The culmination of the regatta season for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club junior athletes saw Junior 15 and Junior 16 squads travel to the North of England Sprint Championships. Held over 500m at Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club in a multi lane format, the athletes competed against clubs spanning the country from Teesside to Merseyside.
Medals were hotly contested throughout the day with perfect conditions and the lake shore crowded with eager rowing fans. The first win of the day was recorded in an all Stratford final for the Women’s Junior 16 coxed four crew of Alice Baines, Maggie Page (HLRC), Khloe Curnock, Katie Wellstead and Daniel Cox (coxswain). This was followed by richly deserved medals for the Junior 15 coxed quadruple scull of Maiya James, Alice Baines, Nixie Brunt, Jasmine Mountney and Naomi Sergeant (cox).
A third and final win came in the Junior 16 double scull event with Joe Hodson and Daniel Cox treating those at the lake to a pulsating sculling performance, winning by just a canvas.
The event marked a special day for Junior 16 squad lead coach and former club captain, Dr Graham Collier who learned to row and competed for Hollingworth Lake as boy. In the years since, Graham has coached many winning crews and to see the same repeated at his home club brought a superb end to the 2017
regatta season.
Meanwhile, Stratford’s Masters squad put in their final practice and training outings ready for their appearance at 2017 World Rowing Masters Regatta in Bled this coming week.
For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/stratford-junior-squads-star-as-regatta-season-draws-to-a-close, p30 and p31 and Stratford Herald p14
For more great photographs, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9i_daCU0zuOZ95rouQg