The Fuller’s Head of the River Fours on 12th November was the first outing down the notorious tideway for our squad this season. Our heavyweight 4-was the first of our two boats to yank oars in anger on the day, setting off number 177. The crew struggled to find their rhythm in the first half of the 6.8km long race. Once they found their flow the power of the crew started to show through as they overtook 3 crews between Hammersmith and Fulham. With a strong final sprint they managed to finish a very respectable 10th in the IM1 4-, with a time of 20:14.0.

 

 

The lightweight 4- crew set off number 191, just 14 crews behind the heavyweights in the same category. Laying down some serious watts at the start, the chaps managed to overtake a crew within the first 2 minutes. This gave them a good boost as they went hunting for the next crews. Striking a rate of 36 throughout the rhythmic middle section the lightweights passed another 2 boats before Hammersmith Bridge which put them in good position for their final 2km. They reached Fulham and overtook another two crews simultaneously giving them a great bit of clear water to start a powerful build for the finish. Hitting rate 40 from the Imperial Boat House onwards they finished strongly to come away with 8th in the IM1 4-, with a time of 20:08.7.

 

 

Finishing both crews within the top 10 shows the consistency found within Trent’s Senior Men’s Squad. Everyone raced extremely well on unfamiliar waters and the whole experience provided a good first benchmark to work from going into the rest of the season. Special mention to James Beagles in his 2nd ever race for Trent and his debut outing racing sweep.