The Club's Results

Total race time has been calculated as 8 x average split - to facilitate approximate comparison with the results archive 

We hadn't learnt a full racing start, so they took half a length within 15 strokes. We held them level until the railway bridge, not allowing them to push off and wearing them down. We kept a good rhythm and took long strokes as they tired and began to make mistakes. We brought it home with a huge push beginning just before the bridge, and rowed through them to a lead of roughly a length in the space of 25 strokes. (Alasdair)

Wolfson crabbed off the start, giving us a length's lead going down the reach. We held them off nicely for the first 400m, but then things fell apart. Numb hands in the cold weather led to a first crab, allowing them to draw back level. A second, boat-stopping crab just after the railway bridge caused us to swerve over to the wrong side, and we rowed the last 15 strokes behind them, never really regaining the rhythm.

There's a lot to be pleased about from this regatta. We showed that we could establish and sustain a solid, long rhythm in the first race, and were let down at least partially by inadequate kit in the second. If we can work on extending that performance from 3 minutes to 10, we can do very well on Thursday. (Alasdair)

A minute behind the first crew. My appalling line around Chesterton which ended with me sticking my arm in may have caused a fair chunk of that difference, but we just weren't fast enough. (Alasdair)

Not exactly the result we'd hoped for. After the exertions of the Clare race various illnesses, injuries, AWOLs and CUCBC rules meant that training in the last week was very limited. The crew lost some momentum and were unable to recapture the boat speed produced previously. What I've learned from the experience is that the old motto "miles make champions" applies especially strongly to novice crews, and a serious attempt to win this race would want four weeks of 50k in the 8+.

The future is, of course, more important than the past. The guys showed plenty of determination and commitment to each other, and the performance against Wolfson showed real potential. They'll be winning races soon enough. (Tom C)