Over the weekend, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club went in force to the Ross regatta. The Ross regatta setting is perhaps one of the best in Stratford’s event calendar and it was further enhanced by the weather being very sunny and very hot.

The J13 crews raced in the morning and first on the course was the 2x double of Louis Beason and Charles Happel who had progressed through to the semi final race courtesy of a bye. They provided a first class demonstration of sculling and steering, the course bend proved to be the downfall of many during the day, winning against Queen Park High school easily.

Their final saw them up against Nottingham & Union Rowing Club, Louie and Charles got off to a great start but were pegged back by the power of the Nottingham crew who registered the win – easily.

The next up for Stratford was Grace Beason again rowing against Nottingham & Union Rowing Club in the WJ13 1x. The race proved not to be Grace’s best unfortunately capsizing shortly after the start.

Stratford’s  WJ13 4X+ Crew of Amalia Richardson, Maddie Hall, Uche Nwachukwa, Grace Beason and Emily Stobart (cox) were up against Ross Rowing Club. The ladies competed very well after losing ground at the start, picking up in middle of the course to be on the tail of Ross before running out of steam at the sprint finish missing out by only one length – a great effort by the ladies. Said Steve Marsden, J13 coach, “A great day and great experience for our young crews.”

On Sunday, the J14’s were out in force again. The J14 double of Toby Sartain and Owen Perkins were first up racing against a strong duo from the home club, Ross. The Stratford boys pushed hard but on this occasion it wasn’t to be and it was the Ross crew that progressed to the next round. The other double of Bella Chappelhow and Will Beattie also completed in the same event and were drawn up against a very strong boys’ crew from City of Bristol and despite a battle all of the way down the course, the Bristol crew were victorious by just two lengths.

Next it was the time of the J14 girls’ singles. Ruby Howells competed in only her second event in a single against a very neat sculler from Exeter Rowing Club. Ruby sculled beautifully down the course but the Exeter sculler was just too strong to be beaten.

Fleur Griffiths and Freya Watts both took to the water to race their first rounds against scullers from Queens Park High School. The Stratford pair were comfortable winners in this round and progress to the semi-finals. Here Griffiths met Harriet Holmes and in a very close race and it was Griffiths who took the spot in the final by just half a length over Holmes. Watts then took on another sculler from Queens Park High School which again was dominated by the Stratford sculler. Watts then took on Griffiths in the final and in another close race in which Stratford was guaranteed a win. On this occasion it was Watts that was victorious and picked up the tankard.

Beattie was up next in the J14 singles where he faced an extremely big sculler from Warrington. Beattie came down in the lead and took the win in the heat, his first in a single. Next he faced one of the boys from the Bristol double from earlier in the day. Unfortunately it was the Bristol sculler who took the place in the final.

The J14 girls doubles of Griffiths and Honour Keil and Howells and Chappelhow were both dealt challenging draws in their first rounds and despite pushing hard they were defeated. Holmes and Watts made it through the first round with a comprehensive win but unfortunately they were beaten in the semi-final by Exeter.

On Monday, it was Chapplehow’s turn to race in a single for the first time and despite a sterling effort, she was unable to overcome her opponent from Bristol. The WJ14 coxed quad of Keil, Howells, Griffiths, Watts and cox Toby Sartain powered to a five length victory against Ross in the semi final. Then in the final, they raced Bristol and with some expert coxing from Toby taking the fastest water, they finished two lengths ahead of their opposition.

The doubles of Griffiths and Watts and Howells and Keil again came up against crews that they couldn’t quite overcome as did Perkins in the J14s single. Said Abi Terry, J14 coach, “The squad now look forward to the new season as they move up to be J15’s.”

Bringing the season to a close, the J15 squad’s winning weekend began on Sunday morning with finals places for Amélie Sartain in the singles event and also in the doubles event with Abbey Meggeson later that afternoon.

The heats were aptly named as the sun beat down making for some demanding racing with both girls fighting through deservedly winning their finals places. In both the single and doubles events, the finals went right down to the line with victory escaping by only by the shortest of margins on both occasions.

Monday saw the course increase in length for the main regatta. Sartain, again in the single faced a local Ross girl for the heat and after a fast start comfortably won by four lengths for a place in the semi final. A tougher semi final race against Evesham, winning by less than a boat length had Sartain against Queens Park High School in the final. An inspired row from both saw the girls side by side as they passed the cheering crowds yet it was Sartain that dug deepest to take the win by two and a half boat lengths.

