The Club's Results

First day nerves out the way... (Thomas)

Yay!! Well done :- ) such a relief to see that yellow face! (Charlotte)

Smoothly done - more of the same please. (JPD)

A determination to put distance on Caius on the reach meant that there was never any doubt. (Thomas)

Rah ! (Matt)

Our start was a bit tidier, and we settled to a sustainable pace a little earlier. We were still the best part of three lengths clear by Ditton, and had a solid but unspectacular row up the reach. (Tom C)

Our poorest start of the week, leading to a failure for the expected gap between ourselves and Caius to materialise. We didn't really settle, and failed to start moving away.
Coming around Ditton corner we didn't have the pick-up of the previous two days, with a bit of a view that Caius were going to be caught by Pembroke.

By the railway bridge it was clear that Caius were surging back on us, and a desperate wind for the finish barely kept them off overlap. (Thomas)

Complacency Is Devastating. (Tom C)

"glorious isolation" (Natasha)

The day began badly with one of the Maggie guys trying, rather unsportingly, to cripple me. Fortunately the damage was superficial.

'No Regrets' was our motto for the day, with the idea of complacency firmly removed from our mind we decided to move earlier in the race to kill Caius off before they had a chance to launch their strong wind to the line, that caught us out on day 1 and day 3.

A good start and a good plough reach build, followed by a committed push out of Ditton gave us plenty of room, and the 'boring' row over well clear that our supporters and coaches were hoping for. (Thomas)

That'll learn 'em. (Tom C)

Well done! We all love a FaT/Maggie battle, raise your game again for tomorrow. (JPD)

This was quite a nervous race. Having been hammered by Newnham at Champs, we believed that the crew behind us were going to close aggressively, and that our best bet was to hit Girton as quickly as possible. Our start was a touch frantic, and as such we struggled to settle onto a decent rhythm, however by stroke 50 odd we had settled down to 35 and were rowing reasonably well. Newnham gained on us off the start, but then (I believe?) faded back slightly as we found a decent rhythm. We were slowly gaining on Girton, getting our first whistle in the bay before first post. This lead to a large increase in pressure, and as such we then proceed to move onto two then three whistles then bump very quickly indeed, bumping on the exit of first post corner. At a guess Newnham were outside station, however that is based purely upon how long it took them to overtake us, so I may be wrong there.

A solid row, and very pleasing for what I believe to be a fast W1 crew to finally perform on race day, however we can improve, and will need to if we are to catch LMBC tomorrow.

Turbokeen (Swords)

Nice... Go get that Maggie Scum.... (Lyns)

An epic race which we should have attacked more. We sat about on station till Ditton, then produced massive push after massive push and close to half a length by the railway bridge, then did a bumps push, closed to about a foot, and crossed the finish line. (Swords)

This was far from ideal. We started off, was a bit frantic, and then proceeded to fail to find a decent rhythm. We spannered along at about 38, pretty badly, and then vaguely settled to 35/36. Round Grassy LMBC bumped Jesus, and I failed to deal with how they were clearing and ended up wide, essentially giving Newnham the bump. It was probably race over by then anyway.

An overemphasis on just blasting it along, rather than blasting along well failed us here. It is also indicative of our term. We can row well and fast, as per the last half of yesterday's race, however our consistancy is really lacking. (Swords)

Today we produced another decent row, rowing clear of Clare at about 80% pressure. I knew we were safe when the crew stopped responding to pushes. A pity we didn't row this well on Friday to row over in front of Newnham, however that's the way with bumps. Many of the crew are returning next year, so I look forwards to being involved in another successful year. (Swords)

Well done lads, I was listening live on the radio, top stuff! (Mark)

Another epic, nailbiting rowover in front of Christ's. Multiple deja vu moments from last year.

Hopefully tomorrow we can throw Churchill into the mix for some variety! (Gonzo)

Boys, we may have to revise our original bumps target of 'up 12'.

But great stuff, seriously. (Leachy)

I suggested before the race that the boys go for a 3 minute race plan. This tactic was based on three assumptions: 1. Emma ahead would bump Churchill within 3 minutes; 2. Kings would bump Christs behind within 3 minutes, and; 3. when crews go for a 3 minute race plan, they usually hold back sufficiently to see them through 5-6 minutes of solid racing if necessary.

The first assumption proved correct, the second incorrect and the third assumption woefully off the mark. I've never seen a crew attack the start of a race with quite the level of commitment these guys managed, and at about the 2 minute mark they were starting to blow. Christs closed in at a terrifying rate around Grassy and having been on the bank with M2 for three years now, seeing Christs close to 1/4 of a length was like deja vu all over again. However, the boys dug deep down the Reach and crossed the line with about 1/3 of a length in hand. The rowing wasn't pretty, but the result was great and set up the rest of the week.

