College rowers triumph in Fairbairn Cup

St John's College rowing novices have achieved victory in the prestigious Fairbairn Cup boat race.

Novice rowers from Lady Margaret Boat Club, the rowing club of St John’s College, beat their rivals Trinity College to emerge victorious in the prestigious Fairbairn Cup, an annual boat race hosted by Jesus College.

“Novices” are rowers in their first term, many of whom have never touched an oar when they first arrive at the College. They undergo an intensive training routine with up to four outings on the river a week, plus additional sessions on rowing machines in the gym, to get them from beginner to experienced rower in time for their first major race, the Winter Head in November.

Their performance in the Winter Head placed the Novice Men’s first boat in the middle of the league table, one minute behind Trinity College’s “First and Third” boat club. As the crew sought revenge, they increased their training to 5 outings a week, with some crew members training 7 days a week in preparation for their next contest.

On the day of the race, despite the high December winds, the Novices ousted Trinity by the narrowest of margins, a mere 3 seconds, to gain overall victory. The victorious crew were coached by Hatem Sadik, who said:

“The Fairbairn race really showed what the Lady Margaret Boat Club can do. We went out there and did our best rowing yet, and we were rewarded. Those three seconds were enough to beat Trinity First and Third, gain our revenge, and win the Fairbairn Cup.”

In other divisions, the LMBC also performed admirably: the Novice Men’s second boat came second, the Novice Men’s third boat came third and the Novice Men’s fourth boat came second. The women’s boats achieved similar success: the Novice Women’s first boat coming in at fourth place, the Novice Women’s second boat at second, and the Novice Women’s third boat fourth. Full results of all Fairbairn Cup races can be found online via Jesus College Boat Club.