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Magdalene Boat Club Lake Bled Slovenia Easter 2019
Sport

Mallory Club Summer 2019 Update

Happily most of the novices from the Michaelmas term continued rowing after the Christmas break and combined with the success of the seniors in the Fairbairns the Lent term began with both enthusiasm and optimism. As ever the weather was intermittently poor but four crews made it through to the Lent Races. MBC’s women did not enjoy great success but the men’s first and second boats made solid progress moving up two and three places respectively. During the Easter vacation over thirty members of MBC returned for a second time to Lake Bled in Slovenia for an eight-day Training Camp. The facilities are superb and there is no doubt that present success is in part due to the benefits of this period of intensive coaching and training in late April. Special thanks are due to Susana Ograjenšek and David Crawley for making their excellent lakeside villa available; without their offer of accommodation, it is unlikely Lake Bled would ever have been considered as a training venue.

Magdalene Boat Club Lake Bled Slovenia Easter 2019
Magdalene Boat Club Lake Bled Slovenia Easter 2019

In May MBC men raced at Bedford regatta. The 2nd VIII (the Cannibals) entered both Open and Student Eights but after racing well in the first rounds to beat Bedford School and University College, Oxford they were forced to withdraw due to crew illness. The 1st VIII raced as two coxed fours in Open Bands 1 & 2 winning both events comfortably whilst trying to conserve energy for the Student Eights where they made a very strong showing. They beat St. Catherine’s, Oxford and Emmanuel, Cambridge convincingly in their first two rounds, showing characteristic blistering pace in the first 500m. In the semi-final, they had a great race with Christchurch, Oxford, a crew with four members of the 2019 OUBC squad, and again cracking them in the first 500m, moved away to win by over a length. In the final against Oriel, Oxford (4 OUBC and 2 OULRC) Magdalene were ahead at halfway but Oriel showed their class to win by clear water in 3:09, comfortably the fastest time of the day. All involved gained brilliant side-by-side racing experience and the Club came home with silverware from Bedford for the first time in many years.

In the Easter term came the exciting news that MBC had attracted its first major sponsor in many years. RxCelerate is based at the Babraham Research Campus and the Boat Club looks forward to a close partnership which will benefit both parties. It certainly began very positively with this year's May races. The women's 1st VIII, in their new Stampfli shell, reversed their fortunes of recent seasons and began climbing back up the order. 

Magdalene Boat Club 1st Men's VIII June 2019
Magdalene Boat Club 1st Women's VIII June 2019

The men's races got off to an extraordinary start on Day 1 when the 1st VIII surpassed even their success in 2018! They created a University record by registering the highest ever overbump in Division 1 moving up from 5th to 2nd place (bumping Caius, Pembroke & Clare). MBC last visited 2nd spot in 1834 but that had been mid-week. This year they also created a College record by achieving their highest finishing place ever when they bumped LMBC on the final day to recover the position they had lost to Caius on Day 2. Surely this must be the best MBC crew ever? With cox and seven oarsmen returning next season they again promise to be highly competitive in their quest for MBC's first-ever Headship. Be sure to make a note of the date of the final day's racing in 2020 - Saturday 13th June. As ever everyone will be most welcome at the Mays Marquee on Caius Meadow. 

Magdalene Boat Club 1st Women's VIII June 2019
Magdalene Boat Club 1st Men's VIII June 2019

On Sunday 16th June MBC's women assembled at the Boathouse to celebrate 30 years of rowing for Magdalene. The weather held off just long enough for a Barbecue attended by current students (recovering from bumps dinner) and alumnae going back all the way to the first women’s boats in 1989. Those who attended enjoyed looking through College rowing archives and getting to know some previous generations of Magdalene alumnae.

Attendees at the Women's reunion and boat naming ceremony
Attendees at the Women's reunion and boat naming ceremony

After lunch the party was joined by the Master, Lady Williams and other members of the Boat Club to name the new Stampfli Eight which was blessed by the College Chaplain and named RxCelerator.

