The Boat Club Report 1998-99

The official Boat Club annual report will be posted on this page in the near future. Until then, a collection of termly rowing reviews, as posted on this web site's news page, is provided.

• Michaelmas 1998
• Lent 1999
• May 1999

Michaelmas term

The men's senior roster remained almost completely intact from the previous year, allowing the First IV in particular to show strongly in several races. The crew finished 3rd in the Cambridge Autumn Head, and were desparately close to toppling LMBC in the University IVs. On the Tideway for the Fours Head, the crew finished among the top Cambridge crews in 172nd place (6th in S3). The Second IV came in 22nd in the Autumn Head, and were knocked out early in the University IVs, but performed very well in the Fours Head to finish 273rd, just 40" behind the First IV. Back in the VIII for the final three weeks of term, Churchill's top men's crew finished in 8th place in the Fairbairn Cup, the College's best result for many years. The challenge of the Men's Second VIII was blunted by frequent personnel changes and a shortage of coxes. Nevertheless, the crew finished in an incredible 4th place in the Cam Winter Head, and took 33rd position (6th Second VIII) in the Fairbairns, despite a line-up patched together on the morning of the race.

Churchill face a challenging term next term, with the First VIII starting in 5th place in Bumps, but performances this term bode well for more success in the future.

Women's Seniors

Churchill's top women, rowing in a IV throughout the term, enjoyed some success. The crew finished 7th in the Cambridge Autumn Head, but lost in the opening round of the University IVs. They finished 464th (16th in S3) in the Fours Head, and rounded off the term with a fine row to 4th in the 4+ division of the Fairbairn Cup. The Second VIII competed in two races during the term. They finished 7th in the Cambridge Winter Head, and 22nd in the Fairbairn Cup. A Fun Four trained occasionally during the term, but did not race.

After a tough 1997-98, Churchill will aim to bounce back with a strong Bumps performance next term.

Men's Novices

Four men's novice crews from Churchill competed in races during Michaelmas Term. Men's Novice A were an enthusiastic and powerful crew, but their performances were stymied by equipment troubles during races. They took 6th place in the Winter Head, despite the 3-man breaking a footplate during the closing stages. Novice A scored a good win over 1st & 3rd, but went down to finallists CCAT, in the Clare Novices' Regatta. In the Fairbairn Cup, the 3-man broke his slide at half distance, and the crew could manage no better than 14th. Novice B started a little slowly with 20th place in the Winter Head, but scored excellent wins over Caius and Robinson in the Clare Novices' Regatta. The crew finished 27th (7th lower boat) in the Fairbairn Cup. Novice C finished 17th in the Cam Winter Head, but went out early in the Clares. They rounded off their term with a good row to 32nd in the Fairbairns. Novice D started the term a month late, but were ready to race in time for the Fairbairns, where they came in 64th.

Most of the novices are planning to continue rowing next term, and several will certainly threaten for seats in the Lent First and Second VIIIs.

Women's Novices

Two women's novice VIIIs, Dr T and Pink Lady, enjoyed considerable success during the term. Dr T came in 5th in the Cam Winter Head, and were unlucky not to advance past the third round of the Clare Novices' Regatta. Pink Lady finished 12th (3rd lower boat) in the Winter Head, and produced superb performances to beat Homerton B, Queens' C, Jesus C and 1st & 3rd B on the way to the final of the Clares. In the Fairbairn Cup, both Churchill crews were very evenly matched, taking creditable 7th (Pink Lady) and 8th (Dr T) places.

Two women from each of the crews have been rewarded for an excellent term with selection in the senior First VIII for Lent term.

Triallists

Andrew Galbraith and Phil Robbins trialled for CULRC.

