NO RED FLAG FLYING HERE

Whilst nibbling on lettuce at the Remenham Club annual dinner on Friday evening, The slug was most intrigued by the appearance of a "gift" from one of the black death to the boys in red.

It appears that back in the mists of time (well the mid-1980s anyway), before many of the more recent members were even born, one devious individual saw a fantastic opportunity to bequeath to himself Kingston’s HRR flag! As this was long before the days of the interweb and e-bay, one would have assumed such a valuable and rare item would have been auctioned off for a princely sum, to some very rich and ill informed member of the aristorcracy!

However as a sign of great respect and perhaps heralding a new dawn in Molesey / Kingston relations, the flag was 'donated' back to KRC during the dinner, for which they are very grateful! Or should I say, for which they "were" very grateful...

For, before the eve was out, some slippery fingered individuals had once again kidnapped the said flag, and it is no longer in the possession of the red-blazered ones! As to the culprits, there has been some malicious gossip and finger pointing, and though the slug has been assured that the likeable chaps in crimson and black had nothing to do with it, the finger would seem to pointing to another tidal Remember member club!

Though in the shadowy underworld of the Remenham mafia, one can never be sure!

L8 SQUAD

When the boys in blue were on training camp in Seville recently, they crossed paths with the Scally 8. To start with they watched from afar as the Liverpool lads were beasted around on the land - doing everything possible to get them sunburnt in the mid-day sun (while the LRC lot slept - on ergs and doing circuits).

Anyway, after a couple of days the silent observation approach was overcome and LRC / Liverpool Victoria became fairly embroiled - they distracted the LRC boys from serious thought - through the use of alcohol and telling stories of what SSR and co are making them do.

Basically these boys are keen, so keen they even wash their own blades down after an outing. (bless!)

Good on them for giving it so much. Though rather worryingly they do actually appear to believe that they will win the Thames Cup, and that anything less will be utter failure. That said, they will probably qualify and if they continue to improve as much as they have been, they may well ruin someone's HRR.

On one continuous night out, the Putney contingent showed them the scenes of Seville - LRC style, and only just got them back to the hotel for breakfast... returning them to SSR for 7am, sleepless but raring to go. LRC's influence must have been good in the long run, as the 8 improved greatly over the week, beating Exeter Uni in a 1500m rate capped piece despite Gonzo attempting to give them a feel for the tideway by doing donuts in his launch around them.

Trademen were also out in Seville at the same time, and the crew raced TTRC boys after a little inter cox/coach banter. According to some of those present (you can guess which crew) L8 got ahead at the start but TTRC powered past with "rhythm and ratio" to cruise to the finish. Both crews will be entering the same event at Henley.

Gonzo was then the man behind Race 80 at : Notts City where the naughty Geordie boys were warned for swearing, whilst the Liv 8 simply waved politely at him......

The liverpool boys are due to come down to Putney soon, for LRC to continue to educate them in Putney & the wider rowing culture as known by LRC - ie they recite very convincingly about Thames!!!

So lock up your daughters.....

The TV company, Outline Productions, who are making the "Liverpool 8" programme with Sir Steve Redgrave, have posted a bit of background information on the boys on their website.

www.outlineproductions.co.uk/redgrave_boys.html

Curiously though, the site doesn't mention any cox'ns. When the crew was in Seville they were using two differnt ones - a young lad and a "very fit young girl"! Who I believe is dating one of the coaches. Does this perhaps show that although you can train people to row to a good standard in a matter of months, it's harder to train coxswains?

Shhh ;)

BENEDIC NOS DOMINE...

The rabbit returned to the old alma mater last weekend for the Peterhouse 1956 ladies plate reunion dinner - less of a celebration of not having won anything of note in the last 50 years and more of a launch of the Boat Club's "Spirit of '56" appeal.

A fine time (and far too much port) was had by all, even though the lack of creme brulee and raspberries on the menu was rather disappointing - and luckily the rabbit survived intact - despite being abducted during the course of the evening by some reprebrates (I shudder to think)

LOOKALIKE

Nimmons

Tramp

Dear Slug,

I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between TTRC's very own Mr Nimmons,
and a rancid smelling, meths drinking, plastic bag wearing tramp.

What gives?

Yours from under the bridge...

