Term started as usual, with the Rugby players coming down to the river to try rowing, though this year we had the added pleasure of capsize drill in the pouring rain in the pool. In fact I believe that it was almost drier in the swimming pool where PFH seemed to enjoy helping the pupils to capsize. This not only prepared them for mistakes on the river it also seemed to be a premonition as the weather decided that rain was to be the order of the year. Only days later the river duly rose putting paid to the A-Group Rugby players coming down at all. However the other groups did arrive and learnt to scull with few problems, except for the usual accidental capsizes. That is except for Andrew who, as the safety launch went round the bend, capsized on the opposite side of the river and panicked that his feet were trapped. What was I to do? I removed my track-suit top, forgot my trainers shouted 'someone hold Spider' and dived. Andrew stopped panicking and his feet came free. However I was committed and it was a long way to the safety of his scull, but (much to the dismay of some pupils?) I made it and later I and Andrew were duly rescued. The excitement over, we all looked forward to the start of real rowing and the Lent Term. Rain, rain and rain, the river rose and it was impossible to go out, until it was so high that the field flooded enabling us set out to row there, and it was then that we started some impromptu third form regattas, which included that famous third form sculler DMM! Eventually, we did make it to the river and tried to raise a crew. Unhappily we were already too late for any of the local heads and so the only event left was the Schools Head. This also proved to be impossible for even more of the available outings were lost, and the possibility of putting together a crew, let alone a competitive one faded and so we failed to manage to do so.

Thus the term finished and we looked forward to the Summer. At least some of us did, but many left for cricket and even more arrived at rowing, meaning we had only a handful who had been trained to row. So it was back to the drawing board and time was necessary to train and organise a crew. This did happen and DMM took them to Avon County Regatta, but RAIN! again intervened and it fell and fell, meanwhile there were problems at the boat marshalling and we arrived late and were disqualified, despite checking beforehand with the opposition in order that this would not occur. So it was with a heavy heart that it was decided that the soaked pupils should scratch from their other events and return to school to dry off. Rain managed to interfere again after half term, so it was necessary to train hard and fast, though I did not expect what happened as somehow during a race the A quad rolled! - something I thought very difficult to do. However there were no other problems and it did mean that no one could accuse rowing of being boring. We left for Tewkesbury with some inexperienced and rather disheartened crews. Here we managed to regain some team spirit and were well placed relative to some good crews, but at the end of the day the longer training of the opposition meant that we were to come away empty handed, but dry - at least it did not rain! Peter Bossom