There are few things more competitive in sport and within the rowing domain than a local derby. A regular highlight of fixture season, the ‘Oxford Derby’ is just about the most competitive; Sunday’s typical blue versus red battle didn’t disappoint.
Piece One
The first piece was from the University Stone for five minutes. Off the start, both crews went hard and fast and stayed level for the first minute. As the crews rounded the embankment and Craven Cottage, and with Oxford cox Joe Gellet being warned multiple times for his steering, Brookes started to edge ahead to a half-length advantage. With Oxford struggling to get back into the picture and Brookes looking to defend their position, blades edged ever closer to clashing. Both crews were warned for steering as they tried to gain an advantage over each other. Coming out of the Middlesex bend, Brookes – despite being on the outside station for the bend – had crept out to a further advantage, with their seven seat Rhianna Sumpter level with Ella Stadler, the President and two seat of the Oxford crew. Although Oxford held on valiantly, Brookes won by ¾ of a length.
Piece Two
The second piece presented a slightly different challenge, beginning this time with a rolling start from Harrods and – as with the first piece – lasting five minutes. After the umpire’s “GO”, Brookes caught the Oxford crew sleeping to jump out to a third of a length lead over the dark blues. As the two crews went through Hammersmith Bridge, it was the crew in maroon who once again had established a half-length lead over their local rivals. Moving around the inside on the St Paul’s boat house bend, it was Brookes on the Surrey station that continued to grow their lead to ¾ of a length. By the halfway point, both crews were rating 35 spm, with Brookes continuing to keep Oxford at bay, but never quite able to snap the intangible elastic tying the two crews together. At the end of the second piece, it was once again a win for Brookes by ¾ of a length.
Piece Three
Refreshingly, however, the third piece was a different story…
Off the start, the Dark Blues jumped Brookes to take a ⅓ of a length in the first 600m. With both crews repeatedly warned, though, Brookes began to move back around the outside of the bend, and by the Bandstand both crews appeared level.
However, as they crossed under Barnes Bridge, the boats were on top of each other, with both repeatedly warned as blades swung through the recovery mere inches away from their opposite numbers. Although Brookes began to edge ahead to a two seat advantage at the four minute mark, the umpire’s warnings were now solely directed at them. Then, with a misunderstanding between crews, what seemed to be a turn of luck at the five minute mark saw Brookes drop back as Oxford walked through to the win final piece by a length and a half. It turns out, Brookes understood the price to be 5 minutes long, so lowered their pace at that point, accounting for Oxford’s sudden turn of speed.
Conclusions
Despite the two to one result in favour of Brookes, the final performance was a real step on from the Oxford crew, who are looking to avenge six consecutive Boat Race losses. Despite the misunderstanding in timing, the crew looked to step on through the pieces. Could it be that the new regime under Allan French might just be what this squad needs to re-establish itself as one of the big powers in the sport once again?
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