Cambridge Trial 8’s Race Report

Trial 8’s is used as an opportunity for boat race athletes to test the waters of the tideway in a 1 vs 1 as a preliminary test before taking on any external competition. It is also an opportunity for coaches to assess how well their athletes cope with the pressure and conditions of the tideway, similar to the final race in March against their rivals. Today proved to be a standout test with fierce winds, stream, and wash to deal with, significantly hindering the abilities of some of the top athletes in the country, with gusts clocking in at upwards of 26mph.

Women's Lightweight

The Lightweight Women's race culminated in a victory for team Nala with a stoppage at halfway to even the boats, providing a better racing experience for the athletes and coxes as well as to bail out the boats which had taken on considerable water from the waves. As the first crew to test out the tough conditions, racing was perhaps slightly tentative to maintain safety.

Women's Open Weight

The openweight women were the second to race. Boating out into vicious conditions and trying to make the most of the situation. Club President Jenna Armstrong was in team Sarabi and her opponents were team Mufasa. The bumpy start to Hammersmith Bridge caused significant problems for both crews with waves billowing over the sides of the hull in “the worst [conditions] they have raced in on the tideway”. Once both crews had passed Craven Cottage and made their way towards Hammersmith Bridge, team Mufasa began to take the lead and made the most of the better conditions whilst team Sarabi seemed more lethargic after overworking in the waves. Mufasa built on this lead gently through the rest of the course with some skilled steering from Hannah Murphy (Mufasa cox) keeping her crew in the clean water allowing them to row more comfortably. Mufasa ended with a 2.5 length lead taking the win in what was a “pretty fun race” says team President Jenna Armstrong despite not being in the winning crew and she was “really pleased with the result”.

Lightweight Men

The Lightweight men's race was over before it had begun with one of the crews taking on enough water to partially sink the hull no more than 300m into the course. Nobody was harmed and the crews made it back to safety.

Men's Open-Weight

The men's boats were named Zoolander and Hansel with club president Seb Benzecry in the latter. To avoid another sunken boat, the men's open race was started past Craven Cottage around 800m into the course. This meant starting in more gentle conditions and prettier rowing from both teams. Both crews were rowing very cleanly through the whole race meaning that the winning crew Zoolander won through a culmination of both a technical and precise line from cox Ed Bracey paired with a higher power output from his crew. Team Zoolander took a relatively early lead and sat just ahead of Hansel for the remainder of the race resulting in a 2.5-length final verdict. Club President Seb was in the runner-up boat but was happy to see “everyone stay composed and react well to the tough conditions”.

Summary

All crews had a tough opening to their season with tricky conditions. This can be seen as an important lesson for both the coxes and the athletes who will now be able to return to Ely with this experience and nail the basics so when they come back to the tideway to race in the new year they can attack it with a new purpose. If they use this opportunity well, they will be prepared for similar conditions and familiarity and strategy can make or break a boat race as has been seen countless times.