Note from the S&A Reps
Hello, and welcome to PCBC’s Summer Newsletter! This is the final newsletter of the 2020-2021 academic year, which means that this is the last newsletter from your 2020-2021 S&A reps! Thank you to our entire alumni community for your enthusiasm over the past year, especially for the digital events we ran instead of our normal, non-pandemic activities. We’ve had a fantastic time keeping you up to date on all the latest goings-on at PCBC, especially as we’ve been able to see regular rowing on the Cam resume!
We’re also extremely excited to announce that the PCBC Alumni Boat Club has officially been established with a shiny new constitution approved at PCBC’s AGM. The founding leadership will be working throughout the next year with the PCBC committee and College to continue developing the alumni community. We’ll be adding the new alumni constitution to the PCBC website in the coming weeks. Please note that we’ll be voting in the inaugural alumni committee next summer, but welcome volunteers-at-large for the 2021-2022 year!
We are also delighted to introduce your new Sponsorship & Alumni Representative, who will act as the key link between PCBC, the new PCBC alumni boat club and the alumni community: Abby Robinson. We know Abby will do a fabulous job and is so excited to see (/meet) many of you at in-person alumni events in the future!
Roxy Southern, Štefan Stanko and Sophie Van Horne
Sponsorship & Alumni Representatives 2020-21
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the initial leadership of the PCBC Alumni Boat Club for the upcoming year, please contact the S&A rep by email at sponsorshipalumni@pembrokecollegeboatclub.com to let us know! The main role of the volunteer leadership will be to coordinate with PCBC to bring alumni back to Cambridge for Pembroke Regatta, determine the details of how future alumni committees will run the club, and have a say in the name of the club (because we know you can think of something more creative than ‘PCBC alumni’)!!!
Please note: One of our primary methods of communication with PCBC alumni is through our alumni Facebook group. If you are not already connected, please visit us here to join in order to stay updated with the latest news and alumni rowing opportunities!
Note from the Captain(s)
Around mid-April, Kevin was excitedly telling me how fantastic it was to not only see so many crews regularly getting on the water but to see the rowers clearly enjoying rowing together so much. Kevin and I were cautiously optimistic then that this Easter term could be really great at PCBC. And it was. Pembroke students having a great time on the water is first and foremost what PCBC is about and sure enough this term has delivered that in bucket loads for all ten Pembroke crews. My fellow members of the outgoing committee should be immensely proud of their contributions to the club and, by extension, college life. Strong race results throughout term from all our crews reflect a club that has strength and depth, built from the enthusiasm of every rower, cox, committee member and friend of the boat club.
The club has elected a fantastic new committee to deliver a great year and I can't wait to see how they get on. Bence will be making good use of his years of PCBC experience as a highly capable overall captain while Molly and Hamish will be able to draw on their previous rowing experience to bring fresh and knowledgeable insights to the top boats. I wish them all the best and trust that they will make the most of the year ahead.
Tom Sharp (2017), Overall Captain 2020-21
Next year will prove to be a new challenge as PCBC hopefully transitions back to wonderful normality. The new committee, with its wonderful mix of experience, undoubtedly will bring new ideas and enthusiasm to PCBC. We are aiming to capitalise on the great success built this year and continue to be one of the largest and most successful boat clubs on this river. We have a very strong depth to the squad, filled with keen and talented people, just waiting to show what they are capable of.
As always we will be looking for coaches among the alumni, who want to give back to the boat club and pass on their expertise. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you feel you can help.
Bence Kovács (2016), Overall Captain 2021-22
Easter Term Training
Easter term got off to a great start for the Women’s Side, kicking off with a 10-day training camp in which all novices and seniors got involved and at the end of which final selections for this term’s crews were made. W1 then went on to race as a IV in Spring Head-to-Head on the Cam, placing 2nd behind Cantabs and 1st out of all the colleges. That same weekend, the novice crews entered City Sprints, having a great time on the 500 m side-by-side course. We then moved on with our training and next raced the Radegund Mile with W1 winning the senior women’s category, and W2 and W3 placed highest out of all the college second and third boats respectively. This was then followed by racing in Champs Head and 99s Regatta where all crews put in strong performances. We spent the rest of the term training for the June Eights Regatta, which all our crews entered (with W4 and W5 forming a composite) and thoroughly enjoyed. We are all very proud of how much the Women’s Side have grown over the past year in terms of our size, ability and strength, and I wish them all the best going forwards into the next year.
