Categories
Torpids 2016

Men’s Report 2021

New year, new challenges! After the past academic year of rowing was not less than drowned in an endless drizzle, new developments – apparently, there was some kind of virus going around – should see the new rain-induced creativity in our training schedule to be carried over to 20/21. However, the motivation to enjoy the water-time whenever restrictions would allow it may have been higher than ever: The combination of a great amount of experience remaining in the club well mixed with new energy from the novice ranks it turned out to be a fantastic year for rowing in Merton, which is best summed up by sheer excellent performances in Summer torpids.

As customary in Michaelmas term, we focused on those Mertonians new to the college or who are taking a new interest in the sport altogether. Many appreciated the companionship, structure and beautiful sunrises which accompany rowing in an otherwise isolating and chaotic start into the term. And so, it was not twenty, not thirty – but sixty Novices between the women’s and men’s side who gave rowing a go.

Given the precious opportunity of outdoor activities during that time, every effort was made by our novice captains and many additional helpers to safely run a relentless program that saw up to five boats out on a single day and a record-breaking total of 22 confirmed training sessions in week 2.

The initial euphory was soon dampened by what should soon be known as “the second wave” of Covid cases flooding the UK and Oxford, halting all in-person training for Hilary term. Furthermore, cancellations of all novice regattas or Torpids meant that, once more, the experience of an actual boat race was delayed into the foreseeable future. Making the best of the situation (…after all, if there has to be a period without actual outdoor rowing, what better time than the coldest and darkest of the year…), training buddy-ups, regular online circuit-exercises, a virtual training camp and theoretical sessions built the bridge to keep us going over the winter.

With spring it came: Rowing was back and there was “some sort of summer bumps event” in the pipeline. After all, Trinity would be the term to remember. Training back in full force, M1 chopped away the miles at Godstow while M2 found its mojo on the Isis stretch. The Isis Summer League races gave many of us our first race experience as both crews zipped down the Isis in anticipation of the rowing year highlight: Summer Torpids!

In a week of nothing but sunshine, M1 fiercely continued our campaign up the Torpid charts, bumping up the first three days and just about missing Univ M1 on day 4 thus bringing us within reach of division 1. Meanwhile, M2, having seen how it’s done, went to make a statement themselves and won blades despite having to repeatedly bump a boat three places ahead. With all this new energy, it will be exciting to see what the next year is going to deliver.

Paul Zimmer-Harwood, Men’s co-captain 2020-21

Categories
Committee Oxford Social Training

Men’s Report 2019

Annual report 2018-19 – Men’s squad

The rowing year began for the men’s side with the senior squad training towards the Fairbairn Cup on the river Cam and the novices training towards Christ Church Regatta. Our Fairbairn crew would finish in a respectable 14th place and the first novice crew was unlucky to be knocked out in the thirdround. The success of the novice programme under the leadership of Ty Rallens (Kellogg, 2012) was evident from the fact that by the middle of Michaelmas a handful of novices were regularly joining senior squad outings, and two would join the First Torpid in Hilary term.

In Hilary term, the men’s squad ran a system of matched eights, with the rowers in competition for the first and second eights training together and entering all three Isis Winter Leagues. Strong results from both crews were early evidence that this would be a successful year. Despite the disappointment of qualifying only two men’s crews for Torpids, the bumps campaign would turn out to be an unprecedented success, with both crews bumping every day to win blades. This is the first time in MCBC history that the First and Second Torpids have won blades in the same year, leaving the First Torpid on bungline six in Division 2 and the Second Torpid on bungline two in Division 5.

At the end of Hilary term, the first boat entered the Head of the River Race for the second year running, this time placing 114th in a time of 19 minutes and 40 seconds. Notably Merton was the fastest of 24 Oxbridge college crews racing that day, besting Trinity, Balliol and Brasenose as well as a host of Cambridge first division crews.

Over the Easter vac, we returned to the Amstel for our second annual training camp. Generous support from College and from our host club Willem III made for an extremely productive week’s training and set up our Trinity term well.

For only the second time in the last 20 years, Merton fielded four men’s crews in Summer Eights, a real achievement that highlights the depth of the club. Overall results were mixed during Eights Week. The Second Eight fell two places, having lost two of their most experienced rowers from Torpids to academic commitments, but put on a sterling performance on Saturday to close on Wolfson II before a klaxon cut the race short.

