OUBC fixture and the Boustead Cup

Thames race Oxford

For the first time in about 30 years, Thames Rowing Club took on a Blue Boat, showing how far the men’s programme has come in recent years.

The fixture was a series of three races. In the first, the Boat Race start to Harrods, OUBC took a few seats on the start. Around the Fulham bend, with TRC on the outside, we were reeling them back at a lower rate but failed to deal with the increasingly rough water welost the momentum allowing OUBC to slip through and win the piece by one length at Harrods.

The less said about the second piece the better, as OUBC romped home from the Eyot to Barnes Bridge. However the crew rallied for the final piece from the crossing to the finish line. Although on the inside, they had several seats coming out of the bridge before running out of puff, allowing OUBC to move through and win by almost a length.

Despite not managing to get over the line first, we nevertheless gave them a race and the results show how far we have come having been schooled by Isis just a few years ago.

The Boustead Cup

The day after the OUBC race, the 2nd 8 stepped up to become the 1st 8 for the day and raced London Rowing Club’s top crew in the annual fixture against our old rivals. For the first five minutes the crews were locked in battle with Thames on the outside of the Barnes bend a few seats down.

However the bend unwound, the head wind kicked in and by the RNLI station the Thames 2nd 8 had broken clear. Not bad given the 6 man was subbed out ill just 10 minutes before boating and a rather tired-legged member of the 1st 8 joined the fray.

The 3rd and 4th 8s also raced ‘up’ and ran out clear winners in both races though had to work hard through to the Barnes crossing to get clear.

In what we think is a first, there was finally a women’s race after London fielded a novice women’s crew to face our own. In a shortened course from the bandstand the start was fiercely-contested with a couple of clashes before Thames found their rhythm and moved inexorably out to the biggest winning margin of the way.

We did not have the day all our own way, with the vets defeated by a strong LRC crew.

After the women’s 1st and 2nd 8s bested Tideway Scullers 3-1 last weekend, it has been a good two weekends’ racing and excellent preparation for WEHORR and HORR.