Snow in the morning, rain in the afternoon - a rather unpleasant day, especially for the athletes that had to compete!

For this photographer it was, despite the rain, the best Boat Race event in the last 6 years. As neither boat could pull really away, both crews stayed in "useful" distances - it felt like a staged photo shoot, and was an absolute pleasure to photograph.

The Trial Eights are the only opportunity either side have to race the full course Boat Race from Putney to Mortlake with the Race Umpires, so provide an important test for rowers and coxes alike; and allows both sets of coaching teams to analyse the progression and potential.

The first Trial Eights race was staged by Oxford 153 years ago in 1859 and Cambridge joined the tradition three years later in 1862. The first Trial Eights for the Women's Boat Race was in 2014, when their race moved from Henley to the Tideway

You might also be interested in the CUWBC Trial Eights from December, when the weather was a bit better!

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