The Club's Results

M1 went into this race not quite knowing what to expect with regards to the crews either side of us but we knew that if we rowed our race with our solid length and rhythm we would do well. I was incredibly proud to see it all come together and for us to produce the rowing we knew we were capable of. We hit a solid 37 after a stride and just kept moving up on Catz, bumping them just before the railings. With a bit more relaxation and composure we should look to give Downing a good race tomorrow! (Jacob)

Great satisfaction wiping Catz paint off the bow at the boathouse. More of the same working together, and guts tomorrow please. (ls.rowing@gmail.com)

Awesome work! (Justus)

After settling into our rhythm off the start, we emerged out of grassy corner and suddenly the wash was atrocious which, as bow, is a good indication of bearing down on the crew ahead. Penelope called a bumps push near the Plough and we continued to chase Catz around Ditton corner. Emerging onto the reach I heard three whistles and, fed up of rowing in such dreadful wash, turned around to see the stern of Catz. Stretching out at the front I hit their stern with my oar and shouted 'bump' but I did not see their cox concede by raising their hand. At the next stroke I came forward and hit their stern so hard I came off my seat. As I had effectively missed two strokes, the boat swerved to stroke side and our bow mounted their stern. Quite an experience. (Tim)

We rowed competently and got the job done today. We rowed over ahead of Catz who got bumped just before the railings, whilst staying just beyond station from Downing. Everyone should be very happy with the good start we have had to these Mays, but with two tough days ahead of us we know that we will have to produce the sharp rowing we are capable of to maintain 3rd and to push up on Downing. I am looking forward to a great race against Jesus tomorrow! (Jacob)

The start seemed more fluid than the first day, and we easily kept our distance from Catz. By the time we rounded Ditton corner it seemed very likely that Jesus were going to bump, but composure remained imperative. We took the rate down after four boats behind us bumped out, though wound it back up to top finish. Our next race, chasing Downing and avoiding Jesus, should be very interesting. Bring it on! (Tim)

Jesus came at us right from the start and despite holding them through the first section of plough reach they kept closing round ditton, bumping us before the railings.

We must now pick ourselves up and look ahead to having a great race against Maggie tomorrow and making ground up against Jesus. (Jacob)

After a good start Jesus gradually closed in on us. The wind coming around Ditton corner was ferocious and cost us dearly. Despite Penelope steering us away from Jesus we were bumped close to the railings. (Tim)

We attacked the race, and rowed it on our terms. Maggie moved on us at the Reach, and we succumbed at the P&E. There was always full commitment from the crew, and in time, we'll remember that race as a gutsy stand against a faster crew. Let's crack 'em next year! (Sam)

An unforgettable race. Too often, crews for whom the aim is a row-over are too defensive; they fail to attack the start sufficiently, never take the race to the opposition and are gradually reeled in. This crew deserves great credit for assaulting this race with serious purpose, dealing impressively with the brutal headwind on the Reach and forcing LMBC to fight all the way for their bump.

There was some talk afterwards of there being "only another 200 yards to go". The course has to end somewhere and whether a bump occurs 200, 20 or 2 yards from the finish, the crew going down should hold their heads high if, as in this race, they simply have no more to give. Replacing 'crews' and 'row-over' in the second sentence above with 'teams' and 'draw' respectively, I hope I feel as much pride in England's performance against Ukraine tomorrow as I did on the towpath watching this. Thanks boys. (Neil T)

Despite a very gutting final result I was very proud of the crew and how we conducted ourselves during the race. We were disappointed with our race against Jesus the day before, feeling it was too reactive, so wanted to go out and take the race to the opposition and that is exactly what we did.

We were able to row with maturity and commitment right to the end and dealt with the wind extremely well, particularly given that it was something we had struggled with previously. I would like to commend all the guys for a gutsy and tough race and even though the result was not what we wanted I hope we can hold our heads high knowing that we took it to them and made them fight for every inch.

It was been a wonderful honour to captain such a dedicated and committed group of guys. (Jacob)

Nice job, still the biggest dogs on the cam! Good luck tomorrow (John)

Decent start, settled a bit short though. We then proceeded to get into a race rhythm, and entered grassy. At this point behind us, Pembroke started sprinting, so we took it up. I failed pretty hard at Grassy, fortunately the crew were easily capable of bailing me out, and we rowed off happily, Pembroke got bumped about 5-10 strokes out of Grassy, and we battle paddled to the line, as 3 sets of bumps happened behind us. (Swords)

We had a more energetic start, aiming to settle onto a racier rhythm, aware of Caius' ability to sprint. This we did pretty well, and looked pretty decent. We shortened up a touch coming into Ditton, and this cost us badly. They closed to around a canvas near the exit of Ditton, at which point we hit the headwind, had a couple of scrappy strokes, and with a crew as good as Caius behind us, a couple of scrappy strokes was all it took to end this defence of the Mays headship.

Gutted. (Swords)

Well done nevertheless, guys! I watched you from Grassy and you put up a GOOD FIGHT!!! :-) (Ulrike)

Again, gutted. Raced pretty well, however Downing sprinted better.

Bumped at the entrance to Ditton (Swords)

St Catz have a hell of a lot of horsepower, we sprinted, they sprinted faster, it was all over by the plough.

This set of bumps has been intensely disappointing, I've spent a great deal of time and energy getting myself to a standard of coxing such that I am in the 1st VIII, and unfortunately, on some levels, I have arrived a year too late. Losing headships is pretty awful really, however the manner in which this one was lost does give significant room for hope of a rapid return to form. This VIII was not 'bad', it may have been slower, but it was by no means technically bad. It is encouraging that without the huge amount of experience of previous years, without many weeks of JPD and other bufties, we still produced an VIII which was (in my perhaps dubious opinion) technically good enough to row over head. This shows to me that the system now in place with Lianne will, physiology allowing, produce eights of the required speed to put this club back where it belongs. It is now up to Jacob and the MLBCs to find these physiologically gifted people, and current members to train until they are pulling the required times, such that in a few years time, it's FaT, not Caius, who rock up to bumps with eight massive ergos, and a technically excellent crew. (Swords)

Yay!! Well done :- ) such a relief to see that yellow face! (Charlotte)

Smoothly done - more of the same please. (JPD)

First day nerves out the way... (Thomas)

Rah ! (Matt)

Our start was a bit tidier, and we settled to a sustainable pace a little earlier. We were still the best part of three lengths clear by Ditton, and had a solid but unspectacular row up the reach. (Tom C)

A determination to put distance on Caius on the reach meant that there was never any doubt. (Thomas)

Complacency Is Devastating. (Tom C)

Our poorest start of the week, leading to a failure for the expected gap between ourselves and Caius to materialise. We didn't really settle, and failed to start moving away.
Coming around Ditton corner we didn't have the pick-up of the previous two days, with a bit of a view that Caius were going to be caught by Pembroke.

