Tag Archives: Martha Cooke

Stratford’s Juniors Conquer The Tideway and Storm Claudia!

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The inaugural Junior Fours Head was held on Friday under dark, damp autumn skies on the Tideway, the river lying relatively flat as junior crews assembled between Chiswick and Putney. The subdued murmur of final instructions underscored the significance of the occasion: months of training, early starts and technical refinement were about to be tested over a demanding championship course against many of the strongest school and club crews from across the country.

This year, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J18 squad fielded two crews. The mixed coxless quadruple scull of Martha Baines, Xavier Sissins-Roffey, Seth Vondrak and Maeve Dunn was first down the course, finishing an impressive seventh place. They were followed shortly after by the women’s J18 coxless quadruple scull of Martha Cooke, Alexandra Francis, Tessa Parkin and Poppy Baines who crossed the line in thirty fifth place, leaving a number of quality crews behind them.

Racing in the OJ16 4+ event, Stratford’s five J16 Performance squad boys of Seb Happel (stroke), Will Shaw, Euan Richter, Rory Rowan (bow) and Ed Appleton took the inaugural Junior Fours Head in their stride and rowed well from Mortlake to Putney, 6.8km, with Ed steering a great line. The one minute forty second average split time over the distance wasn’t enough for silverware but nonetheless all five got to experience this very special event on a relatively calm Tideway. J16 Coach Hugo Happel said, ” A great experience for the boys on this most special of waterways in relatively mild, if wet, conditions. Key take-out was to rate slightly higher next time. All in all, an amazing learning experience and fantastic to connect the dots between training on our river Avon and the Tideway requirements!”

Commenting further, Paul Stanton, Club President said, “Not only was this a great performance by the athletes but credit should also go to the coaches, helpers and supporters for getting the athletes to this dominant position and for towing the boats from Stratford to The Tideway and back again during Storm Claudia!”

Following the juniors down to London to compete at Veterans Fours head on Sunday 16 November, the mixed master’s C quad of Rebecca England at stroke, Thomas Doherty, Lucy Scarlett and Pete Spivey at bow, produced a solid performance, tackling the challenging, choppy conditions on the tideway well. Despite a punishing headwind, the Stratford crew were able to execute a couple of early overtakes, maintaining pressure well with long, patient strokes and a consistent rate throughout. An improvement in conditions past Hammersmith allowed the crew to settle into calmer water; they relaxed into a good rhythm which they held to the end. “It was a tough but rewarding row against some very strong opposition,” commented Doherty. The crew are now looking to build on this third place performance as they continue their training throughout the winter.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-juniors-impress-at-inaugural-junior-fours-head-9442084 and page thirty seven and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-young-scullers-impress-at-inaugural-junior-fours-head and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/11/28&pages=24

Stratford Triumph at Gloucester

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Under crisp autumn skies, Gloucester Rowing Club hosted the 2025 Autumn Head on the Sharpness Canal, drawing a strong field of junior, senior and masters’ crews from across the region. The challenging 5 km course tested rowers’ endurance and provided an excellent opportunity to rack up the training mileage amongst the racing.

Racing for the first time at Gloucester (long course), the WJ16 2x of Orla Linforth and Erin Appleton sculled a well throughout the 5k course but their opposition proved too strong, finishing and they finished sixth. Also in the morning, the OJ16 4x- of Ed Appleton, Will Shaw, Euan Richter and Rory Rowan set off well but had to take evasive action halfway down the course to prevent a drifting single sculler making contact with their boat and so ended in second place behind Hereford Rowing Club by seven seconds.

In the afternoon, Maria Ntoukaki sculled very well in the WJ16 1x event and came second in her Band Three event by only three seconds over the twenty four minutes of the race but her time of 24:10 was significantly faster than six scullers from William Borlase school and Millfield. In Band 3, Hereford Rowing Club took the win.

Commenting, Hugo Happel, J16 Coach commented, “All athletes sculled well indeed on a long course and the many lessons learnt will be taken to our next events.”

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J17/J18 squad competed strongly across the sculling events. The WJ18 coxless quadruple scull of Tessa Parkin, Maeve Dunn, Millie Smith and Martha Cooke delivered an impressive performance, placing them second against a high quality crew from Hartpury College despite recording a time that would have won the senior event. The Open J18 double scull of Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak also claimed second place, once again pushing Hartpury hard to the line.

In the afternoon session, Stratford fielded two WJ18 double sculls with Tessa Parkin and Millie Smith finishing fourth and Maeve Dunn and Martha Cooke close behind in fifth place. Meanwhile, in the Open J18 single sculls, Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak showed strong individual form, securing third and fourth place respectively.

