The weekend of 4th/5th June saw Cantabs crews race at the Metropolitan Regatta, at Eton Dorney, and Peterborough Spring Regatta.
At Met, the senior women’s squad sent a W.IM2.8+ to Met on the Saturday. The crew of Merodie Rose, Georgie Plunkett, Maddie Koesterman, Lindsey Tate, Claire Nichols, Bailee Stratton, Alex Courage, Manon Gayda-Limousis and cox Esther Momcilovic had a slow start compared to the rest of the field, and were unable to sufficiently make up the deficit, meaning that they finished 4th in their semi, narrowly missing out on a qualifying spot.
The masters 4+ with their pots at Peterborough
Coach Tom Copeland said, “Whilst this wasn’t the outcome that the crew were hoping for in this race, it’s highlighted some areas for them to focus on in training over the next couple of weeks before Henley Women’s Regatta. There are a lot of positives to be taken from their performance, particularly given there were two substitutes in the crew.”
The senior men’s squad sent an eight and a four to the Sunday of Met, where they had the opportunity to test themselves against other prospective Henley Royal crews. The IM3.8+ of James King, Guy Fiddian, Callan Swanson, Hannes Burfiend, Ed Oughton, James O’Dell, Peter Ford and Sean Collins reached the semi final, but weren’t able to progress to the final after a tightly-contested race.
In the four, Finn Grimwood, Jimmy Adams, Riccy Hereros-Symons, James Quarrington and cox Amy Henfrey reached the final of both IM1.4+ and IM2.4+, where they came fourth, including missing out on third to the British world and Paralympic champion mixed four.
“We had a really tough day’s racing – everyone was exhausted,” said men’s captain Finn Grimwood. “The good news is that we know what we need to do to make sure that we’re closer to the sharp end of the racing next time out.”
At Peterborough, it was a different story, with most Cantabs crews emerging triumphant at the Spring Regatta.
Women’s captain Ellie Darlington was once again racing in the single, winning W.IM3.1x final after a semi-final win 23 seconds ahead of second place. She followed that up with another win in the W.MasA/B.1x, with a 6 second victory over the second-placed sculler from York City.
Ellie on her way to victory in W.MasA/B.1x at Peterborough
An intermediate squad W.NOV.8+ performed well in their event, and were clear winners of their heat. Their final was a close affair, with the crew finishing 2nd behind a strong Cambridge 99 crew. A first regatta for a number of this crew, it served as useful preparation and motivation for town bumps in July.
The senior women’s squad also sent a 4+ of Gill Cooper, Sue Hakenbeck, Sue Waterhouse, Judith Weik and cox Sara Russo. They enjoyed victory in W.MasB/C.4+, taking the win with a 5 second margin over crews from Milton Keynes, Cambridge 99 and Lea.
“I’m very impressed with how the crew raced, and have made a lot of improvements over the last few weeks,” said coach Jon Winch. “It’s been a confidence boost and good experience ready for their next race at the British Rowing Masters Championships in Nottingham next weekend.”
A Cambridge News article about these races can be found on their website.
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