By the railway bridge it was clear that Caius were surging back on us, and a desperate wind for the finish barely kept them off overlap. (Thomas)

That'll learn 'em. (Tom C)

The day began badly with one of the Maggie guys trying, rather unsportingly, to cripple me. Fortunately the damage was superficial.

'No Regrets' was our motto for the day, with the idea of complacency firmly removed from our mind we decided to move earlier in the race to kill Caius off before they had a chance to launch their strong wind to the line, that caught us out on day 1 and day 3.

A good start and a good plough reach build, followed by a committed push out of Ditton gave us plenty of room, and the 'boring' row over well clear that our supporters and coaches were hoping for. (Thomas)

"glorious isolation" (Natasha)

First day nerves out the way now... (Thomas)

A good row to get under our belts. The finish margin was 28 seconds which I believe is our biggest yet, but LMBC may have front-loaded or eased off in the later stages with no pressure from behind. (Tom C)

Didn't do a great job in the first two minutes, if anything we were slower to the Plough than yesterday. It looked like LMBC were trying to outsprint Caius, and were on station with us at the exit of Grassy. From there the margin increased exponentially, and Caius, without the flair to overtake, followed them to the meadow. In case anyone at home is feeling worried, I'll record that Downing were closer on the first day of Lents.

The second half of the course was uneventful. Jesus were well out of contention for the overbump, so we wound down to a comfortable 32 at the railings and finished 35-40 seconds clear. (Tom C)

That was a really harrowing race to watch from the bank. You guys are amazing and you know you're the best. You can hold off Caius, and I know you'll do it again. You're all gods to the rest of us and I have complete faith in you. Go disappoint Caius again!! (Julia A.)

A good race, finished a length and a bit clear. (Tom C)

Heroes (BJ)

First post...YEAH FIRST AND THIRD! (Mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZaOFeW5jF0 (Emma)

The row didn't feel as pretty as Friday's, but it certainly had the guts. A little rough around the edges, everyone could feel the exhaustion from the previous three days.

We won the headship on Friday, we won it by breaking Caius at the Railway Bridge. Today we knew we could do it, but we also knew it'd be hard, and it was a question of going out there, having the guts to execute our plan and prove ourselves worthy of the first Mays headship retention since 1967, 42 years ago. Job done!

Everyone in this crew owes great thanks to everyone who contributed to making this boat go fast, in particular coaches. Tom Rose and Jon Davies have devoted endless hours on their bikes coaching and we are tremendously priviledged to have these guys. We also owe great thanks to Iain who contributed a lot of advice, some coaching and was a very calming influence on the towpath during bumps week - when he pushes you off you know you have one less thing to worry about!

I am excited for next Mays - Ra Ra First and Third! (Flo)

Many, many CONGRATULATIONS for finally claiming our record after 42 years and coming top of the comparison chart.

Four days of thrilling racing. WELL DONE!

I hope you heard the support from the May 1967 crew. Olly Olly First and Third!!! (Fitz67)

I think this set of bumps warrants my second ever race report! The first couple of days were fairly straightforward, although tension began to rise as we saw an unexpectedly fast Caius crew bumping up behind us. We knew that the third day would be tough, and that the result would probably determine the final result too. It turned out to be one of the hardest races I've ever done, with Caius sitting 1/4 - 1/3 of a length off our stern until the railway bridge, at which point we gradually began to move away. Lessons we took from this were that our start was pretty terrible and lost us about 1/2 length, and that we needed to go much harder down Plough Reach which was where Caius seemed to really go for the bump. On a positive note, at no point did anyone panic and we produced our best row as a crew, finishing in 7:38. The fourth day was much less eventful. Caius never seemed to come inside a length (from my view anyway, could be wrong) partly as a result of a much better start from us. We pushed hard down Plough Reach and the rest, as they say, is history.
Many thanks to all the people who came to cheer for us, especially the fleet of bikes on the meadow side! Also many thanks to Caius for such a fantastic couple of races and for being such good sports about the result. To be continued next year! (R.J. Fletcher)

Almost two months later, and Ive finally got round to writing a race report. I still dont know what to think of this, and its probably fair to say we came very close to becoming a cautionary tale. The saturday before bumps, we were bumped in under 500m by Downing in sparring, and only a few days before that Pembroke had done the same (with the help of Kieran West). Knowing that neither crew was realistically in range was small consolation, as we suspected that Jesus, at least, were of similar speed to them. Quite how this could happen, after the successes of the previous term, was uncertain, and Sasha and myself probably both wondered what we could be doing wrong. Our problems were due in part to an inability to transfer a fast head course speed in to the faster speeds required on shorter courses, but more importantly an awful lot of complacency. After that saturday, our aim changed from rowing over uncontested to rowing over at all, and believing that in two outings we couldnt make any further improvement.

Fortunately for us, this turned out to be wrong. After sunday off, we rowed off on monday, and suddenly the boat felt different. We finally managed to rate above 40 properly, and although we knew that we were never going to be as quick off the start as the tidier crews starting behind us, we did have this email from Flo to inspire us:

HERE WE GO NOW BOYS, PLOUGH REACH BURN, IN TWO, IN ONE, PLOUGH REACH BURN N O W, MASSIVE!!!
So looking forward to coming out of Grassy and just motoring it down Plough Reach, fucking off into the distance.

For Plough Reach Burn the water is going to be on fire...

I've never been as keen for a race as this. May bumps here we go!

Thought that deserved to have a permanent record made of it... We were perhaps fortunate on the first day to have LMBC behind us, as we didnt regard them as the major threat to the headship. This proved to be accurate, their higher rate no match for superior power as we cruised over 28s ahead of them. More worryingly however, Jesus were rapidly bumped by Caius at Grassy, and looked to me to be well inside station on us at that point. So the next day didnt hold much worry for us in terms of being bumped, but would show us how good Caius actually were, and whether the much-lauded Jesus crew had just been surprised off the start or possibly if they were just as bad as they had looked in training. All three crews moved quickly off Jesus from the start, Caius closing on LMBC as we began to pull away ourselves. We expected Caius to fade away at this point, having been promised that they were merely fast starters. Instead they continued to close, and out of Ditton LMBC went wide in a dubious effort at avoiding the bump. Caius however followed them across and struck rapidly, with us around half a length outside station at this point. We rowed over sedately, though still appearing to gain ground from Jesus.

