A note from the presidentIt's hard to find the right words to do justice to the week that Eddies has just had during the May Bumps. Unbelievable, extraordinary, sublime, exceptional, historic, momentous would be just a few that spring to mind!  Richard Naisby presenting the Pegasus Cup for most successful college in the May Bumps 2025 We had high hopes of a good week but I don't think anyone could have predicted, or even dare dream, of having a perfect week, achieving 13/13 successful bumps, taking home two sets of blades, one set of super blades AND the much sought after Pegasus Cup! I would be interested to know when/if any of the Cambridge colleges last achieved such a feat....In 2008 we came home with three sets of blades & the Pegasus Cup, however two of those were technical blades meaning that the crews went +4 but rowed over on one of the days - an exceptional year, topped only by our crews of 2025!  SECBC Class of 2025 Having been President of SECBC for the last two years, it has been an absolute privilege to watch the club go from strength to strength and I am so proud to see everyone's hard work come to fruition. In the words of Matt Heywood "NOW YOU KNOW!". I must thank our committee of 2024/25 and in particular our captains, Justin Wei & Shannon O'Shea, who have made the successes of this year possible - you did it! Absolute heroes! I would also like to thank our W2 crew who sadly missed out on the GOR by just 2s but their support on the bank during the week was hugely appreciated by us all. Your time will come, of that I have no doubt.  Finally, a most heartfelt thank you from me to our honorary presidents Paul, Lily & Andy (pictured right). The clubs biggest supporters for so many years, you make so much possible for us. Indeed this year alone you helped secure a new boat, new oars, the design of our new blazers, and now of course TRIPLE BLADES! We are so very grateful for all you do. Race reports from our captains IN RACE DAY ORDERM2
DAY 1 Spirits were inflated from the glowing GoR rites, yet the abyss of expectation gaped wide. Panic crept in upon whispers that a comrade wandered foreign lands, begging blessings from dusty saints in Santiago. Yet true power needs no prayers. Our quarry, Peterhouse M4—no, their M3 hidden beneath false banner—lay ripe for slaughter. Clare Hall lurked, dreaming foolish dreams. The Ukrainian valkyrie, Yuliia, urged: “Get hard, stay hard, finish hard.” And lo, Clare Hall crumbled like soft cheese, while Peterhouse surrendered swiftly, their hull violated by our prow. Lily’s war cry erupted—an obscene echo of primal conquest. DAY 2 Sidney awaited, sterner prey, yet weak before our destiny. The prey resisted, spirited yet doomed. Yuthika steered the chariot true, until Grassy corner became their watery grave. Yet legend demands absurdities—Wildon, mad warrior, heeding no commands, threatened mutiny. Furious cries erupted: “HOLD IT UP! 2 & 4, TAP! TAP! Wildon! WILDON! EMILE! Obey me, gods curse you!” Only grudgingly did order resume. Then Wildon, in post-race debrief, claimed: “I think my blade was stuck. I couldn’t take a tap.” Video replay says otherwise. Lies now immortalised forever on the SECBC Wall of F/Sh-ame. DAY 3 Facing FaT M4, crew brimming with nervous trepidation. Yet, Yuthika, Amazonian steerswoman, again led with ruthless precision. Whistles heralded triumph, though FaT whispered lies of near victory against Selwyn. Lies easily disproven—what shame upon their mathematicians, unable even to count their dishonor. Yet our bowman, ever eager for infamy, turned to mock the conquered with victorious fist-bump—another proud fine to adorn our legacy. True warriors scorn petty rules. DAY 4 Selwyn, trembling beneath the shadow of fate, awaited final judgment. Yet doubt whispered foolish stratagems—rush early or linger? Prophets Angus & Yuliia commanded simplicity: row as you always have, ferocious, proud, unthinking. FaT faded into oblivion; whistles pierced the air, a joyous crescendo. The moment eternalized before first-post corner, blades seized with ruthless ecstasy. Victory absolute, divine, barbaric—worthy of immortality.  W1 Eddies eagles
Day 1 First day of bumps and we were feeling ready - if a little nervous. The sun was blazing, and looked like it would be all week. Matt reassured us that this would probably be our ‘easiest day’ - but we weren’t so sure. We rowed up to the start, locked in for the race, and spirits were high - M2 had just bumped! After a solid start, we settled into our rhythm and before we knew it, whistles were flying. Ahead of us bump between Tit Hall II and Maggie II caused carnage. We just managed to get the bump before having to hold it up - there was no space to clear. A 4 boat pileup occurred and the entire division behind us had to re-row. There were a tense few minutes while we waited to see if we had the bump, but a handshake between Matt and the umpire confirmed it: it was ours. Day 2 We were feeling good. Matt changed his mind - yesterday had actually been our hardest day. Today would be fine. With all three boats in our club bumping on Day One, the pressure was on to keep the streak alive. We had a clean start and were on whistles for Tit Hall II pretty quickly, bumping them before First Post Corner. A relatively late concession made clearing tricky again, and caused yet more carnage behind us. But we had our bump. Two days, two races, two bumps. Day 3 This was the big day. Bumping again would mean we’d be the sandwich boat and have a shot at moving up to Division 2. First up, we were chasing Maggie II - and we caught them with a solid, straightforward bump. No drama. We marshalled again for our first race in Division 2. Matt warned us this might be our longest row yet. But we like to prove him wrong: we bumped Caius II just after Newnham Bridge! Div 2 baby! Day 4 The final day. Super blades were on the line. With M2 already on blades, the stakes were getting higher. Today, for the first time, we were chasing a first boat: Darwin W1. We braced for a longer race. But when the cannon went, we were on them fast - a powerful row saw us bump them just after Newnham Bridge! Super blades secured!! Rowing home with the flag was incredible - though we had to hand it off to M1, who were also on for blades (a great problem to have).  M1 The beef barge
