1st VIII

Bow: Luke Squire, Steff Horner, Ben Stockley, Tom Quayle, Toby Johnson, Cristian O'Brien (Captain), Barny Page, Stroke: Dave Meryon, Cox: Jessica Dewes. Coach: Gordon Reay

The year started off in typical fashion.......not much happening! The majority of the guys who would be in the first VIII had decided to play rugby in the Michealmas term but they were expected to train twice a week with me in the gym to get some fitness and strength on their side.

Despite the lack of experienced first VIII rowers there were three lower sixth boys fresh from the J16 VIII the previous year keen to impress and give it a go. I was very impressed how they adapted to the training regime and technique so quickly. After a month in singles I formed a coxless quad with the 'Gappy', Jonny Garrow, who was a very experienced oarsman and steerer.

After a few tentative outings the crew started to blend and soon began to move very well, so much so that I entered them into the Bluefriars Head, Bristol Ariel Head and the Fours Head. Wins at Bluefriars and Bristol boosted confidence for the Fours Head. I had told the crew that I would be happy with a top 300 result and they did just that coming in 293rd place out of 550 crews. Not a bad result for an inexperienced crew.

January came and the full squad were together for the first time. 12 keen young men were battling it out for the 8 places available. Training was the usual mix of circuits, weights, ergos, running and of course rowing. Signs were pretty good at first as the VIII started to go quite well. Wycliffe Big Head was the VIII's first test on the water and the crew were keen to show how they were going. The crew raced well and were very happy afterwards but disappointment followed as we realised we had lost by only 7 seconds to Shrewsbury.

Cardiff head was next on the agenda and an opportunity to show our class in Wales. Again the VIII had a storming race. JMB commented that they looked slick and very tidy, so much so that a picture of the crew made page 3 of Rowing and Regatta magazine rowing past the Millennium stadium looking very good indeed. However, the crew were yet again to be disappointed as they found out that they had been pipped at the post by Cardiff University by 4 seconds. Despite this setback I was quite buoyant about the result as the VIII were the 3rd fastest crew of the day only being beaten by The Welsh National 4x- and Cardiff Uni's first VIII....not bad.

Confidence was high in the run up to the Schools Head and the crew were determined to move up in the top table. Unfortunately this was not the case. The five man's gate popped open after 3 minutes and lost the crew some 15-20 seconds as they scrambled to fix it. A strong head breeze after Hammersmith Bridge also sapped the strength of this light crew. 27th overall was a disappointing result! However, the VIII were not as far behind their competitors as we first thought. The top six crews were in a league of their own but the next 20 crews or so were only separated by 45 seconds. I felt that with more training behind the crew and no mishaps that this would be a result that could be turned around.

The Nantes training camp came and went and was very successful indeed with the VIII picking up a lot of speed and confidence. Birmingham regatta was the first test of the VIII under the stresses of sprint racing. The VIII were in a straight final against Bedford Modern. The first VIII dominated the race from the start and sprung to a length lead after only 150 metres. They stretched the lead to two lengths by half way and paddled home comfortably in the lead in the fastest race of the day. What was clear about this year's VIII was that they had an explosive start, one which would come in handy in later races.

Next up for the First VIII was Coate Water Regatta. Entered into two events, the hope was to come away with two wins! Unfortunately this wasn't the case. A very poor start in the first race saw the boys 1 length down to Reading Blue Coat after just 200 metres. The VIII started to claw their way back slowly but surely but the course was just two strokes too short. They lost by the narrowest of margins....a canvas.

Disappointed the crew rowed straight up to the start for the next final against a very strong Monmouth crew and Shiplake. This time the first VIII had a much stronger start and led the race to the half way point. They were looking very confident passing 500 metres and then Monmouth took a push which the 1st VIII could not match. Monmouth took a slender lead and it looked as if we were poised to push back but the 1st VIII began to tire and were not 'up for the fight'. The final verdict was two lengths to Monmouth which was all taken in the last 150 metres.

The following week was the 'Big One'...National Schools. In a new format this year the crews had to qualify for semi finals through a processional time trial. Although not as exciting as side by side racing I felt that this was a better way to qualify rather than being in a very though heat and not qualifying. The first VIII raced extremely well and afterwards the crew commented on how it was the best row they ever had. Even the cox, Jessie Dewes, usually very tough to please said how impressed she was. As the results were announced over the tannoy system the crew and coach held their breath to hear the words MONKTON COMBE SCHOOL....alas they never came. The crew had failed to qualify by 4 seconds, the fastest loser! Depressing is not the word I would describe in the camp. How could the VIII race so well and not qualify? Questions were being asked left, right and centre. I had no answers at the time but see my 'Sugar Coating' article for my thoughts on this area.

It was time to re-group and put our minds to the task of qualifying for Henley Royal Regatta. Marlow Regatta separated us from Henley and JMB and I thought it would be a good idea to make a weekend out of this event to give the guys a lift. Staying in a very nice hotel in Maidenhead and having a lovely breakfast the guys were full of optimism for the day ahead. The first race saw the guys take on the might of Eton, Radley, Latymer Upper, Pangbourne and Cheltenham. The guys had a stormer of a start and managed to get a lead by 500 metres. At half way both Eton and Radley had managed to pull back and by the 1500m mark Monkton were third. In the last 250m the crews made their push for home and the Monkton VIII just couldn't make that late charge, ending up in 4th place. Despite this the crew were happy with their row, as was I.

In the second race against University crews, the guys again took a lead into 500m but as the race went on, the strength of the men started to show. The first VIII raced hard and fought bravely in the closing stages but missed out on the top spots. The crew were full of praise for each other's efforts in both races and they felt confident that qualification for Henley was definitely on.

Henley qualifiers are always a tense occasion. The final chance to prove that all the training was worthwhile and that your crew are one of the fastest in the country. This was no different in the Monkton camp and with only 4-5 seconds separating the crews who had to qualify it could have been anybody's race. The guys set to the water confident and ready to fight for their place. As the crew passed JMB and me in the last 400m they looked tired and not as sharp as they had done in previous races. This was to be the nail in the coffin as when the results came out Monkton was not one of the names on the qualifying list. A disappointing 20 seconds off the pace.

A disappointing end to what was a good year for the first VIII. Five of this crew were moving onto the next stage of their education and lives, and it would have been nice to send them off on a high. There are three left from this year's VIII and they are determined to show that Monkton can be a force to be reckoned with. Watch this space.

Gordon Reay