Tom Roper's Weblog

Punchestown, Uttoxeter and Warwick

115 Punchestown: Hardy Eustace
145 Punchestown: Charlie's First
230 Warwick: Cornish Sett
245 Uttoxeter: In Media Res
300 Warwick: King Bee
320 Uttoxeter: Another Native
And tomorrow we go to Plumpton for the New Year's Day meeting.

Burning the clocks

I left a pub on Wednesday evening to find the most extraordinarily exciting procession, Burning the Clocks. I took some photos on my mobile which are awful, but there are better ones on Flickr

Fontwell

210 Myson
240 Novacella
310 Harbour Point

Windsor and Haydock

Windsor 140: Ladalko
Haydock 205: Native Ivy
Windsor 210: Inglis Drever
Haydock 235: Jazz d'Estruval

BBC - Radio 3 - Bach Christmas / Bach Blog

The BBC's Bach Christmas seems to me wonderful. It reminds me of the sort of thing the old Third Programme used to do. When I was a boy it was possible to hear every cantata broadcast on the liturgically correct day; now the technology allows so much more. No downloads yet, that I can see. But there's a blog (sort of, no RSS feed):  BBC - Radio 3 - Bach Christmas / Bach Blog.

Cleese or Rumsfeld?

I saw this on Phil Bradley's blog and thought I'd try it. He is supposed to resemble Lou Reed, and I hope he will not be offended if I say that I find it hard to see a very close resemblance.
But then it thinks I look like John Cleese, Alain Delon, George C. Marshall (he of the Marshall plan), Carl Perkins, David Coulthard, John Glenn, Donald Rumsfeld. Anthony Burgess and Wim Kok. I am rather upset about some of these, especially Rumsfeld and Kok. Still at least it didn't mistake me for Jeffrey Archer, as a Big Issue seller did at Brighton station recently.

Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup Day

Navan 100:  Solerina
Cheltenham 240: Thisthatandtother
Cheltnham 310: Harchibald

CILIP election for President-elect

I attended the count for the election of CILIP's President-elect, to serve as President from 2007-2008. I'm delighted to say Ian Snowley won; this is encouraging, not least as CILIP has a rather difficult financial crisis to deal with.
The voting was as follows (I think this may be a little provisional; perhaps they have to be reported to Council, which meets on Thursday, before they are official, but they are on the website).

Alasdair MacNaughtan: 1821
Ian Snowley: 2296
Alan Watkin: 658
Votes cast: 4786 (11 spolit, I think)

There were some interesting spoilt papers: I overheard a counter describing one who had managed to vote for Bruce Madge, a candidate in last year's contest, and a couple who defaced their papers because the candidates were all men. The count, conducted by CILIP staff under Joe Wormald and the Board of Scrutineers was good-humoured efficiency itself. My memories of student union elections are of much less decorous affairs, including one where a disappointed candidate set about the winner with a broken beer bottle.

I'm no psephologist, but interesting features of this are:
a) a relatively high turnout, perhaps due to a three-way competition and the fact that Ian campaigned in a much more open way than the quasi-masonic style that the arch-reactionary elements in CILIP prefer, a hangover from the old IIS and LA perhaps
b) it gives the lie to those who claim that the public library candidate will always win and that CILIP is controlled by this sector.
Indeed, I and others thought Alan Watkin, who is I'm told a figure of influence in the public library world, would be Ian's chief rival but, due in part perhaps to an opaque manifesto, he made a poor showing.

Oxford 16-Cambridge 31

I went to yesterday's Varsity Match which was very satisfactory, especially as Cambridge had to come from behind. I arrived a little late, and Cambridge were not very convincing at the start, but after the first 15-20 minutes they found their form, and although Oxford led by one point at half time, Cambridge scored four tries in the second half.

Tingle Creek Trophy Day

Sandown 235: Kauto Star
Sandown 310: All Star
Sandown 340: Brave Spirit