Author Archive: Chris Best

Good and Less Good Fortunes at Worcester for Stratford’s Masters and KES!

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On Saturday 11 February, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Women’s Masters crew of Ruth Poulten, Paola Ward, Clare Booth and Rona Fitzpatrick in a coxless quad took part in the Worcester Head of The River, a 6km race on the River Severn. The crew were unable to find their form in this year’s Worcester Head, despite near perfect conditions. The crew had been hoping to repeat their win from last year but it was not to be.

Being brought to a halt in the final third of the race by erratic steering from a coxed quad added to the crew’s disappointment and frustration. Even so, it was a good 12km with great team spirit as always and the shouts of support from those on the riverside were fantastic and very much appreciated. Nonetheless, the crew had a very solid race over the long course and continued to record a very admirable time of 26 minutes and 37 seconds. Crew member Paola Ward commented, “Onwards and upwards to the next race!”

Saturday also saw the continuing training progress towards the national eights race in London in March for Stratford Boat Club’s combined men’s masters eight with Bridgnorth Rowing Club. The crew, which has been training since before Christmas, was looking to follow on from a solid performance and win at Stourport Head two weeks earlier with an improved performance at Worcester Head. The event held on the River Severn, one of the longest races in the country at over 6km, promised a great day’s racing with a large turnout of eights men’s and women’s crews. With perfect rowing conditions and little wind, the stage was set for some fast times.

The Stratford/Bridgnorth crew were up against crews from Bristol Ariel, Bewdley, Evesham, Pengwern (Shrewsbury), Avon Country and Monmouth in several masters’ age categories making for some good competition. The race was a chance for the crew to try out Bridgnorth’s brand new racing Stampfli eight and the boat did not disappoint as the crew set off at a lively race pace of 32 strokes per minute.

Race conditions and a clear river meant there were no issues with having to overtake slower crews and this enabled the crew to settle into a nice cadence at 32 strokes per minute for the whole of the race, which saw them close on the preceding crew which was Pengwern. Given the large gaps between crews at the start for safety reasons, it was unlikely that any crews would be fully caught on the course so it was important to focus on the crews own performance. Closing past Worcester’s impressive clubhouse saw an uplift in crew effort as supporters’ cheers became audible. The race was by no means over however with a further two kilometres still to race.

A further push took the crew through the narrow road bridge arches in the centre of Worcester and part the magnificent riverside cathedral to set up a final effort down the finishing straight. The effort was not in vain however as the crew recorded a very satisfactory win in a time of 20 mins and 52 seconds. Said stroke Paul Wallis, “This was our first outing in the new boat and the race was all about getting used to the feel and run of the boat rather than focusing on just racing so to come away with a win was very satisfying.” The crew’s training continues with eyes now turned to Runcorn Head on 25th February and a further step up in quality opposition from north of England clubs.

Also racing at Worcester was Stratford’s sister club, King Edward The Sixth School Boat Club who had a very successful day taking the win in the J18 4x section over experienced first crews from Kings School Worcester and Royal Grammar School Worcester in convincing fashion over the 6km course. The quad, consisting of Tomi Wilcock, Tom Beard, Tom Wheeler and Ed Rose, had a steady start to the race and were able to find their rhythm and put in a strong first half to the race. After a well managed first half, the cheers from the bank at the 3km mark lifted the crew and they began to extend their lead over the competition. A strong push to the finish saw them overtake an university eight and close the gap on the Kings School Worcester crew who started off ahead on the course. Commenting, Hannah Crone, KES’s rowing coach said, “An exceptional time of 20 minutes and 22 seconds saw KES placed eight in the division and also placed as the second fastest quad of the day!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty three and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-mixed-results-for-stratford-crews-at-worcester

Stratford’s Juniors Show Promise at Wycliffe!

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On Saturday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J17/18 squad took on the 4.5km course of the Wycliffe Big Head and the J18 quad of Will Beattie, Tomi Wilcock, Charles Happel and Toby Sartain were first to race. They set off strong and settled into a comfortable pace quickly, sculling with composure before crossing the line with a final sprint to record a time of 16:16.3 placing them a very respectable fourth place out of a field of thirteen high level boats. They were followed down the course by the WJ18 four of Kate Richardson, Uchenna Nwachukwu, Maddie Hall and Harriet Noyes and cox Imogen Hill. They also rowed well together, recording a time of 19:02.1 that outpaced a number of the usually faster WJ18 quads and came home in first place in their event.

