Sunday saw the final of British Rowing’s West Midland Explore Rowing series of regattas with Stratford upon Boat Club winning the overall series with four wins for Stratford A and Stratford C crews with Bewdley A coming second

Eleven clubs from throughout the West Midlands took part in the final afternoon regatta: the regatta series has been running from May through October and draws rowers from the Learn to Row Explore Rowing programme which introduces adults to recreational rowing and is the culmination of the organisation’s programme to bring adults into rowing, sport and exercise: Stratford Boat Club ran ‘Learn to Row’ Explore Rowing courses throughout 2016 and will be running more courses in spring 2017

Stratford upon Avon Masters’ rowers completed their final regatta of the summer in style with a trip to the 2016 World Rowing Masters Regatta. The event which is held on the international course at the beautiful Lake Bagsvaerd just outside Copenhagen attracts a high quality field from all over the globe with many ex Olympians from London 2012 and former Internationals among the competitors.

Amongst the best performing competitors were crews from as far afield as Argentina, Russia and Australia. With almost 10,000 rowers competing over four days, racing was thick and fast, every three minutes throughout the day, with up to three races on the 1000m course at any time.

The Stratford upon Avon crew of Kjersti Woolley (stroke) and Tomas Doherty (bow) competing in the mixed masters E double sculls had their work cut out in a race against crews from The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland, and France. Despite getting off to a shaky start which saw them a length down over the first 250 metres, the crew settled into a good rhythm and fought back to overtake several crews finishing in a time of 4 minutes and 25 seconds in a race won by an excellent former champion Netherlands double .

Said Kjersti Woolley, “It was a great experience to take part in such a high profile event and, as a Norwegian, to beat a crew from Norway was an added bonus!” Next year Stratford will be hoping to take a larger contingent to the event which takes place at Lake Bled in Slovenia.

Closer to home, Stratford’s Junior squad were in action at the weekend on the Thames at the opening head race of the new season. Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, held over 4.25km, attracts top level scullers from around the region with Stratford fielding crews across the age range. Of particular note were third placings for the J15 double scull of Khloe Curnock and Autumn Keil, J16 double scull of Ellie Gray and Lauren Willis and the J16 coxless quad of Amy Neville, Lara Davies, Issy Marsden and Maddie Winsper.

On the shorter 1.5km course, Stratford J14 crews triumphed with all three boats winning their events. The mixed coxed quadruple scull of Max Griffiths, Daniel Cox, Nixie Brunt, Mya Kenny and Mimi Hill recorded the fastest time of the coxed quadruple sculls entered whilst the Women’s crew of Jasmine Mountney, Mili Wilcock, Maiya James, Alice Baines and Sophie Neville overhauled Maidenhead to win their event. To close the day, a gutsy performance from Fred Tyler in the single scull saw him take the victory in the J14 category. Said Steve Wellstead, Junior Co-ordinator, “All in all, a solid performance for the club and great promise shown for the season ahead.”

Not to outdone, Stratford’s Explore Rowing squad travelled to Birmingham reservoir where Birmingham Rowing Club played host to the penultimate Explore regatta on Sunday with eight crews taking part. Once again two crews from Stratford attended joined by assorted crews from Birmingham, Bewdley and Upton. The odd intense shower, gust of wind and slight bloom of blue-green algae added to the novelty of racing on a reservoir for the first time not to mention getting in and out of the boats on the shoreline whilst trying to juggle with wellies and shoes and plenty of inboard water! The somewhat limiting racing distance of just over 200m also provided some exciting close finishes!

The Stratford mixed crew of Becs, Lucy, Rona and Rory managed to pull ahead of Birmingham to notch up a race win. The Stratford ladies crew of Andrea, Jackie, Maria and Rosie proved to be on great form and, thanks to some good starts, managed to keep the pressure on and won their first three races. Their last race was drawn against a mixed crew from Bewdley, who unsurprisingly proved the stronger crew in the end but only by just by a canvas! Had the ladies also won this final race of the day, they would have shared first place with Upton who were the undefeated winners of the afternoon’s racing.

Stratford can now look forward to hosting the final Explore regatta of the season, which will take place on 30 October.

