Author Archive: Chris Best

Stratford’s Masters & Juniors Excel at Bedford Spring Head

Posted on by

A glorious spring day saw thirty crews from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club travel to Bedford for the Spring Head.   Held over 2000m on the Great Ouse, the course runs through the town centre making a theatre of rowing for the day. Stratford’s J17/J18 squad were out in force to enjoy racing following many recent cancellations. Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak raced in OpJ18 single sculls achieving second and third places respectively. They then teamed up to race the OpJ18 double scull where they crossed the line in second place, just one second behind the winners! In the women’s events the WJ18 single scull was won in emphatic style by Alexandra Francis with Poppy Baines in second place. Stratford’s J17 ladies scullers of Maeve Dunn, Martha Baines, Martha Cooke and Millie Smith delivered fifth, seventh, tenth and eleventh places in a packed and high quality event. Moving on from the single sculling, Stratford’s J17 and J18 ladies formed double sculls: Alexandra Francis and Martha Cooke powered down the course for a well deserved second place followed by an all Baines crew of Poppy and Martha coming home in sixth. In the WJ17 event, Millie Smith and Maeve Dunn finished fourth with Becca Smith and Isla Dunn on their tail in eighth place. Last but by no means least Stratford fielded a women’s J18 coxless quadruple scull of Isla Dunn, Becca Smith, Sophie Evans and Martha Cooke who motored over the line just out of the medals in fourth place.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J14s fielded a full squad across the Bedford Spring Head’s divisions and delivered some exceptional rowing, something that bodes well for the approaching regatta season. Capitalising on some intensive training in quads both the girls (Islay Milles, Eva Cruise, Amelia Cruickshank and Mary Heenan coxed by Charlotte Franklin) and boys (Archie Eaton, Chris Durance, Arthur Burt and Ethan Siwakowski coxed by Eli Ford) blew all their opposition away to claim deserved golds in respective events. These deserved successes were followed by boys’ doubles of Eli Ford and Archie Mansfield then Chris Durance with Arthur Burt who recorded solid times and placed well amongst strong crews. The girls’ crews of Eva Cruise and Charlotte Franklin then Amelia Cruickshank and Islay Milles similarly impressed amongst some quality opposition.

Coach Jon Francis was delighted, “As a curtain closer on the winter head season we could have asked no more and the J14s come away with richly deserved silverware for their efforts.”

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club J13 squad had a great first race experience at the Bedford Fours & Small Boats Head. On a slightly overcast day, the squad showed just how much they have learned over the last few months, despite set-backs from the numerous weather-driven cancelled sessions. The J13s were racing up a category, which required lots of confidence for their first race outing. The girls’ quad was first to race with Hattie McGurk doing an excellent job coxing a lovely line right down the middle of the course: Georgia Wheeler at stroke kept up a lively rate backed up by Margo Paul, Harriet Wheeler and Zilpha Pope. The girls came an impressive second from bottom, with a time of ten minutes and thirty one seconds, a great first performance against much more experienced crews.

Second up was the boys double of Gregor Francis. They put in an excellent performance, showing some real promise, finishing second last with a time of nine minutes and twelve seconds in a field of much more experienced crews.

The boys’ quad was last up, under the guidance of Gregor Francis as cox, they put in a superb performance against a formidable set of opponents. Their time of nine minutes and forty seconds was a real credit to their focus and determination. Commenting, Rebecca Paul, J13 Coach said, “This was the J13’s debut racing event: considering that the squad has only been sculling for less than eight months, with many sessions off the water due to inclement weather and river conditions, they should be proud of their achievements. We certainly are!”

Competing in the Women’s Masters E 2x category, Ellie Davis and Gina Fusco were looking forward to racing in the morning division. Slightly blustery conditions but the duo settled into a solid rhythm and followed a good line on the course. They were delighted to catch up their two opposition in that division and then had to wait to see how their time of compared to the remaining three crews racing late afternoon. At the end of the day, the duo came first beating five other crews and commented, “We had to wait until the evening to know where we had come but we were over the moon when we discovered we had won. Many thanks to Sam Hill for his coaching.”

With the juniors and women’s masters setting the pace during the day with some excellent results and wins, it was left to the mixed masters double of Rebecca England and Tom Doherty to keep the standard high in the final division of the day.