Rows like this embody everything that a great FaT M2 should be. (Phil)

I got a blood blister on my finger under the motorway bridge. It hurts if I press it.

...

As yet, I have received no sympathy whatsoever. (Leachy)

Excellent result. (Matt)

Nice job, good to see M2 moving up the charts again! (John)

Well done, boys! (Justus)

Nice weather today, boys, well done. (Leachy)

Fortunately, even if you define 'matter' such that rowing does (which isn't necessarily easy; cf. http://tinyurl.com/2g9mqh), an M2 doesn't. Huge congrats to M1, you guys deserve every bit of that headship. I don't know what a bit of a headship is, but hopefully you get the idea. P (Leachy)

We were feeling quite confident after a good row up. A decent start in which we held station on the crews around us was followed by a terrible stride, and the rowing continued to deteriorate as Christs II closed. They caught us on Grassy Corner.

In an attempt to add injury to insult, Jesus III, with a broken rudder, plowed into us at race pace, snapping their bowman's rigger and causing our stern pair to leap onto the bank in terror. Dazed by this drama, I congratulated Pembroke II on bumping us, when they had done nothing of the kind. Let's make sure they don't tomorrow, either. (J.G. Shotton)

I really, really dislike bumps racing. (Preeyan)

Preeyan, you mean like just what's happening now (00:38 Friday 11th June)? (Mark)

At times like this I wonder: just what is the point? I might as well go to a John's swap and get battered. Or even go to Life. (Preeyan)

We were never going to hold off the much faster Pembroke II who caught us just before Grassy. However, today was much calmer and more together than yesterday, and we should be confident going into tomorrow's race. (Jack)

That bigger hair makes you row faster is widely known; less familiar is the mechanism by which this happens.

Individual strands of hair are in fact intricate assemblies of pipework, turbines and belt drives. Gusts of wind spin the turbines which drive blood pumps situated deep under the skin, forcing oxygen-rich blood away from the head into the legs and dramatically increasing aerobic power.

Enthusiastic petrolheads will notice that this is exactly how a turbocharger works - superfluous air pressure is utilised to enhance power and speed. Hence the name 'turbohair'.

However, cautious medics will spot the risks inherent in reducing blood flow to the head. There is a wafer-thin line between superiority and blackout, a risk not to be taken lightly.

Spooning is not to be taken lightly either. So no haircut for me tonight. (Preeyan)

Clare M2 went off very hard in the first (and only) 90 seconds of the race, catching us at the end of the gut. We rowed well today, though, and I was optimistic about our chances of escape right up until Alex called easy there...

Never mind all that, we've got a third boat headship to defend! (Jack)

In some ways, this was the worst possible bumps campaign - spooning to lose the third boat headship to LMBC on the last day. On the other hand, we should be pleased with the way we raced today, holding off a strong gents eight until Ditton, and we coped with the pressure better each day. Indeed, we had a pattern of holding our ground on the crew in front the day after they bumped us.

This was an unsuccessful but eventful bumps (what with being T-boned by Jesus and blockaded by a mysterious floating island), and today's gritty row caps it nicely. (Jack)

A panicky start, which was soon rectified, and some of the smoothest rowing I've ever seen for a lower boat. :) Unfortunately, all crews around us bumped out so there was a lack of urgency throughout the race and power lagged once onto the Reach, which will have to be rectified for tomorrow when up against tougher opposition. All in all, a good row. Well done, girls! (Olivia)

Good row today, all 20 something strokes of it! Sidney were unfortunately a lot faster than us but I think we should still be proud of ourselves after our start was such a massive improvement on yesterday.
Good luck for tomorrow girls, very sorry I can't be with you but hopefully it will be your chance to show how much you have learnt this term and put up a good fight :) (Hannah)

As per usual, bumps brings mishaps aplenty before the racing even begins. M5 rowed past us at the King's boathouse cheering, at which point we reminded them (in not a particularly kind way I admit...) that they were supposed to leave their boat at the P&E for us to take. Honestly... :P Then by the lock, a Clare rower managed to find a way to break his blade - rather unsuprisingly they then got bumped.

Ah yes, the race. We set off well; a nice solid and quick start before settling on rate 34 with a fairly decent ratio. Anglia Ruskin II were crabbing somewhere in the distance, so we knew this was going to be between us and Tit Hall III. Despite a solid race with us rowing "at least twice as well as them" - Miles Galloway - We couldn't seem to get under half a length of them. Oh and there was our rather spectacular line around grassy which saw bow side blades eviscerating a king's crew, but we can ignore that (yes its my fault for not getting catches in...).