Stratford Women’s Senior 2x of Rebecca England at stroke and Lucy Scarlett at bow built up to a good rhythm in their race. Despite unpredictable gusts, the Stratford crew persevered well and maintained power in their longest race together to date. They finished third out of six in a competitive field and were pleased with their performance.

The Women’s Masters were back at Gloucester for the long autumn head after the successful training day the previous week. The crew of Will Shaw (cox), Ellie Davis (stroke), Abby Symons, Fiona Schultz, Gina Fusco, Helen Helliwell, Caroline Collins, Jane Cryer, Charlotte Jones (bow) started their race at a crisp thirty one strokes per minute the first 1000m which gave opportunities to settle into a strong rhythm: this was followed by a solid twenty nine strokes for the remaining 4000 metres of the race. The crew worked well together under the positive coxing by Will Shaw and with an expert racing line helping. Will only shared that this was his first race coxing an eight after crossing the finishing line!

Stroke Ellie Davies said, “It was a good long row and great to see the progress the women’s masters’ squad is making through the winter racing season. Will was a fabulous cox and his calls were excellent. Our thanks to all our supporters and coach Sam Hill who help make racing away possible and also for the training support and encouragement.”

Stratford’s adaptive squad, fresh back from their tour of Turin, were the only adaptive event at the Gloucester Head and so it was an all Stratford doubles’ affair between Ian and Paola Ward and Ethan Roberts and Neville Hand. This being Ethan’s first head, the race resulted in a narrow win for the more established Ward’s crew by a narrow fourteen seconds.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page forty four and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-scullers-impress-at-gloucester-autumn-head

Stratford’s Juniors Make Good Start to New Rowing Season

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The new rowing season began last weekend with the opening event for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s junior squad. A bumper entry saw Stratford’s juniors travel to Wallingford for the 2025 edition of Wallingford Long Distance Sculls. Due to the cancellation of last year’s race, the J15s took on the 4000m long course for the first time. The J15 coxed quadruple scull of Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s junior squad (coxswain) came home in fourth place whilst the WJ15 coxed quadruple scull of Abi Dunn, Meredith Paul, Lillian Parsons, Scarlett Wheeler and Raya Hothi (coxswain) complete the course in seventh place. Over the shorter 1800m course, the WJ15 double scull of Martina Bruce and Raya Hothi delivered a solid third place. Meanwhile in the J15 single scull event, Stratford’s Reuben Stanford spiced up the competition with a win over Henley Rowing Club and Thames Scullers.

All J16s competing the long course in Division Three at Wallingford. Erin Appleton and Orla Linforth sculled a savvy 4.25km and came fourth in their WJ16 2x event, in a time of 20:14.8 (Henley won the event). Maria Ntoukaki had a terrific WJ16 1x race over the long distance, came 10th in her event, out of 30, in 20:20.1 (Headington won the event). Finally, Seb Happel (stroke), Will Shaw, Euan Richter and Ed Appleton (bow) had a brilliant race against top shelf competition from Henley, Lea, Wallingford and St Paul’s, finishing fifth in 16:16.3. Commenting, Hugo Happel J16 Coach said, “An excellent result for their very first coxless OJ16 4x event even though Henley finally won the event.”

Stratford J17/J18 squad had the pleasure of racing twice in both morning and afternoon events. In the WJ18 coxless quadruple sculls, Stratford fielded two crews with Martha Baines, Alexandra Francis, Tessa Parkin and Poppy Baines in fourth place and Martha Cooke, Millie Smith, Sophie Evans and Isla Dunn in sixth place amongst a twelve crew strong field. The OpJ18 double scull of Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak overcame stiff competition to record a second place finish, dueling with Lea Rowing Club for the duration of the race. Maeve Dunn in the WJ17 single scull came home twenty seventh in the event, a position which belied her speed after being caught in river traffic. For their second row, the squad split into different crews with Alexandra Francis coming home fourth of twenty eight entrants in the WJ18 single scull. Also in single sculls, the boys rowed up to the senior event with Xavier Sissins-Roffey in tenth and Seth Vondrak in thirteenth. Stratford fielded two crews in the WJ18 double sculls with Alexandra Francis and Isla Dunn in eleventh places overall, creditable placings against such rowing powerhouses such as Headington School and Surbiton High School. The final crew on the water was the coxless quadruple scull of Poppy Baines, Maeve Dunn, Martha Baines and Tessa Parkin who also rowed up to senior level which meant taking on three crews of aspiring Team GB athletes from Leander Club. The Stratford crews spent most of the race in the slower stream as the Leander crews came through the field and after being forced into the bank by an errant Upper Thames crew restarted their race to finish seventh place.