Abby Robinson (2018), Women’s Captain 2020-21
The Men’s Side had a great Easter, with PCBC having among the most men’s boats on the river. We had boats going out almost every day from the reopening of rowing in the UK on March 29th, and the whole side returned for a two-week training camp before the start of term to give us a kickstart into term. We then coordinated a training plan with the most water time we had attempted on any recorded Mays campaign. This paid dividends across the side, with a transformation in our style. M1 managed to take some good results at the top of the divisions, with 2nd places in the Head of the Cam, City Sprints (in a IV+), and 3rd place in the Radegund Mile. Despite the vicissitudes of COVID, M2 managed to outperform most college M1’s in what is becoming a comfortable tradition, and, as you will read below, M3 joined this bandwagon. It was great to see so many novices coming through this year, and their strength, depth, and enthusiasm bodes very well for next year. A particular highlight for the Men’s Side came in the 99’s Regatta, in which M1 and M2 both took 2nd place in the top two divisions, and M4 won the novice category. The energy that this year’s boaties have injected into the club fills me with hope for the future, and we are delighted with the success of the crews this term. The Martlet flies ever higher.
Toby Chesser (2018), Men’s Captain 2020-21
M2 had a good start to term, with a strong crew hoping for good things to come. Strong performances in Spring Head-to-Head and the Radegund Mile showed we were one of the fastest second boats and competitive with multiple first boats. A high point of the term was a very strong performance at the 99s Regatta, where we beat Wolfson M1 and Trinity Hall M1 en route to the final, where we narrowly lost to Sidney Sussex M1 by ¾ of a length - the results also indicated that we would have beaten Caius M2 and Churchill M1 in a race. An unfortunate series of events during the final month of preparations for the June Eights Regatta meant that for the final 4 weeks of the term M2 were without a set cox, using different coxes for almost every outing, which was a setback to the crew’s improvement, but technical gains were still made during this period. With the strong performances by M3 and M4 in the June Eights Regatta, I am in no doubt that M2 should continue to compete amongst multiple first boats and should strive to be the fastest second boat on the river.
Charles Dudley (2018), Men’s Vice Captain 2020-21
W2 have been a wonderful crew to captain this term. They started the term in a really strong position, with all crew members taking part in preseason training. W2 rowed an excellent race in the Spring Head-to-Head, winning their category. They then raced in the Radegund Mile, again with impressive results: 6th in the senior women’s division and the fastest W2 crew. Their final race before the June Eights Regatta was the Champs Head race where they placed third in their division, again claiming the title as the fastest W2 crew on the river. I have been so impressed with the crew this term, they have put in huge amounts of work and made great improvements in their power and technique on the water. Their success this term would not have been possible without the brilliant subs that have saved outings and rowed with W2 in races. I am very proud of this crew and look forward to rowing with many of them next year.
Ellen Sparshott (2019), Women’s Vice Captain 2020-21
M3’s aim for Easter was to become the fastest M3 on the water, but they certainly outdid themselves with strong wins against M1s and M2s. Strong performances in Cam Sprints and Champs Head meant M3 were going into 99s Regatta looking confident. First race – City of Cambridge Intermediates. Having worked a lot on their race starts, M3 stormed into a lead during first 300m, and didn’t look back as they beat City by 2.5 lengths. A good start – but M3 had more to give. Next came Trinity Hall M2. M3 clearly were the more powerful boat, as they won the race easily. In the final, M3 came up short against a very strong Fitzwilliam M2. Overall, however, it was a very enjoyable and successful regatta. To end the term, M3 entered into the June Eights Regatta – more to be explained in a later section. But a spoiler alert – M3 didn’t just beat one M1… It was an absolute pleasure captaining M3 – they can be very proud of their success!
