Fairbairns results
Congratulations to all Hughes/Lucy rowers who participated in the races on the Cam in these last few weeks. The Boat Club has never had a more successful Michaelmas term; your efforts bode well for the bigger races next term. Bring on Lent Bumps!
There was concern that Fairbairns might be cancelled altogether in the days preceding the event due to ice on the river. The adverse conditions did little to dampen the enthusiasm of HHBC however; keeping warm with a mixture of bin bags and mulled wine, we took to the water confident of further success. First up in the frozen dawn was M2, who gave a solid team performance in chasing down an ungainly Homerton crew, crossing the line in a time of 8.58.7 and pretty much matching the pace of last year’s M1. Tired legs and arms kept together to the line and a brief snowball fight ensured that everyone was warm enough to contemplate the row home. The crew put on an excellent show considering last-minute seat swapping and a lack of practice outings. Well done!
M1 raced later in the day amid desperate cries for more space and time considering our stunning performance in CNR; the kindly Jesus marshals allowed us nearly two minutes of open water to play with. After a powerful start and a fight on the towpath, M1 left the competition for dust and strode the length of the course in style and with confidence. After a brief wobble in the middle, the painful drive for the line was rewarded by an excellent 5th place in 6.51.7s, only 6.8s slower than the winning Jesus crew. This is another superb result, the best ever in Fairbairns for Hughes Hall. Just think; we start next year between Emmanuel M1 and Clare M1. The agony endured was entirely worth it!
We are the talk of the river! Let’s keep the momentum going into next term; we have the potential for more silverware.
