May 2022
Grab your sunglasses, zephyrs and bring out the Pimm's...it's time for Summer Eights, the most important event in the Oxford college rowing calendar!
Quickfire results:
M1: +3
W1: +3
M2: -2
W2: +2
W3: +1
Results:
M1
Hoping to repeat their success at Torpids and earn themselves another set of blades, M1 led a fierce campaign. They were coxed by Rollo Orme, who came to LCBC in Trinity term following his training with the lightweight men's blue boat, which he coxed for their boat race. Lincoln M1 made impressive bumps on Worcester, Mansfield and Hugh's M1s, yet on the final day that all-important fourth bump on Hertford eluded them. However, they finished in a respectable seventh position in men's division 2, giving next year's M1 a solid platform to build upon.
W1
Our W1 girls came out blazing this Trinity, showing that those long erg sessions pay off. Despite not quite being able to catch Green Templeton on day one, they secured a clean sweep of bumps on Mansfield, Trinity and Somerville W1s in the days that followed. They matched Lincoln M1's score of three out of four bumps, placing them in seventh position in women's division 2. A special mention goes to their cox, Kate Halcrow, who in her final term with us achieved her long-time goal of racing in a top boat for Summer Eights. Kate has been with LCBC since 2017 and has made a huge contribution to the life of the club through rowing, coxing, serving as the OURCs secretary 2018-2019 and the LCBC secretary 2020-2021.
M2
Our darling M2 are always the life and soul of the boat club. They had a tough draw and were bumped a few times, but they always held onto their big smiles and cheerful spirit. Moreover, their crew cohesion (emphasised through their bright white zephyrs) made them the envy of the Isis. We challenge you to find a more sleekly dressed M2 on the college rowing scene.
W2
Featuring rowers from no fewer than seven different nationalities, Lincoln's W2 were ready to rip up the Isis following their success at Torpids. After a nice bump on St John's W2 on day 1, they rowed over on Thursday and Friday, only to come back with a bang on Saturday with a bump on Wadham W2. It was great to see so many of our Michaelmas novices in the boat and doing so well - we can't wait to see where they take LCBC next year!
W3
Having stormed through Rowing On with flying colours, our W3 gunship (stacked with many ex-W1 rowers and coxed by LCBC's iconic president Heather McTaggart) was placed in the middle of women's division 5, making them the second highest W3 in the whole regatta. The first day saw a spectacular bump on Jesus W2, bumping within 10 seconds and finishing well before Donny Bridge. A series of unfortunate klaxons on the following days cut the subsequent races short, making this W3's only bump of Summer Eights. However, this is how it goes with bumps racing , and in spite of the potential disappointment W3 maintained their indomitable yet relaxed spirit, finishing the regatta huge smiles on their faces. Never bumped by another crew, they finished seventh in women's division 5, meaning that all five Lincoln boats will race in fixed divisions in Summer Eights 2023.
This year saw the introduction of LCBC's own student-run Pimm's bar, which went down very well with the spectators and rowers alike (although the latter only indulged after their races had finished, naturally).
The annual Summer Eights dinner took place on the Saturday night. As well as celebrating the success of our current Lincoln crews, we were delighted to welcome the 1981 men's crew and the 1982 women's crew back to college to celebrate the club's past and present achievements.
The whole week was a wonderful showcase of everything which makes bumps racing and LCBC so special. We can't wait for 2023!
