The Club's Results

Good work guys :o) (Erica)

Was this Cauis I? they are planning to erect a clock tower at thier boat house to celebrate their "predicted" 5th Lent Headship in a row. Even more reason to beat them, if you needed one.... (Esther)

Well done Gents a thoroughly deserved victory, all the best for the next week or so leading upto bumps.

Spring and draw (Colin)

This was a bit disastrous really! Confusion over subs, and sides of said subs, and coxing, followed by a rubbish paddle to the start didn't set us up very well for a good race. It was duly awful, and Churchill capitalised on our spackiness to hold on to a pretty close finish. The row back was a lot better as subs, and those who had moved seat or changed side, got settled into the boat! (Erica)

The nerves showed in this race. We were a bit spacky until about the railway bridge, at which point we gained some confidence and some length, which made the latter half bearable.

Thanks to Katie and Jude for subbing, and well done Ameeelia for survivng bowside!

From the bowseat I had Absolutely no idea of distances, so can someone add them? (jo)

I was almost in favour of scratching before this race, given the previous one and Newnham's generally good form for the rest of term. However, we seemed to realise that we needed to pull ourselves together a bit and did so, taking more water from Newnham than expected and rowing to a convincing victory. (Erica)

This was a much better row! We had rhythm and length from the start, and it felt pretty sustainable.

Thanks to Fran for subbing (and to Jude for continuing to sub all day!) (jo)

A really good race! We were level with Kings for a good way along the Reach, but started to pull away coming into the Railway Bridge. The corner in our favour lengthened out our lead, which we then held to the finish. (Erica)

Spurred on by the knowledge that M1 had beaten Caius :-D we had an amazing practice start. The real thing was a little less amazing, but we had a good row. Kings gave us a really good fight, which made it fun!

Thanks to Sarah for subbing in the semi and the final. (jo)

The race started well, but unfortunately we had a blade-out-of-gate incident. We recovered very well the first time, and pleasingly demonstrated that we can do killer pushes if we need to. The second time was enough to seal it for Caius.

I had lots of fun today, and am very much looking forward to bumps :-) (jo)

We had an OK start (not quite up to our epic 42 on Tuesday) but we still took 1/2 a length in a few strokes. The rhythm wasn't quite right after the stride but we kept moving up slowly and after our big push into the railway bridge we almost had clear water. Churchill made a decent effort to come back, and did move up on us slightly, but it wasn't enough.

There was still a fair amount left in the tank by the end - hopefully enough to show Emma II how it's done in the next round. (Tom)

We didn't have a bad start, but their was excellent and they were 3/4 of a length up pretty quickly. Our rowing was a pretty messy but we gained on out pushes, and ended up maybe a bit less than 1/2 a length off at the finish. We know our starts will improve with practise and that we can row technically better. But sill if you take away the start we were faster. (Neil)

Our start wasn't bad, but the Emma crew clearly have an excellent one and so dropped us pretty quickly. Can't really say how the gap changed during the race, but we had some good pushes, marred only by some poor patches soon after each of them....

Not a bad days racing all in all, but some work needs to be done in the next week or so before we row at the level of which are a capable. (Phil)

Simply the most awesome side by side since the boat race!

With one sub in the crew and one rower on death's door and no practiced starts or rowing for five days, we were going for all or nothing tactics.

Off the start both crews were level before Dom 'the bomb' Hockley employed some seriously agressive tactics and steered into the other crew. After much yelling by the marshal First and Third eventually returned to their station half a length up. Queens started pushing back, so Dom with a look of Gladiator resolve on his face took his crew back into the fray. Much clashing ensued with strokeside valiantly holding onto their blades for dear life. After a tete-a-tete struggle for supremacy down the reach with both coxes being warned First and Third moved to a dominant length lead which they extended by another half a length at the finish.

However.

Such was the combatitive nature of this race and Dom's casual approach to the lane divide, that the Marshall - employing the three strikes and your out approach (it should be noted for the record that Queen's were warned at least twice) -decided to disqualify us.

Still this was First and Third W2's finest hour so far. Dom, I am sooooo proud of you and bring on the bumps.

