Last weekend crews from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club competed at the Junior National Rowing Championships which were held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.
The J14 (13 to 14 years of age) had to compete is a skills event on the day before the regatta if they wished to race.
All the Stratford J14 girls squad competed in windy and sometimes rainy conditions; everyone in
either single or double sculls completed the course successfully even though our lightest athletes (50kg) were blown about somewhat. Autumn Keil was the most successful athlete in a single finishing twelfth out of a field of sixty five. Khloe Curnock with Gracie Mitchell and Molly Gill-Swift with Katie Philips finished fifteenth and seventeenth from a fleet of forty five boats.
Two WJ14 crews raced in the time trial on Saturday: Molly Gill-Swift, Katie Philips and Autumn Keil 
formed a composite crew with Evesham and finished fifteenth. The Stratford crew of Khloe Curnock, Jessica Wiesheu, Emily Browne, Katie Wellstead and cox Mimi Hill finished fourth to take them into the semi-final. From there they progressed to the final where they sculled supremely in the most exciting 2000m race to finish fifth and only seven seconds from the bronze medal position.
For media coverage, please see Stratford Observer p38, online at http://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/stratford-crews-impress-nationals and Stratford Herald p16.
For excellent pictures of Stratford upon Avon Boat Club at the Junior National Rowing Championships, see David Phillip’s stream https://www.flickr.com/…/135872444@N…/sets/72157671079402246