The Club's Results

With a fast start we both gained on Emma and pushed away from Clare, but by the tenth stroke Emma had pulled away, soon to bump Jesus. Moreover, in the wash under the Motorway Bridge, our inconceivably incompetent Two caught a feisty crustacean that slowed the boat much for a stroke. However, we recovered well, and (of course) that was always a technical crab, as it set up a good rhythm for the rest of the race.

Down Plough reach we passed every single crew from our division, who were surprisingly split in their cheering, providing us a needed boost. Nevertheless, by Ditton corner, Clare was within a quarter of a boat, and soon after overlapped. However much we complain about the weight of our cox, we will forever be grateful for his weighing down of the stern as Clare's bow passed over our stern multiple times. We knew we were going to be bumped, yet slowly we pulled away, never relenting: we never blew.

Clare would not give up. Again and again and again they would go on to gain on us down the Long Reach, for us to push back, with some magnificent steering of our boat by Bomber in our bank party. After the Railway Bridge we knew we were drawing towards Bottom Finish, and we were encouraged by the W1 Division's cheers, mostly for us, including from Clare W1. There were also some rather inhuman noises from FaT W1.

We pushed and pushed and pushed, and rowed over for an immediate celebration thereafter. And I thought exams were stressful. We pray only for us not to have to face that again.

Determined not to let Clare get so close again, and with a slight hope we might bump Jesus off our start, we had a strong start, getting within one length of Jesus. However, they began to pull away and were not our main concern, as we saw our old enemies, Clare, chase us. But we had resisted them before, and we knew we could again.

We took a rhythm call, bringing our rate from 39 to 40, rather miraculously. Our forever incompetent Two managed to avoid the crustaceans native to the Motorway Bridge, and we began to feel very proud of ourselves, as well as the great pain of rate-40 rowing.

Despite some rather optimistic three whistles from the Clare bank party, this time round we didn't let Clare get overlap, partially fuelled by a second day of cheering from our division's crews as well as the W1 division once more (this time, unfortunately, without FaT W1's animalism). After the Railway Bridge, Clare decided to wind it down, but our cox would not risk it, and we continued to push, making many lengths on Clare by the finish.

We truly do feel sorry for Clare, now having rowed over four times in two days, and we predict another two row-overs for them tomorrow. But that empathy will never supersede our determination to stay in Division Two.

Our stroke man still seemed unable to grasp that an M2 could rate below 40 as we set off. The Clare crew worked admirably hard yet again, powering after us and catching up as we approached Plough Reach. An intense chase ensued, reminescent of Day 1 though with a little less overlap, which by this crew's Mays standards was as a comfortable lead.

A tactical collision of Seven's blade with the bank on a corner ensured that, analogously to Two's tactical crab on Day 1, we reset and found our finest rowing going onto the Long Reach. With a composed application of power, the crew held Clare at bay until the shadow of the Railway Bridge passed over us, signalling a no-reserves push to bring us past the cheering Women's crews to Bottom Finish with a comfortable lead.

Encouraged by the previous day's results, we were determined not to be complacent. Again, we had a fast start, but with a couple of awkward lines round corners, including one incident of Seven's blade hitting the bank at Ditton, Clare gained on us. However, much like the first day, that was a technical crash, setting up a good rhythm for the rest of the race.

Clare soon got overlap once more down the Reach, but this was comfortable territory for us. Only 3 feet of overlap? They can't bump us with that, with our stern so low in the water. When we managed to pull away to around 3 feet of clear water, we knew we had won and so decided to take it a little easy. That was probably a mistake.

This repeated a few times before the Railway Bridge, after which we could hear from great distance the cheers of FaT W1 (easily recognisable: no other crew can make noises like that), encouraging us to push harder.

Off the start we immediately put some distance between ourselves and Clare. This did not deter them from keeping up the pressure, but being chased at 1-3 lengths was certainly preferable to negative 3 feet. While we did close to within a whistle of Darwin, by Plough Reach they had in turn moved away again and remained out of reach.

Clare kept up the pressure all the way, but were noticeably slower this time around. Or perhaps it was that our Cox finally remembered more names than just Sam and Petr, thus managing to tease out 5% extra of individual effort from the other 75% of the boat. In the tradition of this Mays campaign for FaT M2, our push off of the Railway Bridge towards Bottom Finish and a fourth row-over was cheered on by our own W1.

Three hoorays for Clare for their valiant efforts, and many a meaningful nod and I dare say smile were exchanged between the crews as we set off to paddle home.

[Afterthoughts: As best I know, nobody has yet come forward to say they had great confidence in us in the weeks leading up to Mays 2019. Exams and research trips limited all-crew outings. Too few ergs were logged. Starting at the bottom of Division 2, slipping into Div 3 was a real threat. But as exams finished and Bumps came around, the crew came into focus. Pressure from Clare M2 on Day 1 brought out such resolve as to carry us with growing confidence through the week and maintain a hard-earned place for FaT M2 in Div 2. PS -- thanks for everything, Fordy!]