Just one boat from Stratford Boat Club’s J16 travelled to Wycliffe to complete in the Big Head. The coxless quad of Lucy Sartain (stroke), Molly Vondrack, Scarlett Richardson and Aimee Appleton took on strong competition from AB Severn, Great Marlow School and Wallingford over the 4500m course. Showing both great technical skills and endurance, the crew settled into a good rhythm and paced the race well to set a time of 18:23, placing them in fourth place and within just twenty four seconds of the winning boat.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page forty five and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-juniors-show-promise-at-wycliffe and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2023/02/10&pages=032

Stratford’s Juniors Conquer The Severn!

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On Sunday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club junior squads went in force to Stourport Winter Head: the J17/18 squad started the day with singles’ events, which featured Will Beattie and Toby Sartain in the J18 category and Charles Happel in the J17 category. Beattie sculled to his usual high standard, finishing strongly to win the event and was followed down the course by Sartain who crossed the line in second place to round out a 1-2 finish for Stratford. Happel came next and sculled to a similar high standard also to claim second place in his event. Next up was the WJ18 pair of Amalia Richardson and Kate Richardson who, despite being relatively new to the pairs event, rowed proficiently and came home in first place. Finally, the afternoon division saw the two J18 doubles of Will Beattie and Tomi Wilcock and Charles Happel and Toby Sartain take on the 4km course: Beattie and Wilcock set off first sculling typically well on their way to win the event just ahead of Happel and Sartain who also sculled confidently to complete an excellent overall performance for the squad in second place.

For Stratford’s J16 squad, the morning division saw the coxless quad of Aimee Appleton, Scarlett Richardson, Molly Vondrack with Megan Rowan in the stroke seat put on an impressive display of sculling to beat the home Stourport boat by 12.5 seconds and take first place. In the afternoon three doubles of Lucy Sartain and Jess Long, Eloise Cooper and Nancy Davis, Ez Elfwood and Harriet Froom all competed to a very high standard and finished with seven seconds of each other over the 4k course. In the end it was Elfwood and Froom who missed out on a second place by just 1 second to take 3rd with Sartain and Long 0.8sec behind them followed by Cooper and Davis. Finally, Jamie Wilcock competed in the singles event and was in the lead at the halfway stage before a collision caused him to lose time and finish second overall.

For the J14 and J15 squads, the weekend saw the Stratford upon Avon Boat Club athletes from across the age ranges compete on the Severn in the “Blackpool of the Black Country, Stourport-on-Severn”! The 4000m course running with the stream presented a good opportunity for all to display the fruits of their winter training over a longer distance. Conditions on the day were superb with a light breeze and sunshine threatening to make an appearance on occasion.

In Division One, Stratford’s J14s fielded two WJ14 double sculls combinations. The crew of Josephine Cooper and Sophie Franklin powered down the course in style to finish over a minute ahead of Avon County Rowing Club and Evesham Rowing Club. The win however was taken by Maeve Dunn and Bryony Francis by a margin of just three seconds with a superb performance. The J15 squad fielded a coxed four into the event but, without opposition in their age range, took on senior crews. The crew of  Theo Richter, Seth Vondrak, Xavier Sissins-Roffey, Oliver Rowlands and James Albrighton (coxswain) thundered down the course to take the win in emphatic style.

In Division Two, the WJ14 coxed quadruple scull of Sophie Warren, Isla Dunn, Becca Smith, Martha Cooke and Josephine Cooper (coxswain) delivered a stonking row to take the win over quality opposition from Trentham Boat Club and Hereford Cathedral School.  The quadruple scull event was followed by the toughest event of the day by far, the single sculls. Testing themselves, representing Stratford were the J14 girls of Martha Baines, Tessa Parkin and Millie Smith. Dicing with strong competition from around the area, they recorded a creditable eighth, fifth and sixth respectively. Commenting, Steve Wellstead, J14 Coach and Junior Co-ordinator said, “No mean feat over the 4000m course so early in their rowing careers. No doubt, these athletes will return to the Severn in the coming years!”