Steve Wellstead, J17/18 Coach and Junior Co-ordinator commented, “All in all an excellent first head race of the season at a top class event!”

The J14s shone on their inaugural outing of the new season. With both a boys’ and girls’ quad racing in quick succession over Division 2’s shorter 2km course, the youngest members of Stratford Boat Club displayed real grit and no little finesse in Club colours for their first time.

Leading the charge was Archie Mansfield driving the WJ14 quad of Charlotte Franklin, Eva Cruise, Islay Milles, Mary Heenan to a commendable fourth place amongst a field of nine: just six seconds split those four top finishers, a sign of a really promising crew to watch. Not to be outdone, the OJ14 quad of Archie Eaton, Christopher Durance, Arthur Burt and Ethan Siwakowski with Eli Ford as cox were the undisputed fastest crew in their event and recorded the fastest time of all quads in the age group that day coming away with well deserved medals to show for their efforts.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page forty four and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/bumper-entry-of-juniors-to-start-new-rowing-season-9435893 and also Stratford Observer back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/10/03&pages=24 and also online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-juniors-make-strong-start-to-new-season

For more pictures of Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0VuRmc4TmFUOUVSRnNyUGYtSVNZOEdjQk9LZnZrclZ3NlB3QzdoUzRad2dFRXc%5FZT1KdWJ0WkM&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21sd6f06071f4934544b2b3dff88498f067&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford Excel at Ross

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The traditional end of season event for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club arrived over the Bank Holiday weekend with thirty one crews travelling to Ross Regatta. The event is considered a classic on the club racing calendar with two days of racing on the beautiful River Wye. This year, low rivers levels demanded a change in the course and prior experience at the event was no longer an advantage.

For Stratford’s Masters, Rebecca England and Lucy Scarlett enjoyed racing the short 550m sprint course in the Women’s Masters A/B double on Sunday. They started well at a lively rate of thirty eight strokes per minute and quickly moved up on Evesham, their opposition, who benefitted from the staggered start. Settling at thirty six strokes a minute, Stratford powered through to take the lead which they held to the end, winning by a comfortable four lengths.

Whilst the J13 and J14 squads were not at full strength, they made their mark on Sunday’s sprint regatta. Racing over 500m of sun-drenched River Wye the youngest members of the Club chalked up some commendable displays of composed sculling with several victories in qualifying heats. The J13 boys will have doubtless absorbed some technical lessons that will prove vital as they look to develop throughout the coming season, whilst the J14 boys (Reuben Stanford and Connor Birrell) sculled beautifully but were finally outmatched by strong opposition from local clubs in their finals. However, the day truly belonged to the girls with Charlotte Franklin (WJ13.1x), Abi Dunn (WJ14.1x) and the WJ14 double scull of Martina Bruce-Bonilla with Bethany Hammond working their way through their heats to claim deserved victories in respective finals.

Coach of the J13/14 squads Jon Francis was impressed by their performance. “Ross is our traditional end to the summer regatta season and a great place for our athletes to shine. They all gave it everything they had and I’m delighted with the results”.

In the J15 events, Rory Rowan and Euan Richter took on home favourites from Ross Rowing Club in the double sculls event but were unable to overturn the Ross combination who were lifted to new heights by the home crowd support.

Stratford’s J16 squad competed in a mix of J16 and senior events as they sought to make a mark on the Regatta.  Fielding no fewer than five crews in the senior double sculls event the crews raced each other plus visitors from Exeter Rowing Club, City of Bristol RC and Stourport Boat Club. Lily and Poppy Warren succumbed to Exeter however then went on to win over Poppy and Martha Baines. Martha Cooke and Millie Smith pushed Bristol hard to the line whilst Alexandra and Bryony Francis saw off Stourport Boat Club. The Francis combination then met Sophie Evans and, fresh out of retirement, Imogen North. North and Evans pipped the Francis crew and then went on to avenge the other Stratford crews by beating Exeter in the final to take the winners pots.

Elsewhere in the draw, the WJ16 coxless quadruple sculls event was an all too familiar showdown between Stratford and Evesham.  The Stratford crew came out on top with a solid win and a place on the top step of the podium.

The day continued with another J16 athlete rowing up to senior in the women’s single sculls event.  A plucky row from Martha Baines saw here come close to causing upset in the event however narrowly missed out to a handy sculler and eventual finalist from Stourport.

In the WJ16 double sculls event, the combination of Maeve Dunn and Isla Dunn overhauled Queen’s Park Chester Boat Club to secure a final versus Stratford’s own Poppy Warren and Bryony Francis.  A race to the line saw Maeve and Isla take the win getting the job Dunn in style!