The theory for the third day was that once we got on to the reach, there wouldnt be a crew with the fitness to stay with us. A poor start, and it looked like we mightnt get past grassy, with Caius inside a length out of first post and continuing to close down the gut. Out of grassy with around half a length the plough reach burn was unleashed, and probably gained a seat, though to the spectators and myself it looked like a temporary reprieve. A good ditton maintained the distance, but they closed slightly as we hurtled down the reach, and by now I was not the only one wondering when their promised epic blow-up would be. Tom Rose had promised to give the order from the bank to begin the reach burn, but with the noise of the supporters on the bank we heard none of this, and just kept going as hard as possible to try to hold out for as long as possible. At the railings it looked to me that they had overlap, and they appeared to begin steering for the bump, although Im told at this point they were still a quarter of a length off us. This probably cost them speed, though they were still fast enough to stay at this distance until the P&E, where we pushed a bit of water out to make ourselves more comfortable as we rowed over, with the crews behind our pair long distant.

The final day held less fear for us. Having already shown them that we could beat them, we knew that every stroke the race took the more they would question their ability to catch us. We also knew that our start could go much better if we didnt spend it looking out of the boat to see whether theyd gained on us yet. But after three row-overs tiredness was beginning to take its toll, and the possibility of making the small slip that would cost us the headship often crossed my mind. But we were wished luck by most of the other crews, and even the Cauis women looked a bit interested in us. The start was clean, but still couldnt hold them fully. As the video below shows, they probably got to about three quarters of a length off us at grassy, but then we threw everything at them in an elongated plough reach burn, and moved almost back to station. Down the reach the two crews held their ground far ahead of the other colleges, before the final onslaught that must leave ones dreams shattered for another year. Our fantastic support raced down the meadowside and towpath and roared us on as push countered push past the railway bridge, and we moved slightly away. Past morleys holt, and the weeks exertions finally hit home as the wheels began to fall off our boat. Tom O went interesting shades of orange and purple, and the limited technique wed displayed up to that point began to leave us, but by now they didnt have enough time left to catch us, and we limped over the line under a length ahead of them. Though we both knew that they were the faster crew, they came along afterwards to shake our hands, as gracious losers. Next year Im sure theyll be back for more, and with a very strong-looking Pembroke in the mix the 2010 mays crew will need all the resolve and (occasional) skill that we displayed this year. This was my last bumps race for trinity, and first headship, so hopefully anyone who reads this far will forgive the length of the report, but I thought that with the Caius propaganda issued by the Cambridge Standard a full record of what happened would be nice.

Video from Grassy- http://tinyurl.com/mxpexm (I don't think anyone has put this up yet, the crazy shouting person is my mum, while my brother looks a bit disinterested. For some reason the site won't take the full address, or apostrophes?)

P.S. Silas Stafford is my bitch (John)

It's hard to describe the euphoria when you've been training for 263 days for one race and one bump and achieve it so emphatically. We couldn't have been more fired up for this by the time of the start gun, and we set off hard, kept it hard and hit them hard. We expected them to be quick off the start, so were pleased to have taken a quarter of length out of them by the exit of grassy. However, the next thirty strokes really showed the difference between the two crews and we went into Ditton within a canvas of them. Ming postponed the inevitable with a brief encounter with the inside of the corner, but this gave them only a few extra feet and we got them within ten strokes of coming straight.

For the six of us who had been in the boat or coaching it last year, this was the culmination of two years' training and was a satisfying reversal against the same CUBC stern four who had held us off last time round. (BJ)

We had found out on Sunday that Toby would have to leave us to train with his CUBC four, which was racing as the Great Britain second four at the World Cup meeting in Poznan. We decided to keep him for Wednesday and hope that if we could bump Caius with him then we could hold them off without him. Laff agreed to row with us from Thursday onwards, which was selfless of him given how it would have felt if we'd been bumped back. There were worries about how well it would gel with a new rower but he couldn't have fitted in better - we had had subs all term, including Laff, and were used to pulling hard despite any lack of balance or coordination. In Laff, we knew we had someone who would commit fully from first to last stroke in any situation, which was exactly what we needed.

After Wednesday, we were pretty confident but still wary of what Caius could throw at us. We were boosted by the sight of their day-one stroke man on a bike rather than in the boat - apparently he broke a rib in Wednesday's race, so I hope he was ok. We set off as if we were going for another quick bump, left Caius behind easily and were five or six lengths clear when they were bumped by LMBC at the railings. Jesus showed no interest in the overbump and wound it down but, for reasons that I still don't fully understand, we only took it down to a relaxed 5k pace and completed the course in 7:46. (BJ)

We expected LMBC to go off hard, so hit the first two minutes as hard as yesterday, but also expected to have them behind us for the distance, so took the next two minutes in a more sustainable manner. Our suspicions were confirmed as LMBC were still at most two lengths off at Ditton but faded over the second half of the course to finish five lengths off and narrowly avoid being bumped back by Caius. Maintaining a solid 37-38, we raced flat out all the way to the end to make sure that LMBC wouldn't harbour any hopes of bumping us on Saturday, but the stream was stronger than on Thursday and we finished in 7:50. (BJ)

Its not often you get a Mays headship without training for it. I only found out on Monday evening that I would be rowing most of the week with these guys. Having spent the majority of the year out of action I wasnt convinced I was quite ready for 3 row-overs at the top of the division, but sitting in the boat, you could feel the power from the other 7 guys and it was clear if it could be done, they would do it.

They've earned this, everyone who has subbed in over the course of the term knows how hard they trained and my inbox is still full of emails from Flo saying exactly how much he wanted to nail Caius. I dont think I'll ever fully appreciate how tough that week of "super-compensation" must have been, but they definitely came out of it an incredibly strong crew.

Stepping into the boat, the thing that stands out is their motivation - their simmering aggression on the row up to the start, the first 2 minutes when it boils over and they all put everything into every stroke, together, to get away from the crew behind, the fact that possibly the most committed pushes came under the railway bridge, when your entire body is burning and Ming asks you to give it everything for the umpteenth time that day. It was easy to get swept along with the massive desire to win.

