

Friday morning dawned beautiful and sunny, and spectators lined the banks in support for the penultimate day of racing. The competition was hotting up now and having bumped St John’s yesterday, Somerville M1 faced the task of maintaining their lead on a crew who, it become apparent, were out for revenge. Somerville were now at the very top of division iii, a position otherwise known as “the sandwich boat”. This meant they would have to row twice in one day, at the top of division iii, and then at the bottom of division ii. By the time Somerville, at the head of the division, stormed past Univ boat house, St John’s was hot on their tail. Somerville refused to concede and the line came too soon for St John’s, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief as Somerville M1 lived to fight another day. But being top of your division comes with a price. M1 prepared to row the course again, this time aiming to catch St Peter’s. M1 looked strong but Peter’s looked stronger and sadly they were not able to cement their position in division ii.

Somerville W1 began the day in division iib chasing Brasenose, who were easily caught before the gut – yet another very early bump for Somerville W1, who by this point in the competition had made a name for themselves and were well on their way to blades. But the day was not over yet. Having bumped up a position, Somerville now found themselves in much the same position as the men, sandwiched between divisions. W1 were now between divisions iia and iib and thankful for the rest afforded by such an early bump on Brasenose. Luck was on SCBC’s side with an early concession from Teddy Hall, whose stroke seat was afflicted with a broken blade, allowing Somerville W1 to establish themselves firmly in division iia, and wave farewell to sandwich status.

Day 4 – Saturday 1st March

The banks of the Isis teemed with people soaking up the February sun on the final, glorious day of Torpids 2025. Somerville boasted an excellent support crew including Senior Tutor Steve Raynor, and Principal Jan Royall, who were eager to see whether today was the day that Somerville’s dreams of blades finally come true.

Somerville began the day with yet another excellent row over from M1. St John’s were back for vengeance again, but Somerville showed their strength, easily pulling away from them. By the time both crews reached boat house island, St John’s were well and truly in the dust, with multiple boat lengths between their bow and Somerville’s stern; an impressive high to end on for Somerville M1.

The pressure was on now for W1: if they didn’t catch LMH in their next race, despite having already achieved four bumps, they would not be getting blades. The crowd raced down to long bridges as the race began, arriving in time to see LMH exit the gut with Somerville hot on their heels. It wasn’t long before the cox, Bea Frediani, (outsourced from Oriel College Boat Club), positioned the boat for W1’s final bump of Torpids, overtaking LMH midway up Greenbanks. Somerville cleared the racing line safe in the knowledge that they had achieved Somerville’s first blades victory in 6 years.

This was without a doubt a highly successful Torpids, with both men’s and women’s crews advancing further through their respective divisions. Both the boat club and the college are filled with immeasurable pride, especially towards our W1 who have finally earned the blade to fill the forlorn and empty spot in Terrace which awaits it. This achievement is testament to all the time and all the effort these eight women have poured into their training, not for themselves, but for their crew. As the college with the most women’s headships, this Torpids proves that we are well on the way to getting Somerville back on the map as a rowing college.