St Catharine's College Boat Club

Bumped Selwyn II

We knew that Selwyn II were a decent crew, and that they would do everything they could to hit Clare II before we could get to them, so we had a slight change of plan today: to go hard off the start and try to gain on Selwyn quickly before they could ruin our chances of a bump.

All the excitement got to us a little, and my massive air stroke on the second draw stroke illustrated nicely the tension in the boat going up First Post Reach. All in all the rowing was pretty good though and we held a lively 38 on the rating until the Gut. This all out attack was working - we were making good ground on Selwyn II. There was only so long we could hold this rate for though and soon we had to let it drop. Fortunately this wasn't too much of a problem as Selwyn weren't making any ground on Clare, so we began to relax and the rowing got tidier.

A great line from Alistair around Grassy brought us even closer and soon we were getting the whistles for half a length then a canvas along Plough Reach. Around Ditton corner Alistair made one of those brilliant coxing decisions that we never want him to make again, and steered for the bump with about a foot of overlap. Fortunately we made contact and got the bump.

Today certainly wasn't our tidiest rowing, but clearly it was pretty fast, since we hit the relativley quick Selwyn II relatively quickly. Even the hard to impress Dr Wothers seemed happy with our performance today, so it must have been ok!

Tomorrow sees us chasing Clare II, themselves chasing Corpus Christi at the top of the division.

We started. We raced. We bumped Wolfson M2 before first post.

Good job. Looking forward to the slightly more challenging bump on Darwin M2 tomorrow...

Rowed over 5th on the river

A worse row and a worse result, but we still held off FaT and took some distance out of Maggie towards the end of the course. All the crews from Downing down to FaT look to be similar speeds and what happens in the next few days is anybody's guess! If we row well we can hit Maggie and that is certainly what we intend to do tomorrow. 

Today was a better day.

A very solid start led to us being up about half a length on Selwyn by the motorway bridge, and we were soon getting our first and second whistles up the way to first post. We were getting 3 whistles as we started to take the corner, and got our "legs down, go for the bump" call. After beginning to tire from the push, we finally heard the "Well Done Catz! Hold it up" shouts from our umpire, shortly after first post.

The hold up was apparently slightly light hearted, which caused a slight crunch and a lost bow ball on the bank and a slightly irate umpire, but Steve's on the damage for tomorrow, and we're on the holding up!

 Jesus bumped Wolfson ahead, so we should hopefully have a just as easy (or perhaps even easier!) bump on the cards tomorrow. Fingers crossed. But as always, you never know what's going to happen in a division like ours, so we'll just have to wait and see...

Bumped First and Third III

My dreams over the past year have been haunted by images of the last day of May Bumps last year. The jubilation when Emmanuel II bumped out behind. That wind when we came around Ditton onto the reach. First and Third III not noticing the wind, and hitting us like a steam train. Overbump. One word - so much pain.

So it was with mixed emotions that I cycled to the boathouse this afternoon. The gusty wind an all too familiar reminder of that day - but this time the tables had turned. First and Third III were no longer a gents boat, and we had actually trained coherently as a crew this time. Things would be different. Revenge would be sweet, and rapid.

Very rapid, in fact. In the end, FaT caught a massive crab and more or less stopped moving. We had barely entered our stride when we hit them, before First Post Corner. FaT failed to clear, causing carnage in the rest of the division below us but we were able to row home merrily.

Tomorrow will be a sterner test behind Selwyn II - particularly if that wind keeps blowing.