Lester Li (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
W3 have had an incredible term of rowing. Despite starting the term as a crew of novices, they were quickly thrown into the world of senior racing and adapted admirably. They were all keen to maintain the same number of sessions per week throughout the exam period and this dedication produced major technical gains as they climbed the rankings between the Radegund Mile and Champs Head. The June Eights Regatta was a highlight of the term as our W3 beat Clare Hall W1 and Sidney Sussex W2 in the second senior women’s division. Due to various last-minute isolations, these great results would not have been possible without subs from the W4/5 boat. It is this collaboration that embodies the spirit of PCBC! I am so proud of everyone who rowed in W3, whether they rowed for the crew all term or just once and wish them all the best going forwards. It has been a pleasure to be their captain.
Felicity White (2019), Women’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
W4 was an absolute joy to work with throughout Easter term. Despite the persistent challenges of scheduling, poor weather, and shifting between crews to help support the needs of upper boats – down to the June Eights’ Regatta itself which forced W4 to merge with W5 – the entire crew, in its various formations, remained a positive and enthusiastic team, committed to learning to row. Starting the term with a maximum experience of perhaps five outings, the crew became one of the fastest women’s novice crews on the water, coming in third in both the NW1 division in the Radegund Mile and the Mays W4 + GOR division of the Champs Head. Overall, W4 had a fantastic term, with successive coaches commenting on the talent and eagerness of the crew that I had the pleasure of enjoying as their captain. I wish them all the best and hope to see all returning members back at the boathouse next Michaelmas!
Natalie Stokes (2019), Women’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
M4 was the top novice men's boat and has had a very successful term of rowing, being widely considered as one of the best novice crews on the river. Despite certain members having to self-isolate for long periods throughout the term and therefore requiring many different subs, the crew has kept their spirits high, showed massive improvements (setting a novice boat is never easy but M4 showed that it's possible!) and had excellent performances in various competitions. A high point was the 99s Regatta, where we beat Trinity Hall NM1, Lady Margaret NM1 and Homerton NM1 in the finals en route to winning the men's novice division! It was an absolute pleasure captaining M4 this term and the future of PCBC is looking very bright.
Itay Yaniv (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
W5 have had a great term of rowing and have improved greatly from their first few outings. The crew was a large one, starting with 14 members before dropping down to 10 but this switching around and lack of a set crew did not impede their progress. W5 took part in several races this term, most notably the 99s Regatta, in which they beat Darwin NW1 and narrowly lost to Lady Margaret NW1, showing that despite being a NW2 crew they were able to hold their own against first novice boats! I have thoroughly enjoyed both captaining and coxing W5 this term and I hope many of them continue to row next year.
Maribel Ercilla (2019), Women’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
M5, our second novice men’s boat, had an amazing term of rowing: with a crew 15 pairs of legs strong, there was a lot of flexibility to allow for every rower to tailor-fit their commitment, from only rowing once a week to up to 4 times. In the first race of the term, the Radegund Mile they surprised everyone by coming third in a division of 9, beating mostly first novice boats. They improved greatly on technique and ‘togetherness’ throughout the term, showing in the June Eights Regatta. Their enthusiasm resulted in the cox, Alice, ordering crew caps proudly sporting: “M5 Campaign, Mays 2021”.
Sebastiaan Hoek (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
PCBC Coxes
This Easter has seen enormous improvements among the PCBC coxes right through from those in the first boats to those in the fifth. In particular, our novices showed impressive dedication and commitment to the club and their crews, and with more coxes than there were boats this term, the coxing community is looking strong heading into next year. There were some fantastic races throughout the term culminating in the June Eights Regatta, which saw some fantastic coxing that helped clinch close ties. Despite the challenges this year has thrown at the coxes, with extensive periods of lockdown denying crucial water time, the club is looking incredibly strong heading into next year!
Amy Richardson (2019), Coxing Representative 2020-21
June Eights Regatta
With May Bumps being cancelled last year due to the pandemic, traditional May Bumps racing was deemed too dangerous this year for so many inexperienced crews. Instead, CUCBC organised a wonderful 4-day regatta, allowing a big end-of-year event to celebrate the time, effort and resilience of college rowing this year. PCBC fielded a grand total of 9(!) boats for the June Eights Regatta (JER), an incredible testament to the dedication and depth of our squad throughout disruptions of the COVID pandemic over the last two years. We are so proud of all of our rowers, especially those for whom this was the first big end of year event!! Here are the final results for Pembroke’s boats in the JER, followed by race reports from each of our captains. Full results can be found on the CUCBC website here.
