Rhubarb Issue 12: November 2023

The Teddies VIII 1984

FEATURE

made any headway during that time, the crew had an unshakeable knowledge that we would bring the Cup home. Increasingly desperate attempts by our opposition to shake us failed and just as we got to the Stewards, they broke; which of course led to the most excellent 30 seconds, resulting in the win. Some of the best memories were after the medal ceremony, seeing everyone gathered around the boat tent: Mike Rosewell beaming and taking huge gulps from the champagne filled trophy, Bill Sayer with a huge smile (!), and this phenomenal group of nine athletes amongst the throng of parents, coaches, OSE and supporters. Huge congratulations to all 2023 Teddies crews from the 1984 crew. It is fantastic to see the girls’ squad go from strength to strength this year, and to see the 2023 1st VIII so dominant in the Final of the PE. Very well done and welcome to the Teddies PE winners’ club. Jonny Singfield, massive congratulations and let's not wait too long before the next win! Crew: H.M. Pelham, C.A.B. Roberts, R.M. Pianta, J.M. Sturt, J.M. Applebee, B. Squires, N.J. Grundy, A.D. Donaldson (Capt), T.R.G. Poole (Cox) 1999 By JEREMY MONCRIEFF (Corfe, 1994-1999) 1st VIII Cox, SES T he 1999 crew wasn’t a naturally cohesive bunch, split across three years and unequally gifted in that crucial Teddies social barometer, ability on the rugby pitch. Into the mix came coach Wiggins, new to Teddies that year. Perhaps out of loyalty to previous long-standing coaches, we took our time accepting John. No one gave us the heads up about his impeccable rowing CV! Happily, hours spent on the river brings all sorts together and we became the most close-knit of teams. It was fiery at times. One of Toby Smith’s (Tilly’s, 1995-2000) entries for the diary: ‘A very stressful day,

Teddies VIII at the 1984 Schools’ Head

1984 By ADAM DONALDSON (Segar’s, 1979-1984) Captain of Boats, SES T ime flies. Is it really almost 40 years since the 1984 Teddies crew brought home the ‘Triple’, culminating in our row through St Joseph’s Academy as we approached the Steward’s Enclosure to a wall of noise in the final of the PE cup? I recall that winning the Schools’ Head of the River in biblical conditions on the Tideway was mostly about spending as little time on the water as possible. Winning the Championship Eights at the National Schools’ Regatta was predominantly a case of steering clear of Bill Sayer who was furious that we only won by the width of a bow-ball. And so we rolled through to July following less than ideal preparation for HRR, having lost in the first round at Marlow followed by various fights in the boat (mostly within the stern four, I remember) during training on Port Meadow. It was good to get the poor form out of the way before the main event, as I do recall during the last few sessions at Godstow and on to Henley that there was finally some calmness and most importantly a single collective purpose, no matter what it took, to get that Cup and bring it back to Teddies. The first few rounds at HRR were relatively straightforward, with more of a challenge from the Canadian national champions on the Saturday – we were down from the start (as always) but quickly asserted authority and won relatively comfortably. We were hosted by Mike Pelham and family on Saturday night, an example of the phenomenal support provided by parents, alumni and the whole Teddies community. And so, to the Final. As was customary for our crew we were a length down by the end of Temple Island and then followed 300 seconds of the best demonstration of teamwork under intense pressure. Whilst we never

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