Cambridge Trial VIIIs proved a dramatic day on the Tideway, with conditions shifting from challenging to downright brutal as the racing unfolded. From early tussles for station advantage to fierce pushes in the closing stages, every contest delivered intensity and excitement. Steering warnings, blade clashes, and drives for the line saw tough tests for the crews, while the worsening weather added an extra layer of difficulty to the final race.
Women (Openweight): Baby defeated Ginger by 5 lengths
To kick off Thursday’s action, Ginger won the coin toss and chose the Surrey station. As the race began, Baby came flying out of the start, opening up a lead of four seats within the first strokes. By the milepost, they had stretched that advantage to a length and a half.
Ginger rallied approaching Harrods, mounting a strong push, but Baby held firm. At halfway, Baby broke clear water, moving to the centre of the river and forcing Ginger into their wash.
From Chiswick Steps onwards, Baby continued to dominate, extending their lead to three lengths. In the final stretch, they pressed home their advantage, crossing the finish with an emphatic margin of five lengths.
| Openweight | Openweight | |
| Crew Name | Baby | Ginger |
| Cox | Lidya Acar (Wolfson) | Matt Moran (Emmanuel) |
| Stroke | Eloise Etherington (Caius) | Carys Earl (Caius) |
| 7 | Charlotte Ebel (Newnham) | Mia Freischem (Darwin) |
| 6 | Camille VanderMeer (Peterhouse) | Aidan Wrenn-Walz (Fitzwilliam) |
| 5 | Alex Wiley (Jesus) | Lyndsey Bryden (Peterhouse) |
| 4 | Phoebe Pryce (Homerton) | Mathilda Kitzmann (Christ’s) |
| 3 | Mia Loxley (Churchill) | Nicole Wojtania (Jesus) |
| 2 | Izzy Campbell (Hughes Hall) | Ellie Sillar (Emmanuel) |
| Bow | Fizz McNally (Sidney Sussex) | Gemma King (LMBC) |
Women (Lightweight & Openweight): Scary took the victory over Sporty by 1/3 length
In the second race of the day, Scary won the toss and chose the Middlesex station. They came out strong, taking an early lead of three seats as the crews approached Craven Cottage. By the milepost, Scary had stretched their advantage to a length and a half.
Under Hammersmith Bridge, Sporty launched a determined push, cutting the gap to a single length. The momentum shifted as Sporty kept pressing, by Chiswick Pier, they had closed to just one seat, and at the Bandstand, the crews were level!
Out of Barnes Bridge, Scary dug deep to reclaim a two-seat lead. In a thrilling sprint to the finish, they held off Sporty’s final charge to clinch victory by the narrowest of margins, just one-third of a length.
| Openweight/Lightweight | Openweight/Lightweight | |
| Crew Name | Scary | Sporty |
| Cox | Heather Shinn (Wolfson) | Lauren Schneiderman (St Edmund’s) |
| Stroke | Hannah Major (Pembroke) | Bella Munro (Peterhouse) |
| 7 | Alyssa Nicholls (St Edmund’s) | Jay Manson-Whitton (Peterhouse) |
| 6 | Katarina Finney (Fitzwilliam) | Anna Linda Elvre (Homerton) |
| 5 | Anna Golbus (Clare) | Imogen Breeze (Lucy Cavendish) |
| 4 | Zara Bek (1st & 3rd) | Olivia Wright (Emmanuel) |
| 3 | Helena Olandi (Hughes Hall) | Courtney Nel (Newnham) |
| 2 | Hannah Warren (Jesus) | Alice Bastianelli (Sidney Sussex) |
| Bow | Lauren Allegretti (Lucy Cavendish) | Kate Oglethorpe (Hughes Hall) |
Men (Lightweight): Asterix edged out Obelix by 1/3 length
In worsening conditions, Obelix lined up on Middlesex with Asterix on Surrey. Both crews made a strong start, Asterix edging ahead off the line before the race settled level at the milepost.
Just after Hammersmith, Asterix began to assert themselves, moving out to a length, then two by Chiswick Eyot. But after the crossing point, Obelix launched a powerful push, clawing back the deficit. By Barnes Bridge, there was overlap, and the chase was on.
In a tense final stretch, Obelix continued to press hard, but Asterix held their nerve to take the win by just one-third of a length.
| Lightweight | Openweight/Lightweight | |
| Crew Name | Asterix | Obelix |
| Cox | Alex Taylor (Clare) | Chiara Dell’Orfanello (Queens’) |
| Stroke | Victor Viennot-Bourgin (Darwin) | Peter Crossley (Sidney Sussex) |
| 7 | William Woodard (Christ’s) | Freddie Challacombe (St Catharine’s) |
| 6 | James Richards (Girton) | Milo Taylor (Hughes Hall) |
| 5 | Nikita Mohr (Peterhouse) | Alex Geddes (Fitzwilliam) |
| 4 | Nick Marsh (Queens’) | James Nash (Downing) |
| 3 | Jeremy Wilkinson (Churchill) | Joe Stell (Downing) |
| 2 | Jou-Myu Wijnholds (Queens’) | Josh Moore (Queens’) |
| Bow | Archie Smith (King’s) | Lihan Loh (LMBC) |
Men (Openweight): Beans held off Slop to win by 1 1/2 lengths
By the time the final race began, the crews faced a relentless downpour. Beans won the toss and chose Surrey, but it was Slop who struck first, taking an early lead, though warned for their steering almost immediately.
As the race approached Craven Cottage, tensions rose with a clash of blades, Slop again the warned offenders. By Harrods, Beans had closed the gap to a canvas, and approaching Hammersmith there was nothing between them, though this time Beans picked up a steering warning.
On Hammersmith Bend, Beans edged ahead by half a length and held that advantage past Chiswick Eyot, despite further warnings as the crews came together. Around Surrey Bend, Slop clung on, but Beans stretched their lead to three-quarters of a length.
By the Bandstand, conditions had deteriorated dramatically. Slop maintained overlap through Barnes, with both crews urged to hold their station. In the final push, Beans broke clear water and powered home to claim victory by a margin of 1 1/2 lengths.
| Openweight | Openweight | |
| Crew Name | Slop | Beans |
| Cox | Sammy Houdaigui (Fitzwilliam) | Freya Jenkinson (Selwyn) |
| Stroke | George Dickinson (Hughes Hall) | Patrick Wild (Peterhouse) |
| 7 | William Klipstine (Hughes Hall) | Gabriel Obholzer (Peterhouse) |
| 6 | Simon Nunayon (Emmanuel) | Alexander McClean (Hughes Hall) |
| 5 | Simon Hatcher (Peterhouse) | Leonard Brahms (Wolfson) |
| 4 | Alex Finger (Wolfson) | Felix Rawlinson (Fitizwilliam) |
| 3 | Calvin Tarczy (Wolfson) | Kyle Fram (Lucy Cavendish) |
| 2 | Noam Mouelle (Hughes Hall) | Raphael Berz (Clare Hall) |
| Bow | Matt Morgan (Pembroke) | Luke Beever (Emmanuel) |