Representing the J15 squad in the women’s double sculls, the powerhouse duo of Alexandra Francis and Poppy Baines provided a show for the assembled crowd with a textbook row, taking the win by a comfortable margin, In the women’s J15 coxed quadruple sculls event, the crew of Sophie Evans, Meg Nuttall, Alice Jones, Lily Warren and Lucy Yang (coxswain) delivered a solid row chasing Ross Rowing Club all the way to achieve a fourth place.

Joining their Stratford colleagues, King Edward The Sixth School Boat Club also headed to Stourport Head. First up in the morning division was the J18 4+ of T. Wilcock, R. Macdonald, T. Wheeler, T. Beard and I. Hill (cox) they were racing in the open men’s category and put in a great performance to see off crews from Warwick BC and Trentham RC to take the win.

The afternoon division saw a debut for our J16 4x of W. Dalrymple-Baker, H. Hoare, A. Mathers and M. Cullimore, three of whom only start rowing in September. Said Hannah Crone, KES Coach, “This was their first race and the aim was to row well and enjoy it: the boys put in a fantastic performance to take the win over Evesham Rowing Club.”

Next up was our WJ18 4+ of A. Richardson, T. Dunn, M. Hall, K. Richardson and I. Hill (cox) again racing in the senior category. Despite a last minute substitution due to injury, the girls had a good row and came out on top ahead of Evesham Rowing Club and Trentham Rowing Club. This topped off a great day for King Edward The Sixth School Boat Club coming home with three wins from three crews.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty four and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratfords-juniors-conquer-the-severn

For more great pictures of Stourport Winter Head, see Kathy and Stuart Baines’ excellent selection at https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AOAm%5FWXXHbdtI6M&id=8E50DAC120123B06%2190130&cid=8E50DAC120123B06

Farewell and Hello to Audrey!

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When Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s boatman Phil Marshall decided to ‘retire’ one of Stratford’s fleet of doubles, the call went out to local restaurants and pubs for a new home for Audrey, a beautiful wooden Sims built double: sadly Audrey was beyond repair after forty to fifty years of use at Stratford upon Avon but too beautiful just to demolish

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club name all their boats after ladies, sprites and spirits in Shakespeare’s plays: Audrey is ‘a homely and ignorant shepherd girl’ in ‘As You Like It’ and ‘a goatherd from the Forest of Arden’. She is also described ‘a country bumpkin-ette looking for love. When she’s not busy herding goats, she’s getting cozy with Touchstone!’ and also as ‘not particularly bright’! Audrey is also said to be ‘unlearned, honest, looks for honesty in others, does not consider herself good-looking, and is virtuous’.

After many offers to re-home Audrey, her ‘retirement’ home was found just a few metres away from Stratford Boat Club at The Boat House restaurant and her new colleagues from The Boat House joined with the boat repair crew at The Boat House restaurant to plan the operation. Commenting on the move, Phil Marshall said, “… and that’s when the fun began: moving a nearly ten metre double down the path from the Boat Club to The Boat House restaurant, through a window fifteen metres above the river and then onto the rafters in the restaurant!”

High level boat manoeuvring is not usually in the required skill set for chefs and boatmen but after much head-scratching and possibly the occasional expletive, the move was completed and Audrey settled into her new home in the rafters! Said Mat Faulkner, General Manager of The Boat House restaurant, “Audrey looks perfect in the rafters and will be a talking point for our diners: we’re very happy to have been able offer a new lease of life for Audrey now that her sculling days are over!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald front page and page fourteen and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-boat-club-rehomes-wooden-double-after-half-a-century-of-service

Stratford & King Edward The Sixth School Boat Clubs Shine Indoors at Worcester

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On a very frosty Sunday morning with the temperature reading -6’C, eight rowers from the Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Wednesday Participation squad set off for King’s School Worcester Indoor Rowing Competition for their first taste of competitive rowing.

There was understandably a lot of nerves and trepidation, however the crew produced amazing results. For a group that was only put together in October and train once a week, they produced five individual personal bests and came away with a fistful of medals.