The First Eight had a disappointing Wednesday of racing, narrowly missing out on catching Mansfield after tactical errors, a crab in the Gut and a klaxon which stopped the division when Mansfield was a mere canvas away. The crew showed real discipline by regrouping to come back and bump Mansfield with composure on Thursday, and caught Worcester in a mere 21 strokes on Friday. The First Eight rounded off the week with a bump on Hertford in the Gut to finish up three places and leave the crew within sight of the first division.

Since the end of Summer Eights the first boat has continued training hard and will attempt to qualify for the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta on 28 June.

Written by Dylan Gutt (2017)
Men’s Rowing Captain 2018-19

Categories
Committee Oxford Social Training

Women’s Report 2019

Annual report 2018-19 – Women’s squad

It has been yet another great year for women’s rowing at Merton. Even before the start of the year we came across the excellent opportunity to be sponsored by Swift Racing. We had the pleasure of rowing in one of its Elite shells for the duration of the year, which undoubtedly contributed significantly to the success of the women this year.

While our returning rowers trained in their superb shell at Godstow, the freshly recruited novices were learning all about rowing through our extremely successful novice programme. At Christ Church Regatta, the women’s novice first boat finished fourth overall, marking three consecutive years of Merton women finishing in the top four. The keenest
of the novices joined a few of the seniors to compete in Fairbairn Regatta in Cambridge at the end of term, which proved a valuable experience for the whole crew.

In Hilary, W1 put up great performances in the Isis Winter Leagues, catching the eye of many on the river. W2 persevered through some cancelled outings and saw great improvements throughout term. After being tied with St Benet’s for the last qualifying spot in Torpids, and because
of poor availability for the races, W2 formed an unofficial composite crew with St Benet’s competing as the first-ever St Benet’s Women’s First Torpid. ‘Benerton’ ended their Torpids campaign winning footship spoons, but having had great fun racing together. W1 had a hopeful start to the campaign with a bump on the first day, but a series of unfortunate races left them on -5 at the end of the week.

During the Easter vacation the squad returned to Amsterdam after last year’s training camp’s success. Training three times a day for a week, it was a great way to build up momentum for the start of term and the Eights campaign, and the squad developed together very rapidly.

W1 came back even more fierce and competitive than before. Training at Godstow five times a week, it was clear they were getting ready for a successful Summer Eights. On the Isis, W2 was also training enthusiastically despite sometimes struggling to fill all the seats. In a testament to the depth
of Merton women’s rowing, 15 Merton students and alumni rowed with W2 throughout Eights Week. The crew finished the week on -3, after a klaxon on the first day as they were a few strokes away from a bump put an end to what could perhaps have been a very different campaign.

However, the dedication of W1 really did pay off with the historic results they obtained. After six years of not bumping once, W1 went on to bump a record-setting five times over the course of the week, winning blades for the first time since 1999 for a Merton women’s first boat. It was the best way possible to end a fantastic season of women’s rowing at Merton.

Thanks must be given to the incredibly hard-working MCBC committee, as well as our coaches Ian Smith, Stan Billington and Daniel Sadler. I am very excited to see what the future holds for Merton women, and I wish Sanne Van Den Berg (2018) the very best for her captaincy.

Written by Matilde Soares da Silva (2017)
Women’s Rowing Captain 2018-19

Categories
Torpids 2016

Men’s Report 2018

Annual report 2017-18 – Men’s squad

The 2017-18 season has seen Merton’s men’s side reaffirm itself on the river as a force to be reckoned with.

Starting the year with a large intake of novice rowers, several talented new coxes and a varied group of returning rowers, it quickly became apparent that we had the potential for a successful year. The arrival of a new men’s coach and the opening of a brand new erg room in the Sports Pavilion gave us the impetus to train hard both on and off the water. Although our Christ Church Regatta novices, despite some exciting and hard-fought races, did not get as far as they had hoped, the development squad obtained promising results at a number of smaller races on the Isis.

With M1 and M2 crews selected early on in Hilary term, and a keen M3 coming together as well, the squad continued to progress week after week despite the cold mornings and sometimes challenging river conditions. The arrival of a gorgeous Fillippi F42 shell and a brand new coaching launch – acquired through generous donations from our American friends and alumni – gave the squad an extra edge going into the final stages of preparation for Torpids. Unfortunately, our ambitious plans could not be fully carried out because the exceptionally cold weather caused several race days to be cancelled. Still, M1 kept its place in Division 2 despite a very strong Exeter coming up from behind; M2 bumped in less than 20 strokes on day 1 and would surely have got blades had it been able to race; and M3 also swiftly bumped on day 1 after achieving the fastest finish time at Rowing On.

