Head of the River Race 2011: After the success of the Women’s Head of the River, the Boat Race (by association), BUCS Head and good results at the Heineken Cup in Amsterdam, ICBC looked optimistically towards a promising Men’s Head of the River. Imperial did not disappoint with four of the five boats entered finishing in the top twenty five and the two student eights bringing home two pennants and a trophy between them.
Photo Courtesy of Nick Ablitt
The first of the IC crews to pass through Chiswick Bridge (8th off the start) was the lightweight crew of cox: Seb Pearce/Ole Tietz/Adam Freeman-Pask/Tom Watson/Martin Eirmann/Ben Rowe/Josh Metcalfe/Bob Hewitt/Josh Butler, who were sponsored by Rajah Rowing Team [Ironic?!]. Despite Golden Boy Jamie Kirkwood’s absence due to post-post-viral-fatigue-illness, the crew managed to inch up the rankings to finish 7th in 17:15.58, with Isis strokeman Tom Watson filling in Kirkwood's shoes. They were second in the lightweight category behind a strong Leander crew (including the winning Isis cox Zoe De Toledo, world champions Chris Bartley, Richard Chambers and Paul Mattick; and GB U23 champion and Kirkwood's Visa 2012 Advert partner, Jono Clegg), who came 4th overall. When the first few crews set off, the stream was relatively slack and cox Pearce relayed to his crew that his awesome steering, cutting the bends, would give them the quickest line; a comment that his lightweight crew may not have been too bothered about at the time.
Photo Courtesy of Nick Ablitt
Starting 14th were Imperial’s top student boat of cox: Henry Fieldman/Matt Whaley/Rory Sullivan/Ben Spencer-Jones/Alistair Hudson/Simon Steele/Henry Goodier/Wilf Kimberley/Leo Carrington. Team Kimberley was not quite on the ball and was late for the lunchtime pre-paddle due to his commitments with the Fulham Massive. Again, due to the slack stream of the ebb tide, Fieldman cut the bends and, after a solid row, the crew maintained their starting position and finished in a time of 17:27.21. They regained the IM1 pennant, after winning it last year, and were the quickest university crew of the day (0.1s ahead of Queens University Belfast) winning the Bernard Churcher Trophy and could have won the Halladay trophy too, if the club had not had an elite category entry. The top ten might have been theirs, if only less foreign crews had been entered.
From a reallocated start position of 74th, the second student boat of cox: Libby Richards/Tom Pearson/Hal Bradbury/Tim Richards/Josh Yerrell/Adam Seward/Jake Lea-Wilson/Gareth Brown/Paddy Hudson, started close behind Tideway Scullers School II. TSS were in their wake before Barnes Bridge and Kingston Rowing Club got the same treatment before Chiswick eyot. At the Mile Post, disaster struck as Yerrell’s footplate broke but the crew soldiered on and, nevertheless, proceeded to storm home. They were 23rd overall and completed the course in 17:46.94, winning the IM3 pennant in the process, only being beaten by senior and elite crews and the top IC student eight (i.e. they would have been second in IM1 and would have won the IM2 pennant too!).
Photo Copyright Iain Weir
Imperial’s non-student boat had lost its intended strokeman, Simon Hislop, to Leander I [who eventually won the Head and therefore we will forgive him for deserting us], just days before the race. Fortunately, Sloppy recruited two of his winning Boat Race crewmates, Alec Dent and Mortiz Hafner to fill in, giving the crew (cox: Connie Pidoux/Mortiz Hafner/Alex Gillies/Louis Margot/Sam Cottrell/Alec Dent/Will Todd/Danny Bellion/Sam Scrimgeour) an air of Dark Blue confidence [Just one week after the Boat Race, the obvious thing for members of OUBC and CUBC to do to relax was to race HORR]. Will Todd was obviously spurred on by this and finally performed on the day… by relieving himself out the boat but accidentally onto his own blade handle. The race was only their fourth outing together yet they completed the course in 17:47.42 and were 25th overall, firmly stamping Imperial’s authority on the Race. BOOM.
Photo Courtesy of Nick Ablitt
IC’s novice boat of cox: Jess Johnson/Paul Jones/Ben Joakim/Tom Shaw/Finlay/Xavier/Tom McArdle/Tim Barr/Tim Duncan were a new entry and thus started 382nd. After passing nine crews, they finished 163rd overall and 6th in the Novice category [ahead of every ICSM boat!], despite strokeman Jones’s blade handle coming loose during the race.
Photo Copyright Iain Weir
After one of the most overall successful years for the club within the last decade, ICBC deservedly had a good night of merriment at LRC’s 300/Spartan themed party with the boys wearing little more than boxers and red “capes” made out of towels – thank goodness it had been a decent day weather-wise and the evening was warm. Before heading out, the hair clippers were used to great effect with certain members of the club getting impromptu mohawks and IC shaved into the back of their head. Reactions, both immediate and a few days later, were entertaining. Dancing in the sweat bath of the bar and the standard attacks on unsuspecting [/willing] females ensued. Even the IC coxes were not safe as Jake Lea-Wilson flung Jess Johnson into the air repeatedly, revealing a little more than Johnson would have liked. As the party drew to a close, some headed home to sleep [with their boyfriend/girlfriend/the enemy/other/alone], others jumped in the river for a refreshing swim. Eventually everyone crashed out and began mentally preparing for the nine day training camp in Temple-Sur-Lot ahead. Let’s hope no volcanoes are feeling particularly active this year.
Libby Richards