Archive

This page contains a complete record of any news item or race report ever posted on the website.

May Bumps 2014 M6 Day 1

Submitted by Alex Abbott on Thu, 12/06/2014 - 10:23

After Darwin M4 kindly realised that we would like to row bumps and obligingly scratched to give us a chance and so we started at the bottom of the river with only up to go. After practicing starts the way down we decided to go off hard and try to put some fear into the LMBC crew ahead. This worked, however LMBC were able to harness their new found fear of the wheel and catch Pembroke in front of them (thanks for the assistance is yet to be forthcoming from LMBC). After this we lost the seat for 5 and we had to settle for completing the course.

Overall a solid start and a strong row-over despite some issues.

Captain's Note: Special thanks to the Chaplain who, unable to row on a broken seat kept himself busy by roaring encouragement to the rest of the crew. 

May Bumps 2014 M2 Day 1

Submitted by Simon Wright on Thu, 12/06/2014 - 09:07

We knew that this would be a tough race with Corpus M1 in front, who had improved by orders of magnitude from the crew that almost cost M2 blades last Mays. We were being chased by a Clare boat who were, on paper, much slower than us and the Emma crew chasing them. On top of this, a last minute crew change introduced a further unknown factor.

After the M5 division re-row we still had no practice starts, and so the actual start of the race was a little nervy. Despite this we moved slightly on Corpus off the start, while Clare, using their seemingly default fly-or-die tactics, moved to within a length of us. We didn't panic and stayed on our plan, and after receiving an optimistic second whistle, Clare were dropped outside the Plough and bumped by Emma at the railings. At this point, Corpus had moved back out to two lengths on us and held us there for the rest of the course.

A solid row for day 1, with another chance at hitting Corpus, and holding off a speedier Emma crew, on day 2.

May Bumps 2014 M4 Day 1

Submitted by Josh Gibson on Thu, 12/06/2014 - 07:34

We were warned that the lower divisions are chatoic, and so it proved. After an unfortunate crabbing incident off the start we eventually got our race speed up and strode well under the railway bridge. 30 seconds or so later the whole division was held up by bumps further up the river and the decision was made to re-row the entire division. We spun around and headed back to our marshalling point, grateful for a second chance only to be informed that we would not be involved in the re-row as the crew behind, Pembroke III, had been awarded a techinal bump for an earlier incident. Disappointed, frustrated and out for revenge, I'm confident a more positive report will follow day 2! 

May Bumps 2014 W2 Day 1

Submitted by Janina Noack on Wed, 11/06/2014 - 20:09

After a calm row up, the crew felt strong and well-prepared for the first day. Once we were on station, nerves started to set in and  this showed during our start sequence. As we got into our rhythm, it was clear that Trinity Hall were gaining ground quite quickly and we held them at half a length around first post corner. Despite this, Harriet called for a power 10 and we managed to push them back to one lengh past The Plough. Unfortunately after Ditton Corner, a strong head wind gave Trinity Hall the momentum to catch us and the bump came quickly at the top of the reach. However, we are positive that now we have got first day nerves out of the way, we will come back even stronger tomorrow and show Trinity Hall that we don't give up easily!

May Bumps 2014 M3 Day 1

Submitted by Dan Potter on Wed, 11/06/2014 - 20:23

It's fair to say M3 have had a difficult term so far. Due to injuries and illness, we were limited to training in fours for the first couple of weeks and didn't manage to have an outing as eight until Spring Head to Head. Despite this, we managed to put down a respectable time there. It felt like we made a lot of progress in the following weeks and when our second race, Champs Head, came up, we felt a lot more prepared. But then it turned into a crab-filled disaster.

Still, we knew that at our best, we were better than most crews in our division and with a Downing rugby boat ahead of us, the task for day one seemed manageable.

Our row down felt pretty solid and after seeing Downing rowing out of time and unable to keep up with us, we arrived at the start line fairly confident. Our start was pretty terrible, but despite this we started gaining on Downing and the first whistle came quickly. The second and third followed rapidly and we made the bump just past top station.

It was a solid performance we can definitely build on during the rest of the week. We'll be chasing Caius 3 tomorrow, who were bumped by Jesus 3 today.

May Bumps 2014 M1 Day 1

Submitted by Chris Eddy on Wed, 11/06/2014 - 22:16

It was never going to be an easy week starting 5th in the top divsion. Being chased by a poorly performing FaT crew, with a potentially fast Jesus ahead, we planned to go hard off the start, and accept whatever came from behind if we didn't manage to catch Jesus. As it happened, we did gain on Jesus off the start, but not by more than quarter of a length, before dropping off to 2 or 3 lengths down Plough Reach. FaT behind were pushed onto us by Pembroke, but never got much within a length, even from a kill call, while we had reserves left. 

Overall, rowing over was a solid result, and if we can achieve the same tomorrow against a more testing Pembroke crew, we can be very happy. 

