Lent Term 1997 Race Reports
Robinson Head
The Men's 1st VIII rowed in Robinson Head, held on the Friday the 7th of February 1997. The course was a rolling start at the
little bridge to peter's posts.
This was the first test of the 'new look' 1st VIII, which included 5 of last terms novice rowers. The term had started
with the Cam frozen, and consequently lots of time spent on the ergs. However, we got out eventually and treated ourselves
to some rowing in Daredevil, just to remind us how much work there was to be done before we could race at speed. Moving
onto the Empacher after a week, and then a weekend in London rowing on the Tideway helped a lot, with the boat starting
to come together. However, firm pressure experience was limited so we knew that with only 2 1/2 weeks before the bumps
we had to get cracking. So we went in for Robinson Head to see how we were doing against all the other crews around us in
the bumps and to gain some invaluable race experience.
After a little adjustment of the rigging (to make me put the whole blade in the water...) we set out from the boathouse,
into a nice sunny clear day. Compared to last years Robinson Head this was paradise! The warm up down to the Motorway Bridge
was fairly calm, and a couple of practice starts helped everyone get into the idea of pushing hard. The plan was to go
off at about 34, keeping the rate above 31ish. We went off behind Trinity Hall I and Caius I, so making an impression on
the boats in front was unlikely, however we were looking to put some serious water between us and 1st & 3rd II who were
'chasing' us.
The rolling start went quite well: very calm, but getting the rate up to 36 without any problems. Settling at 34 1/2
after about 30 seconds we made our way to the corners: first post, grassy and ditton. On each corner we lost stability
and boat speed, although in the straights the work did go back on. A few timely reminders from Julie to use the legs
helped from keeping the boat from going soggy at the catch.
Into the long reach everyone was hurting a lot, and as usual the rate dropped a pip or two, although this decline was
stopped by a couple of power tens, which everyone did respond to. Under the railway bridge focussed the crew a bit more,
nd with Julie's call of 'only 250m to go' (at about 500m to go...) we pushed for home, bringing the rate up to 34-35.
250m later, when the call of 'last 20 strokes' came we didn't have much more, but with the support from the bank party
we held on until about 5 strokes from the finish when a member of bow four (name withheld) got his blade caught by the
surface of the water, resulting in a good old-fashioned overhead crab. We managed to limp over the finish line,
maybe losing a few seconds.
Our time came out to be 8:59, which placed us 12th. The men's division was won by 1st & 3rd I in a time of 8:28.
This was quite a reasonable result given the crew, although we need to improve the boat speed quite a bit before
we can be clearing out long thin spaces on our walls...
A mention has, as ever, go to the bank party of Graham Charlton, Ceri Jones, Joelie Foster and Allison Bean.
Pembroke Regatta
The Men's 1st VIII was entered in Pembroke Regatta. Due to the absence of Ben Beaumont, we had Doug from the Corpus
1st VIII subbing in at the 3 seat. Also the cox, Julie Hogg had to be in London for the weekend. Some last minutes
arrangements found Dave Gunn (the Captain of Selwyn BC and 1st Men's VIII cox) willing to do the first race. Pembroke
Regatta is a side by side regatta, held from Ditton Corner until Peter's Posts as a knock out. We were entered into
the Men's 1st VIIIs division, and were lucky in that race day was calm and sunny, very different from the rest of the term.
Entering the first eights division, our first race was against a French engineering college, HEC Paris, who have a
reciprocal arrangement with Pembroke to come and race in Cambridge every year. Arriving almost an hour late, the
French crew did not represent much of a challenge. Although our start was scrappy, we managed to pull away steadily,
gaining clear water after about 500 metres. Thereafter we settled down and rowed the race home comfortably, saving
our energies for the race against Homerton College (who had drawn a bye in the first round).
As Dave had to go and cox Selwyn (entered into the same division), we asked the cox of the Paris crew, Oli Greaves
(cox of Pembroke 1st Women's VIII) to sub in as he was passing the boathouse with the beaten french crew. He kindly
agreed. The race against Homerton was to be our best performance of the day. Buoyed by our victory against the
unknown French, we were much more relaxed at the start and managed to quickly settle into a convincing rhythm, rapdily
leaving Homerton in our wake. The race was won after about 30 strokes when we were two lengths clear. We settled and
paddled to the finish line at half pressure.