The afternoon doubles event saw Meggeson and Sartain back together to face a Wycliffe crew. Despite Sartain having raced eight previous races during the weekend and Meggeson three, the race was extremely close and hard fought all the way, coming a very commendable second by only three quarters of a length (eight metres). This demonstrated the sheer determination and drive of the girls throughout this race and the whole weekend

Commenting, Trevor Tiller, J15 coach said, “A wonderful conclusion to a successful season for the J15 squad: the determination and passion shown by the squad throughout the season, during both training and racing, has made for some great times and as a byproduct, great results.”

As the regatta continued into its second day and the temperatures continued to soar, Stratford’s J16 girls took to the water. Just two athletes took a break from summer holidays to light up the Wye in their single sculls. On opposite sides of the draw, the competition began with both Jasmine Mountney and Alice Baines sailing through the first round each with a win against Dart Totnes and Evesham respectively. In the semi finals Alice again took a win against City of Bristol however unfortunately Jasmine met her match and was edged out on the line. Alice went on to the final and duly avenged Stratford’s semi final defeat vanquishing Nottingham Union thus taking her second win is successive years in this event. Said Steve Wellstead, J16 coach and Junior Co-ordinator, “Top sculling by both ladies and a fitting end to the day’s racing!”

Also on day two of the regatta, Khloe Curnock and Molly Gill-Swift racing in the Senior Women’s double sculling event proceeded through the heats in magnificent style to reach the final and race against Upton Rowing Club. An amazing final: the first attempt ended in a dead heat with the two crews returning without rest to the start to do it all over again. Despite a combative performance, Upton just took the event.

Katie Wellstead sculling vigorously in a single in the Women’s Junior event was overhauled by less than ten feet at the finish by an Exeter sculler. The afternoon saw Mimi Hill, normally a coxswain, join the three girls (all only 17 years old) to take on the Senior Women’s quadruple sculls. More top class sculling by the girls enabled them to destroy the ladies from Ross and then Worcester Rowing Clubs. The final against an Evesham crew composed from university students was a brutal affair in which Evesham finished less than two lengths ahead of Stratford.

A composite Stratford/Derwent Master Women squad also travelled to Ross and showed endurance over the weekend. They were entered in a Women Master F single, Women Master E double, Women Master D Pair and Women’s Master E and Women’s Senior Coxed Four. Altogether they were on the river nine times over the weekend, where they won five races and lost two by small margins.

Commenting, Kjersti Rogneflaten, Stratford’s Masters sculler, “In my Women’s Masters F single, I won my semi-final and lost by a quarter of a length in the final, where I had to give my opponent five seconds head start over the course of 600m.  We also had a win in Women’s Masters D Pair and also in our Women’s Masters E coxed four. We were pleased to have got through one heat in the Women’s Senior coxed Four beating young women from City of Bristol Rowing Club.”

The composite Stratford/Derwent crew are grateful for being able to use Stratford Boat Club’s four and the help and support during the days at Ross. Now the composite Stratford/Derwent squad are looking forward to the World’s Masters Regatta in Hungary in September.

As the school term starts, all the squads move up one division. Said Steve Wellstead, Junior Co-ordinator,”There has been no ‘fall out’ this year again with all the squad members continuing rowing in the next category. We will be joined in September by a new J13 squad who have come through the August summer camps which saw nearly one hundred young athletes learn rowing as a sport: we would love to have taken many more on the new J13 intake but space, equipment and coaching availability are all at a premium at Stratford.”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page fifteen and online http://www.stratford-herald.com/101701-three-days-glorious-rowing-stratfords-crews.html and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/ross-trip-brings-decent-reward

For more great pictures of Ross Regatta, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9japp4IR8hhRWg3RN-w?e=ouWvWN

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club took athletes from their J13 squad to compete in their first singles events with both the open and the girls’ events running as round robin events, culminating in the final for each event at Warwick Regatta. Grace Beason and Amalia Richardson both raced against a girl from Derwent with the Derwent sculler victorious on both occasions and when racing each other, it was Grace who edged ahead this time. On the other half of the draw, Uche Nwachkwu raced Emily Stobart where it was Uche who was ahead as they crossed the line. They both then raced against a sculler from Upton who was victorious in both races. It was the Derwent and Upton sculler who went head to head in a close final.

In the boys’ event, Charles Happell and Louie Beason both competed for Stratford Boat Club. They went head to head against each other and it was Charles who was the winner on this occasion. They both also raced against a sculler from Upton and despite two very tightly fought races, it was the Upton sculler who crossed the line first in both. Charles then went on to race again in the final against the Upton sculler and again another tight battle commenced. They were neck and neck down the course, but it was the Upton sculler that just pipped Charles to the line.

Said Abi Terry, Junior Squad Coach, “All of the J13’s showed great determination for their first singles events with some very good results which should stand them in good stead going forwards to next season.”

