close but no cigar!

Well, it appears that the Henley run has come to an end for one of our crews this evening.

I'm sure the crew of CBRC's eight would agree with me that they were the underdogs today, but needless to say they raced them to the end.

Looks like it is time to swap the lycra for the blazer and head to the Stewards enclosure tommorrow to drown the sorrows, and see if they can remember how to drink after a few months off!!

I'm sure there will be a large crowd forming to cheer on the double tomorrow (providing they are not first on!)

Well done boys. Its the best run we've had so far!

yet more CBRC success

As so kindly pointed out - we should not forget the other CBRC interest at Henley this year.

The results are in for the Double Sculls Challenge Cup, and they read well for CBRC supporters!

A.M.J. Larkman & M.P Plotkowiak, City of Bristol R.C. & Univ. of Bristol crew are through to Fridays racing where they will be up against Spik and Cop for Slovenia. Again this should be a (very) tough draw, as if my sources are correct this double are World and Olympic Gold medal holders.... Apparently Cop is Slovenia's most successful rower ever!

Lets hope the Bristol eight can follow in their puddles and make it to Friday too!!

1 down 4 to go....

Yes, as one keen reader has already mentioned - the first hurdle has been passed!!

At time of writing the details are still yet to come through as to how easy the win was. One thing is for sure though - tomorrow will be a completly different ball game.

An unlucky draw means that they will have to race London RC 'B'. But its only the 'B' crew I hear you say - unfortunately, although they are the 'B' crew they are still one of the seeded crews of the event.

**BREAKING NEWS**

Reports are starting to filter through from the riverside that it was a comfortable victory (which would explain why the race time was the slowest of the day) but apparently there was clear water by the end of the island, so they hardly needed to push too hard!

Need to save your energy for London tomorrow boys!!

The time table of racing has been drawn, and the good news is that there will be no requirement to get up early. The next race for the boys will be Thursday 6pm.....

The time has finally come

After many hours of training involving early morning sessions, and the requirement not to drink any beer, the time has finally come to prove that CBRC's men can cut it with the elite of the rowing world.

At 5.30 this afternoon (Wednesday) the men's 8 will be lining up against the Combined Services in the first round of the Thames Challenge cup. The boys should be quietly confident that they should be able to progress to the second round, as it has been reported that the services crew are a little short on boat time and were looking a little ropey on the water the other day.

Lets hope they can surpass the results of the clubs recent years at HRR as I don't believe we have had a crew pass the first round of Henley Royal for quite a few years!

All results are available on the official site, but be sure that Gurt will be keeping his ears to the ground - lets hope they are still racing on Friday as there are rumours that there will be quite a large contingent of the CBRC posse donning there posh frocks and/or blazers for a few PIMMS by the river.

Gurt's Guide to Henley Royal Regatta

Tomorrow sees the start of one of the premiere social occasions of the year as Henley Royal Regatta kicks off. The event is losely based around a few rowing races but on the most part this takes second place to the important business of consuming Pimms and Champagne and mixing with the cream of British society.

Rather handily my good friend The Rabbit has produced a conclusive guide to the Regatta including what to wear, where to drink and where to be seen.

I shall be dusting off my club blazer and taking up residence in the Falling Over Bar for the duration so if you see me snoozing under a table be sure to give me a nudge.

City of Bristols

I'm glad to hear that the tradition of a 'special' midnight outing was upheld by the ladies at Ironbridge. Apparantly there were plenty of photos taken but I'm not sure Boots will be too keen to develop them.

Pots of Pots

Ironbridge Regatta didn't know what hit it as CBRC rolled in on Saturday and started winning races left right and centre. A total of 43 pots were netted over the two days by the Women's 8 at S2 and S3, Women's 4 at S4 and the awesome Green/Gregg double at novice.

I hope we can expect similar success at Llandaff International Regatta in 2 weeks.

HRR 2006

The Senior Men's 8 have succesfully qualified for the Thames Cup at Henley, the first time the club has done so since 2002. They will race the Combined Services in their first heat on Wednesday evening at 5:30.

Good luck lads.

Stratford Regatta

On Saturday the Vet four packed their travel rugs and flasks of hot tea and went for a trip to picturesque Stratford Upon Avon. However they weren’t there to admire the gardens of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (at least not before the regatta) their intention was to prove their racing speed before Vet’s Henley.