See also Stratford Herald online http://www.stratford-herald.com/59404-masters-end-season-style-denmark.html and Stratford Observer online http://stratfordobserver.co.uk/tag/rowing

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club entered two crews among the twelve entries for this year’s beginners’ regatta at Upton Rowing Club

The event was well organised and very well supported in the sunshine. In the second event, Stratford A were the winners of the Upton Plate, beating Upton themselves in the final. Stratford B also put up a good show, narrowly losing in the quarter final.  Altogether, a credit to the eight Stratford beginners and their coxes

All eight rowers have come to the sport through the very popular British Rowing’s ‘Explore Rowing’ course at Stratford. This year’s autumn courses are well underway and more courses are planned for the spring

See Stratford Herald p23 and online http://bit.ly/2d5CBco

Saturday saw Stratford upon Avon Boat Club compete at Worcester Rowing Club’s Autumn Regatta: despite a mostly wet day, all of the crews and supporters had a good event and Stratford showed its presence in small boat racing.

A scratch crew of Christine Goodwin and Lucy Rouse raced a technically competent women’s Novice 2x, never having rowed together before. Although they were beaten by tall Worcester seventeen year olds, Christine and Lucy proved their ability under race pressure and both showed their future promise. Their opposition went on to win the event.

Victoria Ward beat a very competent Nottingham University woman who raced in Gloucester colours in W.IM3.1x category. Victoria fought in the next heat against a tall Minerva Bath athlete, losing only to her opponent’s greater size. Said Victoria “They were both hard races and I was pleased I kept the pressure on the Gloucester athlete to cross the finish first”. Coach Helen Smith added, “Victoria continues to show her promise having had a few months of injury and we look forward to her continuing to develop her ability”.

Lucy Rouse competed in her first ever W.Nov.1x category race against the same Gloucester athlete who Victoria held off in the morning.  Lucy showed how far she has come in less than a year of rowing, keeping her cool and maintaining good technique.  Her opponent went on to win the event. Lucy’s coach Mark Dewdney said, “It was good to be there to see her put all the teaching in to action and I was very pleased with her efforts.”

The big successes of the day were Ed Lewry and Imogen North, ably racing against a quality crew from AB Severn in the Mx.Sen.2x category, taking Stratford over the finish easily. It was their last race together this season following their win at Ross Regatta a couple of weeks ago and the exciting final at Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta a few weeks prior to that.

The crews were assisted by Dave and Lynne Rouse, great supporters of daughter Lucy and the Club and also Jen Carey who loaned her towing vehicle – without which no boat transport would have been available.

Back at Stratford, the Club was very busy during Sunday as the venue for the very successful Shakespeare Hospice Dragon Boat event raising money for running the Hospice.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page 16.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club went in force over the Bank Holiday weekend to Ross Regatta. Stratford Masters’ squad endeavored to follow up the quality performance of Stratford’s Junior squad, firstly with the Masters F double sculls. Stroked by Simon Beard and expertly steered by Mike Atkins, the doyen of the Masters’ squad, a mix of power and style saw them take on the brute strength of a Runcorn crew determined to dominate from the start. Drawn on the outside of an unfavourable long bend, Stratford found themselves down coming into the regatta enclosure where they were unable to pull back the lead of two lengths established by Runcorn.

Determined to bounce back, Simon Beard joined by Wallace Brown, Richard Nelson, and Thomas Doherty and expertly coxed by the outstanding Sophie Neville, belying her tender years, took on a powerful heavyweight Evesham crew in Masters’ D coxed fours. In a nail biting race with neither crew giving an inch, Stratford driven on by lung bursting commands from Sophie, managed to gain a half length advantage and hold it to the finish for a memorable event win.

With the afternoon’s racing truncated by monsoon rain showers, Stratford’s Mixed Masters’ E double scull of Kjersti Woolley and Thomas Doherty yet again found themselves up against their old nemesis from Derwent, but despite a good row and having being drawn on the unfavourable outside of the bend, they were unable to break their stranglehold over recent races loosing by two lengths.