In preparation for Summer Eights, a group of men’s rowers travelled to Amsterdam for an Easter training camp. Spending a week rowing on the beautiful Amstel River, cycling through the city centre, and sleeping on a cosy sailing ship wasn’t only incredibly fun, but it also had an immediate effect on the quality of rowing in the squad. Coming back to a newly refurbished Harry Quick shell at the start of Trinity term, M2 was able to make the most of its training on the Isis, while M1 continued to perfect its technique at Godstow. With three men’s crews entered for Summer Eights, including an M3 containing several recent alumni, our hopes for success were high…

Unfortunately, the first day took away the possibility of blades for either crew: M3 was caught in the Gut by a strong Corpus M2, M1 saw its competitors bumping out and had to creatively manoeuvre its way to a row over, and M2 suffered a spectacular crash under Donny Bridge, sending shockwaves around social media. Nevertheless, Merton showed its resilience and determination from here onwards. On every one of the following days, both M1 and M2 bumped before the green banks, finishing in the middle of the second and fourth divisions respectively. Meanwhile, M3 vigorously defended its place at the top of the last division, claiming a bump on day 2. With a net score of +3, it is safe to say that it was a successful Summer Eights for MCBC.

Over the course of the year, the Boat Club also achieved notable results further downstream of the Isis stretch, participating in a number of external regattas. Last summer, a Merton delegation won BR points at both Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta and at Maidenhead Regatta. In Michaelmas, a men’s four competed in Cambridge’s Fairbairn Cup, clocking the fastest time among all Oxford colleges. Last but not least, a men’s eight participated in the Head of the River Race on the Tideway, where it overtook five crews and finished 119th, our highest place in recent history.

Overall, this year’s achievements are testament to the depth and enthusiasm we currently have in MCBC’s men’s squad. With Dylan Gutt (2017) and Mantas Abazorius (2013) taking over as captains next year, we can be certain that the Boat Club will continue to go from strength to strength!

Categories
Committee Oxford Social Training

Women’s Report 2018

Annual report 2017-18 – Women’s squad

The strength of the Merton women’s squad continues to grow year on year. Michaelmas saw a lucky windfall of keen novice rowers who have proved very enthusiastic members of the boat club. Through their hard work, and the support of senior rowers and our coach, who committed themselves to running a demanding novice training programme, the women’s novice boat finished fourth in Christchurch Regatta, continuing a solid run after last year’s victory. With this behind them, it looked to be an exciting year for women’s rowing, with the development squad making progress on the water at Godstow. At the end of the term, four of the dev squad made the trip to Cambridge to compete in the Fairbairn Cup, a long 3.4km race down the Cam.

It was testament to the commitment of the squad and the invaluable help of committee members that we were able to make it through a tough Hilary term, during which bad weather and illness cancelled weeks’ worth of outings. Come Torpids, however, W1 and W2 were looking impressive, putting in some very decent performances during that term’s Isis Winter League races. Indeed, so much so, that the local rumour mills put W1 on ‘blades watch’ for Torpids. Sadly, it was not to be, as bitter cold, wind and snow cancelled racing on the second and third days of racing, leaving the crew heartily disappointed. An unfortunate race left W2 with one bump on the first day, but W1 were at least proud to come away with bumps on Queen’s and Wadham II.

On such a trajectory, it was fantastic to be able to keep up the momentum among the squad on the first training camp that Merton has seen in a number of years. Travelling to Amsterdam, eight rowers and a cox were worked hard with three outings a day for five days on the gorgeous Amstel river. Such an opportunity to row together, with fresh coaching in a new environment, meant the crew developed well together ahead of the Eights campaign.

Trinity rowing saw W1 return to Godstow and, alongside the gleaming new launch, dedicate themselves to five outings a week. Another run of illness saw the crew cycle through rowers at an alarming rate, finally finding a crew the weekend before Summer Eights began. The infamous four-year spoons streak loomed large over the crew, but they were quietly confident having made great improvements in technique all term. Impressive commitment from all ensured that W1 did indeed break with tradition, finishing the week on -3 (rather than -4) thanks to a lucky escape from St Anthony’s on the second day, as they took a course into the bank in the Gut. If that wasn’t enough cause for celebration, W2 put in an even stronger show. Having struggled to put together a crew for outings all term, they rowed remarkably well to bump Green Templeton III, Somerville III and Pembroke IV.

