Monkton Bluefriars was formed some years ago to help friends of Monkton Combe School Boat Club keep in touch with that club and with each other. I am aware, and somewhat embarrassed that in the last ten years (during which I have run the school boat club) I have not managed to keep Bluefriars alive and ticking. Some recent OMs have been kept in touch with what has been going on, and some have even rowed under Bluefriars colours at the Head of the River Race. In 1978, at the Boat Club Centenary celebrations, I promised that I would be in touch with all other members of Bluefriars soon. I am sorry that 'soon' has been so long, but here we are at last!

The Boat Club at Monkton is roughly the same size as it has been for some years, and we regularly boat between 10 and a dozen eights. Competitive rowing by the younger members of the club has increased, and in the last two or three years we have had thirteen year olds competing at official events including the Schools Head Race and the National Schools Regatta. At the other end of the club, the 1st VIII has regularly attended many regattas at home and abroad in the holidays. Such is the pressure of academic work and the keenness of the crew that it has sometimes attended as many regattas in the holidays as in term time. Trips to Germany have become almost regular. After visits in 1978 and 1980, we are planning to return to Ems in 1982. It was apleasure to welcome friends from that town to Monkton and to two regattas last August.

It would be nice to include in these notes some information about OMs who are rowing successfully for other clubs. Perhaps we could reserve a page next time? In the meantime, I have gathered just a litttle news about oarsmen that I have met over the last year. Richard Ireland is rowing for Thames Tradesmen; Tim Evans coxed Southampton University (who trained with our 1st VIII last spring); Fergus Munson rowed for Leander; Nigel Burrows and John Davisonare rowing for their hospitals in London. Andy Crawford hopes to row in Oxford, and George Savage in Cambridge. James McClune is Captain of Rowing at Dartmouth. Howard Wirmicott has been seen at various regattas rowing for Staines, I think.

I would like to hear from any other OMs who are still rowing. It would also be helpful to hear from you if you would like regular news about Monkton rowing. This summary has been sent out to about 250 members of Monkton Blue friars, many of whom have not heard from us for some years. The older members may well have paid a life subscrption of £5, or even two or three annual subs. of 2/6d (that takes you back a bit, doesn't it?) It is clearly out of the question to send a letter of this sort out regularly unless it is properly funded, so it can only go in future to those who send an annual donation to the club. Many of the younger OMs who have rowed under Bluefriars colours have benefited enormously from Bluefriars funds which have helped pay entry fees and very heavy travel costs. These oarsmen have been encouraged to pay something back to the Club once they have left school, and many of them send us a donation of anything between £2 and £20 a year. This enables us to help the next generation to enjoy their rowing. (And this generation at school now is being warned that they will be expected to help in the same way in their turn.) Younger OMs who do not already contribute in this way have a separate letter encouraging them to help us. I hope that some of the older OMs who have perhaps not enjoyed the help that Bluefriars can give, but who have happy memories of rowing at Monkton, may wish to join in as well. I am aware that they will have been approached by the school which is running adevelopment appeal at present, and that appeal must of course get their first attention.

If you do feel like sending us a small regular annual donation, would you fill in the bankers order form, and let me have it back? We are gradually building up an income which helps us to subsidise holiday rowing and the purchase of equipment. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for the better running of Bluefriars. As I mentioned above, I am aware that things may have appeared to be rather dead, but I can assure you that the school club (which must be my primary concern) is very much alive and well. If you live close enough to any regatta to come and watch us, we would very much welcome your support.

The following report has appeared in 'The Monktonian':

The Senior group started the season with three trial eights and a four - a larger number than we have had for many years. The four was soon to wither away, but the others trained keenly and continued rowing for the whole season. General activities in the club were busier than usual, with enthusiastic crews at all age groups. For this we owe a great deal to S.C.O. (who has just joined us from Pangbourne) and to B.S.M., who both coached and worked at the boathouse for many hours over and above their quota. The bumps were held in the week after the Exeat during the Summer Term, a time which seemed to suit most crews very well. and standards were higher than usual. We were privileged to welcome Moritz Avon Groddech- an outstanding Olympic gold medallist - as our Guest at the Bumps Supper.

The FIRST EIGHT emerged from trial crews towards the end of the third week of the term. At that stage there were still some pretty rough diamonds on board, and much tanking and technical training were undertaken during the following weeks. The video equipment (kindly loaned by B.S.M.) came in useful and the crew made great efforts to overcome the faults that were shown up. They went to Southampton to row with the university crew for a week-end early in February; although the university crew was faster and stronger, the long mileage on the open water of the tidal river was excellent experience. The new boat was launched the following week and the crew immediately took a liking to it, and had got used to it in time for Bristol Head Race. Practices on home waters during the previous two weeks had not been very good, particular bad points being that the crew took several minutes to get up to racing speed (even when being chased very closely by the 2nd VIII), and they lacked rhythm and drive off the stretcher. Lessons had sunk home in time for the Bristol race, where the start was powerful and effective. We had soon overtaken another crew (in a very narrow part of the river, where our new shell was nearly run aground), and the rest of the race was rowed at a steady and powerful rate. The overall victory was the first at Bristol for five years. At Exeter the wind was difficult, being strong and from the side. The new boat is perhaps not at its best in these conditions, and there were considerable balance problems throughout the race, with two or three crabs and one man nearly ejected from the boat. Despite these excitements, we scraped home as overall winners (in a small entry), but our pleasure at winning was accompanied by a sense of unease that the 2nd VIII had come second overall (excellent !), only three seconds slower than us (worrying !). When we returned from Exeter the river was up, and there was only one further outing on the Avon before the Schools' Head, ten days later. Despite lack of time to practise, it was decided to shuffle the order of the crew (swapping bow and 2 with 7 and stroke), in search of better rhythm and attack. This new order was tried out in London on the evening before the race, and, as it seemed to make an improvement, it was kept for the next day (and for the rest of the season). The race seemed to go well, and one other crew was overtaken. It was only when the results were announced that we realised that we were not as fast as we thought. The successes of previous weeks had perhaps been too easily obtained, and there was a feeling that we should go back to the drawing board. (The 2nd VIII were uncomfortably close by now, as results show.)