SCCBC Newsletter Lent 2014

Submitted by James Wagstaff on Wed, 26/03/2014 - 17:18

Please find Lent 2014 newsletter attached.

Catz Cardinals 2014 - Results etc!

Submitted by Admin on Thu, 13/03/2014 - 18:29

Thanks to all the crews that have raced today!

The winners are:
Tubs: Robinson
IVs: Catz
VIIIs: Robinson 1

Best outfits:
Tubs: Darwin
IVs: FaT
VIIIs: Murray Edwards (317)

We hope you enjoyed the prize giving and prizes.

We'd also like to thank Janina for taking photos on the day. Her photos are available here.

Until next year!

The Catz Cardinals Secretaries
Maria Negreskul (mn387) and Verriin Kaur (vk310) 

Lent Bumps 2014 M1 Day 4

Submitted by Chris Eddy on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 12:50

Quite a few people spent the first three days of this week dismissing Catz M1 as lucky - there were suggestions that we'd only escaped Kings on Wednesday and Clare on Friday by taking advantage of the melt-downs of Trinity Hall and Girton, but I'm inclined to say that you make your own luck. You have to be there to take advantage of these situations, and it was through our own hard work that we were in the right place at the right time. Still, it's always nice to finish on an unequivocal high, and against Peterhouse we pulled off the classic Catz bump. 

The row-down was probably the best of the week, although the spectators outside the plough seemed to rattle us sightly. The start was reasonable, if not spectacular, but Girton came nowhere near, as Clare flew up towards them. Around first post we were holding station solidly and although Girton got away from Clare they never came inside station with us. I forget exactly where we started to get whistles - the whole race is something of a blur - but they came gradually, boosted by massive support from Grassy (thank you so much to everyone who came to cheer) until rounding Ditton at half a length down we decided to finish the job, and cruised smoothly in to claim our blades. 

There's no real way to do justice to those kinds of moments in just three paragraphs, so I'm barely going to try. All I want to say in closing is how proud I am of everyone involved - all term the whole crew gave absolutely everything that was asked of them, and I'm incredibly happy that we've got the reward that we deserved for that. The wheel rolls on. 

Lent Bumps 2014 M2 Day 4

Submitted by Simon Wright on Sun, 02/03/2014 - 21:03

Bumped Hughes Hall I

This was it. After the overbump on the first day and the following swift bumps after that, we were going into the final day +5. Now was a chance to go racing with a first VIII, and show that we were worth a place in the second division. We knew it would be a tough ask, and so set the race plan up accordingly - row a long race, make sure that they could see that we weren't going anywhere, and seeing if they would crack under the pressure.

After everyone overcame their fear of getting their feet wet putting the boat in, the row up to the start was very relaxed, given the circumstances. After a small delay at the start of the division to fix an ARU bowball that was never in danger of needing to be used, we were off on possibly the most relaxed start of the week. We moved slightly inside station on Hughes, and the stride was the most composed we'd pulled off all week, but Hughes pulled back out to station coming into Grassy.

The plan started to kick into action. No panic that we weren't getting whistles or closing lengths on an overbump like earlier in the week, just sit there at our steady 35-36 and grind them down. We moved inside station coming around Ditton, and it was fantastic to feel the lack of headwind that had been ever-present earlier in the term. Belinda called for the push for the whistle out of the corner and we got it at the end of the spinning zone. This was the time to go.

With the bank party screaming that we were moving with every stroke we started to close in. Two whistles came at the kink, and we got three under the bridge, but we knew we were rapidly running out of time. Hughes put in a big push and took six feet back out of us, prompting a cry of "they're getting away!", which in turn brought a rate increase and the final push. Three years ago we let them escape from overlap, and it wasn't happening today - the push worked and we made contact at Morley's Holt, less than 200m from the finish.

It was a fantastic row, and the best bumps race that I've been involved in, a real duel over the course rather than being finished in two minutes. Huge credit to Hughes for a fantastic race.

This victory gave us a chance to row as the sandwich boat at the bottom of the second division. Alas there's no happy ending here, as while we were inside a length of Pembroke II and closing just past the motorway bridge, the Christ's II cox decided that their spoons were enough and Pembroke didn't need some as well, clearing in "the most ridiculous manner ever" (Scales 2014). After the technical rowover was awarded, a long row back with the flag and a trip into the river rounded off the day well.

Up 6 is an incredible result, and testament to the crew in what has been a fairly frustrating term with a lack of water time. The adherence to the land training regime really showed in the latter stages of the overbump and the final bump. Many thanks to Dr Ivan Scales for his time trying to make us be effective in the little training we actually got to do on the river.

Well done to Pieter and Tom (thrown in at the deep end on the wrong side of the boat!) in only their second term of rowing, Alex and Belinda in their first set of bumps, and the second-year stalwarts Scott, Dan, Anthony and Stephan who got to enjoy their revenge for last year and then some! Onwards and upwards to division 2 next year!