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

Sometimes slime takes a while to float to the surface, but rest assured it always does... so it was with some amusement, but no surprise, that the slug discovered the attached picture of the 2006 Oxford University Lightweight RC second crew - aka Nepthys in the old inbox, several weeks after first being made aware of its existence...

However, quite a novel use for slim fast I must say...

Those who are new to the slug may be unaware that Iffley special school have a habit of such expressions of goodwill - unlike the Talented And Beautiful ones, who sadly prefer to keep their mastery of core stability under wraps.

2003 - Isis
2003 - Oxford lwt women
2005 - Nephthys
2006 - Oxford Blue boat

FOUR INTO ONE WON'T GO...

The latest lettuce from the Nottingham rowing world, is that Nottingham Britannia and Nottingham Boat Club are merging, on top of which, NCRA, which is run by Nottingham Boat Club life member, Ian Wilson*** are also planning to join the party.

So what’s happening with N&URC?

Well, The word on the tow path at the HORR was that the active membership of N&URC were also keen to play, but the grapevine would also suggest that the President of N&URC (One Mr Brandon-Bravo) is VERY much against such a move – as no doubt, are much of the more crusty element of the Union’s membership (lets face it, they did vote AGAINST having women members the first time around – early ‘80s I think).

To make matters worse for the Union, the name that is being proposed for this new club is none other than 'Nottingham Rowing Club', yet, as the Slug, and many of its readers, may well be aware - N&URC stands for Nottingham & Union Rowing Club, i.e., it was formed from the merger of the original Nottingham Rowing Club with Union Rowing Club, back in the mists of time... Needless to say the crusties have been having apoplectic fits about that one, and it's already been decreed at ARA council that such a travesty shall never happen.

The Slug also feels the need to point out that N&URC used to have a club registered in the name of Nottingham City Rowing Club to get round some ancient rules about having only one entry per club in certain events at HRR in the 60s and 70s. So newly merged club, keep your dirty paws off that one as well...!

Of course, they could try City of Nottingham RC (a la City of Oxford-stylie), although no-doubt N&URC will probably claim some ancient rights to that one too... (they're almost as bad as the IOC.. ED)

Though, the slug can't help but think that "Men In Tights RC" has a certain ring to it...

Oh well, for the time being the clubs are racing using their existing names, but it is all due to change at the end of the current season. The question however remains, what name will they use at HRR in 2007?

HRR rules state 'that club must have been established and continuously affiliated to an appropriate national federation for at least one year before the closing date’.... Will they manage it in time?

Not unless they get their skates on. AND, to add spice to the mix - guess who is a member of N&URC?

Why, one Mr Sweeney of course...

Ahhhhhhhh....

***Life membership awarded when he won the Wyfolds for Nottingham Boat Club whilst rowing with 2 then current members of N&URC (Martin Knight and Carl Smith). HRR rules allowed only single club entries so Mr Wilson chose NBC. Not very popular with N&URC as you can imagine, particularly since NBC also offered the very same free life membership to the two N&URC members, who subsequently jumped ship and joined NBC! -- Ouch!

those interested in keeping an eye on what's going on with the NBC and NBRC merger, should head to the project's dedicated website www.merger.nbcuk.org which has slightly more up to date information.

Interestingly, it can also currently be reached via www.nottinghamrowingclub.co.uk!!

26 MILES, 385 YARDS

Well done to all of those who completed Sunday's London Marathon. The list currently includes a couple of 2005 Henley winners (Richard Guiver and Alexis Brun) as well as Broxbourne member Michell Blunt, who ran seven months after giving birth, and was hardly able to do any training until after Christmas!

The results are now available on line, so if you, or someone from your club is currently nursing sore feet, let me know (slug@twrc.org) their name, time, rowing club and any charity tie in or other relevant info and I'll add them to the rower & Coxswain league table below.

p.s. those of you who are as impressed as the slug at Malindi Myers' superb time, may be interested to know that her sister Mara Yamauchi was the fastest British woman in the marathon with an even more impressive finish time of 2:25.13.