Special thanks should also go to Nicola Hensall for subbing in at the last moment. (Charlie)

So we've finally rowed as our fixed crew - we still need another 9 outings before bumps... Our 1st round win wasn't convincing but nor was it tiring. Gentlemanly in every sense of the word. We were largely helped by multiple Maggie seat failures, but it would be nice to think that we could have raised it if we'd wanted to (and had a cox box). Next round should be harder - let's hope we can reach at least 90% effort! (BJ)

Our hearts simply weren't in this one. We wound to about 30 and then strode to about 28, all VIII quiching. There was a moment when Maggie looked like regaining the overlap, so we took it up to firm pressure and pulled it back. Job done with minimum effort. (Albert)

This time we lost a seat or two off the start, with high levels of spackage and no rhythm to be found for the first minute. Luckily this served as a cue for us to raise our game, and as we found our rhythm so Jesus gradually faded. After this round, we knew we couldn't afford another rubbish first minute. (Albert)

So apparently it wasn't an entirely bona fide Jesus 3 crew... In an ideal world we'd like to be able to beat most 2nd VIIIs too, so that's not really an excuse... (BJ)

This was our best start of the day, and we found a quick but controlled rhythm any beer boat would be proud of. We made ground on Jesus for a while, but the long bend in the Reach took its toll on our meadow-side station, and they pulled ahead to a length after the railway bridge. Pushing hard and rowing our best race of the day, we were simply outgunned... until Honey's expression transformed from defeat to malicious exploitation:

"Jesus have a man in the water! Push!"

Luckily for them, they were only a few strokes from the line, and so both crews left the flailing ejectee for dead and in rather ungentlemanly fashion made a mad dash for the line. Jesus made it a split second before us. The much anticpiated all-FaT final was never to be.

Glad to hear the Jesus ejectorman was ok. (Albert)

A real nip and tuck race! A strong start put us up half a length on the common side before Caius came back due to the bend on the reach and ended up half a length up on us. We blitzed round underneath the railway bridge and a strong burst brought us back to half a length in front. Caius pushed hard on the inside of the corner and were catching on us towards the finish but we were too stong and held them off. (A.J. Sugden)

Not a bad race this one, very good start by us but caius came back, three seats up about half way down the reach, but good coxing by rich led us into our first push and we drew back coming under the railway bridge and with good timing caught back to be 2/3 seats up. We then pushed into a good lead holding them off as we took the outside of the last corner with firm strokes taking us into the next round, finishing just over half a length up. (Martin Y)

Simply the best race ever:) We were easily a length down going into the bridge, but we came back soooo strongly.

After hearing Oxford's cox in the boat race, it seems that they've been copying Richard's motivational calls:) (Paul)

Probably our best race of the day, we felt this one would be easier than our first race but it was far more satisfying in the end.
A strong start left us in good stead and we drew almost to the railway bridge just about neck and neck only 1/2 seats down, then came our best push of the day; with the first stroke the boat lifted and we took 2 seats out of selywn, our bank party (the one legged rower will) noted our drive even from his position, then through steadfast coxing and intrepid stearing Rich took us on an aggressive line and shouted his row through the bladeclash call, Rob had some good strokes clashing with the 2 seat of their boat not allowing him to enter the water square and we took our advantage pushing all the way to the line.

The most notable call of the day was Rich's, "We're going to f**k them out of this corner", bold aggression and we loved it. Thoroughly good row guys, kept it together throughout the entire race. (Martin Y)

Another close run affair! A strong start from the Selwyn crew gave them half a length advantage when lengthened to a length by the railway bridge, but a bit of a crafty line by Richard saw us clashing blades with the Selwyn crew before again a huge push off the railway bridge propelled us towards them and we even survived a half crab to stretch the lead to half a length by the end of the race. (A.J. Sugden)

