This weekend saw DUBC take part in a series of private fixtures with our neighbours Newcastle, Tyne and also Edinburgh, who made the journey down to partake in some great racing. The fixtures consisted of a 4km Time Trial rate capped at 26spm and two 1k pieces which were done at free rate. DUBC took the time trial by storm, which ran from the A1 bridge, past the infamous Scrapyard corner, up Blaydon Strait to finish at Newburn bridge. Our athletes dominated the race, putting to use all the grim winter miles that have been gained so far.
Our men’s 1st eight won the TT by 19 seconds over Edinburgh’s 1st eight and put a minute into Newcastle’s 1st eight; an impressive result this early in the season. Meanwhile on the women’s side, the 1st eight came second overall in the their TT, placing behind Edinburgh by 4 seconds. However they beat Newcastle by 26 seconds. So far very promising results for our top two eights.
Back to the men’s side, our 2nd eight beat Edinburgh and Newcastle’s 2nd eights, and they placed only 2 seconds behind Newcastle’s 1st eight! They raced very hard in the TT so this result really reflects the hard work that they put in. Similarly the women’s 2nd eight performed exceptionally well. With a number of freshers relatively new to sweeping making up the crew, they placed just behind Edinburgh’s 2nd eight but beat Newcastle by 30 seconds! A very exciting result indeed and a great start to the day for DUBC.
After a short break to let the athletes recover and refuel, it was time to hit the water again for the 1k pieces which started at Newburn Bridge and finished just before the S-bend. The 1st and 2nd eights were matched up with their respective opposition and the racing began. The men’s 1st eight dominated both of their pieces, winning the first piece by a length and the second by a length and a half over Edinburgh, Newcastle and Tyne.
On the women’s side, our 1st eight placed second in both pieces, only narrowly losing to Edinburgh by just a canvas. They raced hard in both pieces, charging all the way to the end, keeping Edinburgh under pressure the whole way.
Our men’s 2nd eight didn’t have it all their own way. After a stellar performance in the TT in the morning, they placed 4th in the 1k pieces behind Newcastle and Edinburgh, despite an impressive sprint to the line both times.
Our women’s 2nd eight smashed the 1k’s, only just losing to Edinburgh but beating Newcastle by clear water on both pieces. Again, an impressive feat for a boat with limited sweep experience.
Overall, it was a great day with extremely positive results for Durham. These fixtures are a great way for everyone to get some coveted race experience in before the important head races during winter so we’d like to thank everyone who organised the event and helped out. It could not have happened without everyone chipping in. We now look forward to Rutherford Head next Saturday, where DUBC will aim to capitalise on these strong results.