Thanks guys for the ride, it was amazing, particularly to Toby, who did the hard work for me! As ever the support on the towpath was immense, especially on Saturday. Having everyone there really does make it all worthwhile. We should also thank the old boys who provided the new equipment this year. The blades definitely make a difference and the Empacher is an absolute pleasure to row, or at least these guys make it feel like that. Also Tom Rose and JPD put in hell of a lot of work to get this crew up to speed, having such talented coaches around was vital to success this term. Finally there's Ming, looking back over his captaincy I think its fair to say the club has completely dominated the river. As he said as we came down the reach, "We're the best, boys" and its pretty much all down to him. (Will L)

This was the worst row of the week, but no one cared. Adrenaline got the better of us and we maintained an inappropriate minimum rate of 40 until the exit of Ditton. We were slightly surprised by the mild headwind on the Reach, and Fletch generously took us down to 38. Coming into the railway bridge we had four lengths of clear water but we were at best dying and at worst dead. The rate had sagged to 37 and, despite our pushes bringing us back to 38 again, LMBC took a length back by the finish line in an impressive last-ditch push for the headship. There's no doubt that we could have gone significantly quicker with a bit more length, time and technique, but this was all about the result and we still managed 7:56. LMBC and Caius couldn't have been more gracious in defeat; it must be tough to have been in the Caius boat this year or the Lents last year so to congratulate us so genuinely confirms their status as worthy champions over most of the last decade.

Huge thanks to the old boys who gave us the blades and boat: the blades give us an extra pip or two and the Empacher feels like it wants to go much faster than we can manage. Thanks must go to everyone who has been James or Toby this term: James Curran (City), Peter Ford, Dan Holland, Phil Horler, Dan Jane, (Will Laffan,) Colin Leonard (Robs), Nick Morrell (Robs) and particularly to JPD who was Toby for a continuous fortnight. Thanks to James and Toby for fitting in extra sessions around revision, exams and CUBC training. Thanks to Ming, whose results as coach and captain over the last five terms say far more than I can here.

The biggest thanks of all go to coaches Tom Rose and JPD for bringing the dream back to life and turning an incohesive, disillusioned, demoralised crew into a headship crew in five weeks, and for making rowing fun again. This wouldn't even have been close to happening without you. (BJ)

Bumps is a like a penalty shoot-out; you can't really prepare for it. So it's lucky that the first race wasn't too demanding. We suffered from a lack of focus, and struggled in rough water round the corners, but attacked like we needed to. We'll learn from this and get stronger every day.

Credit is due to Queens, they were a lot better than some people expected, and I don't reckon they'll go down much further.

[Of course, you can prepare, it's just that no-one really knows how] (Tom C)

Moved up steadily, took a while to finish it, bumped just past the Plough. (Martin P)

2nd VIII headship
3rd VIII headship
4th VIII headship
5th VIII headship

One more to go... (Lorry)

6th VIII headship?

I blame the MLBCs. (BJ)

Awesome sprint for the bump, took Catz down swiftly, bumped in the Gut. (Martin P)

Before the race, Martin said he'd never seen a bump before grassy in the top 4. So this was one for the spectators. We went hard into the corner, the photos tell the rest of the story. (Tom C)

Superb result. That's the highest I've ever seen FaT, and all the sweeter because Maggie were the victim. Well done, good luck tomorrow, and I can't wait to see you in action at Henley! (RTT)

'Come by Maggie?' is what Emma should have said.... Still, I think Tom's Ron Coleman impressions did more than enough to piss them off.

Quite possibly one of the best races we've done as a crew, and certainly the best bumps race I've ever been a part of. The boat sat up beautifully through the rough water down Plough Reach, clean water made the Reach easy and we probably rated about 37 throughout (although we were assisted by a strong stream). It felt good to bump Maggie's brand new Fillipi a day before it was to be officially named. Get in! (Phil)

'Quite possibly one of the best races we've done as a crew'

Well it was certainly better than Wednesday and slightly better than Thursday, so yes, this was the best race we did as a crew! (BJ)

This was the race which would define our crew as good or bad. At the beginning of term Ming said we'd need to be much more than the sum of our parts to be competitive. Early results were good, but after an indecisive period through exams and trips abroad we lost it a bit. In the week before bumps we had some desperately poor sparring matches, losing heavily to Jesus and failing to achieve positive results against Emma and Pembroke. We clearly had some boat speed, but could we find it when it really mattered?

Resoundingly, yes. The best thing about this group is that we've always performed on the day. As soon as we were inside distance the race was over; we knew it was our day, and let our legs carry us through. (Tom C)

Not our best row, but even at our best we'd have struggled to keep up and certainly couldn't have put in a performance today that would have seen us bumping Caius. Very disappointing not to threaten them, but it shows how far we've come this year that we're disappointed to finish three lengths down to a crew rowing from head station whose stern IV was from CUBC. Once again, looking at the crew list we have to be honest and say we over-performed.

Only Phil is leaving (hopefully - it depends on how results go for me on Thursday!), there are some strong guys who chose not to row this term and the mainly novice 2nd VIII is frighteningly quick, so if we train as hard and improve at the rate we did this year we'll be able to provide a better challenge next time round. We don't want to get stuck in second place for three and a half years...

Credit is also due to Maggie: they put in a much better row today and, having fallen behind up to Ditton, stormed up the Reach and were probably only a length off under the railway bridge until we sorted it out and opened up again towards top finish. Good effort and good sportsmanship all round from the top three.

In the back of our minds we'll already be training for the first day of the Mays next year, but for now we're looking forward to Henley, and maybe even winning a round or two... (BJ)

Not quite the fairytale end to my FaT rowing career, but perhaps bumping a crew so stacked with University talent was a bit too much to hope for. We were all pretty nervous about this one, and it showed in the race as we failed to find the same easy, relaxed rhythm of the previous day. Maggie were clearly fired up and really went for us, and were within distance for a minute or two down the reach before fading away. I think we just weren't sure what to do when we hadn't closed on Caius by the Railings, and although maximum effort was applied all the way, the speed never properly came. Its quite a tough mental adjustment to suddenly find yourself in 2nd place when I at least hadn't even thought about the possibility till Friday night.

It's been an incredible year for the club at all levels, and its been amazing to be involved with it. All the best to the boys for next year, there's no reason whatsoever that this boat can't be faster and really push for the Headship. I've been looking forward to the end of bumps all week, but only a day after I already miss it.... (Phil)

From a veteran of 40 years ago. I am so proud of your achievements this year. You had so called 'students' from Caius against you. You were outstanding. Good luck in the Temple Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Please win. I shall be there... (Fitz)

Two and a half years I've been waiting for this, now they've finally got what they deserve.

GET IN.

We were a bit unsettled at the start, when I heard a count of 5 I wasn't sure if it was for the start or the one minute gun. Fool. After about 5 strokes it was fine, but perhaps we didn't attack the first minute hard enough. Settled onto a good rhythm at 34, but not as tidy as we're used to in the rough water. The gossip was that Downing were faster than Queens ahead of them, but that didn't seem to be the case, and all three were about on station coming into first post.