Changeable weather conditions saw blustery winds and rain add to the challenge of navigating some narrow bridges and other crews. Stratford led off the start ahead of four of their opposition on the 1.9km course. Determined to set a high tempo from the start, Rebecca England at stroke set a metronomic pace of thirty two strokes a minute enabling Stratford to pull ahead of their opposition over the first half of the course.

Having navigated the worst of the bridges, calamity struck when the footplate of Rebecca’s feet broke. This led to some technical adjustments by Rebecca to maintain the pace and rhythm of the boat. Approaching the finish in blustery conditions, Stratford were able to maintain their pace to finish in a respectable time of eight minutes and five seconds. The time turned out to be comprehensively faster than the other competitors resulting in another win and a very successful day for Stratford Boat Club.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page thirty seven and also online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-boat-club-s-juniors-and-masters-shine-at-bedford-s-9461987

Stratford’s Masters Score at Northwich Spring Head

Posted on by

Braving Storm Dave to head north to race at Northwich Head on Easter Sunday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s masters were represented by Thomas Doherty and Rebecca England. First up in the Master’s Men’s G/H single sculls was Doherty who completed the 2.35km course amidst blustery conditions and occasional hail showers. The fairly evenly matched field saw a very competitive race and a good row from Doherty and he took second place second, a mere five seconds behind the victor from Runcorn.

Later in the afternoon, Doherty took to the water again, this time in the mixed Master’s D double sculls alongside Rebecca England. As weather conditions deteriorated further, the Stratford double powered through the choppy water knowing that in such a high quality field, starting positively at a rate of 32 strokes per minute was essential. They maintained a strong rhythm throughout and were pleased with their finishing time, placing third in a race where the entire field was separated by only four seconds. They look forward to building on their race experience over the coming months.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page thirty six and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-masters-compete-at-northwich-spring-head

Stratford’s Juniors Show Olympic Potential!

Posted on by

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club junior crews were back competing on the water this week for the second of the pinnacle events of the head racing season, the Junior Sculling Head at Dorney Lake.

On the Olympic course at Dorney Lake, the J14, J15, J16 and J17 squads took on competition from around the UK to compete at this high profile event. The J17 squad fielded a women’s coxless quadruple scull to take on the top clubs and schools from around the country. The crew of Martha Cooke, Martha Baines, Millie Smith and Maeve Dunn put in a solid row over both 1800m legs to record fourteenth place.

The traditional junior sculling head saw a great performance by the WJ16 4x- comprising of Orla Linforth (S), Imogen de Pennington, Maria Ntoukaki and Erin Appleton (B). They came seventeenth out of fifty two crews rowing on the day, with their first 1800m completed in 6:59.9 and their second 1800m in 7:15.7, making a total time of 14:15.6. Stroking at twenty eight/thirty strokes per minute, the girls overtook a number of other crews, thereby earning another minute of catching their breath at the turnaround point.

Coaches Hugo Happel and Eric Appleton commented, ”The girls really focused on rating, sitting tall, energy management and avoiding rowing in and it paid off: a fantastic result against the best of the best crews in Britain. The girls should feel very proud: well done!”

The J14s enjoyed their first outing on the national stage and laid down assured performances that belied the many hours of training afloat lost recently to the River Avon in flood. First up were the WJ14 quad of Islay Milles, Eva Cruise, Amelia Cruickshank and Mary Heenan who, under the guidance of Archie Mansfield as cox, rowed a steady outward leg then turned on the afterburners to knock thirty seconds off their time on the return. Finishing ahead of several clubs who boast much larger squads and decidedly lighter boats was to their great credit.

The following division saw the J14 boys’ quad of Archie Eaton, Chris Durance, Arthur Burt and Eli Ford respond superbly to a masterful display of sports psychology from cox Ethan Siwakowski. Being urged to channel their inner champion and manifest a sense of victory clearly worked a treat, they finished in a commendable eleventh from fifty crews competing. Coach Jon Francis was delighted with their efforts and commented, “To come to the biggest rowing arena in the UK and perform with such composure really highlights the maturity and promise of this young squad!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-young-scullers-show-olympic-potential-at-junior-sculling-head and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/04/03&pages=24: also see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/high-profile-test-for-stratford-boat-club-s-junior-crews-9460248 and page thirty nine. For more pictures of Scullery, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0lnRE1qUHoyN3BLYlRKQXp5ZDhMWVQtbUFZTDhnYl9sZ1ViSzJScW5tZ1FfSVBrP2U9TlNoRzB4&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21sf6fc8ccc92ee4c9b9033c9df0b613fa6&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford’s Masters Take to the Tideway Again for the Vesta International Masters Head of the River

