Oxford rowers too sick to race

In a potentially devastating blow for their Boat Race preparations, OUBC has been forced to postpone their Trial VIIIs race which was scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Trial VIIIs sees both Oxford and Cambridge split their squads into two crews who then race amongst themselves.

Oxford Presidents Malcolm Howard and Maxie Scheske at the annual challenge, pictured here with a couple of losers.

Veteran OUBC coach Sean Bowden said: “Recent incidents of illness along with a couple of injuries have taken the squad number to below 16.

“With several of these rowers still not fully recovered, the coaching staff did not want to take the risk of racing with athletes not in good health.”

Trial VIIIs is vital preparation as it’s the only time the crews will get to experience racing conditions along the full length of the historic Boat Race course.

Coach Bowden remained optimistic that the depleted squad will get the chance to take part in the intra-squad race in the new year: “The coaches will look to reschedule the race for some time in the New Year once the team has returned from training camp. All the rowers are expected to make a full recovery.”

Early season air hockey seems to have taken its toll on Oxford.

David Searle, the po-faced Executive Director of ponderously named Boat Race Company Ltd said: “It is a great shame that OUBC are unable to boat two crews on Wednesday due to illness. We are fortunate that this has happened for Trial VIIIs, as it is always possible to reschedule the race for another date.

OUBC will have to watch out (geddit??) for Cambridge after disrupted preparations.

If it had occurred in Tideway week, we would have expected Oxford to boat two crews for The BNY Mellon Boat Race and for the Isis/Goldie Race, come what may, injury or illness notwithstanding. My sympathies to those who are ill and I wish them all a speedy recovery.”

Last year’s Trial VIIIs was also beset with problems – the two Oxford boats crashed into each other.

The Oxford crews – “Spitfire” and “Hurricane” – tangled blades late in the race and caused one athlete to catch a crab.

Trial VIIIs last year saw Oxford’s “Spitfire” beating “Hurricane” in a hard-fought race.

A crab, caused when the oar gets stuck under the water, is usually only seen in the lower echelons of college rowing and seemed to be a terrible omen for an Oxford crew looking to put the previous year’s defeat behind them.

Thankfully the Dark Blues ran out winners in that year’s Boat Race and the squad this year will be hoping that they can again overcome a build-up period that has been overshadowed by high-profile set-backs.