Good morning, glorious weather once again. I got a launch ticket for Harvard against Stanford's showdown at high noon, looking forward to that. I'm sorry I missed the very early races but here goes:
9:45 [PG] Thames R.C. - Wallingford R.C. & Molesey B.C
Thames lead by a length and a half halfway down the course. They had to rate higher for it, 34 against 32. Easing off a bit now, no need to win by a huge margin in the warm weather. Difference the same passing the grandstand. Ratings switched, 32 for the leader vs. 34. It's "open women" but it wouldn't surprise me if most of them were lightweight. Nice win for Thames.
9:50 [Diamonds] W.J. King - A.M. Drysdale
As expected no problems at all for Drysdale, he's sculling at 22 now and has 3 lengths. King from Thames RC doesn't reach 30 either and poses no threat. Drysdale crosses the line at 21. Verdict is 1 3/4 lengths but it really was a leisurely row for West End RC, NZ.
10:00 [Temple] Glasgow University - Univ California, Berkeley, USA
Berkeley is off to a good start, a small 3 foot lead at the end of the island. At the quarter mile the Californians are down to 35 vs. 37 for Glasgow and they increased the lead to a length. Early days but Berkeley will almost certainly take it. At Fawley both are rating 35, time 3min09 for Berkeley leading by 3 lengths. Time to ease a little, Berkeley! Ah yes near Remenham club they're at 31 while Glasgow still rates 35. Same gap. In the end, Berkeley's not pushed at all and show off tidy although not perfectly synchronized bladework rating 30. Very narrow grip for most of them, curious.
10:05 [Visitors] Shannon R.C., IRL - Army R.C.
Army has a good crew and build a 2 length lead over Shannon at Remenham. Shannon rates higher and comes a little closer but Army is controlling. Some erratic steering of both nearing the line but no harm either way. Army are wearing camouflage sun caps. Funny perhaps, both effective with the sun already out. Shannon are sponsored by O2 and apparently need a lot of it, panting and not in a hurry to paddle away.
10:10 [Fawley] Tiffin School - Yarm School
Yarm is having a good row and are up by 4 lengths at Remenham. A comfortable lead.
10:15 [Goblets] N.D.V. Henderson & R.B. Morgan - P.N. Daniels & B.G. Williams
A big heat for Harvard against Oxford. All North-Americans: Daniels is from Wisconsin, Williams from Canada. Harvard are having trouble keeping up. They're always behind and Oxford win easily.
10:20 [D Sculls] A.E. Scoon & D.P. Atkins - Z. Hirling & T Varga
Notts County against Hungary, Hirling and Varga are the world champion lightweight double from Gifu. The English club rowers are no match for them.
10:30 [Temple] Oxford Brookes University 'A' - D.S.R. Proteus-Eretes, NED
Brookes' A crew leads Delft by 2 lengths at Fawley in 3min09. Both are rating 35. Delft are fighting back to 1.5 lengths but Brookes doesn't look too worried. No, Delft is even underrating them and can't close further, they're done.
10:35 [PE] Thomas Jefferson H.S., USA - The King's School, Chester
TJeff take a small early lead. At the Barrier in 1min57 they rate 36. At Fawley crews are level in 3min18 both rating 37. Now King's Chester is taking the lead, slowly but steadily increasing, both still rating 37. It's a real race! Exciting stuff in front of the stands, rating goes up again. Chester looks the better crew, nicely timed bladework, imperfect steering though. TJeff are struggling and lose by half a length. Both crews well done and fried.
10:40 [M Quads] Henley R.C. & Tideway Scullers - Australian Inst. of Sport, AUS
Another tight race. Always a slight lead for Henley & Tideway. Finally at the Grandstand Henley draws away, both rating 37. Henley wins by 1.5 lengths.
10:45 [Fawley] Star Club & St. Neots R.C. - Leander Club & Maidenhead R.C.
3min25 to Fawley for this heat of the Fawley. Leander & Maidenhead lead by 1.5 lengths. Three lengths in front of the crowd. Big juniors in the front crew and no problems for them.
10:50 [PR] N.F. Fiechter - H. Boyle
Time at the Barrier 2min38 for Fiechter (from Switzerland but representing Tideway Scullers London) with a 2 length lead over Heather Boyle from Ireland. Fiechter won a U23 silver in the single and is a bit faster than lightweight Boyle. Fiechter maintains her lead to the line. Boyle looks exhausted, and not rail-thin either. Her weigh in was at 10 stone 2, no idea what that is in SI units.
11:00 [Thames] The Tideway Scullers' School - Nottinghamshire County R.A.