In the morning division, the J17/18 squad fielded two mixed doubles, with V Vondrak and Xavier Sissins-Roffey first down the course. They started strong, winning their first race against Ross by a length to move onto the semi-final. Hoping to meet the other Stratford mixed double in the final, in the next race they faced a strong crew from City of Bristol who ultimately beat them by a quarter of a length. Meanwhile the crew of Seth Vondrak and Lucy Sartain put in a strong performance in the other semi-final of the event against scullers from home club Ross, racing with composure to win by a length over the senior crew. They then faced a strong Bristol crew in the final where they sculled well, executing their race plan but eventually losing out by just half a length.

Also in the morning, the multiple Women’s doubles crews, including three pairs of sisters made up of J16 & J17s! First up were sisters Lily and Poppy Warren, who started off strong and persevered through a tough race but unfortunately lost out to their opposition. Up next were sisters Poppy and Martha Baines: in a well executed race, the pair had a strong finish but ultimately fell short against strong opposition from Exeter. Also racing in the W2x event was J17 athlete Sophie Evans and her coach Imogen North. They raced against Exeter successfully in their first race and went on to win against another Stratford double in their semi-final. This resulted in a close race against another Exeter crew in the final where they took the win for the event.

In the afternoon, the mixed four crew of Alexandra Francis, Xavier Sissins-Roffey, Ollie Rowlands, Poppy Baines and cox Will Dalrymple-Baker raced up into the open fours category. Opposed by a strong and experienced crew from Bristol, they narrowly missed out on a final after a well executed sprint race. In the Op2- event, two scratched crews meant that the Stratford pair made up of siblings Seth and V Vondrak were in a straight final, coming up against a composite Hereford/City of Bristol crew. Although they rowed an excellent race, they lost to the opposing crew who had a couple years more experience than them, as frequently happens when racing up in the Open category. Finally, in the mixed quads event Nick, Amélie, Toby and Lucy Sartain came together as a family. They rowed well, overcoming the challenges that come with rowing with crew mates of varying sizes (!) to finish just short of the eventual winners of the event, Ross.

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-triumph-at-end-of-season-ross-regatta and also back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/08/29&pages=24

Stratford’s Juniors & Masters Score at Henley!

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The Henley Town and Visitors’ Regatta, a prestigious event with roots tracing back to the late 1850s, has evolved significantly over the years. Initially known as the Henley Rowing Club Boat Races, it underwent a name change in 1887 to Henley Town Regatta, with the term ‘Visitor’ later incorporated to signify its welcoming stance towards rowers from clubs beyond Henley. This regatta is unique in offering competitors the chance to experience the Henley course in a multi-lane format, a feature typically exclusive to venues like Dorney and Nottingham.

The J14s thoroughly enjoyed their first experience of rowing the world-famous stretch of the River Thames that just weeks earlier had hosted the world’s finest rowers roared on by society’s loudest. Connor Birrell and Tristan Hammick thrived on the chance to race down the most picturesque of courses laying down commendable times in their finals both in a double then separately in single sculls but being unlucky to not come away with medals for their efforts.

However, the girls’ quad of Raya Hothi, Bethany Hammond, Abi Dunn, Martina Bruce-Bonilla and Lilly Parsons (cox) chose their moment to shine. Racing up a class against Reading and Shiplake the girls were in imperious form, led from the off and controlled the race throughout gaining enthusiastic praise from the experienced commentary team for their composure and style. When they learned the medallists were much younger than their opponents, the commentary team momentarily lost their composure and professionalism. “Simply super” is not a compliment many get at Henley and is as close to an emotional outburst one could imagine before lunch.

Not wishing to pass up the chance for further glory, two doubles of Hammond/ Parsons and Hothi/Bruce-Bonilla took the Hereford boat to task in their second final of the day and pushed them to the line but narrowly missed out on a second medal.

Saturday also saw Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J15s take to this famous stretch of the Thames for the first time in their junior rowing journey. Racing upstream over the 800m course, Will Shaw and Rory Rowan started strongly but lost out to the Shiplake Vikings OJ15 2x boys by three and a half lengths. Seb Happel and Ed Appleton sculled very well with precise steering but lost to the Wallingford boys by two and a half lengths in the semifinal. Wallingford would go on to win the event.

In Division Two, Erin Appleton sculled very well in the WJ15 1x event but lost by four lengths to the Hereford sculler who went on to win the event. Maria Ntoukaki won her semifinal against a strong sculler from Shiplake Vikings by three and a half lengths. In the three side by side final, Maria came second losing by one and a half lengths to the Hereford Sculler after being neck and neck for the majority of the race. Both scullers showed excellent sportsmanship during and after the race.

