After
Marlow the boat was towed to Henley so the eight could train on
the course each evening for the week leading up to the Qualifying
Races. After just two training weekends and a couple of regattas,
this week was to represent a third of the crew's water time together
and over its duration the crew gained considerably more pace.
However,
such was fate that the final evening before race day another eight
crossed into the wrong lane and launched at high speed into the
bows of the Cardinal eight. While serious injury was avoided by
inches, the boat was split between the bow and 2-seat and written
off. The sinking boat was later hauled onto the bank, only to be
pushed in again later that night to spend the rest of the Regatta
lodged under the bank rafts above the start!
The
crew were kindly lent the School 1st VIII for the Qualifying Race
(which was to be a better row than its 2nd VIII predecessor).
With everything to prove the eight stormed the course with fantastic
support from the bank. And so it was that The Oratory Cardinals
were one of the five crews from 12 to pass through to the Thames
Challenge Cup.