W1: joint 2nd place in the SW1 division with 3 wins
W2: joint 6th place in the SW1 division with 1 win
W3: joint 8th place in the SW2 division with 2 wins
W4/5 (NW1/2): joint 6th place in the NW1 division with 2 wins
M1: joint 6th place in the SM1 division with 2 wins
M2: 1st place in the SM2/SX division with 5 wins
M3: joint 8th place in the SM2/SX division with 2 wins
M4 (NM1): joint 6th place in the NM1 division with 2 wins
M5 (NM2): joint 6th place in the NM1 division with 2 wins
Roxy Southern, Štefan Stanko and Sophie Van Horne
Sponsorship & Alumni Representatives 2020-21
The June Eights Regatta got off to a strong start for W1 where we managed to place second in the time trial – just 3 seconds off the first place, which seeded us into a strong position within the draw. We were sadly then met with two COVID self-isolations resulting in some of W2 stepping up to the challenge and racing in the first boat for the week. On day 1, we were then pitted against W2, which was a very enjoyable race for all with W1 taking the win on the meadow side at 2.5 lengths. Day 2 saw us drawn up against LMBC W1, which again the crew took an early lead resulting in another win of 2 lengths from the meadow side. Sadly, on day 3 another person was contract-traced so a previous W1 rower stepped up to the challenge when we met Downing W1. Downing got off to a stronger start, but we reeled them back in making it level coming into the railway bridge; however, sadly for us their corner advantage led them to a victory of ¾ of a length. The final day we raced Queens’ W1, again on the towpath side. We had a strong start putting us 2 seats up and then continued to move through the other crew eventually resulting in a 1.5 length win for Pembroke. This was an excellent result for the crew, especially considering the difficulties we had faced both this term with injuries and COVID and during the racing week with three people having to isolate. W1 has put in an exceptionally strong performance during the regatta, which should give them a strong platform to progress upwards from next year when bumps can return. Row on PCBC!
Abby Robinson (2018), Women’s Captain 2020-21
M1 went into the JER full of optimism – the boat was running better and better, and the speed was coming along. We put up a decent performance in the seeding race, coming in joint third in a good field and knowing there was more pace to come. On the first day the hype kept growing with a solid victory over Fitzwilliam M1. However, on the second day we were matched against Lady Margaret M1, who had matched our time in the seeding race. It was a cracking race, but we could not quite hold a small early lead to the line, losing by 1/3 of a length. We picked ourselves up to hold off Caius M2 on Wednesday in a straightforward send and were pitted against Downing M1 for the final day. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bit of an off day. After an unsatisfactory start we found ourselves behind. The fight never went out of the legs, and in the final quarter we began to move back strongly. But we ran out of river for our recovery, and sadly could not finish out the competition as we had planned. We may not have won, but we were proud of how we approached and trained for the regatta, and the platform that we have built might well set us up for glory in Bumps next year. The dogs will bark again.
Toby Chesser (2018), Men’s Captain 2020-21
W2 had an impressive start to the June Eights Regatta, rowing a very fast Getting-On Race to secure them a place in the SW1 division – one of only two W2 crews to do so. Day 1 drew W2 against Pembroke W1: a harsh decision, but one that didn’t dampen the crew’s spirits. They raced well, especially considering two of their rowers were subbing into the opposing boat. Day 2 sadly saw W2 lose to Trinity Hall W1 by 2 lengths, followed by a defeat of 1.5 lengths in the battle of the women’s second boats on day 3 as they raced against Downing W2. However, the resilience and spark of Pembroke W2 shone through on the final day of the regatta. The odds had been pitted against the crew from the off, as some faced injuries and others were subbing into W1 as a result of COVID isolations. On day 4, they lined up at the top of the reach against Murray Edwards W1, with a crew that had rowed together only a handful of times. Yet this didn’t stop them from claiming a well-deserved victory by ¾ of a length, meaning they finished the regatta as the second fastest W2 crew on the river and 15th in the SW1 division. I am so proud of this crew, and incredibly grateful to all of the wonderful subs who have rowed and raced with W2 throughout Easter term.