J15 Coach Hugo Happel commented, “This was a great experience for our J15 athletes. First time at Henley and they sculled with panache. Not enough for medals but great to test themselves and take away some good learning points for the future. Well done all athletes!”

Stratford’s under 16 squad attended in numbers to enjoy some summer racing.  First to go was the combination of Tessa Parkin and Josephine Cooper “rowing up” to J18 level in their double scull. With conditions lumpy on the Henley stretch, the two came home a strong second against West Midlands rivals from Hereford Rowing Club.  Next up was the coxless quadruple scull of Sophie Franklin, Bryony Francis, Isla Dunn, Poppy Warren who, although leaving Reading’s J18s in their wake, were unable to overhaul a quality Hereford crew and came home second overall. In the women’s J16 single sculls, it was the turn of Tessa Parkin and Martha Cooke to head down the track. Martha Cooke took on scullers from Pangbourne College and Shiplake Vikings with Pangbourne going through to the final. In the other half of the draw, Tessa avenged the defeats earlier in the day with a win over Hereford only to be overcome in the final by the charging Pangbourne sculler. To close the J16 day out, the women’s J16 double sculls event saw two crews from Stratford take the water. As the crowd refilled their Pimm’s glasses, Martha Cooke and Sophie Franklin chased Hereford down the course with style. Elsewhere in the draw, Bryony Francis and Isla Dunn saw off Shiplake Vikings with ease however, once again, the day belonged to Hereford Rowing Club as they led the Stratford girls home in the final.

Stratford Masters were also at Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta with their W Masters A 2x crew of Rebecca England (stroke) and Lucy Scarlett (bow) racing the 800m upstream course. The determined Stratford crew fought hard from the start to catch up after the two opposing Masters B crews of Eton Excelsior and Oxford Amateur began with a head start, but despite the close finish it proved too much this time, with Stratford finishing half a length behind the second crew.

For media coverage see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-among-the-leading-lights-at-prestigious-eve-9428575 and page thirty seven and also Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-juniors-and-masters-compete-at-henley-town-and-visitors-regatta and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/08/08&pages=24

Junior National Championships & Masters at Bewdley

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The weekend saw the culmination of Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s racing season with the Junior National Championships held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham. Stratford’s J16 squad fielded three crews against the finest in the land.  First to go were the girls’ double sculls where the time trial stage of the competition saw Tessa Parkin and Sophie Franklin just pip Martha Baines and Martha Cooke by 0.2 seconds to achieve twenty first and twenty third place. The two lined up in adjacent lanes in the D Final whereupon a match of the ages played out. With the Marthas holding a one length lead over the rest of the field for the first 1000m, the race then took shape. The Parkin/Franklin chose their moment and in the last 250m generated a charge to move them from fifth to third and edging their Stratford crew mates into fourth by the same 0.2 second margin. Next to race was the J16 coxless quadruple scull of Becca Smith, Martha Baines, Maeve Dunn and Isla Dunn. In a highly competitive field, the crew delivered a solid time trial to achieve fourteenth position and a slot in the C Final. With rested legs, the girls line up in the centre lane for their final and dominated the first 1750m. The rest of the field had other ideas however and quality crews from Glasgow Academy, Queens Park Chester and Hexham Rowing Club charged through to push the SuABC girls into fourth place by just two seconds.

For the J14s, an exceptional effort by Abi Dunn in her single scull saw her place third in the C final, a fantastic achievement on the national stage. In the equivalent boys’ event, Tristan Hammick wasn’t able to improve upon his placing from the time trials but left the race with nothing left in reserve and some valuable lessons taken from competing at such a level. The double scull of Nathan Lebordais and Reuben Stanford narrowly missed out on the chance to race through the semi-finals but impressed with their power through the C final. The girls’ double of Martina Bruce-Bonilla and Bethany Hammond showed equal measures of grit and composure to secure a place in the D final and held their own against the opposition crews from the start. Finally, the quad of Charlotte Mansfield (cox), Raya Hothi, Charlotte Franklin, Lilly Parsons and Scarlet Wheeler recorded a commendable time to progress to the final stages where they were denied their chance to shine by racing being cancelled due to thunderstorms.

J14 Coach Jon Francis was delighted with their achievements and said, “For many, this was their first experience of multi-lane racing at a large national event. That all the crews progressed through the time trials to a final is something about which they can be immensely proud.”

