Race Report 2008

Persistence: The Lightweight Boat Race

Nephthys 2008 after racing

Easter Sunday saw the Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club defeat their rivals from Cambridge for the 7th year in a row at the Henley Boat Races. Nephthys, the reserves crew, also retain their trophy (for the 5th consecutive year), although Cambridge's decision not to field an opposition made this result a foregone conclusion. It is the second year that CULRC have elected not to field their reserves' boat, Granta. As frustrating as this was for Nephthys, sympathy must lie at least as much with the crew that CULRC dropped from their squad shortly before the Lent Bumps.

Nephthys 2008 row over

As a result Nephthys opened the day's racing by rowing over the course unopposed. A symbolic event yes, but symbolic of the attitude that has developed in the past decade at OULRC: with several members of each year's Blue Boat being ex-Nephthys and the reserves being a successful crew in their own right, it is clear that the depth of the club and its commitment to developing oarsmen is effective. The Club's intake ranges from students with no more than a few terms rowing experience to ex-junior internationals, but predominantly consists of college rowers and returning members of previous years' crews. OULRC is unique as it is accessible to most oarsmen in the University but still produces exceptional athletes: for instance Paul Mattick, who would present the trophies that afternoon, went on from stroking Nephthys in 2003 to win the gold at the World Championships with Great Britain's lightweight coxless four last year.

As they rowed over Nephthys encountered the ferocious conditions caused by strong headwinds against the stream: water that would be called bad even down on the Tideway and hardly conducive to lightweight rowing, which, lacking the shear force available to a heavyweight eight, is build around finesse and technique; rowing well and rowing fast. The conditions only grew worse as the afternoon progressed to the Blue Boats' race.

The Blue Boat 2008 after the start

Having won the toss Cambridge elected to race on the Berkshire station. Off the start waves striking the riggers shattered into columns of spray high enough to envelope a man. The light blue boat inched away. In those conditions, however, it's about keeping the crew rowing together for the whole race, once a crew looses its composure the boat will slow dramatically, and with an average weight of 70kg per crew, one can only restart a slow moving boat so many times.

Still the inches grew, the light blues seemingly the more composed crew: by the the 500 meter mark their advantage had grown past half a length. Were the dark blues suffering worse water or, more worryingly, suffering worse from it? Standing with the two Oxford coaches and Paul Mattick on the umpire's launch the atmosphere began to change as the margin became two thirds of a length: confidence became faith.

The Blue Boat 2008 pull away from Cambridge

The faith was honored: by Fawley (about a kilometer in) the dark blues were doing what they do best - winning boat races. It was not a matter of faith in the boat. Confidence. Brutal, unforgiving and unrelenting confidence. Seat by seat the Oxford crew drew level. Seat by seat the Cambridge crew realised what they faced: defeat. But that's what racing is about; it's binary. All you can do is your best - there's no hiding, no argument, just the result. The race is won and lost in the weeks and months before hand, it's won by making sure that you do all you can to put the result beyond question, and it's lost by someone else doing that better... then you do it all again next time.

Blue Boat 2008 after racing

Towards the far end of the course Colin Groshong, Oxford's coxswain, moved the crew from the fastest flowing water and towards the comparative shelter of the Buckinghamshire bank, and with Oxford in front there was no stopping them: having fought back into the lead they put the result beyond doubt, stretching out their advantage to two and a half lengths to win in a time of 6 minutes and 15 seconds.

In the words of the commentator: "Oxford look absolutely shattered but very happy. Cambridge look equally shattered but less happy." (The race was filmed and can be seen on sportuk.tv) Then, in perfect sympathy with the mood, the wind died and the sun shone down on Henley. Here's to next year then...

Blue Boat Crew List
Bradley Hull (St Cross)
Simon Janes (Green)
Andrew McGrath (Balliol)
William Canestaro (Exeter)
Tom Harvey (Keble)
Bodo Schulenburg (Lincoln)
Henry Sheldon (Trinity)
Benjamin Harrop-Griffiths (Magdalen)
Cox. Colin Groshong (St Catz)

Nephthys Crew List
Matthew Phipps (New)
Lewis Roberts (Queens)
Jean-Baptiste Clement (St Annes)
Oliver Whitby (New)
Nikola Casule (Balliol)
Ross Harman (St Annes)
James Hacker (LMH)
Mike Struele (Teddy Hall)
Cox. Zhan Su (Balliol)

Official Results
Oxford beat Cambridge by 2 1/2 lengths in a time of 6.15
Nephthys rowed over to win in a time of 6.29
 

Posted at 19:25 on 29/05/2008