Clash of the Titans. The fixture between the Oxford Men and Leander was full of incidents.
4 March 2024
By Tim Koch
I recently reported on the pre-Boat Race Fixtures held on 28 January between Oxford and Oxford Brookes for the women and Cambridge and a Dutch National crew for the men. Today’s report is on the main fixtures that took place on 25 February when a press launch followed racing between the Cambridge Women and Thames RC and also between the Oxford Men and Leander. A full list of the fixtures scheduled between 27 January and 16 March is on a Port of London Authority Notice to Mariners.
The recent persistent heavy rain in southern England has resulted in abnormally high volumes of water flowing off the land and producing very strong and very fast flows in the Thames. As a flood tide could not be guaranteed all the way to the Boat Race finish, the umpires and coaches agreed a reduced fixture programme with the crews racing a single piece from the Boat Race start to Chiswick Steps, a little over half way.
Oxford Men v Leander
The shortened course favoured the Surrey crew by over a length, but Leander won the toss and chose Middlesex, presumably intending to use the early advantage of that station to get ahead and stay there around the long Surrey Bend. With a tail wind, high water and a slack tide, the conditions were unsettled off the start.
Commentators Martin Cross and Grace Prendergast both agreed that Oxford looked very sharp from the start and dealt with the unsettled water better than Leander. At 40 seconds, the rates were given at 42.5 for Oxford and 40 for Leander. At one minute, Oxford were about one-third of a length up with both crews rating around 37.The first of several clashes came at two minutes. Both crews were being warned at the time but the commentators thought Leander at fault (disconcertingly though, the commentary was about nine-seconds behind the pictures). Another clash came 30 seconds later, again probably the fault of Leander. None of this helped Leander’s rhythm.After the clashes, Martin Cross felt that Leander started to slowly move back on Oxford though at 3 minutes 50 seconds, there was another clash, again probably the result of Leander’s steering (they were being warned at the time).Oxford cox, William Denegri, seems to be cracking an invisible whip. Grace Prendergast noted that Oxford seemed looser around the upper body, coping well with the unsettled water. Martin Cross felt that the Dark Blues were “cohesive… nice off the back turn with a nice recovery” and complemented the stroke, Elliot Kemp, for looking “calm, relaxed and strong”. Passing Fulham Reach Boat Club. Since the approach to Harrods, Leander had started to move back on Oxford as they relaxed after a tense start. Approaching Hammersmith Bridge, the crews were almost level.Under Hammersmith Bridge. In theory, there was about four minutes of racing left…But 25 seconds later there was a clash causing the Oxford “4” man, James Doran, to crab and lose his blade.Umpire Matthew Pinsent restarted the race with the boats level at the Latymer Upper School boathouse but at this stage did not tell anyone that he had decided to disqualify Leander and not to give a verdict for the result of the restarted piece. Oxford had a bend advantage for a short time from the restart, then it was an even course with a sprint to the finish at Chiswick Steps. With a sub-three-minute race in prospect, no one was holding back. After one minute, Oxford were at 41.5, Leander at 39.5. Parallax error makes Oxford appear in front here.After one minute, Leander was edging ahead.At the Eyot, Leander led.With less than a minute to go, Leander were half-a-length up.Approaching the steps opposite Chiswick Church, it looks like a great finish in prospect but twenty seconds later…Oxford cox, William Denegri, with his crew about three-quarters of a length down, inexplicably clashes with Leander.Rowed out: The Leander stroke, Matt Rowe, came off worst from the clash.Denegri urges his crew to row the final few strokes and initially some of the Oxford crew celebrate a win.Perhaps Leander cox, Jack Tottem, is bemused that this was one clash that he did not cause. On 10 March, he will be steering his crew against (but hopefully not into) Cambridge.
Umpire Pinsent looked a little disgruntled with the whole thing and, as he had previously intended, declined to give any verdict on the second piece. Had he chosen to make a decision, he could have given the race to Leander by three-quarters-of-a-length or, more likely, could have simply disqualified Oxford. The Oxford coach, Sean Bowden, wrote: (A) messy end to a day that had plenty of great rowing along with a more than necessary amount of drama… typical stuff in many ways…
At the Putney boathouses. Parallax error makes the crew nearer the camera further up than they were.
Racing on a very slack tide, both crews were rating 35 after a minute and Cambridge had a slight lead. Commentator Grace Prendergast noted the different styles of both crews: Cambridge more upright, Thames with more swing off the back end.
Approaching Barn Elms. After two-and-a-half minutes, Cambridge remained at 35, Thames were down to 32.5.
The official report on the Boat Race website said:
Cambridge Women’s cox Hannah Murphy veered her crew towards Fulham Football Club’s Riverside Stand in order to explore any possible advantage there might be by cutting the corner, perhaps motivated by the weak tide rather than the surface conditions. The direct line helped the crew establish a half length lead through the three minute mark.
Around the Mile Post. The official report notes that Thames were “unfazed” by being down on a higher rating crew and that they maintained “a powerful, long and relentless rhythm” lead by stroke, Darla Matthews.Cambridge’s Carina Graf at “7” and President, Jenna Armstrong, at “6.”
After the Mile Post, Thames very slowly started to eat into Cambridge’s lead. Commentator Angus Broom said that “Thames look more relaxed on the recovery and are getting a lot more out of each stroke than Cambridge.” However, Groom also noted that Cambridge were “really sticking in there.”
At Harrods. As Cambridge’s bend advantage began to run out approaching Hammersmith Bridge, they now faced the prospect of having to row around the outside of the Surrey Bend.
Commentator Martin Cross held that, Thames is really holding on and has not given Cambridge as much advantage as they would have wanted on the inside bend.
Between Harrods and Hammersmith Bridge, Thames went ahead. There are 15 seconds between these two pictures.Thames lead into Hammersmith Bridge rating 31.5 against Cambridge’s 35.5.Thames came out of Hammersmith Bridge half-a-length up and, still underrating Cambridge, maintained this past St Paul’s School and along Chiswick Eyot where the rates were Cambridge 36, Thames 32.
As the crews headed towards the finish just upstream of the Eyot, it looked as if half-a-length to Thames would be the final result. Earlier, when Cambridge were nearly one length down, Martin Cross said that if the Light Blues finished level with Thames, they would have got a lot out of the race. But, he added, that was a “big ask.”
However, in the last 30 seconds, Cambridge stroke, Megan Lee, raised the rate and boat speed and Thames would not or could not respond.The crews approach the finish at Chiswick Steps (middle ground, right). Strangely for a race with a free start and no proper line-of-sight finish, the verdict was “one foot” to Thames. I would suggest that both crews were winners. Perhaps Umpire Phelps would say, Thames Won, Cambridge Too.
The day’s results. Reports on the Oxford Brookes men’s weekend of racing fixtures against Cambridge crews are on the OBUBC website.
Back at Putney, a particularly high tide was evident.
Cambridge women’s coach, Paddy Ryan, directs boat loading and synchronised swimming.Signs of the times at London RC. The water continued to rise for an hour after this picture was taken.A scene at London RC near the tide’s highest point.
Quote of the day came from commentator and Old Blue, Angus Groom: Rowing the Boat Race is like doing a 2k ergo – but you don’t settle for seventeen minutes.
