On the week of the 19th of June, the Men’s and Women’s squads rendezvoused in Putney, having been training separately for a few weeks, for the annual awarding of the palatinate all-in-ones to the members of our first eights. The occasion also allowed the club to officially name and celebrate the acquisition of two new Filippi eights, one for the men and one for the women. DUBC have begun naming our boats after esteemed alumni who have competed over various Olympics in the years passed. This instalment of boats featured the Tessa Millar and the Roger Brown. It was fantastic to be able to celebrate the achievements of athletes past and present and see lots of other alumni and parents at the event.
After this, the crews travelled to Henley so that those pre-qualified could acclimatise to conditions and complete their final bits of preparation. For those crews still required to qualify there was less time to prepare. Both women’s eights and the men’s second and third eights needed to test their mettle down the course on Friday in order to secure spots for the following week. The women were the first to tackle a firm headwind and swirly conditions. Watching from the banks, the men were impressed to see the first eight showing their speed, overtaking a crew as they passed through the grandstands. They clearly put in an immense performance with the stewards eventually seeding them in the draw, something they only do for very fast qualifiers. Unfortunately, the second eight were the fourth fastest non-qualifier, missing out on a spot at the regatta, but with a number of injuries in the weeks leading up to the race, it was still a valiant effort and they did the club proud.
The men’s run down the course faced equally strong winds and testing conditions. With lots of support along the banks, the second eight produced an asserted row, finding a good rhythm through the booms to insure their place the following week. For the third eight the stakes were slightly higher. A disappointing result in the final at Durham regatta had made the 3V hungry to find more speed and do their bit to represent the club at Henley. Three weeks of hard work paid off when the Stewards announced the qualifiers for the Temple Challenge Cup. The pause after “Durham University B” felt eternal as the two crews waited with bated breath for either “Durham University C” or “Edinburgh…”, in what would mean jubilation or heartbreak. At “Dur…” nothing else would be heard as both crews erupted into celebration. It is the first time Durham has qualified three eights for the Temple and the camaraderie between crews evidences the tight nature of the squad. DUBC is one club and wins and loses together. More history was made with two seeded crews, one in the Island and one in the Temple and an overall total of 41 athletes competing across the week.