raced for the first time all season in the heats. After a slow start, the boys worked themselves into a position by halfway where they could challenge for a medal. In a blistering sprint finish – timed to perfection – College rolled over the top of St Andrew’s College in the last stroke to win silver by a mere 0.05sec. Following hot on the heels of the U17 eight’s race was the U15 octuple. This crew had been improving all season and was ready to make the step up. After a blistering 1000m by all crews, College was in 7th place, before it slowly worked its way up the field to unleash a withering final sprint to place an agonisingly close fourth by less than 1sec. It was a major improvement for these boys, as, fewer than nine weeks earlier, they were beaten by the crew in 3rd place by more than 1min. College’s next event was the U16 four. The crew had worked consistently all season, with hopes high for a medal. After a typically
slow College start, the boys worked steadily throughout the middle 1000m to be in medal range. In the final quarter, College charged and pulled through both Shirley Boys’ High School and Christchurch Boys’ High School. Unfortunately, the finish came too soon, leaving College a worthy bronze medallist. College’s last event on Friday was the U18 coxed four. College had two crews, with both the A and B four qualifying for the final. After another slow start, both crews work diligently through the middle of the race to put themselves in a solid position. At the finish, College A won the bronze medal and College B was 4th. College’s first event on Saturday was the A final for the U16 eight. Recently, College had had great success in this event and hopes were high for the crew. After a strong start, College was neck and neck with St Bede’s College. As the field approached the halfway point, these two crews started to exchange
“pushes” and moved away from the rest of the field. As the finish line approached, St Bede’s College unleashed a sprint that College could not match. College was a worthy silver medallist – 5sec ahead of the third-placed crew and 1sec behind the winner. In the final event of the regatta, the U18 eight, three College crews qualified for the A and B finals. The Magenta eight (3rd eight) raced gallantly to place 6th in the B final, and finish 14th overall. In the A final, both the 1st and 2nd eights battled against six other schools for the chance to hold the Maadi Cup. In a change-up for College, the 1st eight shot out of the block and established an early lead after 10 strokes. By the end of the first quarter, it had extended the lead to a boat length. At the halfway point, the 1st eight had stretched this lead to more than 5sec. Not willing to rest on its laurels, the crew turned on the afterburners in
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