Monday 21 July saw a change in weather at Holme Pierrepoint, with calm waters and sunny conditions at the start. The serenity in the weather was not echoed by the sheer competitiveness of the junior athlete presence, with all major schools fielding large numbers of competitors (including Windsor Boys) and many new clubs entering.

In the time trials, it was brutal:

WJ15 2x, Orla and Erin 52nd out of 60 – eliminated.

OJ15 2x, Seb and Ed 47th out 53 – eliminated.

OJ15 1x, Will 41st out of 67 – eliminated.

WJ15 1x, Maria 32nd out 58 – into F Final. Maria then had the misfortune of a turn in weather, lightning appearing in the afternoon, with the course being evacuated and numerous Minor Finals being cancelled.

J15 Coach Hugo Happel commented, “Our J15s rowed with fine technique but it wasn’t enough on the day. I think the 900m format suited other athletes much better, so next year rowing the 2k distance will suit our athletes much better. Well done to all athletes, they did really well!”

Meanwhile, on Saturday Stratford upon Avon Masters Men and Women were out in force at the Bewdley Regatta competing in ten different rowing events. Lucy Scarlett and Rebecca England opened the racing for Stratford in the women’s senior 2x. In drizzly conditions, they faced a young Birmingham crew in their semi-final. Both doubles had a good start and were evenly matched, however the Stratford pair maintained their power and moved away over the second half of the race to win by nearly two lengths. Scarlett and England were then up against a strong Minerva Bath crew in the final. The Stratford double rowed hard, maintaining a good length but unfortunately were beaten on this occasion. They will aim to build on their semi-final success in their next races together.

OpH/I 2x of Mike Adkins and Paul Collins sculled an excellent race, in touching distance of their opposition the whole way down the course but on this occasion, Nottingham Rowing Club took the win.

WE4x of Ellie Davis (stroke) Gina Fusco Suzie Radley and Amanda Bowden (bow) got into a lovely rhythm, gaining on the opposition to take the lead but were unfortunately disqualified due to clashing blades.

Low CRI Op 2x of Jack Ingleby and Tom Stokes had a great start and were side-by-side up until around half way, but the more experienced Bewdley crew took the win

The afternoon rowing began with  WB 4+, coxed by Jen Carey with Rebecca England (stroke), Jeanette Caldecott, Lucy Scarlett, and Fiona Schulz (bow) In their semi final, they faced half of the morning division’s winning 8+ from Bristol Ariel. Stratford had a good start and quickly pulled away from their opposition. They maintained a good rhythm, rowing long and powerfully, extending their lead to win by four lengths. Facing the other half of Bristol’s 8+ in the final, Stratford again started well, improving technically from their previous row. They remained calm and held a solid rate of 33 strokes a minute moving away from their opponents, crossing the finish line two lengths ahead. The whole crew were delighted with their win and now look forward to their next race together at Stourport.

Next up were the MasD2x Amanda Bowden and Suzie Radley who rowed well with a long, strong rhythm, winning easily over Warwick.

In their first double race together Ellie Davis and Gina Fusco competed in WMasE  2X. After a wobbly start the double moved into a good strong a rhythm but was not quite enough to catch the Loughborough crew.

Patrick Taylor and Dan Simkins raced in the D/E coxless pairs event. Since they were the younger crew, they had to give the Pengwern crew a seven second head start. While waiting, they lost alignment in the wind and were 45 degrees off course when they were able to start. Despite this, they had a solid row and finished just 1.5 lengths behind.

Due to the lack of Masters opposition, the Mixed Masters EVIII (average age 55-60) rowed in a final against City of Bristol Open Mixed VIII. Stratford had a strong start, rating 37 strokes per minute and held the opposition. As they lengthened out, they took the lead and stern pair, Amanda Bowden and Suzie Radley held the rate and rhythm at 35 strokes per minute with a boat speed of 1.25minutes per 500m. Middle four, Dan Simkins, Patrick Taylor, Tim Male, Tom Doherty, gave a powerful push mid race, whilst the bow pair of Jeannette Caldicott and Abby Symons supported the strength and technical proficiency of the crew. Stratford remained at this blistering rate for the duration of the race. The exceptionally strong boat speed enabled the crew to pull further ahead and stay ahead for the win. Bow, Abby Symons, said, “Following the strong start, we were determined to beat them! This was a hard-fought race and a very satisfying win over a significantly younger and competent crew.”

