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All race reports for Alex Summers

Event: Bushe-Fox Freshman's sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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Up against another schoolboy sculler from Catz, I was again lucky to be able to drift gently off into the distance, despite my best attempts at some gardening going into Ditton. An exercise in damage limitation before meeting Mr Wright in Fairbairn Junior Sculls...

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was a tight race. I went up slightly in the first couple of strokes, but soon my lead from the stagger was gone. We went round the corner pretty much level; right on the ragged edge, I was slightly on the wrong side of the buoys the whole way round. A good push saw me move half a length up. By this time the umpire on the bank had started to shout at me, and just as I'd managed to start correcting my course, the other sculler crashed. At no point did I or my puddles come anywhere near the Yare sculler, but in the opinion of the umpire, I impeded him.

My standard practice, when I see my opposition out of their water, for what it's worth, is to err on the side of steering for the bump (obviously exercising discretion as to whether it's worth being washed down), to put them and the umpire under pressure, not to steer for the bank instead.

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was quite a good race; both of us hit a few buoys. I can't remember what the verdict was.

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Novice 1x
Posted as: Alex
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I was a little angry at being disqualified, and decided to see how much I could win by. Unfortunately, the Yare sculler crashed coming out of the corner. I hope he didn't look round after that. I'd be surprised if I ever win a race by quite so far again (City Sprints excepted).

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Novice 1x
Posted as: Alex
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JPD said I was rating about 16. The Star sculler was kind enough to crash at the bend, despite me shouting (in good time, even) to warn him.

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Novice 1x
Posted as: Alex
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I had to do a bit of work in parts of this race. Yare must have got a bit fed up with me over the course of the weekend.

Event: St Neots Regatta 2003 - Novice 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This paddle was won as soon as told my opponent I'd beaten his clubmate Chris Mollinson at Strathclyde.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior 3 1x
Posted as: Alex
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Local knowledge wasn't enough to save this energetic marshal. Despite not gaining any sort of advantage till the very end, I held my nerve to come through at the finish.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior 3 1x
Posted as: Alex
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I was a little disappointed not to be facing JPD in this race. Still having had no food, this was my fourth race in quick succession, and the Yare sculler perhaps sensed this as he tried to hurry proceedings along. In the event, though, it was he who ran out of steam: after going maybe three quarters of a length up, and still hanging on in the lead with only a hundred metres to go, he finally succumbed to a last minute do or die push for the line. This was my only half-decent sculling of the day.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior 3 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was a rematch of our S4 quarter-final. This time, though, I was sculling a little better and had some energy, and, despite some errant steering, won so efficiently that JPD didn't even notice as he dozed in his car.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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I hadn't had any breakfast apart from some Maxim, and was almost embarrassed by a young (guess J16)sculler from Boston. It was all a bit nerve-wracking till he hit a buoy just as I was starting to move through him, at which point he gave up.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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Still suffering from not having had my Weetabix, I was lucky to sneak through when the Bedford sculler hit a buoy in the closing stages.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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In keeping with my attempts throughout the day to provide an exciting spectacle for the crowds, I pushed off, as usual, without doing my gate up. This time, though, I had to stop suddenly, and the blade popped out. The RTT regatta was yet again to prove its worth as I managed to stay dry despite a fairly hefty crosswind.

The Furnivall sculler wasn't very talkative. He'd sneaked off to the start without telling anyone; when I finally caught up with him, he admitted to being somewhat hungover, and perhaps it showed in his steering as he clobbered several buoys in succession. This boy, however, escaped to another fairly routine win to round off a successful day's racing. My next side by side race in this country (with opposition not from CULRC: sorry Tom) will be against Oxford...

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior4 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was a repeat of the previous day's S4 semi-final. The Yare sculler had done almost as many races as me, and was quite tired. With his technique favouring a longer course, this was a much easier race than I'd expected.

Event: National Championships 2003 - Under 23 1x
Posted as: Alex
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The wind had picked up again for the final a few hours later. I was back in lane 1, next to the Chester-le-Street sculler, with Andy Barron, a Marlow sculler who'd also won the Fawley a few years ago in lane 3. Someone from Burway had got straight through from the easy heat, Logan had drawn lane five while Mollinson made up the numbers.

The stronger wind and repechage contributed to an all too familiar lethargy. Sure enough, I was almost immediately a length or so down, but I gradually managed to work my way back to level pegging with the Chester-le-Street sculler by halfway. In the meantime, the three scullers in the middle of the course who hadn't raced the rep. were long gone, and Mollinson had drifted gradually backwards, struggling in the crosswind.

After a fairly fierce fight through the third five hundred, I managed to break the Chester-le-Street sculler, leaving only a forlorn wind for the line in the vacuum behind the chase for the medals. I was very pleased to come fourth, though, and even more so to finally break my record of never having beaten another crew at Nat. Champs. Bring on St. Neots...

Event: Fairbairn Junior Sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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This was the race CULRC had been waiting for. Despite earlier claims from a Tit Hall bankparty member that James "hadn't tried in the Boat Race, and hadn't tried in Milan [a lightweight jolly]" in an effort to optimise preparations for this race, it turned out he hadn't sculled for three months.