Downing weren't cornering well, so we gained a bit, pushed hard down the gut, and closed to within half a length on Plough Reach. With burning legs, we nailed Ditton, and had overlap at the start of the reach. They weren't gonna give us an inch, so we lifted it to 36 and put in back to back pushes until they finally broke at the railings. Churchill never threatened, and were 3 or 4 lengths behind, much like when we were out paddling on Tuesday.

The first day's never a great race, but we got the result and know what to do better. We've got another serious score to settle with Queens, so keep all pets indoors. (Tom C)

We knew that Hall were slow, so we powered off the start much better than yesterday, holding 39 through to the stride. Within a length by first post, and 3/4 when Queens bumped out just before the Plough. Churchill bumped Downing remarkably quickly, so it looked like an easy rowover.

Jesus then ominously rose out of the debris, and looked like they were having a shot at an overbump. We found a nice rhythm at about 5k pace, had to put a bit of work in to leave them a length down at the finish. Impressive commitment from them.

Obviously disappointing that we won't get our blades, but I reckon we've got a chance of bumping Hall tomorrow if raise our level as much again. (Tom C)

We really wanted to get them back for messing us around yesterday. The start was aggressive, and the boat didn't feel especially keen to stride to the really solid rhythm of yesterday. Hall managed to put up a fight for the first minute and half, but by the time we rounded grassy we were taking a foot a stroke, and made the bump at the Plough. I was hoping to get them rather sooner than that, but we hit them so hard that I'm happy.

Tomorrow we've got a great chance to sort Queens out, as they narrowly failed to bump LMBC. Guns. (Tom C)

Of course it was emotional, and I was really dreading the start. But the cannon pulled me back together and only the heat made the rowing harder than previous days. We went off hard as ever, at 39 through 50 seconds, and settling onto a better rhythm than yesterday. Our pushes through the gut and grassy were rewarded with a length call at the Plough. Coming round Ditton I really thought we were gonna do it.

Why not? Queens were resilient, no doubt. For me it was rough water than beat us, the three crews ahead all got closer (apparently Catz had been on the piss), and it's very hard to keep control of the boat. By the railway bridge the doors were falling off, and a modest increase in rate didn't give us any extra speed. Jesus were presumably going for the overbump again, and this time were about 4 lengths back.

It would've been nice to go up more than two, and in particular I reckon we could've bumped LMBC given the chance. Still, we were faster than all the crews around us, and certainly in the top four with Caius, Catz and Jesus. Our training through the term was disjointed, but in some of the racing we did realise the potential we'd been having glimpses of all along. (Tom C)

Houdini would've been scared by this. We were closer to Robinson than Queens until grassy, but then Queens really went for it. We didn't respond well because no-one could hear Rachel, and they hit us while exiting Ditton. Quite happy when told we got Robinson first, but we'll have to improve to hold off Queens later in the week.

With any luck we'll get a shot at Downing tomorrow, can't wait! (Tom C)

I like to think I helped in some tiny way towards this result. Dyson (my pairs partner) was subbing into the Robinson crew as their captain had a family emergency. Knowing this to be the case, we went out in the morning and did a double run with two head courses, thus tiring him out a bit. Seems like it was just about enough! (Rose the Twat)

Pretty spacktacular most of the way, but we got it done in the end.

The start was decent, as we held Queens roughly on station down 1st Post Reach. The Gut was mediocre as we didn't seem to make our planned pushes all together. Then Grassy seemed to cost us at least half a length on Queens in a matter of seconds. We were beginning to get worried.

I couldn't hear a thing from Rachel coming down Plough Reach (even at 7), and so I had no idea we were so close to Robinson. I could, of course, see just how rapidly Queens were making up the gap behind us. Around most of Ditton corner, I was cutting my stroke short so that my spoon wouldn't smack directly into their bow ball. After several strokes of that, I heard the umpires shouting for a concession, and then someone gave a hold-it-up call from the bank. I did, and immediately got the loom of my blade stuck under the Queens bow. I was on the verge of needing some serious acrobatics to avoid the handle smacking me in the chin, but luckily Queens held it up almost immediately, averting catastrophe.

I initially assumed we'd been bumped, as Queens were celebrating like mad. Then I looked around and saw Robinson pulling in as well. So I turned to the umpire who'd been watching the gap behind us and asked, very loudly, what the decision was. He replied without hesitation that we had gotten the bump before Queens had. Cue jubilation. Queens seemed quite sour about the decision, but who can blame them? Today, at least, they were the fastest of the three crews, only coming up a foot short.

P.S. From station 7, that cannon is LOUD! (James)

Initially I was gutted. Coming round Ditton corner I thought we were still a length of Robinson and I had seen Queens closing fast all the way down Plough Reach and contact was made just on the exit of the corner. But then I turned around and I saw Robinson in front. It turned out we had the been awarded the bump. Last year I thought the bump back on Queens was the most rewarding bump ever - but Im beginning to think every one counts about the same! Its funny though, I know exactly how Queens must feel after we were in their situation in the Robinson - Maggie - Us sandwich on the saturday last year. (Dan)

Lady Margaret went off in front of us looking marvellously hench, and rapidly pulled away out of sight.

We had an average row. (Rachel)

LMBC were on station till about grassy. And what does hench mean anyway, you filthy little woman?

We were 3 lengths from Catz after LMBC bumped out, but unable to make any more progress in the headwind with tired legs. Tomorrow we're gonna hit Downing so hard that their last head crew will feel it. (Tom C)

Same as Wednesday, except we did it better. Don't quite understand why we didn't get the bump this time. The trouble is that the last few feet were much easier for Queens than us because Downing had clear water. Unhappy indeed. (Tom C)

Playing for the overbump on Catz, we finished about 2 lengths behind. Perhaps they were a bit fitter than us, but not so gelled as a crew, so they were able to keep us at bay in the second half despite early losses. We had a pretty good row, pushed it hard to the end with some good misunderestimation of the distance remaining from Rachel, so no disappointment today.

So we finished level for the week, but it could easily have been up 3. Indeed, if LMBC had been given a (clearly deserved) re-row on the first day we would've had a shot at Hall today for blades! Awesome for a crew with 4 novices. Quite annoying that we're still behind Downing and Catz, and I'm not convinced that Queens would've got us if we'd had clean water.

Next year, Downing will be destroyed.