Round 1 of the S3 4+ event saw Bristol take on Hertford College and win by a useful ¾ Length. This took them straight to the final which proved something of a local derby as they lined up against Clifton College.

With the Clifton College boys having a combined age of less than the age of the youngest member of the Bristol crew, Bristol felt quietly confident that their vast experience would be enough to win the race. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and the young whippersnappers won by 2.5 lengths.

Msrs. Downey and Baker were also both challenging for the Novice Sculls title. Showing more power than grace Crusher took an interesting route down the course paying close attention to a barge and the bank. His competitor meanwhile took a more direct line to the finish to take the win. In his race Nick employed a similar tactic and repeatedly ricocheted off the bank, but sadly the nail in the coffin was a boat stopping crab.

With 3 weeks to go until Vet's Henley the four are apparently looking for some extra coaching to help improve their speed .Any hints and tips would be much appreciated and may be rewarded with a Werthers Original.

Take your time...

It's a special day today and we should all slow down and enjoy the lost art of sauntering.

The Beast of Bristol?

There have been unconfirmed reports of some kind of wild animal roaming the streets of Bristol. Descriptions of the creature are vague at this stage but it is seems that it will attack using sharp claws if provoked.
A stunned Stuart Castle was left with vicious scratch marks on his back after an encounter with the beast but was reticent to speak of his ordeal when questioned.

Keep your eyes peeled…

HWR '06

A traditionally scorching weekend played host to a superb few days of ladies rowing at Henley and CBRC's girls achieved some great results.
Both crews eased through the qualifying races on Friday morning to confirm their places in the main event.
The 8 were then drawn against a plucky Putney Town crew who managed to steal 2/3 a length early in the race which proved hard to claw back leaving Bristol in 2nd place.
The 4 took Curlew by surprise and disposed of them right from the start, finishing with 2.5 lengths of clear water. In round 2 on Saturday they were drawn against a formidable Thames crew. Unphased by a near disaster when 3 decided to dismantle her seat when paddling up to the start the girls put in another explosive start and the boats were neck and neck by the end of the Island. However the Thames crew proved just too strong and the end result was a win for the Londoners by 3.5 lengths.
Good work girls, now you should be ready for the real challenge of Ironbridge this Saturday.

One Tracked Mind

With even the novices venturing out on the water at ungodly hours in the morning it seems everyone at the boat club can officially say they have no 'life' outside rowing, but don't worry you're not missing much.

Gurt's Guide to Henley Women’s Regatta

The Course:
HWR is the UK’s premiere Women’s rowing event and is raced over part of the famous Henley stretch. The course is 612m shorter than the full Henley Royal distance mainly to prevent spectators trampling over the precious lawns of the Steward’s Enclosure which must be preserved for The Royal, but also the shorter course reduces the risk of the girls having to break sweat.

The Crews:
There are 25 events covering all boat classes and from Junior through to Elite. Some of the finest crews in the world will be competing over the 3 days of racing.
Due to the large number of entrants this year, a qualifying race has been introduced for the intermediate 8’s and 4’s with the fastest 32 boats going through to round one. This is an important step towards giving the event greater credibility on the international circuit by preventing any old tin pot crew turning up and giving it a go.

The Spectators:
HWR is a great social event and Remenham Farm is the place to watch the racing despite being 1000m from the finish. Here you will find bars, cafes and stalls to keep you fed and watered during the weekend.
Henley has always been a mecca for fashionistas and HWR week is no exception. However don’t expect blazers, boaters and long dresses; the dress code is strictly sassy and you are more likely to find combats, crop tops and trainers.

The Men:
Inevitably with large numbers of girls dressed in lycra gathering in one place there will also be a large number of men present to ‘support’ them. Mirrored sunglasses are essential to disguise those wandering eyes.


CBRC has high hopes for both the crews entered whose sights are firmly set on getting through to at least Saturday’s races.

A full report of the event will be published next week including what happens when you put 14 young ladies in a small lodge for a weekend…

Have a good row girls!

Reading Amateur

Saturday was the last chance for the two top CBRC crews to test their racing speed before Henley Women's and Henley Royal Regattas. A hot and windy day made for tricky racing conditions but both crews started the day well to make it through their first rounds.
The men's 8 then went on to win 2 further rounds to make the final at S3 but were beaten by some unusually large school boys.
The ladies 4+ put up a good fight against University College Dublin in their second round at S2 but unfortunately couldn't quite beat them to the finish line. However there was some consolation in the fact that they looked the part in their new matching visors, it's all about the image!