In the individual races, Annie Silvers took silver and Hannah Shilvock bronze in the Year 9 girls’ event whilst Ellis Bishop came away with silver in the Year 10 boys’ race.

In the relays, the Year 9 girls’ crew of Annie Silvers, Hannah Shilvock, Amelia Welton and Estelle Littleford produced an outstanding result just missing out on gold to take silver, in the process smashing their personal best.

The last race of the day, Ellis Bishop, Emma Francioni, Kate Currow and Ila Lane competed in the Year 11 mixed relay where despite three of them only being in Year 10, they secured a bronze medal.

Said Ralph Johnson, J16 Participation Coach, “The crew were understandably very pleased with their morning’s work and look forward to more events.”

Joining Stratford Boat Club at Worcester was Stratford’s sister club, King Edward The Sixth School Boat Club headed with a squad of twenty one athletes from Years 8-13.

First up were E. Appleton and J. Greenwood in the Year 8 four minute race: two strong rowers from Cheltenham College and the Royal Grammar School tore out in front leaving Ed and James battling it out for Bronze. It was neck and neck the whole way with James eventually coming away with the bronze just three minutes ahead of teammate Ed.

The next race saw Ed and James going again in the Year 8 one minute race with Ed just pipping James to Silver this time and James came away with a second bronze medal. Vondrak then took on the Year 10 500m race: he had a strong race finishing fifth overall in a large field.

I.Vondrak was joined by S. McMahon, O. Rowlands and C. Thompson for the Year 10 relay. The boys put in a strong performance, winning their heat and coming fourth overall.

Next it was time for the Year 11-13’s: T. Beard took on nine other rowers and came out on top with a very impressive row in the Sixth Form Boys 500m race.

The rest of the day was down to the relay teams with the Year 11 team of W. Dalrymple-Baker, M. Cullimore, H. Hoare and O. Rowlands putting in a strong performance to take home the bronze medal.

Next up were the two Sixth Form mixed relay teams, both teams put in a huge row to come away with Gold and Silver in what turned out to be the closest race of the day with T. Beard, M. Hall, K. Richardson and D. Shilvock (6:10.3) just pipping H. Noyes, E. Rose, T. Wilcock and A. Richardson (6:10.4).

With very little rest the girls’ crew of H. Noyes, A. Richardson, K. Richardson and H. Hoare went into the girls’ relay putting in another amazing effort to come away with gold. Followed soon after by the boys’ crew of E. Rose, T. Wilcock, T. Beard and D. Shilvock just missing out on a medal in the boys’ relay with the B crew of J. Nash, J. Kirby, F. Groves and H. Hoare coming in fifth place.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/medals-galore-at-indoor-championship-9295564 and page fifty three and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-rowers-impress-at-worcester-indoor-rowing-competition

Onwards to 2023!

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It was a bright, sunny morning, and Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were out in force with twelve athletes competing in freshly assembled crews for the annual Boxing Day Regatta. First up was Team A: Martha Usselmann, Matt Meynell, Heather Hayton, Elisabeth Edwards and cox Cameron Dalrymple-Baker vs Team B: Jack Arrowsmith, Will Dalrymple-Baker, Jackie Josbury, Amanda Bowden and cox Katie Phillips. All crews raced twice, switching their lane after the first race. A quick start saw Team A draw ahead but Team B held their own, keeping level with Team A until the final few lengths of the race where Team A pulled away to take the first win of the day. Both teams had a quick turn around and were soon back up at the start, ready to go again. Another quick start from Team A saw them claim victory once more, with Team B battling with them to the end.

Both crews were pulled in and Team A swapped out with Team C: Katie Phillips, Ruby Howells, Cameron Dalrymple-Baker, Dave Edwards, and cox Elisabeth Edwards. Team B stayed on, swapping their cox for Martha Usselmann. Crews paddled up to the start and moved off with a strong start but the slightly fresher Team C gradually pulled away from Team B to take the lead, crossing the line just ahead of Team B. Both crews turned and headed back up on opposite sides. Once again both crews had a strong start, with Team C pulling away initially but Team B keeping the pressure on them. Team C crossed the line first but their aggressive racing line caused Team B to move close to the bank to avoid contact which led to the race being considered a draw.

