Number 7
Darby Loudon (17)
This is correct. That four was definitely the fourth fastest four throughout the year: they just had a blinder. The third four wasn’t helped by one of their rowers having a sprained wrist the week before.Shore’s grading of Fours was perfectly correct. I had a chat to a parent yesterday in the grandstand and this was what I heard. The Fourth Four was behind constantly throughout the year, had not lost once and had an average erg around the 6:55 mark. They just had a blinder on race day. The Third Four had an average erg around the 6:35 mark, but could not string it together on the water. They were normally on par if not faster than the Third Four. The Second Four had a shocker on race day. That combination was so dominant in the Third Four, they got told by the AAGPS to move it up into the Second Four race where they just had a bad day.
That Shore Fourth Four is not faster than the Third and Second Four, they just had a better race.
And yes, some of the third four got moved to the second four but didn’t row well on Saturday.
There was no shenanigans. It happens.