THE FIRST EIGHT was selected after long and well fought trials. Races were held at Saltford at the end of this period, and the final stretch (over the whole two mile course) was certainly the best trial race we have ever had. The crews were evenly balanced, and they overlapped throughout the race. No-one gave in to fatigue, and the outing gave all the senior oarsmen the ability work under strain. This persisted throughout the year• Although the crew was keen, reasonably strong and heavy (twelve and a half stone by Henley), it was technically weak. The majority of its members had not had much by way of skills coaching during their way up the club, and the two oarsmen who had come up through B crews were still raw novices in January. They all responded to the new ideas they were shown during the season, but blade-work and rhythm did not come easily and despite some very good days, the crew's watermanship remained unreliable.

The Head Race season started with Henley which was cancelled after we had set out for the race. A friendly encounter with the rest of the Monkton team and two crews from The Leys took place on the Reading stretch, and was enjoyed by all, despite the bitterly cold conditions. The other races all took place within a short time of each other. The Schools Head went badly, but both races at Bristol saw exciting tustles with the University crew. We lost the Ariel race by just a second, and understandably blamed our one-square-inch Empacher rudder, which could not get us round the Boathouse bend. By the next day, the ever-resourceful BSM had made up a bigger one, much needed for the tight bends in the docks, and we beat the University by 16 seconds officially, though the distance looked closer to several onlookers. The Head of the River Race was as enjoyable as ever, and we went up some SO places.

The customary Cambridge training took place in cold and wet conditions, but we were grateful as always to Caius for hosting us. A feature of the summer term which followed was that the crew took part in only three regattas during term time, which was more than balanced by seven out of term. It seems hardly satisfactory that there is so little racing in term time. We should be aiming at an event every other week if training is going well. Both in and out of term we were involved in closer results than usual. At Avon we beat the 2nd VIIIs from Eton, Radley, Shrewsbury and Hampton, and were all set to win the final against St. Paul's when a ship-wreck slowed us right down.

During the half term break at Worcester, we won Senior C Eights in a good race with Eton 1I. Our first-round race at Hereford was against Shrewsbury II. After a splashy start we gained some ground, but not very much, and the crews raced almost level and close to each other. As they approached the bridge, Monkton were about three-quarters of a length up, but then Shrewsbury put in an effective burst and drew level by the finishing line, where oars clashed. After this dead-heat, the crews went straight back to row the whole course again. Once again the race was closely fought; the coxes were agressive and an oar was broken in a clash; the rate never fell below about 38 and the crew demonstrated that it could work under considerable pressure and physical tiredness. We won by six feet, and went on to the imminent final against Reading. The whole of this race consisted of burst and counter-burst. At the bridge Reading were about a length in the lead; many a Monkton crew would have written the race off at this stage, but a brave take-home was attempted and gound was gained until the finishing line.

The crew rowed badly at Nottingham, and (with Henley in mind) it was decided to concentrate on technique for a few weeks under a different coach. This training paid off, and culminated in a useful session on the Henley course a week before the regatta. It was on the return journey from this outing that our boat-trailer (with a full load) was involved in an accident which resulted in the loss of our boat, Philip Denny, putting our Henley entry in jeopardy. Despite the shock caused by the incident, the crew and coaches worked with a will during the next week, practising and racing in our old boat, Percy Tolman. As is customary, we had a difficult draw, but rowed well against Eton, managing to stay level as far as Fawley. Over the second half of the course the crew rowed with the determination and courage which they had displayed earlier in the term. Although we lost, our time put us about half way up the list of 22 entries - a creditable performance.

The crew had planned to go to Germany after the end of term, but there were no other entries in our event, so we switched our attention to some well-tried home regattas instead. We should have won at Kingston but our performance was spoilt by the very late bed-time of some members of the crew. (Lack of discipline can cause loss by a few feet... ) After a good night's sleep and a change of attitude, the performance at Burton was very different. We won Senior B VIIIs in fine style, in a time only one second slower than the record set by Monkton last year, even though the course has been lengthened by 25 metres. After a break of ten days the crew (with stroke and three replaced by two members of the 2nd VIII), camped at Bewdley Rowing Club where we were blessed with good weather and fed on ;sumptuous barbeques every day. We beat our old rivals Reading RC on the Saturday. They got their revenge by a few feet the next day when we went off the start at an amazing (though inefficient) 47! Thus ended a particularly enjoyable season; we are most grateful to all the parents and supporters who made it such a memorable one for the crew.