Wolfson had a strong Summer Eights 2017 campaign. M1 defends their position of 5th on the river, while M3 remain the highest men’s 3rd VIII, at 9th in Men’s Division V. W1 finished the week at 6th in Women’s Division I, their highest ranking since 1992. W2 bumped up into Division II, while W3 finished at the head of Division V!

Crews

Wolfson entered six crews in Summer Eights 2017.

Men’s First Boat

Having had a disappointing Torpids, the Men’s 1st VIII were looking to prove themselves. However the week before racing, injuries took out Giuseppe Ughi and Philipp Schafer, which meant that the racing crew was only set the Sunday before racing. Despite this, the crew were confident going into the first day, and they managed to push away from University and towards Pembroke, who had been the Torpids Headship crew. Having proved that they had gained speed since Torpids, M1 were determined to keep pushing on, and each day they moved closer and closer to Pembroke. On the last day, they were only a quarter length from Pembroke twenty strokes from the line. They had just put in a final push, and were starting to close in, when the klaxon went off! Even the Men’s First Division can be stopped before a conclusion can be reached. However, the crew were happy after defending their position at 5th on the river.

Women’s First Boat

The Women’s 1st VIII were reminded of the difficulties facing a Division I crew. As fast as they were, few crews around them showed any sign of weakness. But they took full advantage of the few visible weaknesses, leading to a bump on Magdalen on the third day. They finished the week at 6th in Division I, their highest ranking since 1992!

Division I

Men’s Second Boat

The Men’s 2nd VIII were forced to race in an unfamiliar shell, Linda, due to damage in a previous race. Despite being faster than Jesus II in front, they were denied the bump as Magdalen II were caught by Jesus first. This set the tone for the week, as they had no chance to catch the slower crews ahead, and were instead caught by the fast St Catherine’s II and Green Templeton I. And so, despite a solid performance, M2 ended the week down two at 7th in Division IV.

Division IV

Women’s Second Boat

The Women’s 2nd VIII started the week in a tough position as the highest W2 on the river. They were forced to row the full course five times in the first three days before they were given the opportunity to take down St Hugh’s, thus moving into Division II. Once there, they consolidated their position with a second bump on Merton and ended their week at 12th in Division II. This is equal to their highest position ever in Summer Eights (last held in 1980, by Wolfson’s first-ever W2).

Division II

Men’s Third Boat

Wolfson M3 were also struck by the indignities of bumps racing. Although they were faster than crews ahead of them, they were caught out by the rapid chasing crews. And so they ended the week with spoons – down four. However, they remain the highest men’s 3rd VIII, at 9th in Men’s Division V.

Division V

Women’s Third Boat

Wolfson W3 were a strong crew, and pounced on the colleges in front of them. The only respite for those crews was the klaxon, which twice caused our women to miss out on bumps. Despite this, W3 moved up three places, finishing in their highest position on the river since 1998, at the head of Women’s Division V.

Division V