Finally Team A swapped in with Team B, with both crews changing their coxes to Amanda Bowden (A) and Will Dalrymple-Baker (C). Both crews headed up to the start line for the final two races of the morning. Once more, quick starts from both crews were seen and they kept level with each other for the first half of the race. A burst of pressure from Team A as the crews passed the theatre saw them move away from Team C in the final stages of the race and take victory. Both crews took a leisurely paddle back up to the start in an attempt to catch their breath and lined up once more. Both crews were quick off the mark and kept level, with Team C starting to move ahead as the crews reached the halfway mark, however a well timed call from Team A’s cox saw the boat gain speed and move away from Team C just as the crews crossed the finish line.

With four wins across the morning, Team A were declared the victors and were each awarded a Stratford Boat Club tankard. Tankards were also awarded to all who coxed, as well as one being awarded to the brilliant finish marshal, who helped signal the end of each race.

Commenting, Paul Stanton, the Club’s President said, “Many thanks go to Trevor Tiller, Zöe Edwards, Helen Smith and Ian Wilcock for marshalling and to Dave Edwards for organising the event.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald pages forty and thirty eight.

For more great pictures of the Boxing Day Scratch Regatta, see David Phillips’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiBE8NqoVVypgg6L22bLS2AnUG6E?e=3kjYqr

Canal or River: Stratford Deliver!

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An early, crisp start welcomed Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J14 squad as they arrived to do battle on the 2.5km course held on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal in the Wycliffe Small Boats Head on Saturday. First down the course was the WJ14 coxed quadruple scull of Isla Dunn, Cara Berisford-Murray, Martha Baines, Martha Cooke and Bryony Francis (coxswain). A plucky row saw them in the mix with the Bristol Rowing Club and luminaries of the junior rowing scene Henley Rowing Club. The crew eventually placed fourth and within touching distance of the crews ahead. Next up where the three Stratford WJ14 double scull crews of Bryony Francis and Sophie Franklin, Millie Smith and Tessa Parkin and Becca Smith with Poppy Warren. In a hard fought event, the Stratford crews placed third, fourth and fifth with the Parkin/Smith crew picking up the bronze medal. Finally, the WJ14 single sculls took the water with Maeve Dunn and Josephine Cooper representing Stratford. Both girls put their hard training to work and sculled tremendously to be placed third and fifth with Maeve Dunn collecting the bronze in emphatic style.

Representing the Junior 15 squad in their inaugural single sculls rowing head were Alexandra Francis and Xavier Sissins-Rofey. Francis, racing against fourteen crews faced her double scull rival from City of Bristol. Francis starting behind the Bristol sculler, she closed the staggered start gap and crossed the finish line in first place. Given Sissons-Rofey only started rowing a year ago, he managed to cross the line in seventh place out of a field of fifteen crews. Representing the girls in the quadruple sculling event were Sophie Evans, Poppy Baines, Lily Warren, Lucy Yang and Alice Jones (coxswain) finishing sixth out of fifteen crews. Finally, in diminishing light and low temperature conditions, the boys quadruple scull of Theo Richter, Seth Vondrak, Ollie Rowlands, James Albrighton and Meg Nuttall (coxswain) took to the water finishing fifth out of fifteen crews.

With exams impacting the availability for racing this weekend, the J16 squad took just five athletes to Wycliffe Small Boats Head. First up in Division 1 was the J16 women’s coxless quad of Jess Long (stroke), Molly Vondrak, Scarlett Richardson and Aimee Appleton (bow).  After a strong start out of the bridge, they managed to pass local rivals Kings School Worcester and then with open water ahead of them, continued to work hard for the rest of the race finishing in gold medal position, seventeen seconds ahead of Thames Scullers and twenty six seconds ahead of the Kings School Worcester boat.

In Division 2 Vondrak and Richardson doubled up to race again in the WJ16 2x. Pushing hard throughout the race, they pulled away from a chasing Thames Scullers’ crew to secure a bronze medal, only narrowly missing out on silver by 0.2 seconds. Following them was Will Dalrymple-Baker in the open J16 1x. In a strong field of thirteen athletes, he rowed hard and consistently to gain a respectable fifth place.

