No messing round today.
The boathouse was a much calmer place than yesterday; we know now that we have the strength to stay ahead, and that if we could just stay calm then Newnham could really be in some trouble. However we also knew that Catz were ahead of Newnham, giving them a fairly easy target, and that Pembroke would be gunning for us following the messy row yesterday. We would be ready for them!
Our lovely cox Christina was unfortunately absent, so Chloe was very kindly subbing for us; she kept us controlled and focussed on the row up. This wasn’t quite as tidy as it had been the day before, but we felt strong and together, and the two practice starts went fairly smoothly.
Waiting at our station the atmosphere was noticeably calmer than the day before; our pre-row speech from Mark was all about keeping cool and getting settled. He had hardly finished speaking before the 1 minute canon sounded, and before we knew it we were off!
Pembroke started stronger than yesterday, having watched us fall apart the day before, they were hoping for an early bump. Their bank party gave some overly optimistic whistles, but we were far calmer and in control; the rate had settled to a steady 35, and there was no way we were letting Pembroke touch us. Before long they were fading back into the distance; they clearly pushed too hard too soon, and we weren’t so easily caught.
Newnham bumped out Catz ahead as predicted, and Queens bumped Cauis ahead of them, so there was nothing to aim for. However we had learnt from the mistakes of the day before, and kept pushing Pembroke away right to the end, finishing with around 4 lengths between us. Compared with the scrappy row yesterday, it felt like a victory!
We’re getting the experience and learning from our mistakes. Catz had better watch their backs!
Harriet Alford, 6