Bank Holiday Boat BUCS

The annual three day BUCS regatta at Nottingham’s Holme Pierrepont is usually a test of endurance, both physical and mental, and this year was no exception. With competitors entered in multiple events on a single day and with weather ranging from pouring rain to brilliant sunshine, ICBC was put through its paces from start to finish. By the end of the weekend, 126 BUCS points had been accumulated as well as an array of medals, many coming from the lightweight men.

Saturday seemed quiet due to the absence of all novice competitors. The organising committee had decided that, after the multiple sinkings of last year and the horrendous weather forecast, they would chancel beginners’ racing. In the end, the conditions were rowable with a solid tail wind leading to rapid times. Never fear, though, there was plenty of racing to be had, especially for the women’s squad. The championship quad (str: Louise Connell/Klara Weaver/Harriet Cross/Hannah Patterson) brought home the first piece of silverware, taking second place in a straight final behind Reading (7:02.3). Another medal followed quickly from the Intermediate pair (str: Cat Buizza/Harriet Cross). After a convincing win in their heat, the girls continued to dominate the field as they won the first gold of the weekend after a storming second half of the final (8:02.8) – a feat replicated by many Imperial women’s crews over the weekend.

For the testosterone-filled side of the club, the Championship Lwt four (str: Wilf Kimberley/Tim Richards/Tom Pearson/Gareth Brown) proved their might as they won their heat by more than 10s and progressed into the final, where they met rivals University of London. The boys in purple gave Imperial a run for their money and clung on – ICBC took the gold medal by a mere 0.48s (6:28.3). As the lightweights came into the landing stage, Kimberley and Richards continued the BUCS tradition of jumping out of one boat into another. The Championship eight (cox: Libby Richards/Johnny Rankin/T Richards/Ben Spencer Jones/Ali Hudson/Matt Pointing/Henry Goodier/Kimberley/Rory Sullivan) were waiting ready to head onto the waves for the last final of the day. After a tight race with UL in the heat, the guys were hunting for blood. Unfortunately, the might of Newcastle, Durham and UL just squeezed the guys out of the medals, despite a storming row (5:52.2).

Thankfully the weather had decided to turn to bright sunshine with a slight tail wind by Sunday. The lightweight men were with the eight (cox: Jess Johnson/Kimberley/T Richards/Tom Pearson/Brown/Myles Holbrough/Paul Jones/Elliot Jennings/Martin Ebner) easily winning their heat. There was stiff competition come the final, as three well drilled lightweight crews from UL, Cambridge and Nottingham fought it out for the medals. Imperial’s scratch crew, containing two novices, performed admirably taking fourth place (6:16.8). The lightweight quad (str: Kimberley/T Richards/Holbrough/Jones) demolished the competition winning their heat by nearly 10s and the final by another 6s (6:30.2).

The heavier side of Imperial were in slightly smaller boats as the Championship coxed four (str: Rankin/Sullivan/Spencer Jones/Goodier/cox: Johnson) took centre stage. Frustration reigned over the crew as they were squeezed out of the direct final place by the University of East London. After the heat, Spencer Jones could be found hovering around the bushes as a week of exams and illness mixed with two days of intense racing had pushed him beyond the limit. The difficult decision to scratch the boat before the impending repechage was met with disappointment, frustration and understanding in equal measure.

For the fairer half of the squad, it was time for the Championship eight (cox: L Richards/Weaver/Connell/Lily Beadle/Patterson/Cat Buizza/Cross/Siân Morgan/Maddy Whybrow), the first time ICBC has had a senior women’s eight at the regatta since 2009. They did not have the easiest of routes to the final. In the repechage, they learnt their most useful skill – rowing through crews. Having left the blocks slowest, the eight crept through the field, breaking Bristol and Glasgow, one at a time and just inching ahead of Edinburgh in the crucial final 150m. A similar story unfolded in the final as they gradually rowed through Exeter and had Durham in their sights but the finish line came too soon and Imperial took fifth place (7:01.0).

By Bank Holiday Monday when most people are nursing a hangover, Imperial were beginning to feel the strain. The weather had turned, the sun disappeared, and fog, wind and pelting rain arrived in the miserable Midlands. Racing was postponed and, in another BUCS tradition, racing format was rejigged to 1500m time trials with the fastest six crews going through to six lane finals. The wind caused only the occasional problem in the time trials pushing crews out of their lanes. The remaining men of ICBC were few and far between as many had returned to London, generally to prepare for those little annoyances called exams. The numbers dwindled even more once Sullivan was hit by the same bout of sickness that had struck Spencer Jones the day before and so the lightweights were left to hold the honour of the club. The gangsta lightweight double (T Richards/Kimberley) and pair (Kimberley/T Richards) won both time trials and got lucky lane one for the finals. The pair went without a hitch as they led from start to finish, adding another bit of gold bling to their ever glittering collection (7:14.1). The double was running the same course until the final moments when Loughborough decided to shoot them down, beating the guys to the gold by just 0.8s. Consolation can be taken from the fact that Kimberley and Richards took home more gold medals each than several universities.

Continuing miserable conditions hit the women’s doubles (Championship – Weaver/Patterson, Intermediate – Connell/Cross) during their time trials as the heavens opened with a spectacular deluge, just as they were racing. Both made it to their finals to take fourth place and bring another silver medal home to ICBC, respectively. The two doubles then combined to make the Championship coxed four (str: Weaver/Connell/Cross/Patterson/cox: L Richards). They qualified third for the final and, although the final standing start probably wasn’t in their best interest, they showed the same resolve as the women’s 8 the previous day. They steadily walked through crews from the back of the field. In the final 400m, they overtook Cambridge to earn the bronze (7:42.4).

Despite injuries, sickness, a dwindled squad size thanks to exams and field trips, multiple entries per athlete, and the dismal conditions, Imperial soldiered on to take four gold, three silver and one bronze over the weekend. ICBC was fourth in the Victor Ludorum, fifth in the medal table, and have racked up a total of 250 BUCS points in the 2011-12 season. Now all eyes move to the rest of regatta season and the relative comfort of Dorney Lake, and the pinnacle of the summer, Henley, in less than 50 days’ time.