Last up in Division 3 was Appleton in the women’s J16 1x for her second race of the day. Rowing a tidy race and pushing hard in the last 500m, she secured seventh in a competitive field.

The J17/18 squad started the day on a high note as the WJ18 4+ of Kate Richardson, Harriet Noyes, Maddie Hall, Amalia Richardson and cox Poppy Baines set off for their race in the first division. Despite Baines being a last minute substitute, they rowed strongly to win their event posting a time of 9:49.2. The two J18 doubles of Will Beattie and Tomi Wilcock, and Charles Happel and Toby Sartain were next to race for the squad in the second division. Beattie and Wilcock set off first and sculled superbly to come home in first place, ahead of fifteen other boats. Happel and Sartain followed them down the 2.5km course, and came over the line in joint seventh place, setting an identical time to the crew from The King’s School Worcester. Division three saw Beattie, Wilcock, Happel and Sartain race as one crew in the Open J18 4+ event, again with a late substitute cox who was kind to step in despite being from the RGS Worcester squad. They rowed confidently, despite being an inexperienced combination, however they were unfortunate to be outpaced by strong crews from Winchester College and King Edward The Sixth School and finished fourth overall.

Also competing at Wycliffe Small Boats Head was Stratford’s sister club, King Edward The Sixth School: the first race of the season for KES saw a quad and four competing. With a last minute substitution due to illness, the quad was up first in a strong field of J18 quads. Ed Rose, Rafa MacDonald, Tom Wheeler and Will Dalrymple-Baker had a good scull, completing the course in 8:53, putting them in sixth place within six seconds of a medal. In the afternoon, again with last minute substitution, the same crew went out in the coxed four with Poppy Baines from Stratford coxing. They had another decent row finishing in bronze medal position behind two strong crews from Winchester College.

Not to be left out, Stratford’s Masters’ squad travelled to Monmouth on Sunday to compete on the River Wye. The women’s new masters eight of Amanda Bowden, Suzie Radley, Charlotte Jones, Heather Hayton, Jane Cryer, Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley, Ellie Davis and Ruth Poulten won Monmouth Head over a 2.5 km course. Not only that, but they were the pennant winners for the fastest women’s eight for the day at 6.55 minutes! This is a superb achievement to this newly formed eight in their first race and it shows the strength of women in the Club. Said Charlotte Jones, crew members, “Despite the cold, damp conditions, the women were determined and, with Amanda at stroke, we set a good rate. Women’s rowing at Stratford Boat Club is just getting better and better!

Not satisfied with just one win, Stratford’s women’s’ masters quad of Heather Hayton, Amanda Bowden, Ruth Poulten and Suzie Radley raced for a second time to win in a time of 7 minutes19 seconds! Suzie steered a great course keeping hold of the stream.

Also at Monmouth on Sunday, a Stratford Masters 8+ debuted at the Winter Head, competing in the Mixed Masters D/E/F category. The crew, with an age range of 45 to 76 years old, raced the 2500m downstream in cold but thankfully calm weather, guided confidently by their experienced cox Isobel Moore who has been coxing for Stratford since she was a junior and more recently, coxing for University of Edinburgh Boat Club.

In their first 500m, the crew pushed firm, finding their pace for the 2000m still to come. With their opposition from Avon County Rowing Club ahead of them, the enthusiastic Stratford crew were ready to battle for a win in their very first race as a crew. Entering their last 500m, the crew dug deep to find those last strokes, their energy restored and spirits lifted by shouts of encouragement from the bank as they crossed the finish line.

Having only come together as a crew this autumn and with just a few weeks of training to prepare, the group was pleased with the result of their hard work, even if they missed out on a win. No doubt the presence of two Level 2 coaches in the crew was a blessing, with both Joe Moore and Alfie Nash bestowing their years of rowing expertise to the crew. Another mention must go to Alfie for completing his first race as a rower, having only coxed in previous races, as well as to David Day for his racing debut at 76 years old! The crew are already back to training and looking ahead to plan their next race in the new year. The crew consisted of Christine Deacon, Clare Booth, David Day, Joe Moore, Simon Moore, Alfie Noakes, Paola Ward, Rona Fitzpatrick and Isobel Moore (cox).

