College Record 2017

and effort we put into their coaching. At Nephthys Regatta, the first all-novice rowing
competition of the season, our novice men’s first boat (of two!) fought its way into
the quarter-finals before being eliminated, and our women’s novice crew won the
women’s event. Both the men’s and women’s crews would put on another excellent
show in Christ Church Regatta the next week, each making it to the quarter-finals in
their respective divisions.
As the months got colder our rowers got stronger, tediously preparing for Torpids,
the first of Oxford’s two four-day bumps races. We entered six strong crews of men
and women, and after the successes of Michaelmas, hopes were high. But this year’s
campaign was marred by mishaps such as bank entanglements, sudden illnesses,
broken riggers, dangerous crashes and one snapped-off rudder. But the rowers of
WCBC do not go down without a fight, and duly overcame adversity and misfortune.
M2 and M3 both maintained their highest-ever positions on the river, and M1 started
and rowed over at third on the river (Men's Division 1) for the first time in Club
history. W3 and W1 both had strong campaigns, just missing blades on the last day,
W3 having been bumped and W1 crashing into the bank when their rudder failed in
mid-race. Mishaps aside, W2 was gloriously victorious, bumping up +5 over four
days and winning blades in the process. They are now the highest our W2 has ever
been in Torpids, and maintain their W2 headship as the only second women’s boat
in Division 2.
In the weeks following Torpids, WCBC trained hard and kept their blades wet.
The women entered two crews to compete in Women’s Eights Head of the River in
London, and even beat a few University squads, but the Men’s Head of the River
was unfortunately cancelled because of high winds. The whole Club then mustered
in the week before Trinity Term for our annual weekend training camp in Henley,
and emerged ready for the final preparations for Summer Eights, the second of the
Oxford bumps races. We also christened our two new first boats, Karl Davies II (M1)
after Karl Davies the Steward, and Cliff (W1) after Clifford Sofield, the Club’s longtime
member, committee member and stalwart supporter.
With boats freshly named and weather turned fair, the men and women of WCBC
turned to Summer Eights with newfound enthusiasm, once again entering a total of
six crews. The first boats continued to make history, with M1 maintaining station at
fifth on the river amidst strong surrounding Division 1 crews, and W1 bumping up
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