St Catharine's College Boat Club

This one was tough. We knew Churchill would push us hard with Clare behind them, especially after we gave them more than we should have done yesterday. However, we weren't quite prepared for just how close it was going to be.

Hitting the outflow off our start, we couldn't get the engine to turn over, stuttering down first post reach with only brief flashes of the rhythm we know we could achieve. With the infamous Clare bell ringing loud, Churchill pounced, making a big move through the swell in the gut. Drawing clear of Clare, Churchill's attention turned to their own whistles, rising to a deafening and continuous tone. Sending each stroke through the white noise we attacked Plough reach, sixteen legs smashing down and eight backs swinging through. We were rewarded, the Catz engine had begun to fire once again as Churchill's bow slipped back. From two feet of overlap, we had found clear water and we began to feed off Churchill's doubt, their whistles becoming few and far between.

As we pressed past the railings at 38, Clare bumped a defeated Churchill and we secured the row over. Possibly one of the tightest row overs in bumps history, and it felt good. We've got a job to do tomorrow. Clare will come for us, but let them come, we're not going down without a fight.