Venue: Holme Pierrepoint | Date: 17/05/15
The crew of the IM3 4+, finished 1st place:
1: J Webber, 2: J Ord, 3: Y Shakespeare, 4: B Chrichard, Coxswain: P Brailey
The crew of the Novice 4+, finished 1st place:
1: J Spink, 2: B Corkery, 3: R Stirling, M Worthington, Coxswain: P Brailey
Following the great performances from the 8s at Nottingham City Regatta the 8 was broken down into two fours, one at IM3 and one at novice. The IM3 boat welcomed back Yiana Shakespeare, fresh from his IM2 2- victory for Nottingham University the day before.
The IM3 crew were up first and after a promising practice start confidence was high in the boat. Following a short delay from the preceding race where crews were struggling to get attached in the wind the race got under way. The guys made the decision to go for power over style and sat at a comfortable 32 strokes a minute for the duration of the race. With their lead over Cambridge 99 at seven seconds at the halfway point all they had to do was hang on and the race was theirs. They managed to finish nine seconds ahead of Cambridge 99 followed by Wallingford, Reading, Devils Elbow and Welbeck College.
As soon as the victorious crew landed the boat was lifted out and over to the boating stage where it was manned by the novice crew. This race saw the Exeter boys get off to a more tentative start but confidence grew with every stroke. Their slender two second lead at the halfway mark over Newark was extended to nine seconds at the finish. An extraordinary achievement when the stroke man made the call with 250m to go that the steering cable had broken. The boys kept their heads, kept it straight and took their maiden victory followed by Newark, Milton Keynes and Putney Town.
Two fours, two races, two win, one eight. A good days racing by all.
If you are reading this article and you fancy having a go at rowing, we are always welcoming new members. Come down to the club and ask for Paul Wilson. Check out the Clubs Facebook page for more information on the club and activities, click the link in the footer of the website.
Author: Abby Bartram