A busy weekend for the Novice squad as they faced their first Erg test on Saturday morning. As part of the BUCS Indoors, the Novices undertook a 1km piece on the ergs. The stage was set up in the PEC and things kicked off at 9am with the first set of participants. With a thorough warm-up under the command of Ewan Murray and James Cooke complete, they were called to front-stops and after a moment of deafening silence, they were unleashed.
As the morning ran on, Women and Men alike posted strong scores, amid anguished faces and determined cries. Roared on by the rest of their squad, one by one they reached the end. With a mixture of relief and lactic acid, the atmosphere was buoyant. Not only were the scores strong but each Novice now had a marker for themselves to surpass in the near future.
In the spirit of inclusion, the coxes also joined in to cap off a morning of graft, taking part in their own 500m competition. Experience proved decisive as Ed Wilson came out narrowly on top.
Congratulations go to Jayne Mulhall and Lisle Halkett for coming top on the day with times of 3.40 and 3.06 respectively. Also congratulations to Kathryn Spinks-Dear, who was unable to take part on the day but subsequently pulled a fantastic time of 3.38, coming top of the Ladies squad overall.
We’d also like to take the opportunity to wish Novice Coach Niall Moore well as he undertakes his placement at PCEA Hospital, Kikuyu, Kenya. We eagerly await his return to the fold.