On Sunday 26th February, the Senior Women’s Squad sent two eights to race at Head of the Trent in Nottingham. Severe winds, with gusts of over 40mph saw the organisers reduce the length of the course from 5,700m to around 4,000m so that crews weren’t forced to race in dangerously blustery sections on the river.
The first eight completed the course in 11:41, only 8 seconds behind Nottingham RC’s high performance centre, who receive GB Rowing funding and coaching to develop athletes to feed into the national squad. This gave Millie Perrin, Ellie Darlington, Megan Lloyd-Palmer, Eve Caroe, Hannah Stewart, Bailee Stratton, Harriet Cross, Georgia Vann and cox Esther Momcilovic victory in W.IM2.8+, 16 seconds ahead of 2nd placed York City RC. They were the 2nd fastest W8+ of the day, 6 seconds clear of the 3rd fastest W8+ from Grosvenor RC.
The second eight were successful in W.IM3.8+, finishing in 11:23. Anita Holender, Cecilia Collins-Taylor, Sarah Inskip, Judith Weik, Alice Brownjohn, Emma Dalrymple, Gill Cooper, Ces O’Hanlon and cox Leanne Fiddian crossed the line 24 seconds faster than 2nd placed Northampton RC, and finished as the 9th fastest W8+ of 17.
Thank you to John Thicknes at Jesus College BC for granting the squad last minute use of their trailer, after the Cantabs trailer was blocked in by a car parking across the access road to Cantabs!
The squad are now entering their final 2 weeks of preparation before the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race on Saturday 11th March. This year, there will be 5 Cantabs crews entered – the largest WEHoRR entry from any Cambridge club in history, and the second largest entry of all participating clubs. Of these 5 crews, 3 will be from the Senior Women’s Squad, 1 from the Intermediate Women’s Squad and 1 from the Hills Road Sixth Form College squad.
If you are interested in finding more about women’s rowing at Cantabs, including junior, masters, intermediate and senior rowing, please contact the women’s captain Ellie Darlington.
