The Boat Club

This has been one of the pleasantest term's boating in several respects, first and foremost because of the fine state of our fours on their return from the repair shops of Erik Brown of Durham. Never has there been a term when so little maintenance has been necessary. The overhaul of our four clinker fours has been a suitable moment to convert all boats to swivels, and the Boat Club has settled down well to this change—a change which brings us into line with modern tendencies. All regatta events from this year on will be rowed with swivel rowlocks so we shall be well prepared for the change.

At the beginning of the season it was found that the deterioration in the steps down to the river, after their many years of service, forced us to abandon boating when the river was at a certain level and to launch a boat it was necessary to step into mud and water. It was decided to rebuild these steps, and this has been done, largely with the aid of wagon soles bought from British Railways. With the renewal an extension was also made, and we now have a length of forty-two feet of steps at the top besides the path and seventy to eighty feet at the river's edge. Although all the timber used has been second-hand it is confidently expected that the new steps will last for twenty or thirty years. They have been constructed in such a way that a replacement will not be difficult.

At a recent meeting the Governors passed a resolution that the Senior rowing in the School should be done in Eights. This will require a sideways extension to the boathouse and the acquisition of two Eights. These proposals will be implemented in the near future. There are several advantages to be gained from this decision. In 1946 we had our last fixture with Oundle because from then on they rowed their Senior crews in Eights; more recently Nottingham High School and Durham School have been rowing in Eights, the latter somewhat surprisingly as it has only recently been found that it is possible to race an Eight through the hard arch of Elvet Bridge.

The acquisition of Eights may, therefore, help us increase our fixture list and bring us nearer to every oarsman's dream of an appearance on the Thames at Henley or one of the lesser regattas. Another advantage is that in any period of time it will be possible for twice as many boys to be on the river or, alternatively, the same number of boys can have twice as long. This is more important than it seems, for the constant demand is for longer outings. Many of the Junior members of the Boat Club do not have as frequent outings as could be wished and any cure for this complaint is welcome.

The term's boating considered in detail shows an increase in the overall standard of rowing. Concentration on the pull of the blade through the water has improved speed, and it will be interesting to see how the School crews respond to this next term.

The House Races had to be postponed on account of bad weather and flooding, and when they were eventually held they were sandwiched in during the Trial Exams.—not an ideal arrangement and one which we hope will not be necessary next year.

The Senior Division was won by Queen's and if they seemed to win every race by a big margin it must be remembered that Heap was stroking the boat, that this was his fourth (and first successful) final and that he was determined to win. This he did by a most powerful and effective start with a continued drive all down the course. He deserves great credit for the way he coached his crew.

In the Junior Division the Boating Cup went to the Grove for the first time in the history of the House. On the whole the Junior Division produced better racing than the Senior, but both divisions showed good form.

The extension of the boating and hockey season has allowed the probable 1st IV for next term to have one or two practices and also enabled a number of keen boaters to make up for lack of outings during the term.

RESULTS OF HOUSE RACES

SENIOR DIVISION.

Preliminary Round: Grove beat Manor; Queen's beat School House.

Semi-finals: Rise beat Grove; Queen's beat Temple.

Final: Queen's beat Rise. Winning crew: Bytheway, Whitmore, Hopwood, Heap; Beresford.

JUNIOR DIVISION.

Preliminary Round: Temple beat School House; (The Queen's crew scratched).

Semi-finals: Grove beat Manor; Rise beat Temple.

Final: Grove beat Rise. Winning crew: Crossley, Quickfall, Dick, Wheeler; Wright.