It has been a pleasure to see Merton women’s rowing continue to progress and we look forward to another exciting season next year. Thanks should definitely go to the whole MCBC committee for their work and especially to our coach, Ian Smith. Matilde Soares da Silva (2017) has proven an exceptionally committed member of the squad and as the incoming captain I’m sure she’ll do great things for the women’s side.

Categories
Oxford Training

Seeking Coach!

Seeking new coach

Merton College Boat Club are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious Men’s coach for the coming academic year. Competitive pay available, all applications welcome. Trial outings will be held on the Isis in the next two weeks.

MCBC is proud to have a newly refurbished Men’s 1st shell, a brand new launch, and a recently opened erg room to its disposition this year. With an ambitious Men’s squad eager to continue climbing in the bumps charts, and planning to enter several external regattas throughout the year, we are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced individual to help us reach our full potential.

Initially coaching the men’s Dev squad in Michaelmas term (12-16 people), you would transition towards coaching the Men’s 1st VIII in Hilary and Trinity term.

Your responsibilities: 

  • Help design and oversee an exciting and challenging training programme with weekly water sessions, erg sessions, and circuits.
  • Be available to coach up to 5 outings per week including up to 4 early morning sessions at Godstow.
  • Together with the Men’s captains, select crews for Torpids and Summer Eights.
  • Bank ride your crew at each of those regattas.
  • Ideally, be available for a 5-day external training camp in April.

Competitive pay available, all applications welcome. Trial outings will be held on the Isis in the next two weeks.

Get in touch with Samuel Picard, Men’s Captain 2017-18 (samuel.picard@merton.ox.ac.uk)

Categories
Bumps Oxford

Summer Eights 2016

Successful Summer Eights!

2016_EightsM1Sat

Merton crews have had a highly successful Eights campaign, including blades for the Men’s 1st VIII (the first since 1999)! This follows a year in which the Men’s side of Merton College Boat Club in particular has benefited from excellent coaching under Ian Smith and has been able to build on successes earlier in Michaelmas and then during Torpids. The rowers were ably supported by large crowds, particularly on Saturday, when Warden, Dean, and Chaplain, as well as numerous other fellows, were at the boathouse.

Saturday of Eights Week was rounded off with the annual Eights Dinner, this year featuring a naming ceremony for the latest edition to the Merton fleet. .

W1

The Women’s side of the Boat Club has had another challenging year on the water. W1 started at 5th in Div.2, but were chased by a series of high quality, experienced and much more powerful crews. They were bumped by Trinity, St. Anne’s, and Mansfield on the first three days, though showed considerable composure and determination in the face of difficult odds. On Saturday, the crew were chased hard by a good Catz outfit and unfortunately had to concede spoons. However, as coach Ian Smith said at the dinner, the women have improved rapidly this year and are still high on the river. There is a good group of your members who will be able to compete for another two years and next year will hopefully bring some good new recruits. .

[Bumped by: Trinity, St Anne’s, Mansfield, St Catz]

Overall summary for this years Summer Eights (women’s crew):

W1: -1/-1/-1/-1
Start: 5th Div II
Finish: 9th Div II
W
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
1st Eight
Dan Whittle
Caitlin Armstrong
Anna Stepashova
Kailan Sierra-Davison
Rebecca Hardy
Alice Love-Twelves
Verena Schenzinger
Josie Smith
Sinead Duffy

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

M1

With only one change from a crew which was disappointed after Torpids (+1 overall), the M1 made sure to capitalise on its good starting position at 6th in Div.3. The four days proceeded relatively simply, with strong bumps on New II, Christ Church II and Corpus Christi on the first three days of racing. The only notable drama was cox Toby Adkins’s Hollywood-style ‘abandon ship’ during a series of tangles on Thursday. The race was klaxoned, but thankfully Merton had already secured the bump. While M1 had to row slightly more than half the course on Friday when bumping Corpus Christi along Greenbank, they were left chasing a flagging St. Peter’s crew on Saturday, which they closed down on just out of the Gut.

[Bumped: New II, Christ Church II, Corpus Christi, St. Peter’s]

M2
2016_EightsM2Sat

M2 secured Merton’s first blades since 2011 at Torpids and were able to keep most of their crew together for Eights – the notable changes being former M1 stroke Alex Moore joining the crew and cox Henrik Hannemann leaving to row with M1. Despite a late substitution, they continued exactly as they left off, rowing over at the top of Div 5 before bumping St. Hilda’s on Wednesday and St. John’s II on Thursday. Unfortunately, they were denied another shot at blades on Friday, as Green Templeton bumped out in front before Merton could catch them. Nonetheless, M2 made significant inroads into the large gap separating them and the next live crew on the river as they rowed over. Saturday brought a slight change to the crew but they rapidly caught Worcester II, going +3 for Eights.

