INTER~VARSITY TRIAL. VICTORY FOR THE DARK BLUES
INTER-VARSITY TRIAL. VICTORY FOR THE DARK BLUES
Whatever else the undergraduate cannot do, he can certainly coax curious motors up impossible hills and get the maximum enjoyment from so doing. This year’s inter-Varsity trial—that inimitable annual battle of the Light Blues and Dark Blues, amongst whom may be some coming kings of speed-was fought between four teams, the Cambridge Unreliables, with a couple of blown Altas and a blown Alfa-Romeo, the Cambridge Chains, with two 11-litre and one 1.6-litre Nashes, the Cambridge Bogus Dicers, relying on an assortment of motors from Abingdon, and the Oxford Dicers composed of K. D. Evans’s M.G., a V8 Ford, and a combination of .Alvis and ” Frash.” In addition there were forty-six lone competitors, and undergrads can be relied upon to dig out some comic
and exciting vehicles. For instance, P. Hollings deported himself on a 1915 Morris-Oxford, which was awarded No.1, M. H. C. Williams had found a 1.4-litre Bayliss-Thorn as, Mason a Rover of elderly vintage and Rolt a 1-litre leen-Francis. A Morris-Cowley with two entrants graced the programme, Highant was in no way disturbed about front-drive, entering a B.S.A. Scout, and Hugh Conway, celebrated ex-secretary, produced a 56 cub. in. Nuffield—which turned out not to be such a forgotten make. Dr. A. B. Waters was apparently still attempting to borrow a motor when entries closed, but T. B. O’Reilly
contributed 7.2-litres of blown Mere. which, alas, never got to the start.
Old-school Bentleys were popular. The Vintage Sports Car Club would have done well to distribute their nonsense sheet at this event. Hindhead was the assembly point, two separate courses being tackled by odd and even numbers before lunch, with a reversal of the process after eats. Seven entrants failed to materialise. The total distance was sixty-four miles, helpers, many of them well-known Dicers, turned out in anticipation of plenty of work, and comp. covers were officially frowned upon. Begley Farm was in a nasty mood, which is saying much, yet the 1915 Morris came up smartly, then eight motors gallantly failed in the process of easing the path for their successors, which done, Fairtlough did some exhibition hill storming at the helm of his pressureaspirated A.C. Abster’s Hollow was likewise unwilling to grant a passage to weirdly-clad young men in queer automobiles, but Peel’s Alvis-Nash, Stooks’s M.G., Petter’s Riley, and Watson’s Alfa took no notice of the sandy mud. Webb learnt much of wheel-spin, but his M.G scored for Oxford nevertheless, but Jacques wanted all his Triumph’s cylinders and the motor couldn’t oblige. Blind Lane put up a score of twenty in favour of itself, and Unterturkheim (about which you hear old undergrads. talk in far places of this world) was con
sidered impracticable. Peel (Alvis-Nash) and H. J. Ripley (Ford V8) recorded 12 secs. and 13 secs. respectively in the acceleration test on Costord, Ford supporters alleging that the power-IA eight ratio of the latter car was far below normal ! Peel, Stooks, Ripley, and Beadle did nicely on Oak-shot’s leafy mud, the last-named in a Ford Eight. Mursell competed encased in a normal Ford Eight saloon and Carver used an open specimen, both doing well. Two oldschool Bentleys made vintage folk blush, Makolm’s 3-litre and Parry’s 41-litre delaying matters at Oakshot. Steep was
graced with two sections. The Hon. R. de Yarburgh Bateson caused a sensation by mounting the bank and overturning his Marshall-blown L.M.B. Epoch at the bottom left-hand bend, afterwards defeating the hill, aided by his intrepid passenger. Oxford beat Cambridge by 930 marks to 907. RESULTS
Veteran’s Cup : Watson (Alin-Romeo).
Founder’s Cup : J. B. Webb (M.G.).
May Cup : R. N. Salveson (M.G.).
Maw Cup : P. Hollings (1015 Morris). Fairtlough Cup : A. Stonier and L. C. Robson
(Morris).
Falkner Cup : C. C. D. Miller (M.G.).
Evans Cup : W. Peel (Al via-Nash).
Team Award : The Cambridge Unreliables.
Surrey air, too, it seems, is agreeable to Nuffield motors.