Lets get them tomorrow guys. YEAH BUDDY! (A. Barrell)

With a strong push off an emphatic start, I think the general attitude in the boat was one of complacency - I know I certainly expected a bump before too long. Tit Hall III showed an impressive amount of dedication, though, and proved us wrong, drawing out a painful row over, with our bow fluctuating between one to half a length off their stern.

The quality of the rowing felt solid and committed - especially once we realised the bump wouldn't be as fast as anticipated and, if nothing else, today can be viewed as testament to the vast improvements we have made as a team over the course of the term.

With ARU II a safe distance behind us for the entire race, tomorrow we can truly focus on one thing and one thing only: finishing what we didn't quite manage today. (Alec)

Rowing over is tough for a cox, but 50 times worse for a rower I've learnt.

We had a good start, it was chunky and sharp, and as we approached the Ditch we got one whistle, two as we approached First Post corner. Behind us, ARU II were crabbing several times, once during their wind, but didn't seem to make up any ground lost when they got it back together again.

Unfortunately we just didn't quite have the coordination to execute a finish manoeuvre on Tit Hall III and along the entire course we moved towards and away from them between one length and half a length. We had a really good push on the Reach but it was too late by that stage. I congratulate Tit Hall on being committed as we closed and having the nerve to keep going despite us closing at several points in the race.

Tomorrow we will be sharper and more fluid than today - it was a good row today but there is more. We'll be taking the fight right back to them again. (Mark)

Possibly our best piece of rowing to date, however we really lacked aggression, both in rate and pressure. Tomorrow, we need to find that extra gear to pull out the killer move and really finish them off.

And a final note on the 'incident' on grassy. Apologies to the king's crew we crashed into, but Richard Church is pretty famous for not turning left, it really is a tricky boat to steer. Our tendency to lose control and catches at the front end doesn't hep either. Lots to improve on tomorrow, and hopefully we will, because Morley's Holt is a long assed way... (Swords)

POWER! Awesome row guys, ARU II gave us a bit of a fright, but we didn't panic and put in a great bumps push to secure victory. More of the same tomorrow please! (Alex)

Finished off what we failed to do yesterday. There were a few things which were really useful about this race though. Firstly, we had ARU close very quickly on us, so much so that I thought that we were in serious problems. However a massively commited if a bit spacky bumps push gave us another 10 odd strokes, which gave them enough time to blow up. Secondly, although we didn't have a functioning cox box (massive credit to Rachel for managing to cox that race without one), I'm pretty sure that the rate was a bit higher than yesterday, and although we spacked more, it was definitely faster.

A good race, and particularly gratifying as a large percentage of this crew spooned in Lents, so this was thier first bump. Congratulations to them :) (Swords)

What a row. Following yesterday's painful row over for the boats either side of us, it seemed we all set off today with exactly the same tactic: do or die.

Today we traded some of the technicality we had yesterday for pure power and it paid off. ARU II, who had been harmless yesterday, suddenly posed a massive threat today, pushing hard for us off the start. I'm glad to say we kept our heads and kept the pressure on and let them burn out.

Tit Hall III ahead of us had similarly run out of steam and a second bumps push saw us bumping them before too long.

Special thanks to Rachel, who coped marvellously without a cox box and hopefully hasn't shouted her voice hoarse for another bump tomorrow. (Alec)

Now that's more like it. This result is a day late, but still most welcome.

We set out with the mind that we would attack the course harder and bump Tit Hall III before the Reach. We expected few problems from ARU II behind us; instead the only issue we thought we'd have was with Clare III ahead of Tit Hall who were potentially catchable for them.

Out start felt good, solid, committed and sharp. Thanks to Iain and Rachel's initial line we powered up towards the motorway bridge. Luckily, one of the few things I heard from Rachel (due to a faulty coxbox) was the stride, which we settled into really well. We approached the motorway bridge and encountered our first problem: ARU II had closed and was closing rapidly. At one point I was worried we were going to be bumped as they closed to within one length whilst we still hadn't got a whistle. The crew did impeccably though; we gritted out teeth and pushed hard at the same rate and held them with about 1/3 of a length between us just as we closed on Tit Hall to one length. That one whistle kept us going and at that point I had the confidence in the crew to hang on in there.

As the second whistle came, ARU II started to die, their burst had failed to finish us and they dropped away in the Ditch. We then got three whistles and Rachel called for the Bumps push - the second and only other call I heard in that race - which was also relayed via the bankparty. We took the rate up, squeezed extremely hard and rapidly closed on Tit Hall to bump them as we entered the Gut.

An excellent row in my opinion, and well done to both Tit Hall for closing to about 2/3 length off Clare III in front of them, and of course to ARU II for their do-or-painful-row-over push in the first section of the race which was a surprise.

