CRA Bumps 2015 – Day 3 – Cantabs Men stay Head – and are no longer Foot!

As usual, Cantabs Men’s Bumps Day 3 was quite eventful!

Happy Hunters!

Happy Hunters!

Mike Hunter’s M14 crew bumped City 12, to move away from the foot of the river! Mike described the bump:

“A glorious Bump” – ok perhaps I’m not the most unbiased reporter! We caught City before First Post Corner with several strokes of power left in the tank!

The Men’s Juniors (M13) caught a boat stopping crab in the start, allowing the HillBillies (M12) – who they’d bumped on Wednesday – to sail past for the bump.

Motley Crew (M11) started second in Division 4 and bumped he Cambridge Veterans in The Gut to become Sandwich Boat in Division 3. Mehrdad writes:

Finally Motley Crew managed to get that first elusive bump after 3 years of trying. As the sandwich boat in Division 3 we failed to get our second bump of the night. The plan was to go out on a all attack and get the bump by A14 bridge. We did get within half a boats length by A14 bridge before fading away. We knew we could not maintain the 38 spm for too long, buts we had a very good go at it. Tomorrow we will be at the head of Div 4 hoping for another go as the sandwich boat in Division 3. At least, we are getting our money’s worth out of the racing!

Division Three didn’t go well for Cantabs on Thursday, with M8, 9 & 10 all on the wrong end of bumping action:

  • InVeterEight’s Michael Walker was in poetic mood (c/o WB Yeats) after 99’s M5 bumped M10 at Grassy:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity…..what I mean is, we got bumped. And by Nines. Oh, the indignity of it…

  • Dad’s Army (M9) had a good start, but despite stroke shouting “Don’t Panic!” the crew rushed a few strokes as City 11 came up on them and they were caught at First Post Corner
  • Poachers (M8) were bumped by City 9 in the Long Reach

Lucio Cicolecchia describes how the Aquaphobes (M7) fared at the top of Division Three:

As sandwich boat again, the Aquaphobes had a very hard-fought race on Thursday against City 4, who were determined to improve on their performance of the previous night. After a very fast start City chased the Aquaphobes hard, getting to overlap once. But Aquaphobes held their nerve and answered the charge with a solid row which saw them over the line.
In the second row the Aquaphobes were determined not to have to row twice again the next day, so got off to a strong start and arrived within one length of the crew they were chasing. They kept the pressure on, gaining half a length to a quarter. However, despite closing in on Chesterton 2 fast down the Reach, eventually they ran out of course. So… sandwich boat on Friday too!
It seems that the Aquaphobes are getting their bumps fee money’s worth this year, with five rows under their belt. They look forward to doing it all over again tonight.

Elsewhere in Division Two, the M3/Hills Road M2 combination (M6) rowed well and were gaining on City 8, but were bumped by Rob Roy 4 in First Post Reach. The Masters 1 crew (M5) rowed over ahead of XPress 4 and behind City 6, and Hills Returners (M4) rowed over behind City 5.

In Division One, the Hills Rd (M3) had a very exciting race! Mike Hunter describes it:

If ever there was a hard way to row over! Rowed away from Chesterton and were 5/6 lengths clear going into Grassy. Unfortunately they then parked at Grassy coming to a complete halt with blades on the bank. By the time the pushed off and started again Chesterton were within 10ft of their bows. By the time they got any momentum into the boat there was almost overlap, and the rest of Plough Reach was as hard a test of their determination as you could imagine. By Ditton Corner the gap was half a length, and Chesterton went wide coming onto the Reach and the gap opened to about station. The rest of the Reach was an exercise in holding on, and the gap remained the same all the way to the finish. Hills Rd 1 have balls!

[Click on photos to see larger versions]

M2 were bumped on Grassy by St Neots 1 who have had a strong week, and will be chasing City 1 in hope of blades on Friday night.

At the head of the river, M1 held off determined attacks by Rob Roy, and finished a couple of lengths clear, longing strong and composed.

Cantabs M1 approaching Grassy, holding Rob Roy at bay

Cantabs M1 approaching Grassy, holding Rob Roy at bay

 

Write-ups from the Women’s Crews are here: https://cantabsrowing.org.uk/cra-bumps-2015-day-3-cantabs-women-staying-strong/

 

 

 

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