Light Blue Trial VIIIs: Baby beat Ginger and Beans topple Slop

On the first day of Trial VIIIs ahead of the Boat Races, Cambridge University BC took to the Tideway, battling soggy conditions

The pick of the two Trial VIIIs was the Men’s race. By the time the crews, Slop and Beans, were warming up, the ominous clouds were soaking anyone not under shelter to the bone.

After drying off from the dreich conditions, President Noam Mouelle said, “It was a really good showing. Probably the best race we’ve seen in a while, which is really good. It means the squad is in a great position.

“I’m slightly disappointed that my crew lost because I think we could have won if we held them a bit better round the Eyot, but it was a really good race from both crews.”

Slop and Beans, named after the food consumed between sessions at their Ely boathouse, motored out the blocks and immediately were pulled into each other, foreshadowing the high-octane encounter that was to follow. After winning the coin toss, Beans chose Surrey, and as a result, Slop surged to an early lead on the Middlesex station.

Both coxes, Dartmouth University alumnus Samm Houdaigui and Brit Freya Jenkinson, were wrestling over the racing line. Passing Fulham Football Club, the crews came together, and the coxes tried to win the clash and hold their line.

Momentum for both crews followed the famous bends of the Championship course. As Slop’s advantage ran out, Beans began to move as they powered towards Harrods depository. A decisive move saw them draw level as they shot Hammersmith Bridge and by St Paul’s School, Beans were edging ahead.

Roars came from the St Paul’s Schol boathouse as their old boys thundered past. Both stroke men, Patrick Wild and George Dickinson, have won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup under Bobby Thatcher. Alongside Dickinson in Slop was Dickinson’s crewmate from the famous 2018 boat, Calvin Tarczy, arguably the greatest schoolboy crew of all time.

Backing up Wild was U23 World Champion Gabriel Obholzer, and the two set up an unbreakable rhythm. Despite being in his first year at university, Wild looked like a Veteran as he led his crew into a commanding position.

Umpire Ciaran Hayes was kept busy throughout the race, and as conditions deteriorated around the Bandstand, he continued to warn both crews as they maintained contact.

Slop would have the advantage as they drag raced towards the finish line. However, it was Beans who had more in the can and found a few extra gears, allowing them to break clear for the first time as the race reached its crescendo. After a herculean effort from both crews, Beans would be triumphant, winning by one and a half lengths.

After racing, Mouelle reflected on the winning stroke man. “He’s a super talent, and he’s done a really impressive job today and this season so far. No one really sees in him an 18-year-old boy; we see a top athlete who could be a weapon for sure on the team.”

The Cambridge Lightweights were also in action as Obelix took on Asterix. The European theme reflected the nationalities that have joined Cambridge University BC this year. It was a right bobby dazzler and a close encounter, but come the finish line, Asterix beat Obelix by a third of a length.

The women’s race was a more civilised affair. With chopping and changing in lineups right up until race morning, Baby and Ginger overcame a huge amount before the race even started.

Women’s President Gemma King said, “We had another three changes today, which is a lot for the day of the race. It’s actually been really good because it’s made us row well together, we’ve had a similar style across the two boats, and we get to row with everyone. On race day, you never know what could happen, so although it has been chopping and changing, it’s been good practice for what could happen, and it shows you have to be ready for anything.”

Both crews started with intent, squaring up to the dreich conditions. Out of the blocks, it was Ginger, steered by Tideway specialist Matt Moran, rating higher, striking 43 as they approached Putney Embankment. However, by Fulham Football Club Baby, steered by American Lidya Acar, was starting to break the intangible elastic between the crews. At the Mile Post, Ginger’s deficit was growing, and they were in danger of being spat out the back in the first third of the race.

Credit: AllMarkOne

Under Hammersmith Bridge, the gap was sitting at a length and a half and the first warning of the day was bellowed by Umpire Claire Harvey, urging Baby to stick to their station, despite their growing lead.

By Chiswick Eyot, the door was closing firmly on Ginger. Led by two-time U19 medallist Eloise Etherington and Syracuse graduate Charlotte Ebel, Baby looked more relaxed with every stroke as they eased away from their opposition, cruising towards the bandstand.