Note: apparently "hench" refers to the appearance preferred by young male homosexuals. (Tom C)

Not our best row of the term. (Ingers)

The crew were very disappointed to make little impression on LMBC. They held station until around Ditton and thereafter the scum moved away by about a length. (Martin)

I only started watching from Ditton, but Queens' seemed a little way off then. They pushed up the reach but at about a third of a length it looked like FaT could hold them. They started closing again at the top of the reach and bumped around where Morley's Holt might be. (I'm never really sure.) (BJ)

We rowed better then yesterday to Ditton and closed on Maggie. We had also moved a little away from Queens at first then held distance. Queens moved up down the Reach and hit us whilst rating higher and rowing better. (Ingers)

This was one of the most gutting races I have done. Partly because it was the first time I have been bumped, but mainly because I feel like we should have held them off. However they were simply a faster crew. (Dan)

This was probably my most enjoyable and certainly most memorable race for First and Third. The boat felt good on the way to the start, displaying plenty of confidence which was pleasing as they'd been bumped the previous day.

It was obvious that bow six were going to lay down plenty of power, so I told Chris that stern pair were going to work at 90% and concentrate on setting a good rhythm until we needed a boost. This point came on the exit of Ditton, and the extra power from the stern combined with the response from the rest of the crew resulted in by far the most effective push I've ever experienced, taking us from half a length down to alongside the (admittedly ailing) Queens' in about 15 strokes. An awesome bump - thanks guys! (JPD)

JPD is pleasingly powerful (Ingers)

An amazing row from the crew today. The extra power of Jon was noticeable, but to turn around a bump in such emphatic style is very impressive and requires a full crew effort. I was a bit concerned when Rachel called for our bumps push when we had only just got the half length call about 3 strokes earlier but it turned out to be the right one. I guess the unexpected nature of our lift out of Ditton really shocked Queens and they capitulated somewhat. I am sure that Maggie will not do the same but time will tell. (Dan)

We were rowing nicely down the Reach closing in on Maggie to overlap by the white house. Unfortunately Maggie had overlap on Binson and bumped them there with us a couple of strokes too late.

We were left with nowhere to go and were given a technical row over. Alas, the real pity was that Downing (who were the slowest of the 4 of us) were only 2 or so lengths in front of us and, as we had planned, the overbump was a real possibility. (Ingers)

We* had been cruising along nicely; we* knew we would catch Maggie somewhere in the reach, and we* planned on doing another killer push as we had done on Queens' yesterday. This was all fine except that Maggie bumped Robinson at the White House just as we got overlap.

Unfortunately we* weren't aware of the proximity of Maggie's bow to 'Binson's stern, and would have started our push 10 strokes earlier if we had - which I'm pretty confident would have nailed Maggie before they hit Binson. Never mind, at least we* went up one for the week.

* or was that just me? (JPD)

Over the last week and a half we have improved beyond measure; this showed in our paddle down to the start (despite a dodgy moment in our practice start).

The start of the race was quite tense, with some ripping which we had virtually eliminated in practice. However, St. Catharines had been pushed out angled toward the opposite bank, and this allowed us to close to 1/3 of a length by First Post Corner. Although there was no audible indication of this from the bank, the rocking and swaying sensation of being close to another boat was quite noticable at the kink in First Post Reach. St. Catharines then put their experience to work and began to open up the gap.

Meanwhile, Clare made very little impression behind (we had moved perhaps 1/4 length away off the start, they got it back by Grassy, and then they disappeared behind us increasingly rapidly). When it became obvious that we weren't going to bump Catz or be hit by Clare, Mark Hall (our finishing coach) called for us to save ourselves for the next day.

In front of Catz, Robinson hit Jesus a little before the Railway Bridge. Catz also decided to save themselves, but as we started our "practice" wind for the finish, Steph realised that they were well within distance, and seemingly hadn't noticed us moving up. Eventually they moved as well, and we were about 3/4 length off at the finish.

Let's see what drama day 2 can bring. (JPD)

Rowing pretty much the same as yesterday, but without any real drama; paddle down good, not a bad start (apart from an air-stroke from Ed) and then slowly moving away from Clare (who were just short of 3 lengths down when bumped by Queens') with Catz moving away slightly (who hit Jesus). We again wound it down in the reach, but apart from watching Churchill on a mission to nothing behind us, little else interesting happened. (JPD)

Stonking. Grassy. (Dubya)

Another good paddle down, with very comfortable bursts at 37, and a lift to a smooth 39 in one. The practice start wasn't our best, but was by no means terrible. The real start was very strong, and we moved about 1/3 length in the right direction on the crews in front (Jesus) and behind (Queens'). Coming out of First Post corner, it got very rocky, causing the boat to crash over to stroke side for one or two strokes. We recovered quickly, and within a few strokes we had our single hooter for 1/2 length. As planned, initially we didn't change much, but a few strokes later Steph called "Go Now", and we went. We hit them on the entrance to Grassy. With Queens' only a couple of lengths behind we had to move quickly to the outside of the corner, removing the bowball of our boat on the bank in the process. Oops - sorry Iain. (JPD)

Occurred at the railings. Had a canvas at grassy, but took a while to finish it. (Dubya)

Relaxed and confident row down, and a good hard start and first few minutes. Christs were too slow though, and Robinson hit them as we sat within a length.
Rowed the course looking for the cheeky overbump, and a bit of firm pressure practice, and established a good rhythm to take into tomorrow's race (Jon)

This was a good start to the week; the disappointment at failing to bump is tempered by knowing that we put in a very solid row and could have done nothing more, Christ's making a mockery of their excellent HoRR result by succumbing to Robinson, on whom we were closing, within a couple of minutes. Bring them on tomorrow. (Neil)

Mark Hall, our coach for much of term, summed up the plan: "Absolutely no complacency - there's no way Christ's can be that bad again". We made a fast start, were at a length after 5 strokes, had overlap at top station, and made the bump before First Post. Mark, they really were THAT bad.

Bring on Binson -- amusingly they missed Tit Hall today. (Simon)

Look, how am I supposed to rid myself of adrenaline in forty strokes? Suggestions on a postcard please. (Neil)

Starting just beyond the bridge, a good, but not outstanding, start saw us close quickly on Robinson, being three quarters of a length in deficit at First Post Corner. Despite some scrappy rowing, pushes up the Gut and round Grassy Corner allowed us to close to a quarter of a length. At some point in Plough Reach we had overlap, but were unable to close for the bump, and by Ditton Robinson had edged away slightly. Once into the reach they moved away from us, and by the railway bridge were safe. A very disappointing failure, and one for which we are determined to make amends tomorrow. (Neil)

We paid for our profligacy yesterday by being bumped at the Railings by St Catharine's.

