UYBC’S Novice Men swept to victory at Nottingham City Regatta on Saturday and lost their ‘novice’ status, making them eligible for ‘Intermediate’ rowing events. The crew, coxed by Maisie Kelly, was comprised of Rob Burleigh, Lloyd Hughes, David Lynas, Ed van der Straaten, Jack Ventress, Ali Packman, Angus Yard and Brad Kelly.
The day began promisingly and in their first heat, the crew were confident of reaching the final; only needing to beat one crew. The eight raced across the finish line over 10 seconds ahead of second place and six seconds faster than the other heat. With the fastest time of both heats, 7:21, this put them in pole position for the final.
The crew then stepped up to the mark and put in a final performance worthy of winners and crossed the line first, shaving a further 14 seconds off their qualifying time.
Darren Smith, Novice Men’s Captain, who has been coaching the novices throughout the year, proudly said: “The crew definitely deserved this one after a strong second term of racing. Hopefully they’ll continue to grow in confidence this term and follow this victory up with success at Durham and Marlow.”
The boat club had numerous other crews competing against university and city rowing clubs from across the country. The Senior Women’s VIII and the Novice Women’s VIII both placed fifth in their respective finals, with a special mention to Pippa Pennycook, who raced four times in two hours, competing for both squads.
The Senior Women’s IV narrowly missed out on a victory after losing in their IM three final to Thames Rowing Club, which is one of the top performance clubs in London for women.
Eloisa Cackett, Senior Women’s Captain, was pleased with the women’s performance despite tough competition. She told Vision: “Both crews performed great, I am looking forward to Met Regatta which should produce some big results for UYBC.”
It was also a busy day for the senior men who raced in four different categories, and with the exception of the coxless IV, all of the men’s boats reached the final. To summarise: the first VIII placed fourth, with the pair coming third, the coxed IV fifth and the double third.
After the success in Nottingham the club are now looking forward to the upcoming Metropolitan Regatta (Week 6) and Durham Regatta (Week 7), and will be continuing their training throughout the hectic exam period, to prepare for forthcoming events.