The event takes place at the Newburn Boat house at 12pm on Sunday, 16^th May.  Entries are now closed and crews that have pre qualified through other such prestigious races such as ‘Scotswood Splash and Dash’, ‘Newburn Turn and Burn’, ‘the Dunstan Derby’ and ‘Wylam Sprints’ have been noted by the stewards and will be seeded accordingly.  These crews include: Any Alumni, Any southern Boat Race veterans and anyone who will row with Angelo.

The event will put all novice and senior rowers in ‘randomly’ selected coxed fours and will race over 350 metres to separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff and Mason from everybody else.  This event is extremely serious and competitive, Jesse Burgoine has come out of international retirement to compete and Ed Ford has been getting massive[r] to give him the edge.  This is a ‘winner takes all’ regatta with the loser of each race being eliminated and the winner securing a route to the next round.  It is similar to a lesser known regatta down south called Henley, so if anyone has been to that they will know the rough layout. The event is light hearted and meant to be a day to enjoy.  It would be against the spirit of the club to have a sombre occasion, but respects must be paid to a tragic loss to our club.  So please come along and have as much fun as you can, but all the time remember who this is for and why we are hosting it.

The event costs £5 to enter which includes: entry, guaranteed selection for a crew in the ‘Princess Eugenie Cup’ and a chance to win.  There may be a super special prize for the winning crew, but in all honesty, the lifetime sense of achievement should be enough to spur most rowers on.  .

The crews will comprise of one senior man, one novice man and one senior and novice woman.  There will be some tampering to ensure that no one crew gets stacked with too many lightweights (we’d all know they’d win) and to make sure that Mason Durant gets knocked out first round (he’ll probably be ill anyway).

There will be a carbo-load dinner hosted the night before in the Copthorn Hotel called ‘The Annual Dinner’ so please make your way there and join us in the pre race build up.  Anyone who doesn’t want to race but wouldn’t mind helping out marshalling will be laughed at initially, but welcomed afterwards.  Lateness to the start is not permitted and anyone caught using the ‘place and drift’ tactic will be instantly disqualified and banned from all future regattas.

We look forward to seeing you on race day.

Following the triumph that was the BUCS Head in February, we grabbed every boat we could find, strapped it to a trailer and high tailed off to the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.  The bank holiday weekend in May is always the time when all the Universities come together to race over 2,000 metres.  Yet every year we always forget just how horrible it is and just how far 2k feels when you’re rowing.  The weekend consists of every type of rowing discipline and first up was the men’s eights.  Seen as the most prestigious and coveted event, the championship eight were in with a good shout of upsetting the odds and grabbing a medal.  They were knocked back by a late illness to top sculler Andrew Corrigan who had crashed out of his championship singles heat despite being one of the favourites to win the event.  He subsequently pulled out of the eight that day to ensure his fitness returned for the majority of events in the following days.  Up stepped Edmund Mackenzie, a former novice turned Kenyan international (it’s not as good as it sounds) to fill the shoes of the President.  Unperturbed the Newcastle top eight were squeezed out into the repercharge (where all the men go to anyway) but managed to qualify for the final.  Knowing that on their day they had enough to grab a bronze they set off to the start with a resolute determination to claim a medal.  Unfortunately, an outstanding row from Queen’s Belfast, Oxford Brookes and Durham edged Newcastle into fourth which, whilst pleasing, is surely the most depressing place to finish in a race.  That, sadly, was one of the few highlights from an otherwise average start to the weekend. The men’s lightweight four looked slick in the repercharge but were unable to hold it together in the final, finishing fifth.  The Second eight, who had powered to silver at the BUCS head, limped out in the semi after their eight failed to fire.  Mark Bowers had a strong row in the Intermediate singles event, storming back from last place at halfway but was unable to grab a bronze, finishing in fourth.  The women’s scratch second quad claimed fifth place against tough competition.  Amy Jessett, our beginner sculler, had been looking for a fight all day and scared most of her opposition into going home early.  However, five hopefuls turned up for her final, four of which she subsequently destroyed, scaring one girl so much with her war cry that she sank.  She managed to grab silver and was so overwhelmed with excitement that she capsized and had to swim back to land…one for the future!