[Bumped: St. Hilda’s, St. John’s II, Worcester II]

M3

Merton’s M3 has, for the past few years, been the only SCR crew on the river and has fared well. This year, unfortunately, a number of the regulars have been on sabbatical, so M3 became a mixed casual crew. The lack of Olympian tutors was telling and M3 secured Merton’s second set of spoons for the week, being bumped by Balliol III, Jesus IV (the Vikings), St. Anthony’s II and University IV. They provided an excellent sporting light touch to our Eights crews and were gutsy, given that they were surrounded by established all-men’s beer boats. Meanwhile, we await the return of the SCR rowers from publishing books.

[Bumped by: Balliol III, Jesus IV, St Antony’s II, Univ IV]

Overall summary for this years Summer Eights (men’s crews):

M1: +1/+1/+1/+1
Start: 6th Div III
Finish: 2nd Div III
 
M2: row over & +1/+1/row over/+1
Start: 1st Div V
Finish: 11th Div IV
 
M3: -1/-1/-1/-1
Start: 13th Div VI
Finish: 4th Div VII
 
M
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
1st Eight
Toby Adkins
Tom Lousada
Sam Picard
Henrik Hannemann
Ben Holden
Jacob White
Jaime Valdemoros
Mantas Abazorios
Edward Thomas
M
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
2nd Eight
Tiffany Brydges
Alexander Moore
Lukas Koch/ Ian Dawes
Michael Withers
Stefan Marjanovic
Benedict Halbroth/ Lukas Koch
Ryan Burke
Frederick Crowley
Oliver Pateman
M
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
3rd Eight
Tyson Rallens
Tiffany Brydges
Yang Cao (SHG)
Mohamed Dashan
Miklos Hajnal
Phoebe Pexton
Kirsty Mitchell / Robin Auer
Georgina Fooks / Marcello Cattaneo
Josie Western
Categories
Bumps Oxford Social

Eights Dinner 2016

Eights and Alumni Dinner

2016_ChesterWhite

Our annual Eights Dinner was, as ever, a very enjoyable way to round off the week of rowing. On top of the usual drinks reception and dinner, we celebrated the contributions of Old Mertonian Dr Chester White MBE to the Boat Club. Chester came to Merton in 1952 to read Medicine and was a keen rower. His crew mates included Harry (Hugh) Quick, after whom our men’s first shell is named. Chester has since been at Darwin College, Cantab., where he founded and is President of the boat club. Nonetheless, he has been a constant figure in Merton College Boat Club, sitting on the Friends’ Committee for many years and supporting us generously.

Chester was invited to christen the ‘Chester White’ as part of the drinks reception, the second boat in his personal fleet (the other being an eight at Darwin). The boat was purchased at the beginning of Michaelmas Term and can be rowed both as a 4- and as a 4X-. It has given the Club greater flexibility with training and is in excellent condition, after a small renovation and repainting by boatman, Mark Seal.

The dinner was rounded off by speeches from the Warden, Sir Martin Taylor, from Chester, and from the Men’s and Women’s captains, Edward Thomas and Kailan Sierra-Davison. A fantastic time was had by all.

Categories
Bumps Oxford Torpids 2016

Torpids 2016

Torpids race reports

Sixth week brought Torpids and the return of the MCBC results chalkboard to the Lodge. Following a difficult term’s preparation, including several periods without water training, Merton fielded three strong crews. Huge thanks are due, as ever, to our coach Ian Smith for his efforts with all crews, and to those who came down over the course of the regatta to support the rowers.

Men’s 1st Torpid

© B. Beor-Roberts (Masterstroke)
© B. Beor-Roberts (Masterstroke)

Following a very successful Michaelmas and start to Hilary, M1 looked to build on last year’s four bumps and climb higher in Div. II. They started off with a convincing bump on Queen’s, confirming student press circulation that they were a crew to look out for. A thrilling second day’s racing, in which Merton were within a canvas of Brasenose, ended with a last-gasp bump by an excellent Mansfield crew. Pride was restored, however, with an overbump on Brasenose on Friday, the regatta ending with a row-over on Saturday.

Although the crew only went +1 over the week, they demonstrated solid technique and cohesion, and showed that Merton can compete in the top twenty boat clubs on the water. Provided the crew remains intact for Trinity term, they will be looking to work on intensive fitness training and, sitting in Division III, should aim for blades.