A completely bizarre row. When we arrived to marshal we were told that, as the cox of the 99s had cut his face on barbed wire so they couldn't row in the semis. Then we were told we had to row the course even though we had no competition, so grudgingly we set off down the reach to do our pre-final "lap of honour". However, when we span past Ditton corner, we were promptly told we would be racing against a crew, this crew being Eddie's (who FaT 5 were very unfortnate not to have beaten earlier in the day by all accounts). We drew up to the start and looked up to see a horse bolting down the towpath and causing all sorts of mayhem to bank parties and spectators (one person had to be treated by the on site medical staff). With the horse well down the reach, the race began. We started off very strongly and it was quickly apparent that Eddie's weren't going to offer too much resistance - we had taken two lengths on them on the outside of the reach when we were suddenly told to hold it up. Not having a clue what was going on, we paddled to the end of the course and were told, not only the horse, but two barges had held up race proceedings and several races were to be re-rowed, including ours despite the distance we had opened up on Eddie's. The second row was much like the first with a strong start taking a length on them on the outside with a controlled row down the reach and another push under the railway bridge to take us comfortably into the final... (A.J. Sugden)

Well before this race we thought we had a by to the final as a nine's crew had dropped out after a nasty accident had befallen one of their rowers who managed to walk into rusty barbed wire while trying to take a leak and ended up in A&E for all his trouble. Then just as we were spinning after Ditton we found out we were racing a St. Edmunds 3rd eight, but soon worked out that this was the crew that only just beat the 5ths and that was probably due to some unfortunate not stay on your seat moments, so thought we could still have a fairly easy row.
Just as we were about to draw up for the start of our race a loose horse comes at a good gallop around Ditton tearing up the towpath with everyone
scattering for their lives, so much for and uneventful race.
Well we started, drew strongly into a good half a length lead, then into a length lead, then a good push took us more than two lengths clear then everyone on the bank started screaming and we easied just before the railway bridge a long way up from the Eddie's boat.
Some git had decided that this would be a good time to bring a pair of barges down the river and we would have to rerow.
After an age waiting for boats to sort themselves out as we sat in the middle of the river 100 yards past the railway bridge the marshals finally decided to get us back up the reach albeit amidst a couple of 1st boats doing a semi-final and various other eights, the crews racing in front of us in our division also had to spin and come back from much much closer to the finish line much to one of their annoyances and following them one the row back up the reach was the pretty good Jesus 1st boat that went on to lose in the final to our 1st men, with a very tidy (good looking) cox who at once told all eights near her that she would be going through the middle of them so they all scuttered out of her way and we eventually made it down for our rerow.
Now starting afresh we went of fairly good, not as aggressive as last time but still very good pressure and drew up to a length and a halfs lead over Eddie's then pretty much just held it with various pushes and drives finishing a good 2/3 lengths up, having easied a fair bit before the line. (Martin Y)

What can I say, a good row but unfortunately Jesus III were a class above over the short distance. For the first time we were on the towpath station, much to our dismay at losing our lucky path! A strong start by Jesus saw them take half a length on us which they extended round the bend on the outside from which point they never looked back. To our credit, we didn't let our heads drop and put in a gutsy performance, using the same pushes and trying to keep the boat together, but unfortnately it wasn't enough. Maybe not the best way to end the day, but it was our first final and we held our own in two close races, perhaps suggesting we've got the mental toughness to go that extra yard for those elusive bumps in just over a week's time!

However, comedy moment of the day must be the banter between Lorry and the Jesus cox when we were lining up:
Lorry: "Hope you don't catch crabs!"
Jesus cox: "You'll be seeing our arses all the way through the race!"
Lorry: "So you're going to be behind us...." (A.J. Sugden)

We shouldn't feel downheartened for this loss, as we rowed well pushed well, but were maybe just that little bit tired after 3+1/2 races. Very good aggression again by Rich and good rowing all round, but think we just lost out on sheer power.

Also this supposed Jesus 3rd eight, was pretty much their second eight (Jesus only ended up entering boats into M1 and Mlower divisions) and contained pretty much all their second eight rowers.

But for a days rowing this was very very good and puts us in good stead for bumps. (Martin Y)

We were cruising along about 3/4 length in frnt for most of the race until disaster struck on our "push for 10" off the bridge, virtually the entirety of stroke-side lost their seats, giving St. Edmund's the chance to catch up and us losing by about one seat. Well done anyway guys, on a positive note, no-one crabbed! (Andy)

Scattered beautifully as the horse came charging by, good movement guys. (Martin Y)