Name	Rowing Club	Time (hr:min.sec)
Richard Staite	Thames & ex-CUBC	2:47.34
Alex Brooks	Thames &Farmer (CULRC old boys)	2:48.07
Giles Monnickendam	Nottingham & Union RC	2:49.40
Malindi Myers	ex ULWBC & GB lwt squad	2:53.25
Peter Kennedy	Tortoise BC (Oriel college old boys)	2:54.33
Ed Richardson	Segreant BC (Downing College BC old boys)	2:55.08
Chris Morris	CULRC & Burway	2:56.38
James Cracknell	Leander	3:00.10
Tom Middleton	Segreant BC	3:01.25
Richard Guiver	Henley RC	3:06.31
Alexis Brun	Army RC	3:06.51
Peter Riches	Royal Engineers RC	3:08.52
Jamie Brunning	Jesus College BC	3:09.35
Ed Bellamy	Bosporos BC - ex OUBC and Hampton	3:12.27
John Earl	Black Prince	3:13.47
Vikki Filsell	ex ULWBC and KGS	3:28.14
Jonathan Smith	Trafford RC, ex BNCBC (Brasenose)	3:33.55
J-P Salter	Kingston	3:40.32
Guy Kirby	Kingston	3:47.30
Fran Kenden	The Skiff Club	3:48.34
Mark Waddington	Vesta	3:49.32
John Liebers	Ardingly	3:50.07
Elvis	Molesey	3:51.15
Cath Smith	York City RC	3:53.03
Vicky Wilson	MAA	3:53.35
Simon Blackburn	Black Prince	3:54.58
Erica Thompson	1st & 3rd Trinity BC (Cambridge).	3:56.17
Mark Ashton	Twickenham	3:57.30
Sarah Taylor	Black Prince	4:03.35
Liv Thorne	Trinity Hall (Cambridge)	4:04.57
Pippa Wilson	MAA	4:05.07
David Ford	Quintin	4:05.08
Sir Matthew Pinsent	Leander	4:08.03
Pete Billin	Ardingly	4:08.21
Amy Sharpe	Twickenham	4:12.49
Dan Barnard	Broxbourne	4:13.02
David Brandt	Segreant Boat Club	4:13.47
Joss Evans	Vesta	4:14.26
Jack Armstrong	Lea	4:21.17
Peter Knowles	Henley RC	4:20.26
Rachel Kornberg	Weybridge	4:28.01
Michelle Blunt	Broxbourne	4:56.30
Antonia Schmiegelow	Thames	5:02.10
Bruce Philp	CUBC (1980-84)	5:04.57
David Wilbin	Segreant Boat Club	5:09.22
Sophie Ashdown (who ran with her mum!)	AK	5:13.28
Becky Weeks	Burway / Molesey	5:21.11
Roz Spinks	Thames	5:28.10
Sir Steve Redgrave	Marlow & Leander	5:29.06
Sarah Livermore	New College BC	5:58.42
Dr Lady Anne Redgrave		7:10.55
Rob McKenzie	Bristol Ariel & London	DNS

For a spot of comparison, last year's hall of fame can be seen HERE

SUPER SIZE ME

The slug popped down to the revamped MacDonalds in Birmingham on Thursday with the prospect of a MacDonalds salad to chew on and the opportunity to ask James Cracknell when he was going to get a real job, being too hard to resist.

Alas, he didn't turn up until 11:20 and even slugs have to get back to work and, more prosaically, have parking meters which run out! So we didn't get to stay for the speechifying and only got these 2 crap photos on the old mobile phone.

It was funny that most people obviously thought the tall geezer looked somehow familiar without knowing quite who he was.

On a more imporant note - the restaurant does look tarted up but still, unfortunately, smells like a Macdonalds.

FORTUNATE 500

One of two medical students in their third year at Kings College London had the dubious honour of being the 500th casualty rescued by the men in orange of the Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat after their managed to wrap their pair round a buoy in Syon reach last Wednesday (12th April).

When the lifeboat arrived both rowers, Steve Dixon and George Turner, had managed to clamber onto the buoy and were holding onto their boat. In the collision, Steve Dixon had received a heavy blow to the back of the ribcage and was finding it painful to breathe; both were suffering from the cold.

The lifeboat crew transferred the rowers into the lifeboat, gave them blankets and dressed the injured man’s open wound. RNLI helmsman Neil Roberts said "After they were safely in the lifeboat the two rowers were in high spirits and delighted to be the 499th and 500th people rescued by Chiswick Lifeboat."

After dropping off George and the boat at Scrubbers, the injured man was returned to Chiswick and transferred to a waiting ambulance. He is expected to make a full recovery.