DAY 1 The fateful day the Beef Barge made its full crew debut. Nerves were jangled as Darwin M1 struck by surprise, having double overbumped into the station behind us. Still, the Barge found its deadly rhythm. 1st whistle under A14—the hunt was ON. Catz M2 blazed off the start, earning two whistles, but then quickly faded. The Barge stalked relentlessly, devouring the water between them before claiming blood at First Post. DAY 2 Downing M2 had humiliated the Barge in 2023—payback time. Rory kissed the first corner too tight, risking disaster in the reeds, but the Barge fought back with bovian "legs-and-hips" power. By A14, half a length separated predator from prey. Downing's wash churned desperately as they felt the Barge's hooves thundering. "CONCEDE!" roared Rory and Angus. The bump, and Angus’s grovelling masterclass, were worth the umpire impersonation fine. DAY 3 Do or die. Sidney stood between the Barge and glory, as they chased the spooning Jesus M2. Rory's battle cry echoed: "Now or never, boys!" Three crews, two sets of overlap, one Grassy corner, pure chaos. Rory held the line like a maestro (CamFM certified) while Sidney crumbled, going wide. BUMP! "One of the best ever" gasped Emeritus M1 rower, Kai. Matt launched his blade in triumph, body turned and bellowing, before the Barge had parked. Rory, exasperated, had to "HOLD IT UP" himself. Footage of a raging umpire and a sheepish Matt available on demand. DAY 4 The final reckoning. Our best start as hari krishna mantras blared under the A14. Suddenly, half a length to Jesus M2—this was it. Rory shattered the expectant air: "55 YEARS—TRIPLE BLADES—MAKE HISTORY—ANNIHILATE THEM!" The boat ERUPTED and surged. 16 apocalyptic strokes later, Jesus M2 lay motionless, their cox catapulted by George's blade. Symbolic. The Barge had done it: an Eddie’s M1 blade for the first time in 15 years. "Why did we randomly decide we can row at twice the speed?" joked Douwe. Matt, risking nerve damage, took to the cox seat with theatrical flag bearing flair on the row home. Meanwhile, Rory crabbing 362 times in stroke confirmed what we all knew: there’s only one seat he’s built for.  And finally, the moment that Eddies crews of 2025 became etched in college rowing immortality, in the words of the CUCBC cannon gods "DEFEND YOUR EARS":
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One of our most successful lent bumps campaigns of recent years! Our W1 crew went a fabulous +3 and were extremely unlucky to miss out on blades! M1 had a really tough draw being sandwich boat and had to race a total of 8 times!!!! They finished with +1 and are looking forward to a very exciting Mays campaign with lots of returners..  Easter term rowing with St Edmund’s College Boat Club M1 - more commonly known as the Beef Barge - was a joy. Our coach Angus departed for the final weeks of training to India, but we gratefully had a previous coach, George, step in. The M1 line up was largely the same as in Lent Bumps - Alannah (cox), Tom (stroke), Martin (7), Alex F (6), Alex M (5), Seppe (3), and Justin (2) all returned. We were also joined by Jack in the 4 seat who had previously been rowing for 99s, and Harry in bow who had returned from trialling with the CUBC Lightweights squad. Day One of May Bumps saw the Beef Barge being chased by Catz M2, fierce competition but we went in with a fighting attitude nonetheless. The crew took off after a speedy race start, but unfortunately was caught by Catz M2 on the reach, holding them off for around 1.7km.  Day Two saw Eddie’s M1 keen for a revenge bump after the previous day. The crew took off at great speed, motivated even further by hearing Angus’s whistles from the bank telling us that we were catching up to the crew in front and - perhaps - able to get the bump. Unfortunately a mishap in the boat meant that we lost Catz II and were caught by Sidney M2.  Day Three was a mission to catch Sidney M2, something that the Beef Barge has wanted since being bumped by them in Mays 2023. The attitude was a positive one on the bank, and the crew took off at great speed. Sadly for us, Sidney managed to catch Catz M2 who were in front of them. Fortunately, we were far speedier than Magdalene M2 and, without any fear of them catching us, the Beef Barge had an impressive row. Whilst disappointing to have not got a bump in, the attitude in the boat was altogether a happy one knowing that we were no longer set for spoons! Much cheering from the bank and crews that we rowed past meant that the row home was a joyous one.  The final day of Bumps brought much support from the bank which was absolutely brilliant to see - including our own bank party being double what is allowed. Armed with blue face paint done by the wonderful Liz, the Beef Barge rowed up to the starting line. We were once again chasing Catz M2 which felt like a full circle moment and we were hungry for the bump. Unfortunately, once again, the crew that we were chasing managed to bump the crew in front. This time, though, we fought to get the over-bump. This meant that it was a race all the way to the finish line. Although we didn’t manage to get it, we finished on one whistle - and insist that we would have caught them by top finish!  I’d like to extend a huge congratulations and well done to all of those who rowed in May Bumps, and especially to Eddie’s M1 who have had a wonderful year. Half of our May Bumps crew noviced in Michaelmas of this year, and to see how far they have come has been absolutely wonderful. The dedication and commitment has been really admirable, despite the horrible weather that we’ve faced for most of the year. We went from super-spoons last year to -2 this year, and whilst it’s not the result that we would have hoped for, things are going up for Eddie’s M1 - watch this space! A massive congratulations to the Women’s and AFAB crew who got blades this year, we absolutely loved rowing past you on the way to the starting line every day and being able to cheer your massive accomplishments. Yeah Eddie’s!
