On Saturday 23rd January the men's and women's first boats rowed in Winter Head to Head, a 2x2km head race (time trial). The first leg is downstream and the second upstream – so tends to be quite a bit slower! Their times and race reports are below, and we also have the full results from City of Cambridge Rowing Club who organised the race.

 W1 report, Izzy Scott-Moncrieff

This was only the second time this particular crew had rowed together, and our first race of term. There was an air of nervousness amongst the crew as we warmed up, but after an incredibly inspirational crew chat which Jenny had spent the previous night writing, we all decided that the two legs of 2km which made up the race would NOT get the better of us.

After a short time marshalling, the race began and Mark (our cox) got on his rage voice to spur us on. We quickly gained on Hughes Hall who were ahead of us, and after a slight collision when they didn't move over we eventually managed to pass them. Some epic pushes out of the Grassy and First Post corners sent us flying towards the finish of the first leg.

The second leg was slightly more difficult due to the strong  stream we were rowing against, but despite this we kept up a decent rhythm and pace, almost getting overlap on a men's four ahead of us just  before the finish. So overall, a good race with reasonable results, so now onwards and upwards!

M1 report, James Davies

With rowers returning from injuries, the Men's First Boat is certainly in a strong position at this early stage of term, and we went into this race looking to lay down a challenge to our competition. However, illness, and other problems, meant that a third of the crew had to be replaced with substitutes (many thanks go to them for stepping in).

Even with a scratch crew we went into the race with a positive attitude, and the row up to the start line felt powerful and controlled. The first 2k run downstream was a very good race for us - we kept up a great rhythm and put power down in the water. The second run was not so well controlled, but by sheer force of will we pushed through the scrappiness and crossed the finish line with our heads held high.

The evening brought the results, and we were very pleased to discover that we were a whole minute faster than the boat we will be chasing in Bumps – a very pleasing result! The next few weeks of training will decide our fate in Bumps, and we will certainly not be resting on our laurels.

The Fairbairn Cup races are the climax of Michaelmas term rowing, and this year Churchill have another excellent set of results to be proud of. We entered two novice men's crews and one and a half novice women's crews (we shared a boat with Murray Edwards), as well as our senior crews.

The course starts at Jesus's boathouse, and ends at different points depending on the division. For novices, the course finishes near the end of the Reach, a distance of 2.7km. For senior VIIIs it is to just beyond the motorway bridge (4.3km), and for senior IVs it is to near the Plough, (3.4km). Check the Jesus website for full results.

Last Sunday was Emma Sprints, a short 500m side-by-side race on the reach, mainly aimed at novices. Churchill entered a women's novice eight and two men's novice eights, but unfortunately the strong winds meant only the women got to row before the event was called off.

Being a slightly fun race our crew had gone for a rainbow look, (see photo). Here is their report:

"The race was a 500m sprint up and then back down the reach against Clare Hall and then (someone else). We got off to a very strong start, until the other crew decided to row into us, and they eventually pulled ahead having left us a little unbalanced! In the second race we easily pulled ahead within the first few strokes, and finished comfortably ahead to receive the promised doughnuts!"