Lent term

Men's First VIII had an encouraging and productive Lent term, despite dropping three places to 8th in Bumps. Several leading Churchill oarsmen dropped out of rowing after Michaelmas term, but those moving up from the Second VIII and from the Novice A crew were quickly up to speed. Churchill finished a close 2nd in the Newnham Regatta, and put in a brave performance in an incredible headwind to place 4th among College crews in the 4.9 km Head of the Nene. The crew were unlucky to draw Caius I in the opening round of the Pembroke Regatta, but they raced hard and lost by just a length. Unfortunately, preparations in the weeks leading up to Bumps were punctuated by week-long absences of several crew members.

Starting Bumps in 5th place was always going to be a tough challenge for Men's First VIII. They were victims of a ruthlessly fast Jesus crew on day 1, and also went down to a surprisingly quick Christ's crew on the second day. After a solid row over on the third day, the final day saw a thrilling race with Downing and Emmanuel. Churchill rocketed off the start and closed quickly to within 10 feet on Downing. Downing valiantly resisted the challenge, and Emma behind were making major inroads by the time the three crews raced past the excited crowds at the Plough. A final Emma push finished Churchill, and saved Downing from spoons.

The First VIII, armed with three substitutes and a radically revised crew order, finished 166th in the Head of the River Race in London.

The Men's Second VIII, composed of five 1998 novice rowers and three more seasoned competitors, had an encouraging and enjoyable term. The crew's first race was at the Head of the Nene, where they their 54th place finish could most charitably be described as steady. They fared far better in the Pembroke Regatta, where they scored a win over St Catharine's II before losing to 1st & 3rd II.

Men's Second VIII enjoyed a week of wildly fluctuating fortunes during Bumps. They had overlap on Pembroke II on the first day, but went wide around Grassy Corner and lost so much speed that they were bumped by Jesus II! On the second day, the crews ahead bumped out early, but they chased Queens' II relentlessly, and completed an incredible overbump and the Railway Bridge. However, Queens' later appealed that they had made contact with LMBC III earlier in the race, and the officials disallowed the Churchill overbump and ordered a re-row between LMBC and Queens'. Of course, Queens' didn't hit LMBC second time around... On the third and fourth days, Churchill finally enjoyed some deserved success, claiming bumps on Pembroke II and Queens' II.

The Second VIII also competed in the Head of the River Race, finishing 270th out of 420 crews.

The Men's Third VIII crew was made up of an enthusiastic group of novice rowers. They competed in the Newnham Regatta, where they finished fourth in their division with a respectable time, and in the Pembroke Regatta, where they were eliminated by 1st & 3rd V.

During Bumps, the Third VIII were unable to resist the challenges of 1st & 3rd IV, St Catharine's III and CCAT II on the first three days. The third day bump dented not only the crew's pride, but also their boat! As crews ahead bumped out, Churchill took emergency evasive action, and mounted the bank on the outside of First Post Corner. Happily, Third Boat salvaged their pride and avoided spoons with a gutsy row over on the final day.

Lent 1999 was a re-building term for Churchill's Men's First VIII, but all men's crews showed great dedication. Promising improvements during the Easter training camp in Nottingham suggest that May term could be more successful.

Women's crews

After the trials and tribulations of 1997-98, a new-look Churchill Women's First Boat are making strong progress back up the First Division. Three members of the 1997 May Boat and one rower from May Second VIII were joined by four 1998 novices rowers and a novice cox. The crew started slowly, with a low-key 11th place finish in the Cam Winter Head, but they showed great improvement from race to race. They finished 5th in the Robinson Head, and beat New Hall before losing to Caius in the Pembroke Regatta.

Starting 11th in Lent Bumps, the First VIII rowed over on the first day after crews ahead bumped out. On the second day, however, Churchill claimed a good bump on 1st & 3rd, and followed it up by hitting St Catharine's on the Friday. The crew finished the week on a high with an excellent row over, closing to inside a length on LMBC.

Women's First VIII travelled to London for the Women's Head of the River Race at the end of term. Despite three substitutes, they finished a creditable 128th, 9th of the 45 crews in the Novice Academic division.