As with most crews leading a two-boat race, Baby looked longer and more synergised as they passed under Barnes Bridge. Barring disaster, the winner wasn’t in doubt. In the shadows of Chiswick Bridge, Baby was victorious, winning by five lengths over Ginger.

“Although the other crew did get up off the start and then walked away, we were so internal that we didn’t really know where they were,” explained King.

“Matt kept us on it and made us think we were moving, but overall, it was a great opportunity to practice racing the full course.

“We had a really good race compared to some of our rows, so it’s shown the progression we’ve made. It’s been good for the coxes to steer the course with the umpire we’ll have on race day. At least side by side off the start was useful!”

The Cambridge women also raced a combined Lightweight and Openweight race between Scary and Sporty. In a phenomenal race, Scary blasted out of the blocks to lead at the Mile Post by a length and a half. At Chiswick Pier, the lead had changed, Sporty led by one seat. By the finish, Scary pulled away to win by just a third of a length.

Men’s Squad Lineups

Slop

Cox Sammy Houdaigui (Fitzwilliam), George Dickinson (Hughes Hall), William Klipstine (Hughes Hall), Simon Nunayon (Emmanuel), Simon Hatcher (Peterhouse), Alex Finger (Wolfson), Calvin Tarczy (Wolfson), Noam Mouelle (Hughes Hall), Matt Morgan (Pembroke)

Beans

Cox Freya Jenkinson (Selwyn), Patrick Wild (Peterhouse), Gabriel Obholzer (Peterhouse), Alexander McClean (Hughes Hall), Leonard Brahms (Wolfson), Felix Rawlinson (Fitizwilliam), Kyle Fram (Lucy Cavendish), Raphael Berz (Clare Hall), Luke Beever (Emmanuel)

Asterix

Cox Alex Taylor (Clare), Victor Viennot-Bourgin (Darwin), William Woodard (Christ’s), James Richards (Girton), Nikita Mohr (Peterhouse), Nick Marsh (Queens’), Jeremy Wilkinson (Churchill), Jou-Myu Wijnholds (Queens’), Archie Smith (King’s)

Obelix

Cox Chiara Dell’Orfanello (Queens’), Peter Crossley (Sidney Sussex), Freddie Challacombe (St Catharine’s), Milo Taylor (Hughes Hall), Alex Geddes (Fitzwilliam), James Nash (Downing), Joe Stell (Downing), Josh Moore (Queens’), Lihan Loh (LMBC)

Women’s Squad Lineups

Baby

Cox Lidya Acar (Wolfson), Eloise Etherington (Caius), Charlotte Ebel (Newnham), Camille VanderMeer (Peterhouse), Alex Wiley (Jesus), Phoebe Pryce (Homerton), Mia Loxley (Churchill), Izzy Campbell (Hughes Hall), Fizz McNally (Sidney Sussex)

Ginger

Cox Matt Moran (Emmanuel), Carys Earl (Caius), Mia Freischem (Darwin), Aidan Wrenn-Walz (Fitzwilliam), Lyndsey Bryden (Peterhouse), Mathilda Kitzmann (Christ’s), Nicole Wojtania (Jesus), Ellie Sillar (Emmanuel), Gemma King (LMBC)

Scary

Cox Heather Shinn (Wolfson), Hannah Major (Pembroke), Alyssa Nicholls (St Edmund’s), Katarina Finney (Fitzwilliam), Anna Golbus (Clare), Zara Bek (1st & 3rd), Helena Olandi (Hughes Hall), Hannah Warren (Jesus), Lauren Allegretti (Lucy Cavendish)

Sporty

Cox Lauren Schneiderman (St Edmund’s), Bella Munro (Peterhouse), Jay Manson-Whitton (Peterhouse), Anna Linda Elvre (Homerton), Imogen Breeze (Lucy Cavendish), Olivia Wright (Emmanuel), Courtney Nel (Newnham), Alice Bastianelli (Sidney Sussex), Kate Oglethorpe (Hughes Hall)