At 3pm on Sunday 13th March, the Cambridge University Lightweight Reserve Quad – Heames, Xu, Green and Plummer – raced the Oxford Lightweight Reserves at Henley-on-Thames, a week ahead of the Henley Boat Races. While the spectators were delighted by the crisp spring sunshine, the combination of a strong stream and blustery headwind made for choppy and difficult conditions for the rowers. The race got off to a fast, clean start, with Cambridge on the Berkshire station and Oxford, Buckingham. The crews stayed level until the second minute, where a strong push from Cambridge started to edge them ahead of the dark blues. With both crews now settling into their racing rhythm, the stronger Cambridge boat continued to move away until there was close to two lengths of open water between the two crews coming past the 1000m mark. Here, Oxford renewed their attack and moved back on Cambridge, regaining some lost ground. However, the strength and rhythm of the Cambridge boat, and the lead which they had asserted early on in the race proved too much to overcome, and the Light Blues crossed the finish line ahead by just over 2 lengths. It was an exciting race and a strong win for Cambridge, boding well for the Henley Boat Races.
