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All race reports for C.L. Jenkins

Event: Clare Novice Regatta 2014 - Plate
Posted as: Chris
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With a good, clear win under out belts, we were confident going into the Second Round - confidence tempered by the fact that we knew our opponents were higher-ranked. Rowing to the Reach, we got in a good trial start and a few bursts. After a nervous wait, the race began. Christ's had a good start, and pulled away by at least half a boat length. Out of the corner of my eye I could see they were ahead, and showed no signs of flagging. We all knew they had the lead, but tried to Keep Calm and Row On (I can already see the t-shirts and coffee mugs). Kit Jenkins and Neil Talbott were shouting advice and encouragement from the bank: 'legs down', 'eyes forward', 'c'mon boys' (or maybe that last one was Michael Bryden from the boat?). We all tried to look more composed than we felt, and it worked. Before long, we were head to head. We had found our rhythm, and began to pull away. We took the lead. We held it. We increased it. For reasons that remain unclear, Christ's rowed into the bank, at full tilt. Bryden almost caught a crab in disbelief (though his language was somewhat more colourful). (Later, one of the marshals reported 'multiple collisions with the bank'so a bad day at the office for their cox and/or rudder lines.) From that point on, we eased off a bit, and crossed the finish line without the other boat in sight. To their credit, Christ's recovered their composure, and rowed to the finish at race pace. It was a shame that they were unlucky with their steering. We would still have won clearly, but it would have made for a more exciting finish. Overall, it felt like the best race so far, and one of the better outings we've had as a boat. The team really gelled; everything just clicked. Happily, that was reflected in the result. In the changing rooms afterwards, we all agreed that the highest compliment that could be paid to subs Chris Howarth and Ben Varghese was that we didn't even notice they were there! Great effort all round.