Lessons to Learn

The Trial Eights sees evenly matched crews from the same club race against each other over the Championship Course; these races form a key part of the season. They come at the end of the autumn academic term for the studentathletes and are usually the last key event before the Christmas break.

Roaring Light Blues

The day started with an unplanned test of strength for the Cambridge men. A parked car was blocking the doorway to Thames Rowing Club, preventing access to their boat. The team eventually pulled the offending vehicle clear of the boat bay but the delay meant their morning prepaddle was replaced by an erg warmup. Yuck!

The first crews to take to the water were those of the openweight women, named after characters from The Lion King: Mufasa and Sarabi.

Even though there was little to no stream, conditions were extremely rough. Before the race, Chief Coach Paddy Ryan suggested there might be a repeat of last year’s Boat Race tactic, deployed by cox Jasper Parish, of cutting the first Middlesex bend. “It is going to be entertaining, but it’s part of what we do: preparing to race in any conditions. It could be hairy. I suspect the Middlesex crew will go under the [Fulham] wall. Jasper has created a bit of a trend that everyone wants to experience. It will be interesting to see what advantage that gives, if any. They are both young crews so it will be about how they maintain their length, and how many good strokes they can take in the choppy water.”

“It was a really good taste of what the Tideway can be like on a bad day.”

Anticipation built on the launches, as Mufasa and Sarabi took pride of place beneath Putney Bridge, ahead of a raging mess of water and brown, rolling waves. The two crews struggled for alignment. “It will only get worse for the men’s race,” fretted one onlooker anticipating more flow, and therefore wind against stream, later in the day.

Bludgeoning blows to the bows made for a stochastic first few minutes. Each crew grasping a small lead then yielding it to the other when hit by a swamping wave and coming to a near standstill. It was wild, ragged and glorious.

Confounding expectations, cox James Trotman chose not to take the inside line around Fulham, forcing both crews to survive the roughest water. Despite the drama, Umpire Richard Phelps did not need to warn either crew until just before the Mile Post, when Sarabi, coxed by Hannah Murphy, was warned.

Mufasa, who had fewer Blues onboard, slipped into the lead along Crabtree Reach and survived a fierce counterattack under Hammersmith Bridge. In contrast to Trotman’s decision not to cut the first corner, Murphy took her long Surrey bend tight – meaning Trotman’s crew got a free run directly beneath the famous second lamp post on Hammersmith Bridge.

Whether it was luck or judgement, it paid off. Mufasa steadily built on their lead and crossed the finish line triumphant, 2.5 lengths ahead of Sarabi. Later it transpired that one

of the Cambridge oarswomen had fractured her finger in the early rough stuff. A race not for the faint-hearted.

The openweight men also took inspiration from the big screen, naming themselves Hansel and Zoolander. Having watched one of the men’s lightweight crews sink, the CUBC Men’s Chief Coach Rob Baker decided to set his crews off upriver to avoid the worst of the conditions. The two eights started at Craven Cottage, lopping off about a kilometre of the Championship Course. Zoolander’s ridiculously good-looking bladework soon proved too much for Hansel. Aided by a strong coxing performance by Ed Bracey, Zoolander crept out to a clear water lead before Hammersmith and held on to a 2.5 length margin by the finish.

“It was a really good taste of what the Tideway can be like on a bad day,” said the CUBC Men’s President and Hansel five-man, Seb Benzecry. “My crew suffered a bit more – we’re a bit less experienced – but we put together a pretty good piece and one we’re proud of. We’ve made some good steps in the past couple of weeks.”

No need to panic: Oxford wasn’t built in a day

In the inaugural year as a merged club the Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) held their Trial Eights races on Friday 15th December 2023, two days after their counterparts battled finger-fracturing conditions. By contrast the Dark Blues enjoyed millpond-like serenity.

The first Oxford boats on the water were those of the openweight women, whose crew names were taken from Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus, the abandoned twin brothers who founded Rome. It was a tight race in which the lead exchanged hands and the two crews remained overlapped until well beyond Barnes Bridge.

“We gained a lot of confidence from holding them around the bend.”

This time Umpire Richard Phelps had a tougher job keeping the crews apart. The first clash came at Barn Elms Boathouse, and like squabbling brothers the clashes kept coming as the two experienced coxes fought for the fastest line. Romulus cox Tara Slade earnt her Blue in 2023, one year after her opposite number coxing Remus, Joe Gellet, earnt his.

Gellet edged into the lead around the Surrey bend but his crew couldn’t exact a killer blow to break free. Ultimately the more aggressive rhythm of Romulus proved superior. They secured a 1.25 length win over an ever-threatening, silk-smooth Remus.

“We gained a lot of confidence from holding them around the bend,” said winning strokewoman Annie Anezakis, who lost the 2022 Boat Race. “Tara kept reminding us that even though we were down we had the speed and we had to trust in it. When we had the chance to make a move around our bend we picked up and went, it felt really good. The bandstand at Barnes was the decisive moment.”

“A great learning experience as it’s so different from the side by side, laned racing I’m used to.”

“It was neck and neck most of the way and a good opportunity to practice the whole course against another crew. Both crews worked off each other and it bought the rowing up to a higher standard,” said returning Blue and Remus strokewoman Sarah Marshall. “We established a strong rhythm and were happy with how we performed. At the end of the day it’s a good day for Oxford.”

Newly embedded Women’s Chief Coach Allan French now has the task of reuniting his squad and building what could be a legendary Blue Boat.

Oxford’s openweight men took a less classical approach to their crew names. Noise and Panic sat quietly and patiently beneath Putney Bridge, waiting for Umpire Matthew Pinsent to start proceedings. Testament to Chief Coach Sean Bowden’s experience the two crews proved to be very evenly matched.

Both crews got away well but soon after came together for a niggling clash of blades. Around the Fulham bend Panic pulled themselves into a half-length lead but were unable to make it stick. By Hammersmith Bridge Noise were almost a length in front and, despite a solid effort from Panic, held on for the win. They crossed the finish line 2.25 lengths ahead.

“It was a great learning experience for me as it’s so different from the side by side, laned racing I’m used to,” said former Great Britain rower Harry Glenister, who raced in the seven-seat of Panic. “There are more tactics involved than I previously thought. Noise had a great race: it shows the depth we have as a team and how hard we’ve been training over the last few months.”

The day ended with Sir Matthew Pinsent doing his best Captain Jack Sparrow impression, confidently stepping from the bows of the umpires’ launch for a quick exit.