Notts County was trailing by a length but reduced it to half a length at the quarter mile. Past Remenham they are rating 37 and 36. Tideway are up to 38, racing to maintain their lead. They do it but not without pushing Notts County all the way to Bucks, almost clashing. Umpire sees no harm in it, people in the press box are calling it disgraceful.
11:05 [Remenham] Furnivall S.C. & Mortlake AA - Univ. College, Dublin, IRL
Time to Fawley 3min08, rating 33, half a length up for Univ. But Furnivall & Mortlake are drawing level at 34. A third of a length advantage for F&M at the mile! Both at 34. Faster and faster past the Grandstand to 37, a win for F&M by 3/4 of a length. They are very happy and give a jolly, if not quite synchronized, cheer.
11:10 [M Quads] Rebecca - University of London 'A'
Univ of London are much faster than Rebecca. Nice sculling by London, but we will have to wait and see how they keep it up at 36 instead of 25.
11:20 [Diamonds] W.P.J. Hoodless - J.L. Aguirre Barco
Hoodless from Upper Thames has no international career at all but he's outsculling Aguirre from Spain for the moment. Half a length nearing the stands, both at 35. He's increasing his lead, it looks as though Aguirre is giving up. Three lengths on the line.
12:00 [Ladies] Stanford University, USA - Harvard University, USA
I'm off to the umpire's launch for race no. 36, Harvard against Stanford. Taking the camera with me for the clash of the titans (and hopefully some nice shots underware. I mean underway.)
Another passenger in the launch, Nick from Harvard, tells me how Stanford beat the national champions at the start of the season, then had some problems with a fresher deemed 2nd year rower but not accepted as such, and how they hardly raced in the 2nd half of the season. Were they doing nothing but secret training camps?! Nick hopes not, he's clearly not overly confident.
We arrive at the start when the crews are aligning. They look up because a helicopter is landing in a field nearby. Who will all their nerves at the go? The umpire uses a long pause between attention and go in his example start, but no pause for the real thing. It catches Stanford by surprise, their first stroke is slow to follow and Harvard has the advantage. It nearly goes all wrong when Stanford veeres off towards Harvard on Bucks. The umpire is yelling: "Stanford! Stan-ford!!" Harvard avoids a nearing clash of the blades by moving over, which of course they shouldn't have to. Although Stanford does not cross the centre line, Harvard giving way a little could well have saved them a disqualification.
When Stanford is back on Berks they start to pull away immediately. The better start didn't help Harvard at all and Stanford establishes an early lead. Both crews are rating around 35 but Stanford just has more speed. At the Barrier they left Harvard behind at a distinct 1 1/4 length, time is 1min51. From that point on Stanford is easing into a 35, 34 rythm while Harvard keeps it up at 36. They are desperate to close in but Stanford just doesn't let them. The difference remains the same throughout the rest of the course. Harvard is keeping good form and never lose it or let up (let up?! The crimson gods forbid!), Stanford seems to be controlling, not cruising per se but still dropping to 33 in front of the Grandstand. Harvard's sprint at 37 doesn't bring them closer, verdict is 1 1/4 length.
The race didn't live up to its hype perhaps, but I guess Stanford did. Will Princeton become their next victim?
Secret training camps are sooo unfair!
BREAK
5:00 [PE] St. Paul's School - Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury win convincingly, 2 lengths.
5:10 [Fawley] Henley R.C. & Oxford Brookes - Marlow R.C. 'B'
Henley & Brookes lead by 3.5 lengths at Remenham. Quite comfortably, but they're rating the same as Marlow: 33. After that, they decide it's enough and drop to 31. They still increase the lead to 5 lengths. That'll be 'easily' and I'm quickly fetching a bottle of water before the next race. Henley's bow should put his blades in better. Ah well, he won.
5:20 [Remenham] Cambridge University - Hollandia Roeiclub, NED
Unfortunately, the Dutch eight has "damaged their boat", so the race gets postponed to 7pm.
5:30 [Diamonds] C.M. Palmer - G.C.S. Smith
Palmer reaches Fawley first, in 4min09 with a 3 lengths advantage. He's taking it easy at 30 and steering left and right. He should be sensible and row safe. At Remenham, Palmer still in front by 2.5 or 3 lengths. Reaching Stewards', Palmer is once again moving to the centre of the course. Sculling at 27, he was never in doubt but still looks like he had a good work-out. A nice 7min interval at 85%.
