Cox – Emily Don and Sophie Chung
Stoke – Lizzie Popli
7 – Jess Moxom
6 – Emily Marr
5 – Katherine Rolph
4 – Kirsten Spry
3 – Issy Spiro
2 – Jess Tray
Bow – Beth Jones
Coach – Tayo Moore
As the only Queens’ crew to have successfully completed the getting-on-race, we knew that we had a considerable chance of doing well at Lent Bumps. We had trained hard and were all determined to make sure that the 3k piece followed by 1.5k impromptu race had all been worth it.
Fitted in the finest stash that £2.50 can by, we rowed down to the start line. The sun was shining, the jelly babies were out and we were nervous, anxiously waiting for the canons marking the majority of our crew’s first experience of bumps. We’d put in the training, but now was the time where it would make or break us. As the canon we were off, and despite a slightly rusty start we strode down to a slightly unsustainable rate and began to eat into the water between us and Sidney Sussex, we flew past the motorway bridge, gaining our first whistle. Sidney put up a good fight but with each whistle we became more and more motivated, and Emily’s cry of “hold it up” saw us secure Queens’ first bump of the Lent campaign.
With Day 2 saw a change of cox and a new challenge: Murray Edwards. In a marked contrast from the day before, the heavens had opened and we knew that conditions would be tough. We launched into our start sequence, slightly shaken by the weather, but strode down to a much more sustainable rate and began to eat away at the water between us and Murray Edwards. Despite crabbing under the Motorway Bridge, they put up a good fight, but we continued to power through, securing the second bump of our campaign just before Grassy Corner.
Day 3 was the big one. We were chasing a good Wolfson W1 crew, who were in turn chasing FaT who had already been bumped three times. Nerves were high and Moxom was unsettled by the mysterious disappearance of all the red jelly babies. We knew that it was going to be a tough race, with an angry Murray Edwards behind us. On the canon’s blast we launched into our best start sequence yet. Gaining ground on Wolfson we kept up the rate, but they were already gaining on FaT, so we strode down the rate. Wolfson bumped FaT just after First Post but we kept the commitment and power on, powering through the course for what was our first experience of Grassy Corner in Bumps. Despite rowing over, we left Murray Edwards far behind and were happy with what was our best rowing yet.
The last day of Bumps arrived, and a proud W2 grouped together at the boat house. The bump today was a personal one, we wanted to firmly secure Queens’ at the top of the W3 division and mark the improvements we had made as a crew. After a cold marshalling session in the strong wind, the green tops were out for the last time and we came to front stops. We powered through our start sequence, settling down into a comfortable rate and began a controlled row, eating at the distance between us and First and Third. After the first whistle we began to power through the wind around first-post corner, securing our third bump despite a late concession by their cox.
We had blossomed from a “malformed spider” of mostly ex-novices, into a crew that we could all be proud of. A boat that could not be stopped by wind, snow or Christ M1. A fantastic terms worth of rowing that will stand us in great stead for Mays. Power of the Boar!