And here's a video of it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu8z5eHBMI0 (Mark)

A good day of racing. Not much to be said here except that we weren't sure what Catz III were like so we had to go off hard and hit Clare III as fast as possible.

The start was a little bit wobbly, I just managed to put my blade back in in time after a tap as the gun went off, but we soon got into a really good rhythm and powered through the motorway bridge. We got our first whistle approaching the Ditch, and as soon as we got our 2nd whistle we rapidly closed down on Clare to bump them before First Post. Hopefully more of the same tomorrow!

Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgVTiVEVVoo (Mark)

This is how bumps races ought to go. The race was over before we even started our bumps push.

Bring on bump number 3 tomorrow! (Alec)

Another good effort guys, once we closed to within a length we put some work down and finished em off well. The actual bumps push was maybe a bit wobbly, but we had built up enough speed that it didn't really matter too much.

Hopefully tomorrow we can build on our start, with some legs and power calls during the wind and once again get a quick bump. According to Sam Jackson "Catz are a bunch of pussies". What a witty guy... (Alex)

A great row. I was ready for a fight but we didn't even get that far. As soon as we started pushing, I think we gained both a speed and a psychological advantage - Clare collapsed and the bump came very quickly.

Let's go for another up one tomorrow to finish off bumps nicely! (G.S.D. Gordon)

Same as day 2, but maybe with slightly better execution. Bumps push was pretty special, but it was at least powerful, in M4 terms. We'll have to set off hard to hit Catz III on the last day though (Swords)

A bump is a bump is a bump. Although it was quite an anti-climatic bump.

St. Catz had blasted off the start to open up the gap between the motorway bridge and the Ditch. We had to dig deep since we were concerned Downing III ahead of them could be quite slow.

However, Downing held them off and as we approached First Post we started to claw back ground on Catz; we were inside station entering the Gut and closing to nearly 1 length as Catz started the corner.

Because a boat was on the inside of Grassy both the Catz cox and Rachel had to take a wide line, the Catz boat not making it and parking on the bank. Massive calls for bowside pressure and strokeside lightening up saw us bring it round and we would've made the corner had Catz not been unfortunate enough to be stuck there in front of us.

A disappointing bump; we would've liked to have bumped properly and I suspect the battle would have gone to the Reach which would've been exciting if not exhausting.

Nevertheless, up 3 was the 2nd best result of Fat this term; I have been very pleased with M4 and throughly enjoyed the time together. Thanks to all members and coaches for making it such a fun and successful crew. Good luck to next year's M4!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1JhpA858M0 (Mark)

A touch disappointing really. We had been droppped a bit, but then seemed to gain around first post. We were perhaps on one whistle entering Grassy when a crew badly cleared on the inside forced us and Catz wide. Catz then stacked the corner, and we rowed into them. A pity we weren't able to make the bump in the traditional way, as I believe we would have, but hey. Also a pity we didn't go up on day 1, as looking at the charts that may have allowed us a shot at blades, but then that's bumps, these things happen. (Swords)

It's a good job we were rowing, not driving - some of us were definitely over the limit.

The guest appearance of Captain Picard from Star Trek and Andre Agassi in bow 4 was much appreciated. (Alex Dear is a twat)

Let's not all go to Cindies tonight, we might do better tomorrow. x (Millsy)

I don't think crew turbolash the night before affected our performance too much, but it was entertaining to row behind 2 people with no hair.
Our practise start was nice, but the real one was quite spacky :(
Also we rowed short all the way. 2 things to fix!
Christ's IV got bumped quite quickly behind us, and we quiched merrily up the reach and thus lost a lot of ground to the boat 3 behind us. We definitely shouldn't do this tomorrow either...


Tomorrow we must man up or our race will be cut brutally short by eddies. Bumps is fun :) (Alex)

allow (Dom Allen)

A disappointing finish to the bumps campaign but it's been a good laugh nonetheless :).

It's been a fun three years folks. Thoroughly enjoyed my time at FaT. Best of luck for the years ahead.

Adios. (Tsunami)

Like Jeff, this will probably be the last time I row at Trinity. Although I haven't achieved nearly as much as Jeff, I'd still like to say thanks for a fun 2 years, regardless of success or lack thereof.

Edmund. (JERH)

Woooooooooooohooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

So massively proud of you guys - absolutely amazingly awesome!! I'm gutted I couldn't come down to watch but I'll definitely be there for the Grande Finale on Saturday! :-D (Ulrike)

Just before I got to the river, I stopped by Hobbs to buy a whistle, just in case. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to use it. Tomorrow is another day, so let's go get them! (Cynthia)