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/junior-squads-make-waves-9288103 and page forty four and Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-success-for-stratford-juniors-at-wycliffe-small-boats-head and also back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2022/12/09&pages=024

For more great pictures of Wycliffe Small Boats Head, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9j6BfI3pyu0CSN51jdA?e=18GHXv

MASTERS CONQUER THE TIDEWAY!

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Mx E 4x Upton/Stratford upon Avon
Veterans’ Fours Head of the River 2022

The Veteran Fours Head took place on the Tideway on the River Thames in London on Sunday. The event raced over the 6.8km championship course from Mortlake to Putney, hosted no less than two hundred and thirty three crews from all over the UK competing in the premier long-distance race for four person crews and presented a spectacular sight with boats nose to tail along the river Thames waiting for the off.

With crews ranging from elite Olympians to octogenarians, the event gave the chance for everyone to show what they could do on what was a cold but sunny day and for the Thames, benign water conditions.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were dually represented by Heather Hayton and Thomas Doherty racing with their friends and long-time rowing partners from Upton Rowing Club Tabatha and Julian Scrivener in their masters mixed quad. This successful crew, current National Champions in their age group, had some serious unfinished business having lost the same competition last year by a mere one tenth of a second to their arch rivals Molesey Rowing Club.

With Molesey again in the competition, the stage was set for a big rematch. Molesey, with some outstanding rowers in the crew, were never going to surrender their title lightly and the stage was set for a gruelling race between two evenly matched crews with every stroke needing to count and no room for error. Starting two boats ahead of Molesey, the Stratford/Upton crew knew what they had to do if they were to overturn last year’s result and from the off, as the crew passed the start line, the boat kicked into gear. Commenting, Julian Scrivener, bow and steersman said, “As soon as we passed the start, I felt the boat surge and I knew we were all on it from the first stroke”. With Tabatha Scrivener at stroke laying down an excellent rhythm, the crew powered down the course settling into a strong rhythm at thirty three strokes per minute. Said Heather Hayton, experienced Stratford rower, “It was essential we had a good first kilometre as we knew Molesey would be fast out of the blocks and needed to hold them off.”

A powerful but efficient and relaxed rhythm was essential to maintain the Stratford/Upton boat speed and by Barnes Bridge, the crew had settled into their race plan. With the other competitors in the specific age category event falling by the wayside, it wasn’t long before Molesey overtook crews to position themselves directly behind the Stratford/Upton boat and the race was set for the next four kilometres of the course. Said Tom Doherty, the second Stratford crew member, ”We knew it was game on now and we came under sustained pressure from Molesey who knew they were in a race and were determined to catch us. The slightest mistake, even for one stroke, would have cost us the race: the pressure was immense!”

On a large river with a strong stream, conditions were fast, and this made it essential for the crew to steer a good course with so much time being lost for being out of position, Julian Scrivener had a huge job to keep the boat correctly positioned in the stream to maximise race conditions. Approaching Hammersmith bridge with approximately five kilometres gone and everybody feeling the pain and pressure, there was no observable difference in position between Molesey who still chased Stratford/Upton. Everybody in the crew knew no matter how tired and painful it was they could not let up even for a couple of strokes and coming under Hammersmith Bridge, it was time for another big push.

With the stroke rate maintained at thirty three strokes per minute, the boat was moving fast and the Stratford/Upton crew knew they had to seek out the smallest of gains over the remaining 1.8 kilometres. At this point in the race, several slower crews were encountered which can have a detrimental effect on boat speed as they are overtaken but this year there were no hold up as Stratford/Upton steered a great racing line past Fulham Football Club into the final stages at Putney.