Women’s 1st Torpid

© B. Beor-Roberts (Masterstroke)
© B. Beor-Roberts (Masterstroke)

Merton’s women fielded a young crew, half of whom were competing in their first bumps race. That said, the other four members of the crew boast considerable experience, as did their cox, current Secretary and three-time W1 rower, Laura King. The crew were unlucky to be among excellent crews, being bumped on the first two days and again on Saturday. On the Friday, however, they showed composure and good fitness to row over and should go into Trinity looking to develop the younger members of the team. It is definitely work in progress, but next year will surely see a return to success for W1.

 
Men’s 2nd Torpid

Having come second in rowing-on, and boasting a strong crew with ability reaching novices from this year to previous first boat rowers, the crew knew that they had a good chance of blades. Having bumped up into Division V on Wednesday, they proceeded to earn blades in style, achieving their final bump on Saturday just short of the boat house. A fuller account of M2’s regatta is available in this apposite bit of Virgil: ‘Extremos pudeat rediisse‘.

Immense thanks are due to Henrik Hannemann, long-term M1 rower and former Club Treasurer, who coxed, coached and trained an excellent crew.

Overall summary for this years Torpids and crews:

M1: +1/-1/+1/row over
Start: 11th Div II
Finish: 10th Div II
 
M2: +3/+1/+1/+1
Start: 2nd Div VI
Finish: 8th Div V
 
W1: -2/-2/row over/-2
Start: 4th Div III
Finish: 10th Div III
 

 

M
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
1st Torpid
Toby Adkins
Tom Lousada
Sam Picard / Henrik Hannemann
Alex Moore
Jaime Valdemoros
Jacob White
Ben Holden
Mantas Abazorios
Edward Thomas
M
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
2nd Torpid
Henrik Hannemann
Lukas Koch
Ian Dawes
Michael Withers
Mate Kovacs-Deaks
Benedict Halbroth
Miklos Hajnal
Frederick Crowley
Oliver Pateman
W
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
1st Torpid
Laura King / Toby Adkins
Amanda Thomas
Caitlin Armstrong / Phoebe Pexton
Kailan Sierra-Davidson
Rebecca Hardy
Josie Smith
Kirsty Mitchell
Georgina Fooks
Josie Western
Categories
Torpids 2016

Merton’s Men Primed for Torpids

Merton men primed for Torpids

Michaelmas 2015 was an immensely successful term for the men’s side of the boat club. Our first race, IWL A, went very well indeed, as the eight posted the fastest time of the day. In Autumn Fours, we entered two boats, one of which reached the semi-finals, having beaten Keble C and Somerville, before losing to Wolfson. Nephthys Regatta was even more successful – the eight we entered beat New College and Green Templeton, but lost to Wolfson again in the final. We entered two novice eights at Christ Church Regatta, although one had to race as a ‘friendly’ crew because of the unavailability of some of the rowers. The Novice A boat did not get beyond the first round repechage; and although the ‘friendly’ Novice B crew had the satisfaction of beating an Oriel boat, it was not allowed to advance further in the competition. The term’s racing ended on a high with the development squad eight achieving the third-fastest time of IWL B.

Hilary 2016 got off to a somewhat shaky start due to river closures. However, we have been training on land and on the water when we have been able to do so. The first and second eights for Torpids have now been set and the first boat has already had one race, at IWL C on Sunday 31st January. The result (tenth place) was not what we were hoping for but it did leave us in third place on the leader-board, trailing Wolfson and Keble. (IWL D was cancelled, meaning we ended up third in IWL 2015-6.)

With Torpids just round the corner, Merton’s men have a training day at Dorney tomorrow (Saturday 20th) and look set to build on last year’s four bumps.

Men's Eight at IWL C (credit to Mrs Thomas)
Men’s Eight at IWL C (credit to Mrs Thomas)

Crews:

IWL
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
A
Toby Adkins
Alex Moore
Jaime Valdemoros
Tom Lousada
Edward Thomas
Jacob White
Ivo Gruev
Lukas Koch
Mantas Abazorius
IWL
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
B
Toby Adkins
Tom Lousada
Sam Picard
Alex Moore
Jaime Valdemoros
Jacob White
Ben Holden
Mantas Abazorios
Edward Thomas
IWL
Cox
Stroke
7
6
5
4
3
2
Bow
C
Toby Adkins
Tom Lousada
Sam Picard
Alex Moore
Jaime Valdemoros
Jacob White
Ben Holden
Mantas Abazorios
Edward Thomas