Nothing else to say. Gutted. (Neil)

In time-honoured tradition the scum closed ruthlessly off the start, and the 1st VIII were back in the traditional territory of being only 1/4 length ahead at Grassy. However, whilst things did go to plan for a while thereafter, Maggie somehow acted less soft than usual and we were hit at the railings. (Martin)

In contrast to the predictions of the met office, the May VIII were able to row down to the start in relatively calm conditions, spinning with 7 minutes to go. Pushing out was smooth and the start aggressive and controlled, although Downing ahead and LMBC chasing both gained slightly in their respective directions. Racing through the gut, Downing, stacked with Cambridge kit, were about 2 lengths clear and bearing down hard on Emmanuel who were later to hit Jesus, while LMBC, stroked by Tom Edwards-Moss of this year's blue boat, were about a length away. Coming round Ditton this had been reduced to half a length and this was eroded gradually further as both crews pushed simultaneously into the reach. By the railings Maggie had three hooters and despite a Herculean effort they forced overlap and bumped soon afterwards, with Downing about 2½ lengths away. Although this result was a bitter pill to swallow, some crumbs of comfort can be taken from the fact that in the distance, both Trinity Hall and Christ's were significantly slower than any of the big six and should pose little threat over the next couple of days. (Neil)

At least we don't shit in our own pants. (Michael Parker)

This was very disappointing. Our efforts to find a rhythm within our boat meant that we let Hall advance - and yet again our pursuers were perhaps 1/2 length or less away at Grassy and closed to Ditton. Our pushes remained effective down the reach, holding them out to just beyond overlap for most of it. However, finally they found a little extra strength, or something, and we were bumped again, this time just beyond the railway bridge.

This is not the most comfortable way to row a bumps race. Although bumps preparation has suffered set backs and problems this term, the determination showed today will be stepped up - a new level will be found to defend our new position tomorrow. (Martin)

Again conditions were milder than had been predicted, though a light but continuous drizzle had set in during W1. Fortunately this was not sufficient to cause the starting cannons, already deafeningly close to the May VIII's starting station, to be moved under the motorway bridge. As on Wednesday, their start was controlled and technical but lacked the aggression and power of either LMBC ahead or Trinity Hall, chasing; after twenty strokes the gap to the latter was reduced to a length and this was closed further down the gut until there was just over a canvas of clear water at Grassy. At this point 1st and 3rd stepped up a gear and Hall made little more impression down Plough Reach, with the gap remaining constant at around 6 feet through Ditton and onto the Long Reach. This distance was then gradually eroded and by the Railings Hall were starting to get overlap. The separation fluctuated between overlap and about four feet for the next few hundred metres as Hall pushed and 1st and 3rd responded; by the Railway Bridge a bump looked inevitable but one final effort took us three feet clear again. Sadly this was not enough and another lift by Hall saw them bump halfway between the bridge and Morley's Holt. (Neil)

Setting out to stay outside distance on Christ's, we had a good strong powerful start (after being deafened by the cannon under the bridge) and moved well to First Post Corner. The gut, and Grassy in particular, were weak, though, and they closed to 2/3 of a length. From that point our rowing deteriorated and was well below what we should expect of ourselves. We were bumped by the railings. (Martin)

Saturday's weather was generally very unpleasant; many people on the towpath were covered in mud from head to toe and soaked to the skin, although by M1 the weather had calmed somewhat and conditions were much better. After a minute's silence, the guns went and 1st and 3rd set off, determined to row over at worst. The race pattern, though, was very similar to the previous three days, as Robinson proved that their cruise speed was faster than ours; racing through the Gut, they had closed to a length and by Ditton the gap was no more than half a length. Meanwhile, Christ's were outside distance, although they made no serious impression on Trinity Hall. Coming past the Railings Robinson began to overlap and although 1st and 3rd gave their all, they never opened up clear water during their final pushes. Steph was finally forced to acknowledge at the newest landmark on the Long Reach, the Fallen Tree, to complete a miserable week for the May VIII. (Neil)

Despite having gone down 3, we set out in a positive and determined fashion - convinced that we had what we needed to achieve atleast a row-over infront of our weakest pursuers of the week. Our attitude rewarded us with a better row, but not the result we badly wanted.

After just two difficult years, the May Boat lies just one place away from its lowest position ever. Good luck, John, for 2002. (Martin)

The rowing was diabolical, and we quickly lost ground to Jesus ahead and Maggie behind. The gut was very slow and at Grassy LMBC were within 1/4 length. We scrambled and struggled to respond down Plough reach, just holding them. By Ditton Emma were all over LMBC and Maggie put everything into attacking us which we responded to just, by a few feet. Maggie got hit and Jesus were nowhere to be seen so we settled into a 3/4 pressure row, which we had to abandon in favour of firm pressure again by the P&E because Downing were trying to overbump us! What a mess. (Martin)

On paper Emma were three lengths faster than us to Ditton and they had been training to race 500m. They raced 500m, or less. We were hit on Grassy, and there was simply nothing we could do. (Martin)

The first part of the course went brilliantly - we closed on Emma slightly(!) and pulled away from Downing. Downing, a light and fit crew, were rowing a longer race however, and in the reach we began to pay for our early enthusiasm. By the Pink House they were at a quarter of a length and we pushed and held them there for a while, but we then went wide under the railway bridge and they pushed hard and hit us a few strokes beyond it. To spectators it looked like we gave in, but in the end they were going so much faster when we had already pushed very hard, there seemed little more we could have done. The rowing hadn't been pretty, but we had at least sorted some things out since yesterday. (Martin)

Our newly established fast start worked wonders today. A painful race, we held LMBC behind us on distance for the whole course. Downing pulled out a length or more over us, and the top seven crews all rowed over, and all sat recovering in the small area under Chesterton footbridge, with numerous "three cheers" resounding between crews. (Martin)

We were fairly sure Downing didn't have what it took to get near us, but wanted to get Jesus today in order to have a good crack at Caius. We closed just a little, but Jesus pissed off into the distance after Ditton. (Rich)

We decided that a hardening of the gearing was in order, to really fly at Jesus and put them under pressure early in the race. Downing were clearly no threat, having only avoided being bumped by Maggie yesterday because the LMBC cox failed to get them round Grassy corner! The big change in gearing, along with our carrying a mounted video on our stern, meant that we had a rather spacky row and the outcome was much the same as yesterday. Disappointing. (Rich)

Our tactics included 'row better' and 'take the video off'. We wanted to just be more relaxed really, but in the end nothing we did seemed to make much difference, as we again closed up to maybe a length but were then dispatched (Caius all the while rowing in glorious isolation with Jesus similarly nowhere). Very boring! (Rich)

