There were good results at Pairs Head, along with some bad luck, in the first head race of the season for the Senior Squads which saw four 2nd place finishes.
6 Cantabs crews took to the Tideway for Pairs Head of the river, in 1 double scull and 5 pairs.
It was the first time at Pairs Head for the men’s Club 2x, who raced well to finish 2nd in their event, behind the winning crew from Gloucester. Another 2nd place finish came for the men’s Senior 2- of Callan Swanson and Finn Grimwood. A great start to the race saw them comfortably pull away from the rest of the field, enjoying some overtakes. However, a serious boat stopping blade clash with a slower crew who failed to keep the line clear, slowed them down and ultimately saw them finish just 0.21 seconds behind the crew who took home the pennant.
Also finishing 2nd were Rebecca Dell and Rosanna Barraclough, who raced well in the Women’s Senior 2- event. They finished behind a crew from Thames Rowing Club, though as the 8th fastest women’s crew of the day. Also in the same category were Hannah Badger and Camille Lardy, both racing at Pairs Head for the first time, who did well to finish 8th in a hotly contested field.
There was an agonising 4th place finish for Ellie Darlington and Amanda Clarkson in the Women’s MasB 2-, with a sudden mid-race injury resulting in the duo having to paddle out most of the course after a strong start. They will no doubt be back for regatta season looking to right the wrong!
And the final 2nd place finish of the day went to Tatiana Sedelnikov and Liv Watson. Racing in the Women’s Club 2- event, they had a great race, falling short by just 3 seconds behind the winning crew from Wallingford Rowing Club.
Whilst always disappointing to finish 2nd, the results show great promise for the rest of the season, as all of the crews look ahead to the Fours Head of the River next month.
