Saturday wasn't really the kind of day you would choose to go paddling. And for the five teams that tried to wrest the winner's laurels from Radcliffe, it was a day that made them wish they had stayed in bed.

Radcliffe, loser only to Princeton in the season's first three races, convincingly bounced back last weekend, overcoming blustery conditions and a surprisingly strong UMass challenge to outdistance the rest of the six-team field with a six-second win in eights competition on the Charles. Radcliffe finished with a 3:55 clocking.

Going into Saturday's contest, MIT had been tabbed the number one threat to the 'Cliffe. But when the water smoothed after the eights contest, it was a surprising UMass squad that had given Radcliffe the meanest tussle.

The performance UMass threw at the 'Cliffe rowers was strictly out of the Cinderalla script, but it came frighteningly close (for a team that is in its first year of operation) to threatening Radcliffe down the stretch.

The UMass eight, aided by a staff chop over the first 400 meters of the 100-meter course, edged out for second place, and came within a length-and-a quarter of topping the Radcliffe squad.

Once under way after a hectic and confused start, the wind put the clamps on any attempt by anyone to move away from the pack. The stiff cross-breeze churning the water into an unmanageable chop for the first 400, kept everyone bunched pretty tightly together.

However, when the boats cleared rough water, Radcliffe began to pull ahead. And from that point to the finish 600 meters later, Radcliffe called the shots, moving steadily away. By the end of the race the 'Cliff had open water on UMass, the nearest competitor.

"They were a very sophisticated group out there," Radcliffe coach John Baker said last night. "They didn't give up when the wind prevented them from moving on the field. After they got out of the choppy water they established their rhythm and just walked away with it."

In fours competition earlier in the day, the 'Cliffe rowers were even more impressive. Hampered like the eights by the pesky cross wind, the fours struggled against the chop for the first 400 meters. But from that point on, Radcliffe completely dominated, finishing with a very strong time of 4:24.

Baker was particularly pleased with the showing of the first 'Cliffe four. "That was a really substantial margin of victory," he said. They'll be a force to consider in the Sprints.

The fours competition in the Sprints may be the most hotly contested of all this year. According to Sprints officials there will be more fours than eights in the regatta, which means that a lot of teams will be concentrating their best talent in a four rather than spreading it over an eight.