Women’s Side
W1 has been using the race plan - just keep pushing harder - for the last term or so and this race showed us where limits to this race plan might be. A speedy rolling start that even a strong head-wind could not contain had W1 powering into the Gut at a high rate. Some nice corners, including a beautifully tight Grassy had W1 showing fierce determination into the wind. A ‘new rhythm, new race’ call had the crew push through down the Reach with gutsy commitment to the row - no-one could complain that the effort wasn’t there! The crew finished 2nd in the Lents Bumps 1st Division and 4th fastest W1 - good results in themselves, and having learnt that settling into a stronger rhythm when faced with a nasty wind can prevent a crew blowing up!
Being right at the bottom of Lent Bumps 2nd Division, W2 were keen to prove themselves among other boats in their division. Their start was somewhat knocked by a surprisingly strong outflow, but the girls regrouped and powered down First Post Reach, quickly making up any time lost on Hughes Hall W1 in front of them. In fact, by the time they came out of the Gut, they were in place to overtake not only Hughes Hall but also Wolfson W1 ahead of them. Spurred on by their double overtake, the girls powered down the Reach, finishing as the 2nd fastest W2 and 4th in their division (behind W1 crews and Jesus W2) - a row to be proud of. We’re excited for things to come for this speedy boat!
Setting off first in the day for the women’s side was a mixed W3/W4 crew. Having not raced in this particular crew order or combination before, it was a test of squad training cohesion to get in and race together. Despite a slower start, the crew set off at a solid pace, putting down pressure together and really taking off through the Gut, making gains on a strong crew ahead. Hit with a slightly cruel gusting wind down the Reach the rating dropped a little, but with praiseworthy determination the girls sat up, tapped down, and powered through to the finish!
Men’s Side
The Queens’ men had a highly successful day at Newnham Head in blustery conditions.
With the indomitable coach Lex sitting in the 5-seat, M3 was the first Queens’ boat off in what was a fierce headwind. A good, clean yet powerful performance from the crew meant that they put down a decent performance to get things started. This turned out to be the 3rd fastest M3 of the day, in a time of 7:48 which the lads were pleased with.
Setting off in division 4, Queens’ M2 were looking to extend their winning streak of being the fastest M2 on the Cam. After a good session against M1 the weekend before, the boys were fired up and ready to go. A punchy start led to a fast (if albeit inconsistent) row with a final time of 7:21. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough to win their division which included the speedy Hughes Hall M1, although they did retain their crown of being the fastest M2.