College Chaplain The Reverend Sarah Atkins blessing the new Women's VIII
College Chaplain The Reverend Sarah Atkins blessing the new Women's VIII 

The Captain of Boats in 2018-19 has been Sam Vosper and his report is included below. However, it’s typical of his modesty that there is no mention that together with Patrick Elwood (MBC Blue 2018) they won the Magdalene Pairs at the end of April. Can anyone recall when a Pair from Magdalene last won the Magdalene Pairs? A Mallory Club badge is offered to the first Member who can give the correct answer. Additional badges for Members who have also themselves been winners of the Magdalene Pairs. Please send responses to: info@malloryclub.com


Captain of Boats Report 2018-19

The 2018-19 season has been a truly memorable one for the Magdalene Boat Club. The Club has continued to thrive on the momentum of great results and the valued support from our alumni. Michaelmas Term attracted a throng of new faces to the boathouse, many of which have now become permanent features within the Club. We managed to enter three novice eights into the Fairbairn Cup where they all topped their positioning of the previous year. Notably, the men’s senior coxed four defended its title at the Fairbairn Cup by again posting the fastest time for the fours event. We were also proud to field an alumni eight which too won its category. The chilly Lent Term racing culminated in five exciting days of Bumps which saw brave performances from all four of our boats. Collectively, we experienced some disappointment at the missing of near bumps, elation at being missed in a near bump and general exhaustion in some daring row overs. While no blades were claimed in this campaign, the Club as a whole can look back proudly on its efforts on and off the water. All the teams grew in strength and character and were well placed to take on the May Term where they were joined by returning university trialists and the few “fair weather rowers”. Magdalene has continued its streak of representation in the Universities Boat Races with Catriona Bourne Swinton Hunter coxing the Cambridge University Women’s reserve crew (Blondie) to victory on the Tideway. Once again Cambridge claimed a clean sweep, winning both the men’s and women’s races as well as the reserve races. The Boat Races are always a great opportunity to reconnect with MBC alumni in London and we were delighted to see so many people still getting involved and maintaining a significant connection to the Club. We are extremely grateful to the Mallory Club and the individual supporters of the Club for all their ongoing contributions. One of the most valuable of these contributions being the support for the annual training camp which we hosted for the second time in Bled, Slovenia. This camp has again proved a highlight of the season for many who attended, with the quality of the training only rivalled by the scenery and serenity. This year we were able to accommodate even more of our members with the group comprising of 34 eager athletes and coaches. However, the training camp was not the only thing to be excited about prior to the Easter Term, as the Boat Club also managed to secure its first sponsor in quite some time. MBC is thrilled to be partnered with RxCelerate, a local drug discovery company based in Cambridge, and proudly sported their colours alongside ours in the May Bumps. Further excitement, included the addition of a new women’s racing eight to our fleet courtesy of a generous personal donation.

Inspired by the prospect of racing the new boat, W1 set out to claim success in the boat’s first set of Bumps. And that they did! The crew bumped up one place amidst some tough competition near the top of Division 2. Following this momentum we expect to be back in Division 1 next year. W2 saw similar success bumping up two places on the last two days to finish on a high. The Club managed to enter a staggering six men’s crews into the May Bumps, including the returning Fellow’s Boat. This was the most entries of any of the colleges. All these crews performed strongly with a collective rise of five places between them. However, it was M1 who were to write history in these bumps. On the first day they achieved the highest over-bump in history by catching Clare to place 2nd on the river. Following a bump by Caius and a row over, M1 were able to reclaim the 2nd position by bumping Lady Margaret on the final day to claim MBC’s highest ever finishing position. This was truly a sensational achievement. The atmosphere and energy within the Club is at an all-time high and we hope to keep riding the wave well into 2020. It is all about the vibe!

by Mr Sam Vosper (2014), Captain of Boats 2018-19


Upcoming Magdalene Boat Club Events

Monster the Loch Race

It is hoped to enter two MBC/MC crews in this race along the 21 mile length of Loch Ness on Saturday 28th September.

Fairbairn Races Friday 6th December

Let's see if the Mallory Club can do even better than last year; any interested rowers should please contact Susannah Cass to discuss competing this year. For those less inclined to take to the water another pub meeting is to be arranged in London in the late autumn but perhaps a little less close to Christmas this year. Date and venue to be announced.


MBC kit

Several members and alumni have asked if it's possible to obtain MBC kit for personal use. For current stash it's best to contact the Captain of Boats in the first instance and ask to be put in touch with the current kit officer. Blazers are available from Perrys of Manchester who have taken over the business of A.E.Clothier.


These are truly exciting times for Magdalene on the river and the Mallory Club thanks everyone for their support and generosity in helping MBC to achieve its present success. Please keep in touch and don’t hesitate to send us all your ideas for improving the Mallory Club.

Please use info@malloryclub.com for all general contact and don’t forget our presence online.

Magdalene Boat Club Websitewww.magdaleneboatclub.co.uk
Facebook Magdalene Boat Club: www.facebook.com/magdaleneboatclub
Mallory Club Website: www.malloryclub.com
Facebook Mallory Club Group: www.facebook.com/groups/themalloryclub

Garde ta Foy