Sunday proved to be a day for revenge for NUBC.  Upset at the disappointment of the previous day the squads hit the ground running.  The novice men qualified second fastest in their division, the lightweight pair and women’s championship eight cruised through to their rep. And both men’s championship fours went straight to the final.  Fit again Andrew Corrigan dragged Mason Durant down the course to ensure a final appearance in the Championship Doubles.  The wind had really started to howl as the final’s ticked nearer.  First up was the Men’s Lightweight pair of Matt Mckibbin and Artjom Nepryahin who had barely trained all year.  They took the novel approach of seeking out arch rivals Durham, listening intently until their coach told them the race plan and then copying it exactly.  Bronze medal in the bag.  Next up was the women’s championship eights.  With half an eye on the northern boat race next week our girls stormed the course in an exceptionally quick time and grabbed the silver behind arch rivals Durham.  A superb result from the girls and it makes next week all the more interesting.  The Championship Double resulted in a bronze medal for Corrigan and Mason Durant which disappointed one of the members, the other just looking relieved that he’d finished the course.  Last up were the championship fours.  The coxless four of Murray Wilkojc, Mason Durant, Andrew Corrigan and Mark Bowers had qualified as one of the favourites.  However, earlier that day Mason had accidentally kicked a goose who sent out a message to nature to take revenge.  At the 700 metre mark, just as the boys were starting their ‘let’s push really hard n see what happens’ push, a swan came gliding out on a one swan revenge mission, crashing into the blades and throwing the rhythm.  Despite this catastrophe the boys managed to row strongly to escape with a silver, but they will forever think of the ‘what if’ scenario.  Pride was restored by the performance of the men’s coxed four.  Stroked by Ed Ford, coxed by Becky Palmer and powered along by Charles D’Oncieu, Tom Wright and Tim Clarke, the boat had looked world class all day.  The final was won by Newcastle in a rapid time and by a large distance.  The entire boat club screamed themselves hoarse when they crossed the finish line in first.  Ed Ford attempted a Usain Bolt style celebration and almost knocked himself out with his blade, and Charles smiled for the first time in living memory.  Truly a remarkable day.

Onto the Monday.  The weather had fortunately got worse so we were all excited to see how much carnage would occur. First up were the men’s pairs.  In all honesty this was probably the most glorious racing ever.  Freddy Beard and Edmund Mackenzie came within inches of qualifying for the final before Freddy, aggressive as ever, rammed the warwick crew in the next lane and promptly got disqualified.  Andy Hatzis powered his pair round from lane 3 to lane 6, surprising pairs partner Callum Fraser so much that they capsized and drifted over the line in fourth.  Tim Clarke and Tom Wright looked cool and calm as they powered their way to a gold medal proving that if you have 12ft of leg between you, you can probably beat most opponents.  The Novice women cruised into their semi final before race day nerves and extremely strong opposition knocked them out of their dream final.  It was an upsetting moment for the women who had looked strong all season but they will be back for the boat race in firing form.  The Women’s champ fours were looking like they could do some serious damage before illness struck again and forced the coxless four to scratch.  The coxed four, stroked by Eleanor Earp, powered to a hugely impressive bronze medal and further highlights the impressive renaissance of Newcastle’s women’s squad.  Then came the final races of the day.  Arguably the most exciting was the Championship Pairs.  Stroked by two time EUSA athlete, boat race winner, Henley winner, potential future president and full time triallist Murray Wilkojc, and with Mason Durant at bow the pair looked impressive on its way up to the start.  The final came around and they stormed the course.  With 100m’s to go they were a length down on Durham.  Murray glances over his shoulder, sees the distance and promptly threw the kitchen sink in.  Up stepped the rate and they started to gain.  Surely they’d run out of time? Not this day, through they went to win by half a foot.  Sadly, the performance could not be repeated against Queen’s Belfast in the Championship Quad as they were pipped into the silver.  The men’s Intermediate quad also raced into silver with an impressive performance.

The racing done we packed up, stole as many trestles as we could and returned to our home in the North, content with the damage we’d done and the dreams we’d shattered.  Next up comes the varsity Boat Race.  Watch this space.

The Newcastle Quad on the way to victory at February's BUCS Head

Now apparently Italians can row.  If we’re to believe what our coach Angelo says then Italian novice women regularly humiliate our scores on the ergo.  Fed up with losing to these mythical Italian super rowers, NUBC have decided to send a small touring party to check them out and see what the chat is about.  Whilst we’re there we’ve also entered ourselves in Memorial Paolo D’Aloja Regatta. Catchy right?