Said Thomas Doherty, Masters’ Squad Vice Captain, “It was great to see competitors of all ages from thirteen to seventy two racing here today: all put in excellent performances to do Stratford proud.”

A pulsating day of racing at Ross regatta also saw the WJ14 girls coxed quadruple sculls overcome adversity as a crew member responded badly to a wasp sting. Medical issues permit a crew replacement and Autumn Keil, Khloe Curnock Jessica Wiesheu, Katie Wellstead with coxswain Mimi Hill raced on to win the event. Interestingly, Joseph Hodson with Autumn Keil raced in the boys’ J14 double sculls and was a phenomenal combination beating several total boys’ crews only to be overcome by a strong all boys crew from Staines.

The WJ14 girls’ double sculls event included two Stratford crews. Autumn Keil and Khloe Curnock resisted well in their first round heat but were beaten – just – both being exhausted from their vigorous efforts in the earlier events. Not quite so for the superlative combination of Jessica Wiesheu and Katie Wellstead who fought their way to the semi final only to be beaten by a Ross crew who were still fresh from their two previous races. The Stratford crew on the other hand was competing in their sixth race of the day: tiredness for these young 14 year olds took over and they were simply out of energy. Joe Hodson in the J14 single sculls also delivered a gritty performance dispatching a couple of opponents before losing in the semi-final. Said coach Dr Graham Collier, “A great day much enjoyed by all the participants. In a few hours time they move into the J15 category. We wish them well!”

Meanwhile, Stratford’s J13 squad was also in action. High quality sculling was in plentiful supply to bring to a close their first year of racing. The WJ13 single scull event opened proceedings with a thrilling race between Sophie Neville and Staines Boat Club. Neville steered a precise course and led the race until a caught blade in choppy water upset her rhythm and Staines gained the advantage. Recovering well, the gap proved just too great for Sophie to close.

In the WJ13 double sculls, Jasmine Mountney and Alice Baines kept the Stratford supporters on their feet with two solid wins against Evesham and City of Bristol before narrowly missing out of the top prize to Liverpool Victoria in the final.

The coxed quadruple sculls fared less well with tough opposition from the outset. The mixed crew of Sophie Neville, Maiya James, Mili Wilcock, Nixie Brunt, Dan Cox, Alice Baines and Jasmine Mountney being drawn against City of Bristol who went on to win both open and women’s categories. Said Steve Wellstead, Stratford Boat Club’s Junior Co-ordinator, “The event proved a great day to close the season and set the scene well for the year ahead.”

Also at Ross, Conrad Bird raced a semi final against Penarth winning easily and then went on race against Swansea where he won by a length in a thrilling final: a very special day as he won his Novice status. The W.J18A.4x narrowly missed out on a pot in the final at Ross beaten 1.5 lengths by a very strong Warrington quad (current National Champions). Said coach Mark Holden, “A very positive way to conclude their junior rowing years with Stratford and there were smiles all round.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online http://www.stratford-herald.com/58050-stratford-boat-clubs-winning-form-continues-ross-regatta.html

For more excellent pictures of Stratford at Ross, see Stuart Baines amazing shots https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgY7EiDB2lCOsEdDZGdIdzOPznKa

Stourport’s ‘Learn to Row’ event the previous Sunday was another successful day for the Stratford boat in this summer’s ‘Learn to Row’ competition. Travelling to Stourport to face five other crews from Bewdley, Ironbridge (two), Dudley and Birmingham, Stratford won three races, lost one and tied one to maintain their joint position at the top of the points table with rivals Bewdley. Rowing upstream into a strong flow and against the backdrop of the funfair in its full Sunday afternoon glory, Stratford’s best wins came against Birmingham and Ironbridge A. The Stratford’s crew of Clare Jervis, Clare Sperrey, Rory Nicol and Nils Purser had a great afternoon, encouraged by a good gathering of supporters and some excellent hospitality from the home club. The next event is at Upton on 11 September and the programme reaches its finale at Stratford on Sunday 30 October.

