Shame about the boat race

Connoisseurs of late 1970s pop music - who are numerous in Fantasy Bob's worldwide readership of 3 - will recognise this line from the 1979 hit by The Monks Nice Legs Shame About The Face.

It came into FB's otherwise empty mind at the weekend as he watched this year's University Boat Race.  Not far into the race a Cambridge oarsman, caught a crab nearly ejected the frail craft, his head going under. Race Over.  By the time he recovered Oxford were steaming into the middle distance leaving the commentators to chunter on about nothing very interesting for the next fifteen minutes or so.

As the song said, shame about the boat race...........

FB greatly admires these oarsmen, they are supremely fit and if there is a sport more comprehensively knackering, he has yet to find it.  For a short while in his early life FB dabbled on the Thames with oar in hand.  But these days FB's oarsmanship is confined to the rowing machine, on which craft he battles the tide and the choppy waters of the gym.   Which leaves him in roughly the same state as at the end of a bowling spell up the hill against the wind.  Not a pretty sight, and in desperate need of an empire biscuit.

FB's trusty vessel

The Monks were formed by 2 members formerly with the Strawbs - Richard Hudson and John Ford for whom they had written the group's biggest hit - Part of the Union, before the usual disagreements and acrimony caused them to leave.  They ran up Nice Legs as a bit of a joke (so legend had it) to mock the dominant punk conventions of the day and were slightly embarrassed by its success.

In their lengthy career in several manifestations, they declined to develop any song concerning cricket.....or rowing.