Result: Bumped by Sidney M1 on Plough Reach
Queens’ had a good row up to the start and a very solid practice outside the Plough. Our plan was to race to First Post Corner – expecting to end up in a three boat sandwich with Darwin M1 ahead and Sidney M1 behind.
We started well, clocking rate 43. We quickly closed on Darwin and gained our first whistle before the motorway bridge. We kept closing and about halfway down first post reach we got a second whistle. Darwin then held us at about half a length for the next minute or so, before abruptly stopping and pulling in in the gut. With no one to chase, Queens’ started to falter and fade, and Sidney rapidly closed in. Coming around Grassy Sidney got to within a canvas, and although we briefly made a move and opened up clear water, they quickly won the bump outside the Plough.
It turned out that Downing M2 had crashed on First Post Reach on station 5, and hence Darwin had got the overbump on them. However Darwin hadn’t realised and so had kept racing until the gut. Queens’ made the case to the umpires that an extra minute of kill calls on two whistles had caused us to die, and ultimately allowed Sidney to close – however the bump stood.