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

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

Choppy Thames Conditions for Vesta International Eights Head!

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were represented at this year’s Vesta International Eights Head of The River race on Sunday. The race, which is the premier veterans’ rowing event of the year, is held over the championship course which is better known as the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race course in central London on the Thames. On a clear but blustery day, over 245 crews set off from Mortlake for the 6.8km timed race down to Putney at ten second intervals making for some exciting racing over the whole length of the course.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club provided the majority share of a composite crew with fellow Midland clubs from Warwick Boat Club and Bridgnorth Rowing Club. The crew, stroked by Paul Wallis from Bridgnorth, comprised Tom Doherty (Stratford) at 7, Richard Nelson (Stratford) at 6, Rob Graham (Bridgnorth) at 5, Tim Grimsdale (Bridgnorth) at 4, Gary Clay (Stratford) at 3, Jon Martin (Warwick) at 2 and Simon Beard (Stratford) at bow with Sarah Graham (Bridgnorth) at cox.

The crew racing in the Masters’ E age category section (55 to 60 years) were up against formidable competition with no less than 34 competitors in their age group. The crew, on the back of a much improved showing at the North of England Head at Chester the week before, got off to a fast start taking the rating up to 34 strokes per minute under Chiswick Bridge as they crossed the start with Bewdley and an international Danish crew starting close behind.

A solid rating push off the start saw the crew opening a significant gap on the two immediate crews behind as they approached Barnes Bridge. Tricky winds saw the Tideway live up to its reputation as a tough place to row with some large waves leaving most of the crew and the cox soaked. However, not to be deterred, the crew settled in to a good rhythm maintaining 32 strokes per minute for the whole of the remainder of the 6.8km course. This paid dividends as they proceeded to catch a Broxbourne eight by Chiswick Eyot which lead to some lively advice on the merits of considerate steering being exchanged between the crews!

With over half the race completed and the crew going well, a big push saw the crew clear Hammersmith Bridge and its legendary rough water and they proceeded to catch a number of crews as the final few kilometers beaconed. This lead to some exciting racing as the Stratford composite crew closed past Fulham football ground on no less than four crews all line abreast across the river. Holding their own and with some excellent coxing from Sarah Graham, the crew pushed between Putney Town, Ardingley, Grosvenor and Bradford on Avon clubs to inch over the finish line in front providing good excitement for the crowds of spectators.

Hard racing over the whole course in blustery conditions saw the crew record a time of 22 minutes and 7 seconds finishing thirteenth out of 35 crews in their Masters E event and  107 seconds behind Moseley, the fastest crew of the day and overall 63rd out of 245 crews that finished the event.

Said Tom Doherty Stratford’s Masters Vice Captain, “This was a crew put together in mid-January that has been limited to one training session a week: the crew has shown consistent improvement over the weeks from a poor race at Nottingham to record a very good result with our best row to date in tricky conditions on the Thames, something of which we can be all proud!”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page 15 and online http://www.stratford-herald.com/97340-stratford-rowers-face-choppy-thames-conditions-vesta-international.html and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/choppy-thames-conditions-for-vesta-international-eights-head