A day after defeating Reading University ‘A’, averaging 207 pounds a man, Yale couldn’t find the same magic against a crew that only averaged 205 pounds a man, 32 pounds on average heavier than Y150.
But that’s what you get when you go to Henley, and Yale could not row through a powerful Oxford Brookes crew, who, rumor had it, were determined to show that they deserved to be named GB’s U23 four. A headwind that lengthened the race times considerably was not to Yale’s advantage. In testament to the quality of Oxford Brookes, their finish time of 7:38 was only three seconds slower than the finish time in the Visitors’ Cup, a coxless fours event.
Oxford Brookes were the better crew, but that should not take away from the superb effort and initiative that this year’s Henley Four showed throughout the Regatta. Well rowed Captain Dan, Captain-elect Brendan, Phil, Andrew, and Ian!