There was action too at Stratford on Bank Holiday Saturday with Stratford Boat Club’s launches helping out with Stratford upon Avon Rotary Club (Evening Group) Duck Race. Over one thousand plastic ducks were launched into the foaming water at the weir below Holy Trinity Church opposite Lucy’s Mill. The event raised in the region of five thousand pounds for Shakespeare Hospice’s new Children and Young People’s services and was sponsored by Care UK who run over one hundred care homes across the county including Priors House in Leamington Spa and Ambleside in Stratford-upon-Avon and provide a range of care services from respite to residential care for older people.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s para-rowers attended Oxford City Royal Regatta at the weekend. Two rowers, Mark Sanders and Steve Binns, were competing in their first races. There were eight disabled rowers in the morning event from Stratford, Marlow, Peterborough and Oxford itself.

Steve Binns, a paraplegic, had a tough first round against a sculler from Marlow Rowing Club losing by two lengths. Mark Sanders however defeated a spirited sculler from the City of Oxford Rowing Club by the same margin.

In his semi-final Mark, a visually impaired rower, had a tremendous race with another sculler from Marlow. He was behind until the final few strokes, finally winning by just three feet. This put him through to the final. Here he was to face a familiar face, Kingsley Ijomoh, who until recently was a Stratford para-rower. Kingsley had moved down to South East last autumn and is now racing for Marlow Rowing Club. An epic final resulted in another tight fight. After the crews crossed the line there was an agonising minute long wait for the result to be announced. Again Mark had won by just three feet, steered by Joe Moore from Stratford Boat Club.

Steve Binns competed in the afternoon Plate event. Sadly again beaten by two lengths, this time to an Oxford sculler.

Said Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s adaptive coach,”The regatta was applying a new system to try to ensure close racing across a range of disabilities: this proved hugely successful with a large number of very close finishes. Stratford upon Avon Boat Club welcomes adaptive rowers with all disabilities.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online http://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/para-rowers-take-centre-stage and p39.

After the disappointment of the cancellation of the Warwick Boat Club regatta at the weekend due to high winds and inclement weather, Stratford Boat Club are gearing up for a busy Bank Holiday weekend at the Ross Rowing Club regatta when all squads will meet local and national rivals. Closer to home, Stratford Boat Club launch drivers will be assisting Stratford upon Avon Rotary Club (Evening Group) with their charity fundraising duck race (http://stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/shakespeare-duck-race-preparing-make-splash-2) at 14.00hrs on Saturday at the weir by Holy Trinity Church.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club mixed masters E crew of Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley and Thomas Doherty continued their ongoing personal battle with Derwent Rowing Club over the weekend at Stourport Regatta. The event, held over two days provides challenging racing over 1100m on Saturday and 650m sprint racing on Sunday, attracted a high quality field including clubs from London and the North of England watched by a large vocal crowd on both days.

Stratford was again drawn against National Championship medalists Derwent on both days having raced them previously over two days at Bewdley previously. On the Saturday, racing over the long course with a tail wind and stream which produced a fast race, saw Derwent powering off the start to take a length’s lead by halfway. A strong push by Stratford saw them close the gap but just fade away at the finish to lose by just over a length.
With the sprint race on the Sunday, a change of tactics saw Stratford storm off the start rating 40 strokes a minute and hold a high tempo narrow lead for the majority of the race rating 37 strokes a minute throughout. In an exciting finish cheered on by the watching crowds, Derwent just made their experience tell to pinch victory by half a length.
Said Kjersti Woolley, “This was our best race yet against a quality crew which demonstrates our continued improvement as we prepare for the World Masters in Copenhagen in a month’s time.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald p16 and Stratford Observer p36.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club new Explore Rowing squad competed with two crews on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Bewdley: Rosie’s crew, with Jackie, Rory and Celia, and Rona’s crew, with Nils and the two Clares. Nine crews took part in the Explore Rowing regatta, plus a lot of support and hospitality, especially from the crowds leaning out from the pubs on the town bank at Bewdley. A hugely enjoyable event for all!

Cruelly, Stratford’s two crews were drawn together in the first race. Rona’s crew came through as the close winner. In their next two races, Rosie’s crew won one race and very narrowly lost one race, whilst Rona’s crew won both races, finishing top of the table with Bewdley A. There was a showdown race at five o’clock, with Stratford sadly losing by a canvas to a good crew.