Of the start, though, he was certainly an awful lot quicker than I was. Going round First Post Corner, I even caught myself wondering how long it would take for him to overtake me as he rapidly took several lengths off me. Gradually, however, lack of practise on the corners began to take its toll on James, until passing the post round Ditton I was only a length or so down after another push by the Plough.

After a reach that went on and on, I'd somehow managed to sneak into perhaps a half length lead. Under CUCBC rules, this was deemed, as a dead heat, to merit a re-row, starting from Ditton.

It was now, more than ever, that the RTT regatta proved its true value. Somewhat disheartened at the prospect of racing over such a short course, especially after giving away several lengths after the same distance in the race proper, a radical overhaul of my start was clearly in order. A somewhat frantic, some might say thrilling, dash apparently saw me across the line a whisker in front. Certainly it was closer than the real race from where I was sitting... At least the lightweight who'd turned to watch got his money's worth.

Event: Bushe-Fox Freshman's sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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Drawn against an unfortunate novice from Jesus, I paddled after a nervous, somewhat scrappy start. Lucky I was on top station...

Event: Bushe-Fox Freshman's sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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Going into the race, I was a bit worried by the Clare sculler's neat bladework. After a tough heat of the Fairbairn Junior Sculls I was anticipating a strong challenge, but thanks to some helpful guidance from Joe, I sculled a tidy, controlled race, luckily able to keep the powder dry, a practise wind for the line notwithstanding, for tomorrow.

Event: Fairbairn Junior Sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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This race posed a challenge entirely different from the freshmen's sculls. Drawn on the bottom start against a hefty looking sculler from Clare, another fumbled getaway meant I had it all to do by the time I'd got round Grassy. I hadn't caught sight of my opponent's puddles all race, but having avoided a champagne bottle masquerading as an impromptu buoy I was glad to find I was gaining fast on a tight line round Ditton. Another hundred yards and I'd drawn level, leaving a short side-by side paddle down the reach. Had the course been a couple of minutes shorter, though, and it would have been a different story...

Event: Fairbairn Junior Sculls 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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Luck was again to play a part in what had become a three-way final following the withdrawal of the CCAT sculler from the other semi. Again I was fortunate to be starting in front of an accomplished looking sculler in a Fillipi from Robinson and Tit Hall's second entry.

Again I went down heavily off the start. All looked lost until the Robinson sculler, by that stage only about three or four lengths behind me, strayed into the bank on the outside of Grassy. With some hasty assistance from his bank party he was soon back in hot pursuit, redoubling his efforts after handing me maybe a length's lead.

By this stage it was all I could do to hang on after 6km of sculling, at least 4km of it flat out. Neck and neck going past the Ditton posts, it became another scramble for the line. In the end I had to ask the marshals, whom I must thank wholeheartedly for giving up their time and being so accommodating with their scheduling throughout the seven races I did, who had won, and was pleasantly surprised to be told that it was I.

Thanks must also go to Joe and Rob for their towpath heroics, saving my boat from a sticky (apologies) end on several occasions.

Event: RTT Regatta 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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JPD got away very quickly, but luckily I was on the station with a half length head start, so with some aggressive steering I was able to hold him off until eventually hitting some sort of a rhythm. Some time after half-way he seemed to get a bit tired, allowing me to settle sufficiently to keep out of too much trouble on the waves.

Event: RTT Regatta 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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On the other station this time, I was initially a bit worried as Darcy began to give me a taste of my own medicine, closing the door as I attempted to pass along the bank. I dropped back a bit and started to move out wide, and luckily this and some heated umpiring from the towpath persuaded him to give me enough room to paddle through.

Event: RTT Regatta 2003 -
Posted as: Alex
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Tom very kindly let me have the outside station. Lacking JPD's storming start, he gave me little cause for panic, and I soon settled into a controlled if powerful race.

On to the blade swapping... Luckily I was allowed to switch from my Empacher to Muddy Waters. Unlike some people with their detailed strategies, in my case prior planning was notable only for its absence, save for the fortunate precaution of removing my socks and hat.

After an initial false start when I forgot to undo one of my gates, I had managed to slowly slide my bowside blade round to the strokeside gate, which had been opened ready for the blade's arrival-or so I thought. Unfortunately, the strokeside scull, which I had removed from the gate and was gripping tight against the rigger, was holding the gate against the backstay, leaving no way of getting the bowside blade into it short of lying down.

With both hands more than occupied and under pressure from Darcy's swift success, I foolishly heeded Dubya's advice from the bank to try to edge my hand gradually towards the gate. Things soon took a turn for the worse and as I hadn't fallen in from a single for 6 years, despite recent swimming practice at Ely, an undignified scramble for the bank was soon to ensue...

Event: Cam Sprints 2003 - Senior4 IV+
Posted as: Alex
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Henley here we come?

Event: National Championships 2003 - Under 23 1x
Posted as: Alex
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On paper this was a tough heat. Next to me was Johnny Logan, a lightweight with local knowledge who'd put in some good performances through the year at GB trials in Boston; then came Phil Vincent, the bronze medallist in junior sculls at last year's championships from Worcester, with Ashley Prestidge, a member of last year's Junior World Championships 4x, completing the heat. Only one of us would go straight to the final, with last place being eliminated.