LMBC was to be our next opponent in the quarter-finals. They had not entered the Robinson Head, but judging by the
strength of their second boat, they were an opponent to be taken much more seriously. In the event, they proved too
strong for us, beating us in a hard-fought race. We managed to stay with them for the first half of the race, but
their superior strength proved to be decisive in the second half when they opened up a gap and steadily drew away
to beat us by 1 1/2 lengths.
Nevertheless we drew confidence and satisfaction from the fact that we had reached the quarter-finals and that we
were beaten by an LMBC crew that went through to the finals, where they were eventually beaten by half a canvas by
1st & 3rd in a very exciting race. The second eights division was won convincingly by that LMBC II crew again which
would be behind us on the first day of bumps.
Lent Bumps
Men's 1st VIII
Wednesday
In the event we left LMBC II in our wake convincingly and went up on the crew ahead (Downing II) until our number
two man caught an almighty crab by the Plough, just as we were 1/2 length off Downing and 3 lengths clear of LMBC.
Needless to say that we were bumped by the time we had recovered the crab and started rowing again.
Thursday
On Thursday we were out for revenge against LMBC II. Off the start we went up on them to about 3/4 length,
pushing them into Downing. Before we could make any further significant impression though, they bumped Downing
by Ditton Corner, leaving us to row over with the crew behind (Caius II) nowhere near us.
Friday
Friday saw us (almost) back to square one again, chasing Downing once more. With no danger from behind, and no
danger of Downing bumping the LMBC crew ahead of them, we had the whole course to execute what we had initially
set out to do on Wednesday. By First Post we were down to one length. Going through Grassy and past the Plough we
cut the distance to a canvas, and to overlap by the Railings. Downing fought hard and managed to stay on overlap
for another few hundred metres, but eventually fell to our superior speed and determination half-way between the
Railway Bridge and Peter's Posts.
Saturday
On Saturday we were back to our original position at 5th in the 2nd division, but now LMBC (ahead of us) and
Downing (behind) had changed position compared to Wednesday. Although we tried hard to catch LMBC, Saturday
was an almost exact repeat of Thursday's events with King's closing in on LMBC, only to push them into a weak
Clare I who had already come down three. LMBC bumped Clare by the Plough, leaving us to row over.
It was a sobering result for the King's men, for had it not been for Wednesday's crab, events could have been
very different. However, as the Captain pointed out at the ensuing Bumps Supper, staying level high in the
second division with five novices on board was an achievement in itself. In the Lent 1996 issue of Henry's Eight,
we set ourselves the goal of pushing into the first eights by 1997. By regaining contact with Clare I, King's have
achieved this aim, albeit in a slightly different manner than anticipated. With this intermediate goal
accomplished and with the strong base of oarsmen that has been developed this year, King's at next year's
Lents look forward to claiming their first 1st eight scalp for some considerable time!
Women's 1st VIII
Wednesday
The women thoroughly enjoyed themselves over the four days of racing, the good groundwork done during Michaelmas paying off handsomely.
Wednesday saw them starting at 13th in the second division, chasing Wolfson who did not prove to be much of a challenge, going down
after only 50 strokes just before First Post Corner.
Thursday
On Thursday the ladies were looking for revenge on Peterhouse who last year bumped King's in their blade-winning effort.
With the best row of the week, King's took them on First Post Corner.
Friday
Friday's opposition, Emma II, promised sterner resistance because their very fast first boat re-gained the headship on Wednesday.
But once again First Post Corner proved decisive, as Emma crumbled under the onslaught.
Saturday
Saturday was painful with a strong headwind blowing. Robinson put in a gutsy row to try and avoid getting their spoons and
lasted well into the Long Reach. King's thought they had lost it, when they scraped the inside of the corner around Ditton,
but Robinson hit the bank 400m further on. Joelie (the King's stroke) was level with Robinson's cox when they finally gave
up the unequal struggle.
With this excellent result, King's women have turned the tide of their recent decline and hope to continue their upward trend
next term (where they will be starting in the bottom half of the second division) and well into the future.