The Club's Results

We could have gone 23 seconds slower. (JPD)

Tradition dictates that BPBC don't practice so whilst we had had a couple of outings in IVs and even a cheeky 30 min yesterday in a VI, the crew had not rowed as an VIII until the actual start stroke. In fact I believe that stroke was the first I had even taken in the same boat as at least 1 crew member.

With RTT in the stroke seat the start was always going to be a sedate affair and we duly wound to 26 before a "get on with it" from the 6 seat took us up to a distinctly ungentlemanly 34 as we then settled into a surprisingly OK rhythm at 32ish. The row to Chesterton went quite well and as planned with reasonable length and acceleration but perhaps at an unsustainable physical cost. We managed to keep things going fairly well until the railway bridge where we had caught up a fair bit on the Hommers (17s according to the halfway times).
Giddy thoughts of a glorious overtake entered out minds but soon the pain re-took over and the wheels began to come a little loose. We managed to maintain the rating but with increasingly (and predictably) scrappy cohesion as lack of fitness and recent rowing experience began to show. The calls from Andy about gaining on the Hommers disappeared and it became more about making it to the finish OK (well, at least for me it did). The corners seemed to go quite well with a good line from Andy [no doubt helped a bit by a Bevan-memorial gentleman's agreement between me and Din - both of whom were still suffering from viruses] but that bit down First Post Reach and through the bridge seems to get longer with age - or maybe we were just going too slowly by then!
Anyway, results showed that after taking 17s off the Hommers to halfway we did manage another 6s in the second half so we obviously didn't blow up quite as much as it felt.
Only 5 real colleges (plus a Filth one) beat us so we were within our 1st target but sadly with a 33.78s (a tribute to Jesus' 100th of a second precision system) gap to FaT I we missed our other target of being within 30s. There didn't appear to be much alumni opposition so hopefully we've scared them off. Apparently this has actually been confirmed as the reason for Boars Head's absence. This is pleasing. (Ingers)