The Worcester sculler was first out of the blocks and was a good length up on the field after a couple of hundred metres. No stranger to last place at the stage of the race, I dropped to the best part of a length down on the other two scullers before working my way back towards the rapidly tiring Vincent.

By the halfway marker, Logan had disappeared into a comfortable lead, while the rest of us were more or less level. A series of strong pushes through the middle of the race saw me break through to about a length up on the other two, allowing me to match my speed to Vincent, who continued to fall back gradually.

Just as his start was quick, however, so too was his finish, and I was almost caught napping after a few hundred metres of relative paddling, conserving energy for the repechage, when Prestidge was forced to work hard for his third place and almost overtook me. In the end I just managed to secure the better lane for the next race .3 of a second up, doing no more work than I had to...

Event: National Championships 2003 - Under 23 1x
Posted as: Alex
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As I returned from my wind down paddle the previous evening, the NCRA sculler who had come third in my heat walked up to the raft to tell me his back had twinged just before the start and he probably wouldn't be able to make the repechage the next day. He was also racing in M4x-a race in which last year's Junior Worlds quad (broadly speaking) were pipped on the line for the gold by this year's crew- so I wasn't too surprised to see an empty lane at the start.

This made the repechage something of a formality, with only two of us to be eliminated out of 5, and by 500 gone I had an uncharacteristically healthy lead. The wind, which had been swirling around all weekend, somehow managed to be blowing slightly from my side of the course for all my races, and though gentler than it had been in my heat, there was still a fairly stiff headwind. I put in some bursts a bit earlier this time round, and had soon broken clear, and was able to reduce my work rate by halfway.

The Chester-le-Street sculler in the lane next door, however, wanted to race for lanes. I hadn't expected to be in quite such a comfortable situation, and was in two minds as to whether to stay in front. Several times I demonstrated I could take half a length at will, but eventually decided to paddle home with about three hundred metres to go. A short burst for the line saw me home second just in front of Chris Mollinson, the only big name in the rep., who won the Fawley last year, but hadn't been in a boat between then and April.

Event: St Neots Sprint 2003 - Senior 3 1x
Posted as: Alex
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My only race against another Empacher. The Globe sculler said afterwards he that he was rating 40.

Event: Colquhouns 2004 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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Mid-race disagreements with the banksteerer aren't always such a good thing. But I didn't crash, and was soon enough able to tell how I was doing without updates from the towpath.

Event: Colquhouns 2004 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was switched to a three-way final at my request after various withdrawals meant that I would have had three races if I won the event, rather than each of my opponents' two. This was nice after some careless bursts when racing Dmitri and too long standing on the towpath the day before had left my legs a bit tired.

I unfortunately drew bottom station again, so had to work hard all the way. I got a bit stuck behind Dan who had started second coming round Ditton, but put in a solid last five hundred to close the gap on Mark enough for a pleasing victory.

Thanks to all involved for some enjoyable races. It's a pity messrs. Richardson and Barry-not to mention Perrin, Maier, Boote and many other big heavy people-didn't make it to the start line. Maybe they object to giving money to LMBC (I got Rupert to do the dirty work for me) or perhaps they're saving themselves for Sunday in the hope of being invited to compete in the RTT regatta...

Event: RTT Regatta 2005 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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Tom's superior technique, fitness and boat did for me here. He was a worthy winner in the battle of the Burgashells...

Thank you to Tom R for a most enjoyable day's racing.

Event: RTT Regatta 2005 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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After a slight mishap at the start, I waited for Sarah to get going again, paddled alongside for a while and then wound for the line. Tom's plan to give me maximum opportunity to lose to a woman had finally been foiled.

Event: RTT Regatta 2005 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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Since Rurik had been training, I managed to get hold of the Lola for this race. It enabled me to get slightly ahead off the start and keep sufficient pressure on Rurik for him to catch as many mini-crabs as I did. He got fed up and we both paddled over the line, only for everyone on the bank to demand a re-row, with the time taken to get to the start line to be included in the race. With Rurik racing back on the wrong side of the river, while I took my time waiting for him to run into traffic, we decided to wait for an umpire to start us properly again.

This time Manu made me give Rurik a little more room, but luckily I'd started to get the hang of the Lola's unorthodox rig and managed to put down sufficient work to gradually pull away. Rurik again wound down and we both paddled over the line. I felt somewhat exhausted.

Event: RTT Regatta 2005 - Open 1x
Posted as: Alex
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This was my first outing in Stump. As it was the first time I'd been out in a scull since Christmas, it didn't seem too bad a boat. Sadly, in an overenthusiastic attempt to get me to lose to a women and cause the invocation of Rule 15, Lilie had been given the Lola. As I was later to discover, its rig was a little unsettling, and Lilie was unable to produce the same tidy sculling she was later to display in her run to the final of the Plate. On the back of my most idle week in the last seven years, I was unwilling to expend too much energy, and paddled for most of the race, before practising a short wind to the line for the crowds.