THE SPORT OF ROWING lead materially, while London were three- quarters of a length astern. At Fawley Court, a tremendous race ensued between Jesus and Twickenham, but the latter were strong enough to keep in front, and half-way over the course led by half a length. Passing the little bridge, Twickenham improved their position slightly, but the slack water told in favor of Jesus and prevented Twickenham getting away. “At the Horse-barrier, Twickenham led by half a length. Below Poplar Point, Jesus went up to the leaders fast, and at the Point itself they were nearly level. In the stretch reach home to the finish, Jesus under the towpath went back ahead fast and won a well-rowed race by a length and three- quarters, London the same distance behind Twickenham. Time 7min. 22sec.”697 According to Page, at less than 156 lb. or 71kg average, this Jesus boat was the lightest boat ever to win the Grand Challenge Cup, before or since, “but what was more important to Steve was that the Leander crew who lost [to Twickenham] in a heat, contained the six best men from that year’s Cambridge crew, and his methods were being proved on a tough battlefield.”698 For the rest of his life, Steve would point back to this boat with great pride. Fairbairn: “I won the Grand in 1885 with the College May boat, the only time that has been done. All other winning College crews have had old hands to strengthen them.”699 Not a single member of this boat had been chosen by Cambridge for the Boat Race in 1885. 1886 In 1886, when Fairbairn agreed to return to the Cambridge Blue Boat after a two year absence, he had the credibility to bring long slides with him after Jesus had won the Grand Challenge Cup using them. The 1886 Boat Race was a tremendous win for Cambridge and will be discussed at greater length in Chapter 15. Page: “Steve did not confine his coaching to Jesus, and the extent of his influence can be judged by the remarkable results at Henley in 1886 and 1887. Steve claimed700 that, in these two years, the winners of every race at Henley, with the sole exception of the London Eight that won the Thames Cup in 1886, had been through his hands and were all rowing on the principles he taught.”701 For 1886, that included his and Hutch’s winning Thames R.C. Four in the Stewards’ Cup, the second Thames Four in winning the Wyfold Fours, his Cambridge Blue Boat teammates F.I. Pitman in the Diamond Sculls and F.E. Churchill and S.D. Muttlebury702 in the Silver Goblets, Pembroke College, Cambridge703 in the Ladies’ Plate, First Trinity, Cambridge in the Visitors’ Cup and Trinity Hall, Cambridge704 in the Grand Challenge Cup. Steve: “I coached the Hall in ‘86 before the May races and laid the foundation of leg- work and blade-work taught me by Jesus men, a style started by Joe Sadler.”705 700 Fairbairn On Rowing, p. 352 701 Page, p. 29 702 See Chapter 15. 703 Their blades are Cambridge blue with a band near the tip made up of diagonal swaths of navy 697 Henley Royal Regatta, The Times of London, July 4, 1885 698 Page, p. 28 699 Fairbairn of Jesus, p. 64 and Cambridge blue. 704 not to be confused with Trinity College, Cambridge. Trinity Hall rows with black blades with a white band at the neck. 705 Qtd. by Page, p. 29 188