That’s right Blue Star faithful, we’ve decided to test our mettle on the International scene and are up against a whole mixture of Olympians, World champions and other such rowing paeans.  Confident that they won’t able to handle our pivot we’ve sent our four top scullers in a quad to try and break some dreams.  The quad, starring Ed ‘100% man’ Ford, Murray ‘the Technician’ Wilkojc, Andrew ‘the Power’ Corrigan and Mason ‘Sicknote’ Durant, have their sights fixed firmly on the final.  Make no bones about it; this race will be the toughest any of them have faced in their rowing careers.  They will face brutal heats, semis, reps and finals against some of the best rowers in the world.  However, we would not send them just to get beaten.  The quad has posted some seriously impressive times over the season, destroying the field by an embarrassing margin at the annual BUCS head.  With some training under their belts and a new sense of crew harmony they look like a crew who could do some serious damage to some Olympic egos.

The regatta is held in Piediluco near Rome on the 23-25th April.  Although it does cut close to the BUCS Regatta, the decision has been made to unleash them on the senior world in order to give them some hardcore race experience. They are going with realistic expectations of making the final and that, in itself, would be a fantastic achievement.

The rest of the squad turn towards BUCS and our fresh attempt at prying the Victor Ludorum off of Durham, what better way to start then having four of our very own Internationals racing with us.  Very best of luck to the four of them and results will be posted as soon as we know them.

Race day dawned with it’s customary swirling headwind and jangling nerves. The firsts, boating in 51st were handicapped by a Taurus crew who had started out of their position and decided the best way to get back into the race was right in front of the Newcastle boat. Confident coxing from Becky Palmer ensured that a clash was avoided, but Newcastle suffered from the wash created by the Taurus boat. However, no sooner had they overtaken Taurus then they began to enjoy a rapid race down the course. They kept the rate high and the rhythm fresh, and stormed to Hammersmith. From then on the fitness played its part and they finished in a hugely impressive 22nd place. They were agonisingly close to top 20 but managed to destroy Durham by a massive 0.52 seconds. Considering the build up and the crash and the distance they finished behind Durham at BUCS head, this was a truly impressive result, winning the Intermediate 2 pennant and the Halladay Trophy.

In contrast, the second VIII, suffered all manner of problems in the immediate build up. After losing their seven man they needed to reorganise the entire of the bow side to try and get a shape back into their rowing. With a problematic order they rowed up to the start hoping to defy the odds and claim the top 60 slot that looked so achievable two weeks before. However, Latymer Upper School had other ideas. Coming round the St Pauls bend, Latymer used their home advantage to try and push Newcastle over. However, cox Joanne Rea does not take nothing off of no one and, using her north east upbringing, did not give an inch. This resulted in a clash and a boat stopping crab that cost the crew dear meaning they finished in 104th which was a disappointing result in comparison to their expectations.

The Third VIII had a solid row, benefitting from Jesse’s rhythm and experience they had a good race culminating in 209th position. The novices, in a composite crew, looked impressive and finished in a respectable 278th, 15th in the novice category. Both crews had far from ideal preparation but managed to overcome adversity to finish strongly.

Many thanks to all who came to support what turned out to be a successful day’s racing. We hope it was as enjoyable in the Rutland as it was on the water and hope to see you hall at future racing events. Your support is invaluable and proves the theory, most recently displayed by messrs Pelly and Gill, ‘Once a blue star, always a blue star.’

The 1st VIII had a storming race, starting fast and powering through Barnes Bridge, they lengthened out and found their race rhythm. With the rate lower down than expected they were able to have a very long and solid row that powered them through Hammersmith. Coxed by veteran Caz Johnson, they looked like consummate racers and surged past numerous opposition. Mixed emotions at the finish promised a make or break moment when the results came out. However, all fears were wasted as a superb 28th place came down the wire. Finishing 5th in their category the girls achieved the top 30 that had been their aim in the long, arduous build up to the race. All in all the future looks bright for the NUBC women.

The shine to the 1st VIII was reinforced by a hugely pleasing race for the novices. Coming off the back of a disappointing BUCS performance they were looking for revenge and found it. Led by Captain Liz Cleeve, Elite Athlete Amy Jessett and ever optimist Milly Faulkner Lee they had a great race, overtaking numerous crews to finish in 150th overall and 8th in the novice category. This is a much better result to take in to the summer sprints and will fill the novices with confidence that all their training and hard work had not been in vain.