5:40 [Wyfold] Thames R.C. 'A' - Belfast R.C. 'A'
Thames already lead by one length at the end of the island. That doesn't bode well for Belfast. Time to the Barrier: 2min for Thames, 3.5 lengths up. Still drawing away and rating higher than Belfast, 36 vs. 33, Thames pass Fawley at 3min24. Finally, near Remenham, Thames drop to 30 and are happy to consolidate the lead. Belfast have some difficulty steering but no matter, Thames win it easily. They do look an athletic bunch, Belfast. Perhaps they should try triathlons or something.
5:50 [Britannia] Marlow R.C. - York City R.C.
Marlow has a slight lead off the start, increasing to 1/4 length at the 1/4 mile. However at the barrier York has taken over the lead! Already 3/4 length at the half mile. That's a quick turnaround. The true leader has emerged it seems, at Fawley they have 1 1/4 length, time 3min32. Passing Remenham, lead is unchanged. York keeps working and working, both seem equally exhausted after the line where Marlow is 3 lengths behind.
6:00 [PE] Belmont Hill School, USA - St Ignatius College Prep., USA
St Ignatius has a canvas at the end of the island, rating 42. As reigning US junior champs (or school champs? the commentator calls it "youth champions") they should be the favourites. At the Barrier Belmont is 1/2 length behind, both are rating 34/35. At the quarter mile a step up in rate has led to an increased lead of 1 length for St Ignatius. Some erratic steering by Belmont in front of the grandstand doesn't help them. St Ignatius could go faster if they should choose to catch a bit quicker. For today, it's enough.
6:10 [PR] M.H. Pauls - L.D. Norris
You're a woman, you're racing at Henley (the proper one) in a women's open event and still there's no mercy: you have to weigh in and it's on the daily programme listing! Pauls from Imperial: 9 stone 7, Norris from Mortlake A&A: 10 stone 13. I have no idea what that means. In the mean time, the lighter one has a comfortable lead of 6 lengths passing Remenham Club. She rows like a man, strong strokes with a good acceleration at rate 27, looks like a lady and wins easily.
6:20 [Fawley] Sydney R.C. & Mosman R.C., AUS - Walton R.C. & Glasgow R.C.
The favourites do it. They weigh a stone more on average and I have to wonder what they put in the Ozzie porridge.
6:30 [Diamonds] G.J. van der Linden - T.H. Graves
At the quarter mile, Dutchman Van der Linden leads by 3/4 length rating 35, Graves from Bantam BC rates 33. Barrier time 2min25 for Holland, up 1/2 length. Graves reduces it to 1/4 length at Remenham farm! But he is rating higher, let's see if Van der Linden has a gear left. He has, up to 33, he reaches Fawley in 4min07 and leads by 1/2 length. But Graves has something left as well, they've drawn level! Exciting. Van der Linden thinks otherwise, leads by a 1 1/4 length all of a sudden at the mile. He seems to be in control, somehow. At the progress board near the finish line he looks back and decides to do a little sprint, going from 31 to 35. wins it by a length.
6:40 [PG] Leander & Mortlake Anglian&Alpha - Mortlake Anglian&Alpha
Mortlake A&A decided the combination had a better chance if they didn't have to race today, so withdrew their club boat. Hey, it could have happened that way. Row over for Leander & MAA.
6:50 [Wyfold] Leander Club - London R.C. 'B'
Leander have a 3.5 lengths lead at Fawley both rating around 34. Passing the Regatta Enclosure they're dropping it (ya know, the rate) to 29 and have a comfortable lead. No problems. Leander looks nasty with a couple huge blokes with shaven heads sitting at midships.
7:00 [Remenham] Cambridge University - Hollandia Roeiclub, NED
Postponed from 5:20. This is the Dutch eight that will also start in Lucerne. Not sure whether there will be more seat shuffling between that and Worlds. Actually there are 10 Dutch girls in this race, miss Kingma from the Cambridge Blue Boat hales from Leyden. No advantage for either crew in the start: level at the island. However at the Barrier Hollandia leads by 1/3 length, in 2min09. They're rating 36 now vs. 34 for Cambridge and lead by just over a length. The lead is increasing further to 1 1/2 at Fawley, time 3min34. Past Remenham Hollandia rates 32 and is 2 1/2 lengths up on Cambridge who are rating 34. Hollandia wins easily in 7min24. If they want to go faster, they need to be a bit more direct in the catch.
That concludes racing for the day. Perhaps I'll go mingle now, with my freshly acquired Stewards' badge. I'm lazy and thirsty so no more walking over to Remenham for me. Sorry Chris, sorry Liz. Cheers!
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|