Tag Archives: Henley Long Distance Sculls;

Stratford Conquer at Henley

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The 2025 Henley Long Distance Sculls on Saturday provided another challenging and picturesque test of endurance and precision over the 3,000 metre course on the Henley Reach. With autumn sunshine and a stiff headwind developing through the morning, competitors faced a true measure of their training so far. Stratford upon Avon Boat Club junior squad scullers took to the water eager to show their form against a deep field drawn from clubs across the country.

Just two crews represented Stratford’s J17/J18 squad with the women’s J18 double scull of Becca Smith and Lily Warren posting a creditable eleventh place in a busy field. The Mixed coxless quadruple scull of Sophie Franklin, Ollie Rowlands, Theo Richter and Becca Smith stepped up to row in the senior event and showed the way to their competition on Henley Reach and took an emphatic win.

Stratford’s J15 squad fielded four crews with three boats racing in the morning division in challenging conditions. The girls’ doubles of Meredith Paul and Martina Bruce-Bonilla and Lillian Parsons and Scarlett Wheeler finished ninth and tenth in a strong field. Later in the morning, in the boys’ singles, Reuben Stanford stuck well to his task to finish in nineth place. In slightly lighter winds in the afternoon, the boys’ double of Reuben Stanford and Tristan Hammick finished in a battling fifth position.

Commenting, Dave Parkin, J15 Coach, said, “The crews should be proud of their efforts and will have taken much learning from their day on the Thames.”

The J14’s Club’s youngest members revelled in their first chance to row Henley’s world famous stretch of the River Thames. The J14 girls’ quad of Islay Milles, Eva Cruise, Amelia Cruickshank, Charlotte Franklin and Mary Heenan (cox) performed strongly in their category, finishing comfortably within a tightly packed peloton of four crews chasing the remaining podium places after a blistering time was laid down by the home favourites. A special mention must be made of Amelia who was competing in her first ever event having only taken up the sport last month!

Division Two saw the boys’ quad deliver what they have long been threatening to do for some time! Ethan Siwakowski, Chris Durance, Arthur Burt and Archie Eaton, driven mercilessly forwards by Charlotte Franklin (cox), brushed aside competition from some much larger clubs to rightfully earn a podium place, coming third out of eight crews in a commendable time.

The J14 coaches were delighted by their young athletes’ determination. Jon Franicis commented, “Considering that this was a much longer course than they have previously encountered and in conditions far more challenging than any they have ever endured, this was immensely rewarding to see them perform so well!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/junior-rowers-shine-at-henley-9440310 and page forty three and also Stratford Observer https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-junior-scullers-impress-at-henley-long-distance-sculls and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/11/07&pages=32

Stratford Battle The Weather at Henley

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On Saturday, Stratford upon Avon Junior Squad travelled south to the spiritual home of rowing, Henley on Thames, to compete in the annual Long Distance Sculls event.  Contested over three kilometers on Henley Reach, the event attracts top clubs and schools from around the country. Athletes from J14 up to J17 represented Stratford over two divisions.

 

As the sun blessed the course, division one got underway. First to go was the women’s J16 double scull of Mili Wilcock and Alice Baines enjoying the conditions and making their mark with a solid seventh place. Next up, Masters Women sculler Kjersti Woolley tackled course but a lack of competition meant her row over the course formed part of her training for later in the season as opposed to a competitive measure.

The J15 squad began their season strongly in the morning division with a mixed quad of Martha Usselmann, Sienna Rawlings, William Clarke and Conar Aitchison, coxed by Mary Walton, finishing a respectable seventh place against strong competition from the boy crews of Henley and Wallingford. Later in the division, the two WJ15 double scull boats of Amelie Sartain and Sophie Elstone and Emma Harrison and Abbey Meggeson raced well, with Sartain and Elstone winning third place with Harrison and Meggeson in seventeenth place.

The action continued in the afternoon, however conditions deteriorated significantly as the skies opened. All athletes contended with hail, rain and a strong head wind as they lined up to race. The women’s J16 single sculls of Nixie Brunt and Jasmine Mountney battled hard to make it back to the boating rafts in eighteenth and twentieth place respectively.  

The WJ15 quad of Rawlings, Sartain, Elstone, Usselmann and cox Walton, all rowing the distance a second time, fought hard through the worsening conditions to finish a commendable sixth place. The squad’s final race of the day saw Harriet Hodgson and Will Clarke in their double scull up against not only the hail and wind, but strong competition from the boys of Henley and Shanklin, to finish in an admirable fifth place.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page 22 and online http://www.stratford-herald.com/92849-stratford-juniors-battle-rivals-tough-conditions.html and also Stratford Observer back page and online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/saturday-successes-at-henley-long-distance-sculls.For more great pictures, see Stuart Baines’ selection at https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9jNwbwkhAYDUUu3-dLw