The excellent Women's Second VIII, with five experienced rowers and three very good 1998 novices, were one of the fastest women's Second Boats on the Cam and were Churchill's most successful crew of Lent term. They finished second to Jesus II in the Newnham Regatta, and first (by an amazing 49 seconds) in the Robinson Head. The crew defeated the second VIIIs of Fitzwilliam, Caius and Emmanuel in the Pembroke Regatta, but lost a tight final to Jesus II.

Churchill II have risen seven places in the last eight Lent Bumps races, and the 1999 crew continued their march up the Third Division with another blades-winning series of bumps. Their hapless victims were Selwyn II, 1st & 3rd II, Lucy Cavendish I and Homerton II. Only on the final day were they required to row past First Post Corner, and that was because they lost a seat off the start. What more can you say? This crew were just too fast to be in the Third Division!

The novice Women's Third VIII trained hard throughout the term. In the Pembroke Regatta, they scored a win over 1st & 3rd III, but lost out to LMBC III. Forced to compete in the getting-on race to qualify for Lent Bumps, they finished 12th of 24 crews, outside the top 8 finish they needed to earn a starting place.

Lent term 1999 was very successful for Churchill's women's crews, who scored six bumps in total. Considering the strength and depth of the First and Second VIII crews, and the improvements made by all crew members at the Easter training camp in Nottingham, there is no reason why May term won't be just as successful.

May term

Men's First Boat had a successful and enjoyable term. The Lent crew was reshuffled considerably, with Nick Guillard returning from injury, and Andy Gribble moving up from the Lent Second VIII. The crew started the term well, finishing as second fastest College crew in the Head of the Cam. After a bad performance in Nottingham, the First VIII were determined to race well in the Bedford Amateur Regatta, and they scored victories over Caius II, Jesus II, University of East Anglia and Exeter College to win the Senior 4 competition. The crew also raced the next day in the Cambridge Sprint Regatta, where they narrowly lost a semi-final against Emmanuel after two re-rows. Unfortunately, Nick Guillard developed a serious back strain, and was forced to sit out the rest of term; David Sampson returned from "retirement" to replace him.

So on to Bumps, with Men's First Boat starting in 11th place... Chasing Magdalene on the first night, Churchill made up ground steadily and completed the bump at Ditton Corner. Day 2 brought a row over, as the crew never really settled and was unable to close on Trinity Hall ahead. On the third day, the crew rowed much better, and were well inside a length from Trinity Hall when they were bumped by a speedy Fitzwilliam crew. In miserable conditions on the fourth day, Churchill fought gallantly to hold off Christ's, who were just a canvas down at Grassy Corner, but completed the bump in the second half of the reach.

A heavily revised First VIII travelled to Henley Royal Regatta for the first time since 1996, but were unsuccessful in their attempt to qualify for the Temple Challenge Cup.

The Men's Second VIII also had an encouraging and enjoyable term. The crew featured a number of changes from the Lent Second VIII. Second Boat finished fifth among College Second Boats in the Head of the Cam, but their races at Nottingham were cancelled due to bad weather. They finished 9th overall after two good rows in the Cam Head to Head, but were knocked out by Selwyn I in the first round of the Cambridge Sprint Regatta.

Starting 11th in the second division in Bumps, Second Boat scored a satisfying bump on Trinity Hall II on the first day. The crew rowed over behind King's on the second day, and, like the First VIII, they were bumped on the Friday and the Saturday, by Emmanuel II and Jesus II respectively.

The men's lower boats were poorly organised, and a Men's Third VIII was patched just a few weeks before Bumps. Several members of the crew were very experienced and competent, but a lack of training and racing meant that the crew was always going to struggle.

Starting 5th in fourth division, Third Boat's Bumps campaign got off to a slow start when they were bumped by Clare III and 1st & 3rd IV. They managed to row over ahead of Trinity Hall III on the third day, and they scored a somewhat comical bump on Queens' III on Saturday after Queens' failed to appear at the start!

