After a strong Michaelmas, the women’s squad hit Hilary hard – and it certainly paid off. W1 entered Torpids having ranked 6th highest out of all women’s eights in the final IWL trial of term, with times faster than multiple boats in Division 1 and 2 – along with a good handful of men’s eights. This success went on to be echoed in the competition itself. Although the first day saw a frustrating lost appeal on a disputed bump, the rest of the week saw four more quick and clean bumps before the boathouse every day. Thursday they finally caught Merton, Friday they bumped to the top of Div 3, and then again into Div 2 as the sandwich boat. Saturday then saw them bump again to consolidate their place in Div 2 – for the first time in a decade!
W2 also saw their share of bumps, with a clean sweep on the last two days. They go into summer eights knowing they are a lot stronger than their place in the division, and have high – and well-founded – hopes of doing exceptionally well.
— Molly Ludlam Steinke, Women’s Captain