Competing in their first regatta, Novice Women coxed quad of Sally Bliss (stroke) Emily Burton, Urania O’Reilly, Sarah Walker (bow) got off to a good start against Stourport and led by half a length. They held Stourport off until the last 25 strokes when Stourport moved ahead to win by one length. Sally Bliss said, “It was a win for our crew as we gave Stourport a good race in our first ever regatta. It was a fantastic event and everyone was so supportive. We cannot thank everyone from Stratford Boat Club enough who has got us to this point. All in all, a fantastic and fun day of racing with strong performances across the Stratford crews!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page thirty seven

For more pictures of the Junior National Championships, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0VzSjdOM0VmME5CQWp4X3AzMzQ0WTR3QlF0N3U2UDRHcWtDTHlBbk0wV2hPMkE%5FZT1FRjQ5VGY&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21s71377bc2d01f40d08f1fe9df7e38638c&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford Regatta: Success All Round!

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The weather could not have been better for the Stratford upon Avon Boat Club regatta on Saturday but perhaps a little too hot for some of the athletes but that didn’t stop the great participation with local crews and further afield from Evesham Rowing Club, King’s School Worcester Boat Club, Royal Grammar School Worcester Boat Club, Ross Rowing Club, King Edward V1 Boat Club, Cheltenham College Boat Club, Hereford Rowing Club, Cheltenham Ladies College Rowing Club and Magdalen College School Boat Club as well as major entries from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club itself. The regatta this year had three divisions and one hundred and sixty two separate races starting at promptly at 08.30 and running all day through until a close at 17.45hrs! Running a regatta to time is no mean feat and is a tribute to the race organisers!

This year the Club was very heartened again by the huge turn out from local and distant clubs and the interest from the public. A massive thanks to all our hard working Stratford Boat Club members, visiting crews, umpires and officials and especially the public for supporting the event. The Club was especially honoured to have Stratford upon Avon Town Council Mayor Cllr Dani Hunter attend the regatta and walk the course with Stratford Boat Club Chairman Dawson Curnock.

Stratford’s J16 squad were in action at Stratford’s home regatta held over 500m on the Avon. First to go were the singles sculls of Tessa Parkin, Becca Smith and Sophie Franklin. Fierce competition ensued with a win going to Becca Smith who swept aside quality opposition from King’s School Worcester. Next up were the double sculls of Isla Dunn/Poppy Warren and Maeve Dunn/Martha Cooke. Both crews made it through the early rounds to line up an all Stratford final where the Dunn/Cooke maintained their composure for a win on home water. Finally, the coxless quadruple scull of Bryony Francis, Josephine Cooper, Martha Baines and Millie Smith turned up the heat in a straight final against local rivals Evesham Rowing Club. Sculling strongly the SuABC girls took an early lead which extended over the 500m course for them to take the third win of the day and a clean sweep of ladies J16 events.

Dawson Curnock, Regatta Secretary and Chairman commented, “It was a long day’s racing: our tea tent was extremely busy dispensing dozens of cakes and snacks. What a magnificent day topped by great racing! We ran the regatta under very tight safety protocols. We were especially grateful for the help and tolerance of those operators who work and make their living on the river.”

Saturday proved to be another day of rowing success, fun times and great learning for the Stratford Boat Club’s squads through the age range. Saturday’s Junior Spring Regatta was the 500m course following the Avon through the town from Holy Trinity Church through to the finish line at the Club’s grounds.

Steve Wellstead, Stratford Boat Club’s Junior Coordinator said, “We were blessed with good weather for the regatta, there were crowds watching the racing adding much to Stratford’s atmosphere and vitality: we were glad to showcase our sport and demonstrate our part in the success of our town! Again, we appreciate the tolerance and help from the other river users and colleagues and look forward to our Fun Regatta on Saturday 12 July”

For media coverage of Stratford Boat Club’s Saturday Junior Regatta, see Stratford Herald page forty seven and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/picture-special-battle-of-the-titans-at-stratford-boat-club-regatta

Stratford Make Their Mark at National Schools Regatta

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The Stratford upon Avon Boat Club J14 squad sent a boys quad and a girls quad to the National Schools Regatta 2025 at the Nottingham Watersports Centre on Friday. This was the return of the event to the Nottinghamshire venue after a gap of several years and the competition was tough. The weather was glorious and both boats showed strong determination. The girls reached the D final and despite injuries in the team, managed to hold their own. They had a strong start, coming out of the first 100m in second position but were outpaced in the reminder of the race. The boys reached the B final and also had a great start, they were second at the halfway mark but lost ground in the second half, coming fifth overall. Commenting, Rebecca Paul, the J14 Coach said, “Both crews had a great day out, learnt a lot from the experience and are looking forward to the next event.”

