Father Thames Stops Oxford's Play!

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Oxford's boat race crews forced to pull out by due to rough conditions

In a break with tradition dating back nearly 30 years, the two University squads due to contest the 2010 Xchanging Boat Race planned to hold their respective Trial Eights races yesterday (Thursday 17th December).

The Cambridge squads named 'Spaghetti' and 'Sauerkraut' managed to complete their trails with the Cambridge president Deaglan McEachern was in the winning 'Spaghetti' boat. However conditions turned against the Oxford crews 'Pinky' & 'Perky'. 

The two crews started well from Putney, conditions became rougher ar they pulled towards Hammersmith and the race was called to a halt after the probables boat 'Pinky' suffered a broken pump and members of the crew showed signs of hypothermia.

'Pinky' weighed down by the water they had taken on board and already three lengths down on possibles boat 'Perky', to allow the crews to bail out on St Paul's School's ramp.

Oxford coach Sean Bowden told reporters:
"They were so waterlogged, and by the time they lined up for the restart I could see a couple of the guys going hypothermic, so I decided not to take the risk,"

Crews

Cambridge

Spaghetti – Bow G Nash (St Catharine's), G Lamb (St John's), M Schramm (Fitzwilliam), G Roth (St Edmond's), D McEachern (Hughes Hall), H Pelly (St Edmund's), D Rasmussen (Hughes Hall), Stroke F Gill (Hughes Hall), Cox M Eldridge (St Catharine's).

Sauerkraut – Bow M Thorp (Homerton), M Whaley (Caius), W Kromdijk (Clare), J Jennings (Clare), S O'Mara (Hughes Hall), P McClelland (Pembroke), R Weitmeyer (St Edmund's), Stroke H Cubasch (St Edmund's), Cox E Randolph (Peterhouse).

Oxford

Pinky – Bow B Gruter (Green Templeton), A Dent (Keble), B Ellison (St Anne's), B Snodin (Exeter), B Myers (Exeter), B Le Feber (Jesus), S Hamburger (Oriel), Stroke C Burkitt (Wolfson), Cox J Carlson (Brasenose).

Perky – Bow W Rueter (Christ Church), D Bruce (Kellogg), A de Weck (New), M Hafner (Kellogg), E Newman (Brasenose), M Evans (Univ), S Gawlik (Kellogg), Stroke M Walsh (Green Templeton), Cox A Barhamand (Wolfson).

December 18, 2009