From the J14 squad, there were just two boys available to compete and with no double event to take part in, both boys took to the water in singles. Will Beattie and Owen Perkins had to race each other as part of the round robin and against a strong sculler from Warwick. It was Beattie who won when they went head to head but the Warwick sculler won against both of the Stratford boys. Beattie then went up against the Warwick sculler again where unfortunately the same result occurred as in the previous rounds with Warwick taking the win in home water. The junior squads now look forward to Ross Regatta next weekend.

The WJ15 girls double of Amelie Sartain and Sophie Elstone began a run of undefeated success for the J15 squad at Warwick on Saturday. Facing a strong crew from Worcester, a good start along with accurate navigation saw the girls gain an early lead as they left the castle and headed towards the cheering crowds. A mid race push from Worcester made for an exciting race to the finish with Sartain and Elstone taking the bell by a couple of lengths.

Racing up an age group in the J16 single sculls, the heat saw Will Clarke drawn against a Warwick home boat. With a steady start Clarke grew in confidence to take the lead passing under the bridge, gradually increasing the gap to gain his place in the final later in the afternoon.

Soon after, Martha Usselmann in the WJ15 single sculls event lined up against her competition from Worcester. Under the shadow of Warwick Castle, Usselmann made a positive start achieving the lead as they approached the excited cheers of the spectators at the halfway point. Urged on, the lead began to ever increase with Usselmann crossing the line to her first singles win and to an emotional welcome from her supporters.

The penultimate race of the day, the J16 singles final, saw Clarke facing a formidable looking opponent from Upton. Slightly behind at the start, Clarke maintained his composure and kept position, sensing that the race had started too fast. At the halfway point this was proved correct as Upton began to slow, allowing Clarke to take the lead, finishing strongly for a well deserved win.

Whilst the J13, J14 and J15 squads were battling it out at Warwick Regatta, the J16 squad took part in the annual Oxford City Royal Regatta which takes place on the town stretch of the Thames. A two day affair, the Stratford Boat Club Junior Squad was in action over the 1000m course on Saturday whilst the Club’s Adaptive Squad tested their skills on the 500m sprint course on Sunday.

Saturday’s racing got underway with the J16 sculler Fred Tyler taking on Nottinghamshire County Rowing Association in the Senior single sculls event. A narrow defeat by just two lengths to the England Gold medalist saw Tyler taking an early break before the afternoon’s competition. Later in the day, Tyler came out fighting in the J18 single scull event as he spoiled Evesham’s day in the semi-final and then took the event win with a blistering row leaving Ardingly in his wake.

The J16 girls started their campaign in double sculls with Alice Baines and Jasmine Mountney narrowly losing out to a quality outfit from Wallingford Rowing Club. On the other side of the draw, the combination of Maiya James and Mili Wilcock tore up the course adding insult to the injury inflicted by Tyler and putting Evesham out of the event. Sadly for James and Wilcock, it was not to be their day as Wallingford proved too much for them in the final. The J16 girls regrouped for the afternoon into the coxless quadruple scull senior event with a dominant row in the semi-final leaving Oxford Academicals working out the answer on the start line whilst the junior crew boiled the Thames up with their sculling. Once more the event win was denied however as the girls chased the ladies from Guildford Rowing Club down the course finishing just two lengths behind.

The J17 squad fielded two crews with first to go being the mighty combination of Katie Wellstead and Emily Browne racing in the J18 double sculls. The two time winners in previous years met their match in the first round as they went down to an England gold medal winning partnership from Cheltenham Ladies College and Ardingly Rowing Club. The second J17 crew down the course was the composite of Stratford’s Khloe Curnock and Evesham’s Becca Parkin racing in the senior double scull event. Their day was unfortunately cut short by an Amazonian crew from Oxford who on home water dominated the event taking the event win.

Stratford’s Adaptive Squad raced on the Oxford Sprint course on the Sunday. It proved a successful day: none of the crews were beaten by more than half length by crews from other clubs. Of the five adaptive events, Stratford won three. Ian Ward impressed all with a clear win in the Development Singles. The final of the supported pairs was an all Stratford affair. Dan Godefroy and Paul Beeson established an early lead which their opponents Jake Blatcher and Mark Brookes were just not able to claw back before the finish line. This was Mark’s first event and Dan’s first win.

In Supported Doubles, mother and son combination Ian and Paola Ward convincingly saw off a Marlow crew in their semi-final. This again meant an all Stratford final. Their opponents, Hattie Throssell and Sofia Ward (the daughter of Paola). Paola and Ian came out on top winning a great race by six feet.

