REGATTA OnLine - Oxford Trial Eights

Oxford Trial Eights

Last updated 20th December 96

The Y Fronts looked the part, wearing their underwear on top of their outerwear, but like Steve Bell's John Major, were struggling losers at the Oxford trials y sterday, going down to the Boxer Shorts by three quarters of a length over the P utney to Mortlake course. It was a remarkably close race marked by a flowing str oke reminiscent of Cambridge in their four winning years, the influence of the D utch coach Rene Mijnders who is in charge at Oxford for six mon ths as a change from masterminding the Netherlands eight who took the gold medal in Atlanta.

The Y Fronts were stroked by the Olympic medallist Tim Foster (27) with the Ita lian Olympian Roberto Blanda (26) occupying the No 7 seat, and President Ed Bell amy moved up to No 6 when Charlie Humphreys went sick. The Blue Damian West was at 5, and these old lags' slight lead lasted as far as Harrods where the young B oxers, on the Middlesex station, mounted their rebellion. Stroked by 19-year-old Nick Robinson, they drew level, were quarter of a length down at St Paul's Scho ol after the Y Fronts sneaked ahead again on the inside of the Hammersmith bend, knitted blades with a clash or two past Chiswick Eyot, and were half a length up at the bandstand.

Robinson kept a cool head against Foster's repeated attempts to row him down. H is back four were superb - the former Etonian juniors Andrew Lindsay and James R oycroft in the 7 and 6 seats and Luka Grabor, Croatian Olympic oarsman and winne r of the Grand with Imperial College last summer, in the No 5 seat. Mijinders was pleased with what he saw, having started the season with a squad catholic in its rowing styles. Dress them in green and they could have been a No tts County crew - or the Dutch national eight - the personification of smoothnes s, as they paddled home. Oxford will certainly mount a challenge on March 29 wit h this lot, having at least ten excellent oarsmen from which to pick an eight. C ambridge's trial is on Thursday.

Y Fronts Bow - S.F.Mucklow (Christ Church), D.A.Law (Univ), S.W.Lyall-Cottle (Oriel), T.N .Flemming (Magdalen), *D.R.West (St Catherine's), *E.J.Bellamy (Keble), R.Blanda (Bransenose), Stroke - T.J.C.Foster (St Cross), Cox - J.R.Micklethwait (Univ).

Boxer Shorts Bow - A.Codemo (Hertford), D.P.Forward (Magdalen), A.C.J.Grant (St Peter's), J.I rving (Keble), L.Grubor (Somerville), J.B.Roycroft (Keble), A.J.R.Lindsay (Brase nose), Stroke - N.J.Robinson (Lincoln), Cox - P.A.Greaney (St Edmund Hall).

* denotes Blue.

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