Somehow or other, ol’ Robbo missed this piece of aquatic jackassery:

Australian Trenton Oldfield, 36, stopped the annual contest between Oxford and Cambridge for around half an hour on April 7 when he swam into the rowers’ path in a protest against elitism.

But as he swam towards the boats he was spotted by assistant umpire Sir Matthew [Pinsent], who has won four Olympic gold medals, and the race was immediately stopped.

Isleworth Crown Court heard the rowers lifted their oars so as not to potentially fatally injure Oldfield who could have had his skull cracked or caused surrounding boats to collide.

The race was restarted after a half hour delay and was finally won by Cambridge.

The bulk of the article concerns testimony at the fellah’s current publick nuisance trial about the danger he presented both to himself and to all the oarsmen by his idjit stunt and the lengths to which the umpires and crews went in order to prevent any harm coming from it.

Mr. Man of the People ought to think himself lucky that these thnooobs were so concerned for his safety and so forbearing in their response to his sudden appearance in front of them.   My own boat back in the day, which was by no means stocked with Oxbridge types, would unhesitatingly have run him down if he were to interfere with one of our races.  And we’d have enjoyed it.

UPDATE:  Speaking of such things, The Art of Manliness has an article up today about nicknames in all-male groups.  On the aforementioned crew, I was known as “Whammer”.  I will not tell you why.