Unofficially Thames Rowing Club

Innocent – keeping hairy Antipodeans gainfully employed since 2008.

Are there any finer sights than a glorious summer’s day in Richmond? The riverside bars,  the wild flowers in the water meadows, pretty girls in floaty summer dresses, the braying of sloanes drifting on the wind andpiss-stained tramps passed out on the towpath at 8am in the morning. Summer truly is here.

Alan Hawes’ overnight commando raid with the trailer bagged TRC the plum spot by the boating beach. Look at our trailer positioning and weep, Vesta! Clearly inspired by Big Al’s nifty reverse parking, Bryony and Harriet spent much of the morning on a prolonged UT2 training paddle, effortlessly cruising up and down the course – and just so happening to lay waste to  all IM2 and IM3 oppo in the double sculls along the way. Top effort ladies, treat yourselves to a delicious mango and passionfruit smoothie on us.

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/smoothies/mango_passion/

Next, our own lissome lightweight (in drinking terms, if not kgs), Lewis, led the MN4+ in a really gutsy row against a tidy Twickers crew. Half a length up at the trailer, Dave’s popped hamstring put paid to any thoughts of victory and scuppered Lewis’ hopes of joining his vomit-stained towpath chum in a scrumpy binge that arvo – being bumped up into the VIII to replace his fallen comrade (Dave that is, not the tramp).

Dorrance-King couldn’t repeat his heroics of Borne and slipped to defeat in the 2nd round of the sculls – the 15 pints of Old Peculiar he’d had the night before might have had something to do with it. A pomegranate, blueberry and acai superfruits drink might have been a better pre-bed tincture, young Harry.

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/super/detox/

Despite the presence of the Ergonator (supported by the fetching Fraulein Ergonator who looks like she’d pull a 7.30 for a 2k, yoghurt drink or no yoghurt drink), the IM3 4+ slipped to a hard-fought loss. The crew remarked on how their catches could have been improved by Innocent’s new Orange Juice (with bits). “It’s sort of like when Justin left NSYNC, except with oranges”, said the Foo, and who were we to disagree?

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/orange_juice/

The mood was lightened by a spectacular display of cattiness and dummy-spitting by the ladies of Vesta boating nearby, their VIII holed below the waterline like the Bismarck. Catching the mood, Rich lifted spirits with tales of a largely gynacological nature, mercifully delivered out of earshot of the juniors. Young mums be warned, do not let your children(or au pairs) use the swings at Abingdon town municipal park!

Heartened, the troops took to the IM3 VIII, heads remaining firmly switched to “on” despite a boating logjam like downtown Delhi at rush hour. The muddled thinking of the marshalls was mirrored by the race umpire who insisted, somewhat boorishly, on starting with Thames pointing directly at the bank. The resultant handbrake and wee breather for strokeside is not generally considered optimum for boat speed, Canadian lean-back or no, and Wadham, Oxford, duly took advantage. Well done Nicki for recovering so well and preserving the Geoff P.

Special mention should be made here to the efforts of our juniors who put their seniors to shame by scooping a hatful of pots on the day – Catherine in the IM3 sculls, Paul and Sam in J18 categories. A club is only as strong as the young talent coming through and the whole squad – and their coaches – should be praised to the hilt for their efforts. It’s also been noted that most are fluent French speakers – most of our lot still can’t grasp English! Zut alors.

Onwards dear friends to Met and the lake they call Dorney!

Ever your humble scribe,

“Old Man Bad Aids”

PS – Travellers – if you ever visit Dubai, Ricardo knows where you can eat an excellent Chinese at a very agreeable price. They’ll even deliver to your hotel door!

PPS – Alex, were there enough plugs? Commission cq in the post?