Greeted by the amazing spectacle of crowds of rowers outside the Putney boat houses, it was now or never as the whole crew put in a final push to cross the line. With no energy for any display of relief or emotion, the crew had the satisfaction of knowing they had a great race and could not have gone any faster. Said former GB international rower Julian Scrivener, “That was one of the best quad races I’ve ever been in!” It was not obvious with Molesey crossing the line not far behind Stratford/Upton who had won with both crews exhausted and pensive and knowing they would now have to await the official results later in the day. Finally, the results when they came, they were all Stratford/Upton could have wished for in overturning last year’s result with a magnificent win over Molesey in a time of 21 minutes and 6.8 seconds to Mosley’s 21 minutes and 12.8 seconds! With the final comment, Heather Hayton said, “A year of hurt and hard training has paid off! I could not be more proud of my crew mates and in particular Julian who brought all his Tideway experience to bear in steering a magnificent course. We are shattered but happy!”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald pages fifty six and page fifty one and Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-masters-conquer-the-tideway and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2022/11/25&pages=024

We Will Remember Them

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The weekend has been a busy and poignant one for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club with Club members taking time out from rowing to remember those who died in World Wars, other conflicts and especially the Falklands War, now forty years ago

Stratford Boat Club’s remembrance started on Friday with a short wreath laying and two minutes silence to mark Armistice Day: Masters’ member Graham Cann laid wreaths commemorating Falklands veterans and especially his fallen colleagues in the Royal Marines. Graham was a Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines Commandos during the Falklands War: the Club’s piper Joe Moore played before and after the two minutes silence

Joining Graham and his Boat Club colleagues was Kim Casey, sister of Petty Officer Aircrewman Ben Casey who was the first casualty of the Falklands War. Stratford Boat Club became aware of Ben thanks to Stratford Herald’s articles on Kim’s pilgrimage to the Falklands to honour her elder brother (https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/falklands-cove-named-after-fallen-brother-9282072 and https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/stratford-womans-search-for-peace-after-losing-brother-in-t-9264080)

On Remembrance Sunday, the whole Club stopped to meet around the Club’s memorial: as is Club tradition, wreaths were laid by the Club’s oldest member, Colin Upchurch, and the youngest member, Seb Happel, to remember Club members who gave their lives in wars and conflicts. Seventy six years separate Colin’s and Seb’s rowing and life experience! Again, the Club’s piper, Simon Moore, played during the act of remembrance

A memorable addition to this year’s Remembrance Day event was the dedication of a plaque commemorating the award of the Victoria Cross to one of the Club’s members, Squadron Leader Arthur ‘Pongo’ Scarf. Again, the interest in this Club member’s past was generated by Stratford Herald’s article on the sale of Arthur’s Victoria Cross (https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/arthur-scarf-from-stratford-nfu-to-heroic-raf-pilot-awarde-9253188) and Mark Dewdney’s, the Club’s archivist and Head Adaptive Coach, research in to Pongo’s past. Through an introduction by Spink & Son, the auction house which sold Arthur Scarf’s Victoria Cross, the Club was able to trace Pongo’s remaining relative, nephew John Hair, who laid a wreath to dedicate the new memorial plaque and honour Arthur’s bravery

Commenting on the weekend of remembrance, Paul Stanton, Stratford Boat Club’s President said, “Whilst the Club is a forward looking organisation with its sights set firmly on the future, we take this time to look back, pause and give thanks for those who served and died for their country and colleagues so that we may live in peace and pursue our sport with happiness and joy. Both Graham Cann’s and Arthur Scarf Scarf’s acts of service and bravery are an example to us all and an ever present reminder of the horrors of war”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page nineteen and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/stratford-upon-avon-boat-club-pay-respects-on-armistice-day-and-remembrance-sunday

MASTERS SCORE TWO OUT OF TWO!

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were represented by both a mixed double and women’s double at Stourport Small Boats Head and both Masters’ crews won!

Suzie Radley and Amanda Bowden enjoyed the fast stream taking 14 minutes 34 seconds to complete the 4K course. Suzie steered a good line, grateful for the cloud cover during the race and not having to stare into the sun. There
were no crews within reach so the double focused on pushing off the crews behind.

Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley and Gary Clay enjoyed racing in a Masters’ mixed double for the first time since last June. In the slightly flooded swirly water, they were overtaken by a Men’s junior coxed quad that started just behind them. Kjersti and Gary then managed to overtake two Masters’ women’s doubles. This set them up for clear water and a good sprint for the finish which was just enough for a narrow win!

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page sixty eight and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-double-delight-for-stratford-masters and also back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2022/11/18&pages=032