The Head of the River Race was held a week into the holidays, so the crew got together for a few days in London where we were able to train with other entrants. During the race, the crew looked powerful and fast as they rowed past Barnes, and both coaches were inclined to celebrate a good race even before the boat had been rowed back from Putney. The crew got back saying that the last mile and a half had gone badly in the very choppy and windy conditions, and the time published later confirmed their fears. Cambridge training was an opportunity to get plenty of distance rowed, and the crew covered about 42 miles, improving during the visit.

When we returned to school, the first outing was very poor, and it seemed that we had thrown away all the progress made during the season. It is not the coach's habit to tear the crew apart, but this outing was cut short so that the crew could suffer a lecture on concentration, technique, will-power, etc. The whole of the next week was difficult, and morale teetered on the edge. However, the crew worked hard, and improvement was soon rapid. By the time they set off for Wallingford, they were on good form and had no difficulty in beating Eton 2nd VIII in the first round. After that we met Radley 1st VIII in the final. They had already won Senior B VIIIs (beating Eton by 4 lengths), so we knew that we had an 'interesting' race in prospect. Our tactics were to go as fast as possible for the first half of the race, countering any attack that Radley might put in. We went off well, with Radley gaining about a man in the first few strokes. We soon had this back again, and by the end of the start (26 strokes) we were in the lead, which was later opened out to clear water. This was maintained for about 1200 metres. Radley attacked about 300 metres from home, and at the same time we entered the difficult stream (by which the Radley lane was hardly affected), and they drew by us to win. This was a fine race, and must surely be the first one in recent times in which we have been ahead of Radley for any distance (apart from the start), let alone for over 1000 metres. The Radley crew said afterwards that it was their best row of the day, and that they certainly had no intention of finding themselves down on us.

From this stage of term the crew began to move faster, and within a week they had broken the quarter mile record, which was to be taken down to 1.09.2 by the end of term. At Worcester we met Pangbourne in the first round. It was an excellent race, during which we were slightly up for most of the course, but Pangbourne slipped by on the final bend, and won by a quarter of a length, with Monkton coming back fast. At Monmouth, the next day, we got through two rounds and then fell to Neptune, although we had led for most of the course. Our finish in this race was spoilt by a difficult patch of wind, and our tally of races lost in the last few strokes had mounted up by one more. In each case there had been 'outside' excuses, but they were hardly likely to Empress those at school who had not seen the races, and a win seemed to be eluding us. Hereford was to bring success at last, and we won three good races and the Senior C event.

Conditions at Nottingham were excellent on the Friday evening, and our practice went well. By the next morning, a strong head wind had set in, and conditions, particularly at the start, were almost impossible. Our start in the first round was not very good, but after 500 metres we were leading the field, and we came home to win in fine style by acomfortable margin over the other four crews. Pangbourne won the other heat, in a time slightly slower than ours. We had good hopes for the final, but the confidence and calmness necessary for victory seemed to melt away, and even from the first few strokes of the race it could be seen that the sparkle had gone, and we came in 4th. A pity. We were pleased that both Radley and Pangbourne won their events, and remembered that we had led (and so nearly beaten) booth of them. At Richmond, the race against Tiffin was ruined by a P,L.A. launch whch kicked up so much wash that both crews found themselves in difficulties. The umpire decided that the race had been fair, and we won it by a canvas. We had a good row in the final, but could not match the strength of the older Isis oarsmen.

We were drawn against Radley at Henley, and our previous meeting with them became a source of inspiration during the training period. Our hopes of a win were not to be fulfilled at the regatta, and Radley were clear winners of our race. It was generally agreed that with a luckier draw we would have got through a round or two. Henley was followed by Kingston on the day after the end of term, where we had one of our few bad outings of the term. The course was short, and the coach gave bad advice for tactics for the race, which resulted in panic rather than speed. We had double entered, and rowed much better in the Elite race than the Senior B, going about 6 seconds faster in the higher event. It was encouraging to have even considered entering Elite, which no Monkton crew has done for nearly 20 years. For some of the crew, this disappointing day was not the end of the season. They met at the end of August and rowed as a four at Gloucester, Bristol and Ross regattas, and helped to host our friends from Ems Rowing Club in Germany. The Germans won on the Saturday, and we won on the Monday. These wins, both against large numbers of opponents, delighted the crews and their supporters, and ended a happy season. J.M.B.