Many thanks to all who came to support the girls. Women’s Head does not enjoy the same exposure as the Men’s Head, but the racing is equally as tense, exciting and important so thanks to all those who hit the Rutland and cheered on NUBC.

Newcastle University Alumni, Frederick Gill and Henry Pelly represented Cambridge in the 156th Boat Race, wining by a length and a half.

Henry Pelly, who graduated from Newcastle in 2007, represented Cambridge in the race for the 3rd time. He was Newcastle University BC President from 2004-2007 becoming the World University Champion in the men’s heavyweight double in 2006.

Fred Gill, stroke of the victorious Newcastle Prince Albert coxed 4 at Henley Royal Regatta in 2008, moved up from Goldie, which he stroked last year, to stroke the blue boat this year. Fred, who learnt to row as a novice at Newcastle in 2005 and was Men’s Captain from 2007-2008 also made the GB U23 team in 2008.

It is the first time that Newcastle University BC have been represented by 2 alumni in the same race and they are only the 4th and 5th Blue Star oarsmen to compete in the race after David Walker (Cambridge 1974), Ed Coode (Oxford 1998) and Andy Stubbs (Cambridge 2004).

We especially enjoyed the big blue stars on their wellies!

Almost the entire squad were involved at some point in the weekend, hell bent on keeping rowing at the top of the BUCS points list.  Although the success was not quite as sweeping as our own high standards demand, we were still relatively pleased with the results.

First up on the gloriously sunny Saturday was the Novice Squad, eager as beavers to test what they’d learnt.  As this event proves to be the first real test in their racing calendar, it was always going to come down to luck as to how they did.  They raced well and learnt valuable experience but, sadly, were unable to row as well as they can.  The women faced all manner or rowing related disasters with crabs, clashes and broken equipment, but still managed to race the course and finish in a respectable, if disappointing, 17^th place.  Still, as Megan Thompson-Green put it, ‘we must take the positives and do better next weekend.’

The Novice men steamed down the course and, although they went hell for leather, were unable to match their passion with the technique that had previously served them well.  They too did respectably, finishing in 13^th and 34^th place, but will be determined to march up the rankings come the Head of the River in March.  With both fours making some solid headway in difficult surroundings, it proved a good start point for our Novice squad and there is hope for things to come.

The Sunday was to prove the day for the point takings.  Although not as prepared as we hoped, the senior squad began the day with high expectations.  Looking outside at 7am that morning and seeing torrential snow gave us hope, as we knew the southern fairies can’t quite handle the cold as well as us tough northerners.  First up were the Championship Coxed and Coxless Fours and the Championship and Lightweight Quads.  The Coxed four, starring Ed Ford, Andrew Corrigan, Charles D’Oncieu and new boy Andrew Hatzis powered to an impressive third place.  The Coxless four, featuring Mark Bowers, Murray Wilcojx, Mason Durant and Tom Wright were agonizingly pipped to the gold by Durham, something that will not happen again we can assure you.  The women’s championship eight claimed they’d raced horrendously, had eight very prolific hissy fits and blew every other crew out of the water save Brookes who just edged them into silver, (mind games eh?).  The lightweights, (Artjom Neprahayin, Duncan Oliphant, Edward Stephenson and Andrew Curry) paddled up, waited for an hour in the freezing snow, nearly caught hypothermia and raced into 7^th place which wasn’t bad considering their lack of preparation for the event.  Just as we were wondering if we’d see gold this year, our Champ. Quad (Murray, Mason, Ed and Andrew Corrigan) came saw and conquered, winning by an impressive 26 seconds.  So far, so good.

Next up were the eights in what had turned out to be a nice-ish day.  The championship boys, underprepared and not exactly fresh, had an average race and did well to finish in fourth place.  However, the distance between them, Brookes and Durham is something that needs to be rectified; by our own standards fourth is three places lower than acceptable.  The 2^nd VIII, rocked out in a boat they’d never used with a cox they hadn’t seen for months and stormed into second place and sixth overall, a mere fourteen seconds behind their own champ 8.  However, yet again the thirty seconds between us and Brookes is one which will keep us on our toes. The 3^rd VIII did not quite execute their race plan and ended up in 26^th place, which is not disastrous but not quite where they wanted to be.  The racing done, and with a massive 75 BUCS points claimed, we returned to our home in the toon to hit some more training before the big one, Head of the River, March 27^th.

NUBC Newsletter, Issue 2

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