Downing Snatch Victory at Robinson Head

Downing M1 will be celebrating today after snatching victory from Queens’ and First and Third on a day which saw a surprise shake-up of the men’s leaderboard.

The Downing crew completed the course in an impressive time of 08:35, three and five seconds respectively ahead of Queens and FaT. Queens’ Captain Nick Gates thought “the race went well, with a strong start and finish” but blamed the frustrating 2nd place result on a poor middle section. The change in headwind conditions between the divisions may well have had a part to play in making the difference between the three crews, whose times were incredibly close. Either way, the competition for the Headship should be hot this time round. It will be interesting to see how the crews fare in tomorrow’s 5km showdown at Head of the Nene.

The victorious Downing M1 crew in action. Photo: Tim Sherrington.

First and Third M1. Photo: Tim Sherrington.

In the second division, Queens’ M2 also looked strong, topping Catz, Peterhouse and the rapid Magdalene M2, who won the equivalent division in both Head to Head and Newnham Short Course. Amusingly, Sidney Sussex M3 were beaten by a IV from First and Third. They should really work on putting those extra four people to better use…

On the women’s side, Christ’s strolled in for an easy first place, ahead of Downing by a good 16 seconds. This consolidates their strong record of recent results, with a win at Newnham Short Course last weekend and 3rd place in Winter Head to Head. Queens’ W1 will be getting nervous after another confident showing from the boat behind them in Bumps. Emma W1, who currently hold the Headship and are the boat to watch this term, came in a disappointing 8th place with a final time of 11:10, over a minute slower than the fastest crew. With 3 weeks left to go, their hold on the headship looks increasingly shaky.

Christ’s W1 en route to a well-deserved win. Photo: Tim Sherrington.

In the W2 division, FaT W2 beat Peterhouse to claim first place and grab a set of the stylish blue and yellow Robinson Head T-shirts which are exclusively for winning crews. This crew is currently at the bottom of the 2nd Division of Bumps with four first boats ahead of them. They could certainly give Darwin W1 something to think about if they continue building on this progress over the next few weeks.

For The Tab’s photos of the racing at Robinson Head, click here.

Check back tomorrow for The Tab’s exclusive coverage of the Head of the Nene.