Posted on by

Stratford Masters Women were on the Tideway again for the second time in two weeks competing in the Vesta Head along with two hundred and ninety six other crews. The Masters D VIII crew was ably stroked by Fiona Schultz with Corinna Burger at 7, Jane Cryer at 6, Abby Symons at 5, Helen Helliwell at 4, Claire Booth at 3, Caroline Collins at 2, Claudine Pearson at bow and Jen Cary coxing.

In windy conditions, the crew had a solid and stable row, following a fast line set by their cox: the crew would like to thank their coach, Sam Hill and their race day supporters – Alfie Nash and Lizzy Collins for all of their support.

After a very long and cold two hour wait at the start, Stratford’s Masters C mixed 4x of Rebecca England, Pete Spivey, Lucy Scarlett and Tom Doherty (bow) began their race on the iconic Boat Race course right at the back of the pack. They started steadily, ensuring their muscles were warm before building the rate and power over the first few hundred meters. Hitting their race pace of thirty strokes per minute, they settled into a good rhythm and responded well to the call to push through Chiswick. This enabled them to smoothly and efficiently overtake the crew in front. From Hammersmith, conditions became trickier with greater gusts hitting the side of the boat. Despite this, Stratford powered through to take third place in a very close and high quality field.

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-masters-women-back-on-the-tideway-again-in-vesta-international-head-race and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/04/03&pages=24: also see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-masters-women-impress-at-vesta-head-on-the-tideway-9460190 and page thirty nine

Stratford’s Adaptive Squad Takes More Records!

Posted on by

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Adaptive section entered two of its young SEND rowers into the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships recently.

Competing in the SEND Two Minute School Year 9 race against eleven other competitors, the pair finished with the Gold and Silver Medals. The physically large Edward Owen-Smith came in first, completing 607 metres in the allotted time. Lance Fowler, who is better at longer distances, finished second with 536 metres and competed remotely. The boys won the same medals at December’s British Indoor Rowing Championship.

Edward also competed in the Mainstream Four Minute Indoor Race: this race had seven hundred and one entrants and Edward finished nineth overall with a distance of 1167 metres. The winner covered 1198 metres. The World Record for an intellectually impaired rower of his age was 919 metres: Edward surpassed the mark by 248 metres.

Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Head Adaptive Coach, commented, “I am very proud of them both: they both continue to amaze me. They train hard and ultimately that is where these results come from.”

The Club’s adaptive section now holds sixteen current Indoor Rowing World Records.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-claim-gold-and-silver-at-national-junior-in-9459008 and page forty five and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-adaptive-athletes-win-medals-and-break-world-record

Stratford Conquer The Tideway and Gloucester Canal!

Posted on by

On a beautiful spring day, as a culmination of winter training, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Women’s Masters E VIII competed at Women’s Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) on the iconic Oxford/Cambridge boat race course on the Tideway along with over three hundred women’s VIII. The crew of cox Jen Carey, Ellie Davis stroke, Gina Fusco, Jane Cryer, Ruth Poulten, Clare Booth, Abby Symons, Caroline Collins and Charlotte Jones at bow.

Ellie Davis held the stroke rate at a solid thirty strokes per minute over the course which the crew followed creating a smooth and confident rhythm . Masterfully coxed by Jen whose experience of Tideway racing led to a fantastic racing lining maximising the stream.

The crew were all very pleased with the row and the improvement in time over the previous year: they look forward to the racing together soon. Coach Sam Hill watching from Hammersmith Bridge commented, “Jen steered the perfect line round the long Hammersmith bend straight under the famous lamp post. The crew displayed powerful efficient rowing, a credit to the hard work they have been putting in for the last six months. The training continues in preparation for Vets Head in two weeks’ time.”