Ellen Sparshott (2019), Women’s Vice Captain 2020-2021
M2 had a shaky start to the JER, with a lack of cox meaning we had to bring in multiple coxing subs for the duration of the regatta. A mixed Getting-On Race meant we missed out on qualification for Division 1 by 1 second, an unfortunate performance by a crew I knew could on any other day have easily competed with multiple boats in the first division. There was little time to dwell on that setback however, and M2 raced Trinity Hall M2 on the first day, whom we beat easily. On the second day we raced a mixed Jesus crew, who we beat by 4 lengths. Our third day opponent was Girton M1, who we thought would present a challenge but appeared to have a technical failure off the start, resulting in an easy win for us. On the final day we knew that if we won our first race, we would go into the final against LMBC M2. Our first race was against Magdalene M2, and whilst we had raced better in other races, we still won by 1.5 lengths, resulting in a tiebreaker final to determine the division winner. Off the start and for the first 90 seconds we were neck and neck with Maggie, but then we settled into a good rhythm and rowed one of our best pieces of the term, walking away and winning the race by 2.5 lengths. This meant M2 won the Senior Men's Second division, a testament to the technical gains made by the crew throughout the term. The crew were unfortunate to miss out on qualifying for the first division, as I truly believe we would have been competitive amongst the lower half of it on any other day, but that should not take away from the division win and good racing done for the rest of the week.
Charles Dudley (2018), Men’s Vice Captain 2020-21
M3, consisting of 6 seniors and 2 novices, had an excellent June Eights Regatta, even though our cox, Siena, unfortunately had to miss out due to self-isolation. With the help of two other coxes, Maribel and Alice, M3 soldiered on, and on the first day of JER came up against a strong Downing M2, narrowly missing out on the victory. Down but certainly not out, M3 came out on the second day with all guns blazing – and blew away Clare Hall M1 with an explosive start. They did not look back and stormed through the finishing line in a convincing fashion. Full of confidence, M3 took on another difficult opponent, this time being St Edmund’s M1. Despite this, M3 had an absolute blinder, and rowed an even better race – comfortably crossed the finishing line ahead of their opponent. The official winning margin was “Easily” – no more needs to be said. Last day – M3 took on a very tough opponent in Emma M1, who were especially motivated due to their controversial loss to Magdalene M2 the day before, and we unfortunately lost out to them. Overall, M3 got two mighty wins (both against M1s!) out of four – a successful campaign that they should be very proud of!!
Lester Li (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
There was a mood of enthusiastic anticipation from the W3 crew as the June Eights Regatta approached, with them asking for more ergs and race pace pieces than ever before. The only W3 crew bold enough to take on the senior division, they held their own and produced a strong Getting-On Race that placed them in the middle of the senior women’s ranks. On the first day of the regatta, Pembroke W3 were beaten by Kings W1 by 1½ lengths. But, when up against Clare Hall W1 on the second day, the crew were over the moon to win with the coveted ‘easily’; a win of more than 6 lengths! They continued this winning streak on the third day, beating Sidney Sussex W2 by 1½ lengths. The final day was the tightest of them all. It was neck and neck for most of the course but Churchill W1 pulled away under the railway bridge to secure a narrow win of ¾ length. It has been a whirlwind term, from 7 members of the crew novicing only in April to winning 2 out of 4 races in the senior women’s second division of the regatta, and could not have ended on any more of a high.
Felicity White (2019), Women’s Lower Boat Captain 2020-21
Even before the regatta started, a member of the M4 crew very unfortunately fractured his hand and couldn't race, but with the help of novice subs from M3 (namely Justin Heinz and Maarten Stroeks) the crew were able to race in each day of the regatta. M4 started off the JER competing against Wolfson NM1, and after a great start where we were ahead by a boat-length after only 10 strokes, the crew comfortably won by 3.5 lengths. On day 2, the crew faced another setback as a member had to self-isolate and miss the remainder of the regatta, but luckily for us novice subs from M5 came up huge and allowed us to continue to row. On this day, M4 raced against Caius NM1, and after giving the division winners a strong race and even leading them off the start, they sadly beat us at the end. On day 3, the crew we were meant to race against unfortunately scrapped and so we raced a friendly against Sidney Sussex NM1, with M4 winning by about a boat length. On the final day, M4 faced Churchill NM1, and after a fierce battle we sadly lost by the narrow margin of 0.5 lengths. This marked the end of the JER, where in total we had 2 wins and 2 (extremely tight) losses, a very successful result!!
