On Saturday, Queen’s opted to scratch fours to focus on the eights events. The novice men lost out to DUBC in their final by a narrow margin, setting up good competition for the forthcoming Queen’s vs. Trinity boat on the 13th June. The intermediate eight also finished second in their final, after controlling the race to the last 250m. Blinded by the distance separating them and UCD, Queen’s failed to respond to UCD’s pushes, opening the door for a final onslaught from UCD who clinched the win. This was a frustrating race for the Queen’s crew who must find a finish to match UCDs.
The atmosphere for the senior eights race was electric, with Queen’s eager to bounce back from Friday. Commercial, UCD/OCBC and Queen’s powered off the stake boats, leaving Neptune in a matter of strokes. The bows sat level through 300 metres when Queen’s began to move on UCD and Commercial. Through the middle 500m Queen’s were moving fastest and pulled out to a half length at one stage. UCD/OCBC responded well and had clawed back with 400m to go, when both crews sat level with Commercial three seats back. UCD/OCBC started moving through 250, gaining a canvas and continued to extend when Commercial found a higher gear and launched a final assault. All three crews raced at full capacity to the finish, with UCD/OCBC taking the win by a half length, and Commercial clinching second by a foot over Queen’s. This was an epic race showing that senior is currently wide open, and new contenders Commercial are very much in the mix. The 2k course is the next step and will show who can hold it together a further 500m, a challenge Queen’s rowing looks forward to.
The ladies’ squad were unfortunate not to win any races on Saturday either, with the promising fresher crew failing to tackle the headwind as good as UCD. In the intermediate and senior events, Trinity and UCD once again dominated the field, rowing stronger and more polished into the headwind than the Queen’s ladies.
Queens rowing is due to compete this weekend (2-4 May) in the 2009 BUCS Rowing Regatta Nottingham. A record entry sees 61 competing universities entered in over 230 races, scheduled over the three day event. With sculls, pairs, fours and eights entered, this should provide the squad with some excellent racing experience over the 2k course.
Draw for 2009 BUCS Rowing Regatta, Nottingham
Draw for 2009 BUCS Rowing Regatta, Nottingham