While the women conquered the tideway, Stratford’s masters were also represented closer to home on Sunday at Gloucester Head where they faced wild weather and very choppy conditions. Due to illness and a last minute substitution, Rebecca England and Thomas Doherty ended up racing in both divisions, racking up a tidy total of twenty eight kilometres. They rowed well and overtook a number of crews, being placed second in both their races. They were especially pleased with their morning race where, despite being a mixed 2x, they only missed winning the master’s men’s event by eight seconds.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty five and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/winter-training-pays-off-as-stratford-rowers-impress-on-the-9458253

Safety First: Every Time!

Posted on by

Whilst Stratford upon Avon Boat Club members were indoors doing land training because of inclement river conditions, fourteen coaches, launch drivers and other embers spent Saturday afternoon at a four and a half hour practical first aid session learning new protocols and updating previous knowledge

Commenting, Ian Wilcox, Stratford Boat Club’s Water Safety Officer, said, “The Club takes all aspects of safety very seriously and all coaches, most launch drivers and many other Club member hold first aid accreditation which must be updated and renewed every three years. As well as the practical session, there was an extensive on-line element which had to be taken and passed before attending the course”

The course content included some aspects such as the role of a first aider, resuscitation, use of a defibrillator, seizures, choking, blood loss, minor injuries, burns, heart attack amongst other eventualities

Commenting further, Paul Stanton, the Club’s President added, “We should thank all those who went on the course as there was a considerable investment of the volunteers’ own time. Stratford upon Avon Boat Club continues to strive to be an exemplar of good practice not only for the safeguarding and wellbeing of its own members but also the wider Stratford and Warwickshire community with whom we interact”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page twenty

Masters Triumph at Avon Spring Head

Posted on by

First off for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club rowers at Avon Spring Head was the Masters’ C mixed quad of Rebecca England, Pete Spivey, Lucy Scarlett and Thomas Doherty. Going toe-to-toe with strong opposition from Gloucester in very blustery conditions, the Stratford crew started strongly with Doherty steering an excellent line round tricky bends to remain in the fast flowing stream. Taking the rate up in the final 1km straight, the Stratford crew did well to hold off their opposition, finishing second in a very respectable time.

The Senior women’s double of Rebecca England and Lucy Scarlett were thrilled to have the opportunity to race at Avon County head after a frustrating start to the year with floods in Stratford preventing them from training on the river. Racing in Band One down a windy course, Scarlett and England held a good, consistent rate over the first half of the 3.5km course. After being held up under the bridge by a crash between the crews in front, Stratford restarted well, overtook their opposition and upped their rate coming into the final straight. They were pleased with their third place finish and hope to be able to increase their water time over the spring.

Stratford’s Thomas Doherty and Pete Spivey were last to go in the afternoon division. With slightly calmer conditions, racing in his first head race in a single scull, Spivey had a relaxed start before winding up both the rate and power as the course progressed. “I was very pleased with my racing line and loved every minute, feeling like my winter training paid off” said Spivey, who managed to catch the sculler in front in the final stretch and finish a very strong second in his category. In the Master’s G/H single sculls, Doherty started strongly. Gaining on the sculler ahead, he increased the tempo over the middle part of the course. Raising the rate to 30 strokes per minute in the final straight, Doherty stepped up the pace to overtake his opposition in front and ultimately take the win. “It was a very successful day on the river with this being my first ever win in a single,” commented Doherty.

Meanwhile, sadly Stratford Juniors’ hopes of racing at the weekend were dashed with the cancellation of British Rowing’s West Midlands Championships for which the whole junior squad had been training for several weeks and, adding further to their frustrations, water sessions at home at Stratford were also cancelled due to the River Avon being in flood again with high river levels and fast flow.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty three and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/strong-results-for-stratford-boat-club-rowers-at-blustery-av-9456215 and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-masters-triumph-at-avon-spring-head and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/03/06&pages=24.

…. And Finally: Racing!

Posted on by

After what seemed like weeks off the water due to unfavourable river conditions, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Women’s Masters VIII of Ellie Davis (stroke), Gina Fusco, Jane Cryer, Abby Symons, Helen Helliwell, Corinna Burger, Caroline Collins, Claudine Pearson (bow) coxed by Jen Cary raced at Gloucester for the Wycliffe Big Head. The crew were delighted that despite weeks of heavy rainfall and waterlogged grounds, the race went ahead. The crew made a swift start stroked by Ellie Davis and settled to a strong steady rhythm which was the training objective for the 4.5k race. Coach Sam Hill said, “The crew can be pleased with the solid technical row and it proved great training for the next race at the Women’s Eights Head of the River in March.”