Itay Yaniv (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
Despite ‘only’ being the second novice boat for Pembroke, M5 still managed to qualify for the first division (out of two) in the JER. This was especially important to them because the timings allowed for the crew members to still attend a brunch they were very excited for, and the extra motivation didn’t hurt. The crew differed on all 4 days, allowing most of the rowers to get the chance to race. Regardless of the absence of a set 8, they managed to consistently glue really well and showed some very technical rowing. Although they lost to Caius NM1 and Churchill NM1 on the first and third days respectively, M4 secured a two-length win against Wolfson’s NM1 on the second day. Sadly, they didn’t get to face a crew on the last day as Trinity Hall NM1 had to scratch. Being in the same division as M4 forced them to use the ‘Brown Boat’, but after 4 days of racing they had gained a new-found appreciation for this famed almost-50-year-old wooden boat.
Sebastiaan Hoek (2019), Men’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
W4 and W5 combined for the JER to allow for more flexibility throughout the days of racing, allowing some members to sub into W3 (and once W2) where necessary. We are very proud of how the crew did and the amazing effort they all put in, with some even racing twice in one day! The lack of a set crew and consistent outings together did not faze them, and they did incredibly well in the Getting-On Race, placing joint 6th out of 24 novice women crews. Although the first day did not go to plan as the wind blew them into a bush off the start, leading to a loss against Clare NW1, they recovered well for an easy win against Wolfson NW1 on the next day. Unfortunately, they lost to Lady Margaret NW1 on the third day, but they ended the week on a high with a two-length win against Homerton NW1. We are very pleased with their results this week and the commitment shown and experience gained this week will set them up nicely to join higher boats next Michaelmas term.
Maribel Ercilla (2019), Women’s Lower Boats Captain 2020-21
PCBC in CUBC
At the end of April, alumni from Cambridge University raced their rivals from Oxford in the 25th Men’s Veterans’ Boat Race on a 2.5 km race course in Ely. The Cambridge crew featured two PCBC alumni in cox Ed Bosson (M1 ‘15, Blue ‘12) and David Dix (M1 ‘92, Rugby Blue ‘91 ‘92, PCBC coach) at three. Despite a tidy and powerful start from Oxford, Cambridge soon began to ease ahead, extending their lead to beat the Dark Blues by 4 lengths. This was a strong and convincing result to end a run of narrow back to back defeats. Unfortunately, Oxford were not able to put together a crew for the Women’s Veterans’ Boat Race, so Cambridge alumni got a bye after a cheerful row-over. You can watch race footage here and read the full race reports here.
Ed Bosson (2011)
Due to the current COVID restrictions this year’s Boat Race was split into multiple events, and the lightweights raced on the River Great Ouse in Ely – the women’s boat race and spare pair on 18th May and the men on 23rd May. In a thrilling set of races, Cambridge won Lightweight Women’s Boat Race by 2.5 lengths, Oxford won Men’s Lightweight Boat Race by 1.5 lengths and Men’s Spare Pairs Race in a coxless pair by 3/4 length. Unfortunately, the Women’s Spares (a coxless pair and a sculler) didn’t get to race against Oxford this year. Well done to all crews and a massive congratulations to Laura Stewart from PCBC who rowed in the 6-seat of the Women’s Lightweight crew. You can watch the race footage on the Row360 YouTube channel and read the women’s race report here and the men’s race report here.