The MCR (Fourth) VIII trained consistently and improved appreciably through the term. The crew focused equally on the sporting and social sides of rowing... they had organised their first formal hall with a Trinity women's crew before they had organised their first outing!

To say that Bumps did not go to plan for the MCR VIII would be a masterpiece of understatement. They were bumped by Trinity Hall IV, Darwin II and Caius III on the opening three days, and reached their nadir on Saturday when they were overbumped by Homerton II.

A Rugby VIII trained spasmodically during the term, but did not compete in the getting-on race to qualify for Bumps.

May Term 1999 was moderately successful for Churchill's senior men's crews, with the First VIII's victory in Bedford the obvious highlight. The lower boats suffered from a lack of leadership, but they remained cheerful and dedicated. A number of experienced First VIII rowers are now moving on from Churchill, but the remaining rowers from the First and Second VIIIs are well placed for continued success next year.

Women's crews

Women's First Boat enjoyed a strong and successful term. The crew featured two changes from the successful Lent First VIII, with Susan Alexander replacing Zoe Jones, and Colin Bell returning to the cox's seat. They started a little slowly with a 9th place finish in the Head of the Cam, but improved appreciably to finish 2nd in the Cam Head to Head three weeks later. They claimed "victory" in the Cambridge Sprint Regatta after the only other crew in their division scratched, and had to work harder for an excellent win in the 99's Regatta, where they defeated Magdalene and Darwin.

Starting 10th in Bumps, Churchill put in a steady but uninspiring performance on the first day, never challenging Queens' ahead and narrowly escaping from Downing behind. The second day, in contrast, was superb, with Downing never in contention, and Queens' hustled all the way to the finish. Churchill rowed over again on day 3 after Queens' bumped Clare. Churchill was unable to threaten Clare on Saturday, but they once again held off Downing to retain their 10th place.

Women's First VIII rounded off their term at the Henley Women's Regatta, where they lost to 1st & 3rd Trinity.

The Women's Second VIII have enjoyed incredible success in recent years, rising ten places in May Bumps during 1997 and 1998, and they continued to climb up the Bumps rankings in 1999. The crew's first race of term was the Cam Head to Head, where they finished 6th overall and 2nd among lower boats. The next day in the Cambridge Sprint Regatta, they defeated Queens' II and New Hall II, but lost in the semi-finals to New Hall I. In their final lead-up race before Bumps, they were beaten by Caius II in the 99's Regatta.

Starting Bumps in 3rd place in the third division, Churchill rowed over on the first day after Queens' II ahead had bumped Homerton II. The crew bumped Homerton II on Thursday, and then hit Trinity Hall II on Friday. Unfortunately Churchill were unable to make the jump to the second division, rowing over behind New Hall II on the final day to finish at the top of the third division.

Women's Third VIII, who had failed to qualify for Lent Bumps, improved enormously through May Term and finished May Bumps as Churchill's most successful crew. They finished 8th overall and 3rd among lower boats in the Cam Head to Head, and they beat 1st & 3rd III before losing to Girton II in the Cambridge Sprint Regatta.

Third Boat rowed very strongly in the May Bumps getting-on race, and earned a place in the fourth division. The first day of Bumps started disastrously when a gate popped open and a blade worked loose, but the crew recovered and still completed a bump on Girton III. Churchill easily disposed of Caius IV in First Post Reach on Thursday, and bumped Jesus V at the same point on Friday. Chasing blades on the final day, Churchill had their best row yet, and caught Clare III just after the motorway bridge to complete their fourth successive bump!

May Term 1999 has been high successful for Churchill's women's crews, who scored six bumps and six row overs. Although the First and Second VIIIs will lose half their personnel for next year, hopefully another talented and enthusiastic group of novices will again rise to the challenge.