Stratford’s J18 squad were represented by the coxless quadruple scull of Poppy Baines, Sophie Evans, Tessa Parkin and Millie Smith. Everyone was delighted to be back racing again after many cancelled events: the crew settled into a strong rhythm to deliver a solid performance of seventh overall overhauling their nemesis from last season, Hereford Cathedral School, in the process.

Wycliffe Big Head also offered some top shelf competition for Stratford’s J16 squad who performed admirably. First off in the OJ16 4x- event were Seb Happel, Euan Richter, Will Shaw and Ed Appleton (bow) who came second out of a field of twelve in a time of 17:36 seconds beating crews from Kings School Worcester, Cheltenham College, Great Marlow B and Hereford Cathedral School. Next, in the WJ16 4x- event, Orla Linforth, Immie de Pennington (debut race), Maria Ntoukakis and Erin Appleton (bow) came fifth out of twelve crews in a time of 19:08 beating the likes of Royal Shrewsbury A, Great Marlow School A and Hereford Cathedral School A. Coaches Hugo Happel and Eric Appleton in a post race comment said, “The athletes applied the training learning points and put on a noteworthy performance today. Well done to all athletes!”

Commenting, Dave Parkin, J15 Coach said, “It was great to get the J15 crews racing again for the first time this year and, despite challenging conditions of rain, a strong breeze and quite a lot of waiting around, the crews had a good day.” The J15 boys Reuben Stanford, Nathan Lebordis, Connor Birrell and Tristan Hammick with cox Martina Bruce had a strong race, keeping right on the race plan of twenty eight strokes/minute along the full 4.5km course and keeping well ahead of the crew behind them to finish fifth out of a field of eleven strong competition in a time of 18:22. The J15 girls Abi Dunn, Meredith Paul, Lilly Parsons and Scarlett Wheeler with cox Raya Hothi followed shortly after and maintained good discipline and technique throughout the race, to finish in eleventh out of a field of fifteen in a time of 21:42 seconds

King Edward V1 School Boat Club also had crews competing

For media coverage, please Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-boat-club-rowers-shine-at-wycliffe-big-head-9453202 and page thirty seven

For more great pictures of Wycliffe Big Head, see Kathy Baines’ selection at https://1drv.ms/f/c/8e50dac120123b06/IgCljcy2ofsbQZoEbNI_cMVZAXSQSxWR6E53EJR8G-O3uAE

Boxing Day Scratch Regatta 2025

Posted on by

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s traditional Boxing Day Scratch regatta over 350m from the ferry to the Club grounds is always a superb attraction for the Stratford upon Avon townsfolk and visitors to the town over the Christmas break.

This year’s Boxing Day Scratch Regatta was no exception as twenty rowers together with volunteer coxes took part in the coxed fours knockout round robin racing with the bonus of get out on the river which recently has been hampered by high and fast river conditions.

It was an awesome morning of fun working off the roast potatoes and tins of Quality Street (other confectionery is available!) consumed on Christmas Day! Four crews took to the water: no collisions this year though a number of near misses and re-starts and a great number of really competitive finishes! Crews were made up of the masters, seniors, novices, juniors and even a few returning family members who dusted off the cobwebs to show us how it’s done!

Commenting, Paul Stanton, the Club’s President said, “The start of 2026 is promising and the Club looks forward to training and competing in local, regional and national head of the river races. Luckily another dry, mild Boxing Day which meant plenty of family members and the general public were watching from the Recreation Ground, Bancroft Gardens, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre terrace and the Tramway Bridge. The event was really well supported and organised and a special thanks to Helen on the safety launch, Jon marshalling the start, Helen marshalling the finish line and Dave Edwards for organising the morning!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/festive-fun-on-the-avon-as-boxing-day-regatta-returns-9447707 and page thirty one and the Northern Echo! Also see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-stage-annual-boxing-day-regatta and British Rowing online  https://www.britishrowing.org/2026/01/stratford-upon-avon-bcs-boxing-day-regatta

F​or more great pictures of the Boxing Day Regatta, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0lnRHMyNHlDR0tBS1RwY3JzSVlTVnFWUUFkYlgxcUdBc2JkeUlDem5yVlc3d0EwP2U9MjlnME54&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21s828cdbeca0184e0a972bb0861256a550&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625