Day 1 - The first day of Bumps saw the return of the Beef Barge, debuting as the sandwich boat between Divisions 2 and 3. Our first race was from Station 1 of Division 2, being chased by Queens’ M2. The boys put in a good fight against Queens’ who eventually got bumped by Magdalene M2 leaving us to settle into a rate 19 paddle to the finish, warranting some high praise from CamFM. Our second race was at the bottom of Division 2, chasing Clare M2. After an incredible start and huge determination from the boys, we caught Clare within 750m, Eddie’s Men’s first Lent term bump in recent memory! Day 2 - Rest day. Day 3 - After a day of rest, the Beef Barge returned ready to bump FaT M2, chased by sandwich boat Magdalene M2. With another excellent race start, we pulled away from Magdalene and closed on FaT by half a length before carnage ensued ahead. Alannah having to slam rudder, carnage also ensued inside the boat and eventually we were caught by Magdalene M2 and returned as the sandwich boat. Day 4 - M1 were back and determined for another rower and bump scenario. First race of the day and Eddie’s had an incredible row over. It looked like Clare M2 were going to return the favour and bump us, but determination from the boat meant that we prevailed and Clare M2 got bumped by Fitz M2. From then on, Queens’ M2 went for the over bump but the Beef Barge didn’t give up and raced it all the way to the finish - definitely one of the more exciting races we’ve done. Back to the bottom of Div 2 chasing Magdalene M2 for the next race. Unfortunately more carnage up ahead and we had to hold it up, resulting in both crews getting a technical row over and ruining our chances of playing the long game and bumping them on the reach. Day 5 - Last minute cox change due to me being struck by illness. The incredible Shannon took over at the P&E after bumping with W1. Again, we were going for a row over, knowing it would be a tough job against Fitz M2 who were going for blades. The boys put in a good fight but eventually got bumped - Fitz, you’re welcome for the blades.  Eddie’s M1 took to the Cam on Saturday morning for Newnham Head, battling hangovers, flu, and a dodgy shoulder. The crew took off at a scrappy rate 30 which was maintained throughout the race, and made a huge effort to keep the power on throughout and empty the tank at the end. We finished a respectable middle (ish) in our category, and celebrated at Eddie’s brunch after. A huge thank you to our 4 seat sub from LCCBC, Timo! Written by Alannah Atherton  Race report written by Alannah The final race of Michaelmas for the Eddie’s men and it was a great one. I put together an amazing scratch crew, which included the infamous 2 seat of the 22/23 season making his long awaited return to Eddie’s rowing. What we lacked in costume we made up for with rowing. Despite being a scratch crew, set was better than last year’s M1 and vibes were definitely high. When the race began, we flew off at a very respectable rate 28, slowed only by Alberto’s incessant crabbing which eventually sent us into a bush in front of a very entertained audience. Huge recovery from the boys and dynamic coxing from me, we got straight back on track even faster than we had before. Overall, we gained on the (very slow) crew in front, finishing only a few seconds after them, and left the peas behind us in the dust. Overall was a huge W for the boys, topping our category (sorry Lucy Cav) and celebrating at the pub after. Expect big things from Eddie’s men this year x Race report by Alannah Atherton The Eddie’s senior men have spent the term training with the lovely Hughes Hall rowers, creating a hybrid M1 lovingly deemed ‘HEddies’. Senior Fairbairns was the first race of term for the Eddie’s boys, coxed by me with my notoriously dodgy chat down the mic. The gents did their best row of the term over the 4.3km course, keeping clean catches and huuuuuge legs, with a of 17:11 placing them second last, beating out Sidney Sussex with a DNS. Possibly the most enjoyable part of the day was post-race marshaling, where Alex had a nice lie down and Tom and I engaged in riveting discussion and pineapple biscuit sharing with the Corpus crew we were parked on top of. Note for next year: bring post-race tinnies. |
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