Jeckyl and Hyde

Mild mannered Mrs Cullingford seems to be taking on a new persona whenever she climbs into the stern of the Men’s 8.
On Saturday I was scared just watching her from the Pimms tent so I dread to think what it must have been like sitting in front of her.

There was an old man from Nailsea...

Proof that there's nowt as queer as folk, especially when they're from Somerset.

Jumpers for Goalposts

Apparently the Football World Cup starts today, but are a love of Rowing and a love of Football mutually exclusive? Today's Friday Poll endeavours to find out.

Fore!

A fresh crop of photos from the post Pub Golf antics have come to light showing evidence that a certain Clifton College Tutor was keen to spread the message of 'education, education, education'. But did any of these four get asked to stay behind after class....?

Where be you from?

As part of my research into the Lush family tree I came across this site that allows you to look into the origins of your surname.
Not suprisingly the most instances of the name Lush occur in the West Country. Well theres no point goin' elsewhere is there?

Another Lost and Found Ad

While cleaning out the van after the “Monmouth-Regatta-That-Wasn’t” the driver was surprised to find an item of lady’s underwear. Could it be that one of the novices was preparing for a bout of daylight topless rowing? Or was it the case that the Vet 4’s powerhouse was finding it too restrictive?

If you would like to reclaim the item then please see Nick Baker who may insist that you try it on for verification of ownership.

There must be something in the water...

While enjoying a drink in Clifton last week I spotted one of the club’s occasional vet scullers walking with an added spring in his step as he accompanied a female companion of unknown origin. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were talking about but it sounded like “….and it can do 0-60 in under 8 seconds...”

However it seems that he’s not the only one who’s been enjoying the company of the opposite sex. Rumours are rife within the boathouse of numerous romantic encounters amongst both the senior and novice squads. Unfortunately the details are somewhat vague at this stage but feel free to fill me in on the details if you know of any of these shenanigans.

Never Trust a Cockney

Steve “light fingers” Bathurst was busy rummaging through a bag of boat ties last week and came across a camera that had been left in there. In a cold sweat of guilt he has decided to own up to his pilfering and so if you believe you have lost such an item then you need to see Steve and describe it to him in no more than 30 words.
If it is not claimed then the film will be developed and the photos published here.

Met Report

A conveniently placed bar at the 1750m board proved to be the ideal place to watch the racing at Dorney Lake yesterday and there was some spectacular racing taking place.
First out of the blocks were the women's S2 4+ who charged off the start like a scolded cat. By 500m they were 1/2 a length up but a strong field managed to reel them in before the finish line. A brave row from this gritty crew showing plenty of promise for Reading this coming weekend.
Next up was the men's 8 at S3. With the pressure of Sir Steve Redgrave watching them they had a shaky start but quickly got up to speed and by the finish it was a 2 horse race between them and Exeter Uni who pipped them by a bow ball.
Stepping up a level to S2 the 8 were out racing again within the hour and managed to take 3rd place and a slot in the repercharge where they put in a massive effort to take 1st place and a place in the final.
The women's 8, racing at S3 took on a tough draw to take 4th place which put them in the repercharge, beating Aurial Kensington by a huge 18 seconds. A tight field in the repercharge again saw them take 4th place with just 3 seconds separating the middle 4 boats.
With the bookies touting odds on either Exeter Uni or CBRC to win the S3 final the boys were feeling the pressure and it showed as they again had a nervous start. Despite a devastating 1000m push they were left with too much to do and took 3rd place behind Exeter and Southampton Unis.
With just the S2 final left to row the boys looked relaxed as they paddled up to the start. Another strong row from Bristol saw them quickly dispatch of arch rivals Downing College and put them in the thick of the main pack where they finished 6th of 7 but with just 2 seconds covering 3rd to 6th place.
All in all a fine day out with the club showing much promise for the big H in a few weeks.

No Hassle

Met-Row

The weather seems to be heating up again which must mean it’s time for the Metropolitan Regatta. This is the weekend where CBRC’s senior crews will find out just how well all their training has been going as they come head to head to head to head to head to head with some of the country’s top clubs.

Dorney Lake is the venue, 2km the distance and the first race is at 8:50 on Sunday.

I’ll be spending the weekend in a nice little pad nearby that has recently become vacant so you’re all welcome to pop round for the post regatta party…