Our last chance to take out those Jesus bastards! We decided to again harden our gearing, although between them Julia & Rob decided to harden 2 notches instead of 1 without telling us. This felt very heavy, and although we were a big crew, even we struggled slightly. In the end it wasn't to be, Jesus again rowing away, and the speed order of the top crews being the same as the finish order. A slightly disappointing week, but a fair and worthy result. (Rich)

Hall were always going down. Start and stride to 38/39, then overlap at Grassy. We rowed alongside them at Ditton. (Matt)

We closed to 1/4 length on Queens' at Grassy, when Jesus got Downing. Queens' put in a big push, and got clear water. We kind of expected Queens' to just fall back into us given how quickly we had caught up on them, however we rowed the whole course between 1/4 length and a canvas on them! We rated 36 from Ditton to the finish. Needless to say we were all bitterly disappointed. (Matt)

We all got fired up for this, and also hardened the gearing 1 notch. We reckoned Queens' would hit Downing, so went for a bump before Ditton, and decided that this time we'd take it up, every time we got another hooter! Start to 45, settle to 39, hit them on Grassy. This time we applied the killer blow when it was necessary and hit them. They were 1/4 length away from Downing. We were fined for excessive celebration. (Matt)

Having saved Downing from spoons on Friday, we hit them outside the Plough, but had overlap from Grassy. In the end a successful week. (Matt)

FIRST & THIRD HAVE PLENTY IN HAND
Desmond Hill - Telegraph - Cambridge Wednesday.
It can be said without a shadow of doubt that First and Third Trinity will still be Head of the River on Saturday. When the Mays started here today they immediately opened an enormous gap between themselves and their pursuers and could stroll home. Stroll is perhaps hardly the word, for they tore off 12, 24 and 45 and then took a 10. They were 39 rounding Grassy and a mere 35 in the Long Reach.

Richard Burnell - Times - Cambridge Wednesday.
There can now be little doubt about the outcome of the May Races. First and Third Trinity, immaculate in a dark blue boat to match their singlets, were at least four lengths clear of Lady Margaret, striking 34 at the railway bridge. Pembroke came close to Jesus at first post corner but made heavy weather of finishing them off at Grassy. (Fitz)

The text of reports from the Times and charts from the period 1963 - 1967 can be found here in the Rowing section. (Martin P)

FIRST & THIRD AGAIN SET THE PACE
Desmond Hill - Telegraph - Cambridge Thursday.
Once more it was First and Third No. 1. and the rest nowhere on the second day of the Mays this afternoon. Again rowing 45 in the first minute they were four lengths clear by Grassy Corner and attention then focussed on the fate of their pursuers, Lady Margaret.

Richard Burnell - Times - Cambridge Thursday.
The second night of the May Races proved something of an anti-climax. Only a decisive bump by Pembroke could have kept any spark of doubt about the headship alive and while Pembroke did duly make their bump on Lady Margaret it was only by slow attrition, half way up the long reach. By that time First and Third Trinity were at a leisurely 33, several lengths ahead of Lady Margaret. (Fitz)

FIRST & THIRD UNTROUBLED
Desmond Hill - Telegraph - Cambridge Friday.
First and Third were untroubled by Pembroke today and are a crew well worth watching in the First Division tomorrow(6). Pembroke supporters were shouting 'One length' at Grassy but the gap was nearer four and increasing.

Richard Burnell - Times - Cambridge Friday.
First and Third Trinity again confirmed that they are one of the best college crews of all time on the third day of the May Races at Cambridge last night. Scorching off at 45 they had gained at least two lengths on Pembroke by Grassy Corner and after that cruised safely home. At the finish they had opened up at least six and a half lengths of clear water and could have been in another race. (Fitz)

TRINITY BEST SINCE 1949
Desmond Hill - Telegraph - Cambridge Saturday.
First and Third Trinity came home alone on the last night of the Cambridge Mays. First and Third are the most impressive college crew I have seen since Lady Margaret in 1949 and was the first cambridge boat to have grasped the implications of "the new rowing", with a pronounced American influence.

TRINITY NOT EXTENDED
Richard Burnell - Times - Cambridge Saturday.
It is a long time since any college showed such superiority as 1st and 3rd Trinity in retaining the headship of the river at Cambridge last week. They were never extended and finished about eight lengths ahead of Pembroke on Saturday.

There is no value in speculating whether Trinity are better than Lady Margaret in 1950, or for that matter Pembroke in 1935. Using different technique, and different equipment, they probably go faster, and they certainly deserve their success. But if they earn a place in rowing history it should be as the first Cambridge crew effectively to adopt the continental techniques which have revolutionized the sport in the past five years. That they have learned this at second hand, from Paul Wilson, a Harvard man, makes it the more remarkable. (Fitz)

It was a murky confusion -- here and there blotted with a colour like the colour of the smoke from damp fuel -- of flying clouds, tossed up into most remarkable heaps, suggesting greater heights in the clouds than there were depths below them to the bottom of the deepest hollows in the earth, through which the wild moon seemed to plunge headlong, as if, in a dread disturbance of the laws of nature, she had lost her way and were frightened. There had been a wind all day; and it was rising then, with an extraordinary great sound. In another hour it had much increased, and the sky was more overcast, and blew hard. (James)

In every rage of wind and rush of rain, I heard pursuers. Twice, I could have sworn there was a knocking and whispering at the outer door. With these fears upon me, I began either to imagine or recall that I had had mysterious warnings of this man's approach. That, for weeks gone by, I had passed faces in the streets which I had thought like his. That, these likenesses had grown more numerous, as he, coming over the sea, had drawn nearer. That, his wicked spirit had somehow sent these messengers to mine, and that now on this stormy night he was as good as his word, and with me. (James)

It was wretched weather; stormy and wet, stormy and wet; and mud, mud, mud, deep in all the streets. Day after day, a vast heavy veil had been driving over London from the East, and it drove still, as if in the East there were an Eternity of cloud and wind. So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away; and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death. (James)

A watercolour painting of the boat which rowed over head has come to light in Chester. We're hoping to get a copy of the picture online in due course. (Simon)

Actually, the website has a few days missing. Due to the slightly odd nature of the May Bumps in 1847 (actually held in May then), 1st Trinity actually had (and managed) to row-over head on 7 days to retain the headship, each time ahead of Lady Margaret, with 3rd Trin in rowing over in 3rd. Also slightly unusual to modern races is that they only raced on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays, starting on Friday 7th May and finishing on the same day two weeks later.

The Bumps Book also gives a crew list for this crew.

Bow: W. Maule
2: J. Barkworth
3: R.O. Turner
4: A. Garfit
5: C.A. Nicholson
6: J.S. White
7: S. Vincent
Str: E.P. Wolstenholme
Cox: J.S. Phillips (Richard)