It’s hard to believe that it has been only 8 weeks since the novices first took to the ergs and the water. The term has indeed flown! The Fairbairn Cup  marks the end of the novice term, as our new recruits competed in their first time trail over a distance of 2.7km.

Last Thursday saw both NW1 and NW2 racing. Despite the cold and the spitting rain both crews did exceedingly well. NW1 came 13th (with a time of 12.12.1) whilst NW2 came 33rd (with a time of 13.13.0) out of 57 boats, including some school crews fromLeys School and St Mary’s. The crews really did hold their own, powering on right to the end of the course. This was, by far, the longest piece of consistent high intensity rowing they have done all term and can be very proud of their achievements. They had indeed set the bar very high for the Seniors, who were competing the following day.

On Friday, the Seniors raced a distance of 4.3km, which was the longest most of us had ever raced. As Michaelmas term is mainly focused on the novices, there are very few races for seniors, and so all training for the term had been directed towards this particular race. It definitely paid off though…we came 7th out of 33 boats, with a time of 17.35, which is the highest any Lucy/Hughes crew has come.

The hard work of Seniors and Novices alike has truly been reflected in their achievements, and all bodes exceptionally well for next term, and especially Lent Bumps.