Roxy Southern, Štefan Stanko and Sophie Van Horne,
Sponsorship & Alumni Representatives 2020-21
Following on from the boat race, PCBC was then represented twice within CUBC boats at BUCS Regatta in Nottingham on June 24-26. CUBC entered over 30 boats to the regatta and overall the Cambridge Women won the Victor Ludrum trophy. Rob Harris raced in both the Men’s Championship 8+ and 4+. The 8+ went on to place 6th in the A final after strong performances in the time trial and semi-finals, while the 4+ was sadly knocked out during the repechage rounds. PCBC was also represented by Abby Robinson in the women’s intermediate 8+ formed of this year's development squad. The crew had a speedy time trial (despite the cox box cutting out less than 100m in) which led them to the C final, the last event of the entire regatta. The crew managed to place 4th, beating their Cambridge counterparts Caius W1 and almost overtaking Aberdeen University on the line.
Abby Robinson (2018), Women’s Captain 2020-21,
Sponsorship & Alumni Representative 2021-22
Thoughts from the Head Coach
After all of the turmoil of COVID, we were lucky enough to race this year. I was very impressed that we were able to enter 5 men’s and 4 women’s crews into the June Eights Regatta, putting us in a great place for next year as we begin to return back to normality. It was great to see the M2 win their division and all other crews being competitive in their own.
As always, I would like to say a massive thank you to the alumni and coaches that helped out this term. If there are any other alumni interested in returning to the river, please don’t hesitate to contact me at headcoach@pembrokecollegeboatclub.com
Seb Matthews, Head Coach
2021-2022 Pembroke College Boat Club Committee
Due to the current coronavirus situation, the PCBC Annual General Meeting was not organised as usual after a May Bumps Dinner. Instead, the 2020-2021 committee held the AGM on 25th June, run via Zoom, to elect the 2021-2022 committee. We would like to thank the outgoing committee for all their efforts throughout the year!
We are proud to introduce your new PCBC Committee for the 2021-2022 academic year:
President: Sir Richard Dearlove
Senior Treasurer: Dr Johannes Kromdijk
Boatman: Kevin Bowles Esq.
Head Coach: Seb Matthews
Overall Club Captain: Bence Kovács
Women’s Captain: Molly Foxell
Men’s Captain: Hamish Elder
Women’s Vice Captain: Jasmine Lee
Men’s Vice Captain: Mat Barrier
Women’s Lower Boats Captains: Audra Morris, Ellie Wilson and Rosie
Jakeways
Men’s Lower Boats Captains: David He, Joseph Edwards and Thomas
Jefferies
Coxing Representative: Fraser Gaffney
Junior Treasurer: Lester Li
Secretary: Sebastian Hoek
Social Secretary: Ottoline Martin
Regatta Secretary: Alice Perkins
Internet Secretary: Nikhil Aggarwal
Sponsorship & Alumni Representative: Abby Robinson
Diary Dates
For anyone who lives in Cambridge (or wherever the races take place!) or fancies making the trek on a weekend, we would love to have the support of PCBC members past and present on the bank at our upcoming races if the COVID rules and regulations allow! The following dates are provisional and may change according to the pandemic situation.
August 11th - 15th – Henley Royal Regatta
Thank you again to our sponsors, King and Spalding, for their continued support. They have allowed us to continue investing in high quality coaching and equipment, as well as injury prevention and recovery for all of our athletes.
Volunteering and Staying Connected
Alumni support is crucial when it comes to coaching of Pembroke crews - we can all think about the alums who sharpened our catches back in the day! If you would like to contribute to the ongoing success of PCBC through coaching next year, please get in touch directly with the Head Coach Seb Matthews or Overall Captain Bence Kovács or email the Sponsorship and Alumni Representatives to be connected. It would be fantastic to see our current crews inspired by previous successes, especially as we emerge from pandemic restrictions back onto the river in full force!
And, as always, follow our social media for the latest news!
Website: www.pembrokecollegeboatclub.com
IG: www.instagram.com/pcbccambridge
FB: www.facebook.com/PCBCCambridge
Twitter: twitter.com/pcbccambridge
Pembroke Regatta Twitter: twitter.com/pemregatta
We continue to use our PCBC alumni Facebook group for keeping in contact between newsletters. If you are not already connected, please visit us here to join in order to stay updated with the latest news, opportunities to order PCBC stash, and alumni rowing opportunities!
Row on PCBC!