Jake Blatcher and Mark Sanders made the semi final in another doubles event narrowly missing the final being beaten half a length by a good Marlow crew. Jake has enjoyed recent success with a win in J16 singles at the recent Bewdley Regatta. Mark Sanders met his arch rival and friend Ben Marsden of Marlow in the adaptive singles. Another close race between them saw Ben just getting over the line first. The adaptive squad now move on to Worcester Regatta in a couple of weeks.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page sixteen and http://www.stratford-herald.com/101335-success-stratford-youngsters-local-regattas.html and also Stratford Observer https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/success-at-local-regattas-for-stratford

For more great pictures of Oxford City Royal Regatta, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9jaoLUHwa3BezBnKSQw?e=EjbEGg

The weekend weather forecast for heavy rain and strong winds had made us consider very carefully the safety aspects of taking our Stratford upon Avon Boat Club junior crews to Stourport but how happy we were to have gone!

Firstly, the weather proved to be very kind to us if you ignore the heavy blustery rain showers and secondly the J13 crews had an excellent and successful regatta.

First up was our junior J13 double crew of Charles Happel and Louie Beason provided a very promising row racing against a crew from Derwent Rowing Club. Stratford went off very powerfully and quickly holding a good lead for the first third of the course before running out of steam and eventually missing out by three boat lengths.

Next up for Stratford was the WJ13 coxed quad of Ruby Brooker Collins, Grace Beason, Uche Nwachukwa and Imo Hill admirably coxed by Emily Stobart up against Stourport Boat Club in their first heat race. The girls provided a very impressive controlled performance starting strongly and extending their position through to finishing with a very satisfying win recorded as “easily”.

The next heat was the final against a crew from Burton Leander in strong blustery wind conditions was if anything a better performance than the first heat. It was well coxed and steered by Emily with her crew providing a demonstration of well controlled sculling winning by two lengths. The crew jubilantly collected their pots in bright sunlight.

From the J14 squad, Stratford Boat Club had four athletes competing.

Owen Perkins and Ruby Howells both competed in their first singles events and were joined by Lucy Browne and Freya Watts.

Watts was first up and despite a strong effort didn’t quite manage to overcome her opposition from Derwent Rowing Club. The Derwent sculler then went on to race against Howells who again raced a brilliant race to be beaten by just two lengths.

Browne then took to the water to race against a young lady from Hollingworth Lake and Perkins raced against a strong sculler from Burton Leander. Both raced with their best technique and determination, unfortunately this wasn’t enough to progress to the next rounds.

Perkins and Howells then teamed up in the J14 double sculls to race against two boys from Derwent in the final. They steered a fantastic course and pushed right to the end, but this time it was the Derwent duo who claimed the pots.

The final race of the day for the J14’s came from the WJ14 double scull of Browne and Watts. Again, they raced brilliantly and by the halfway mark already had a substantial lead over their opposition from Hereford. The Hereford duo tried their best but the Stratford double pushed away further to claim their win.

Commenting, Abi Terry, J14 coach said, “The J14’s enjoyed a good event where a lot was learnt about coping in windy conditions and race strategies.”

Overcoming the prevailing wind and impending showers, Conar Aitchison in the single was first on the water for the J15 squad. Despite a good hard row a final’s

place became just out of reach during the finishing sprint.

Emma Harrison and Sophie Elstone in the double battled the conditions comfortably winning a place in the afternoon finals. Shortly after, Elstone took to the water again, this time in a single, easily gaining another finals place in the afternoon.

The afternoon weather improved and the timetable saw Elstone initially competing in the singles final racing against local competition from Evesham. Gaining the lead from the start, Elstone controlled the race to win confidently with much support from the river bank.

The final race of the day for Stratford juniors was Elstone and Harrison

in the double against a strong brew from Hollingworth Lake. Despite their strong and tidy rowing, fighting hard to the end, the girls were unable to close the gap during the last push to the line, finishing second by only a few lengths.

Stratford’s Masters’ sculler Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley also raced at Stourport Sprint Regatta, this time on Sunday. Despite some downpours, the weather had improved massively from Saturday’s stormy weather.

Kjersti raced in a Women Master E Double, as a composite crew with Derwent’s Gillian Lockhart. They won their first heat against the ladies from Exeter by one length.

The semi-final against Bewdley was more exiting. Despite several warnings from the umpire, Bewdley did not move over into their own lane and thus the Derwent/ Stratford crew was forced into the lane for boats going up to the start. The composite crew registered their objection at the finish and the umpires disqualified the Bewdley crew. An unfortunate outcome of a race.

The final was against Hereford Rowing Club and the Stratford/Derwent composite won with two lengths. Said Kjersti,”This was our first regatta in a women’s double this year. A few tweaks with the set up of the boat and we will be ready for the Worlds Masters Regatta in Hungary in September!”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald pages 15 and 16 and online http://www.stratford-herald.com/101155-stratford-crews-met-challenging-conditions-stourport.html. Also see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/challenging-conditions-for-stratfords-successful-crews-at-stourport