On Friday, Day One of the National Schools Regatta, saw Stratford upon Avon Boat Club WJ15 4+ crew of Orla Linforth, Maria Ntoukaki, Naomi Sime and Erin Appleton (coxed by Ed Appleton) take to the Holme Pierrepoint water in the 1900m time trial, in relatively calm and temperate conditions. They set the fifteenth fastest time (out of twenty four crews) and secured their place in the C Final. In the 2000m Final, side by side with other fine crews, they were superb in their race execution: they rowed through a few crews including Royal Shrewsbury and looked to be heading for a second place finish but Kingston Grammar were wise to the challenge and finished 0.17 seconds ahead of Stratford in dramatic fashion. Where other crews seemed to be imploding, Stratford were totally steady over the 2k distance, in a solid 2:13 minutes for each 500m. J15 Coach Hugo Happel said, ” The WJ15 4+ crew did incredibly well against tough competitors from Great Britain and Republic of Ireland, sticking to their game plan and delivering a very memorable row. Both on and off the water they were terrific!”

Conditions on the second day of the regatta started to become less favourable with gusty headwinds on offer. Stratford’s WJ16 coxed four of Martha Cooke, Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines, Becca Smith and Poppy Warren (coxswain) embarked on their time trial and battled hard to achieve twelfth position and a spot in the B Final. With increasing winds, the crew again took the lake for their final in the afternoon but were unable to improve their position after a plucky row. With the cancellation of racing on the third day of the regatta, sadly the WJ16 coxless quadruple scull of Sophie Franklin, Millie Smith, Maeve Dunn and Isla Dunn did not get the opportunity to show the result of their training. Musing, said Steve Wellstead J16 Coach said, “However, they will be back!”

Stratford’s WJ18 4x- and WJ18 1x also raced at National Schools Regatta: this is one of the biggest races in the rowing calendar, where over five thousand junior competitors attended.

In the first event of the day on Saturday, Poppy Baines took on the windy conditions in the Women’s Championship Singles event. Sculling with great technical focus, she claimed twenty third out of fifty three scullers in a highly competitive field. After a long ten hour gap, Baines’ D final arrived where she had a rocketing start to maintain her position from the time trial.

The girls’ quad of Alexandra Francis, Scarlett Richardson , V Vondrak and Lucy Sartain executed their race plan perfectly in the 2000m time trial putting them in twelfth place and therefore gaining them a place in the B final against competitive crews such as Henley, Headington, Hartpury and Shrewsbury. The wind picked up over the day making conditions challenging for the final but the girls still battled through the choppy water finishing respectively in fifth position beating competitive crews.

Meanwhile at the other end of the country at Monmouth Rowing Club’s regatta, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s masters were represented at the weekend by Tim Lunel who reported that the regatta was efficiently run regatta and also very enjoyable.

Commenting, Lunel said, “I had to sit on the start for six seconds as a handicap in the semi final but managed to catch my opponent by half way and then win by a couple of lengths. In the final, it was a handicap of twelve seconds against an opponent nicknamed ‘The Pocket Rocket from Totnes and Dartmouth’! The starter and I tried to persuade him he didn’t need the twelve second handicap but unfortunately we didn’t convince him so he pretty much sat on the lead all the way down the course. At least he said that it was hard work when we got to the finish!”

Also out at the weekend were Stratford masters’ rowers who headed to the west for a day out at Hereford regatta. Held in the beautiful surroundings of the River Wye in mixed overcast and windy conditions, Stratford was represented firstly by Rebecca England and Tom Doherty in mixed masters C/D double sculls.

With Stratford having an age advantage (being younger!), they had to give their opponents the highly rated Drinkwater couple from Bridgnorth, a seven second head start resulting a tough ask to reduce the deficit.

With Rebecca taking the crew off at 39/40 strokes per minute, the chase was on but despite holding a high tempo of 38 strokes a minute for the whole 850 metre course, Stratford were unable to close the deficit finishing exactly seven seconds behind at the finish!

Afternoon racing saw the Stratford women’s double of Lucy Scarlett and Rebecca England racing in their double scull in women’s senior sculls against Minerva Bath. With Rebecca again taking Stratford off at a good tempo, the crews were neck and neck approaching the halfway point with both crews rowing hard. Minerva Bath’s experience began to tell and they edged ahead over the last 250 metres to win.

Said Rebecca England, “Hats off to Lucy who steered a great course in tricky windy conditions against tough opposition. We were pleased with our row and look forward to the next event.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-club-make-their-mark-at-national-schools-regatta-9419727 and page thirty seven and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-make-their-mark-at-national-schools-regatta

For pictures of National Schools Regatta, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection at https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0V1TEhQQmd4NmJGSHR0QWZmRUVGYzhBQkZxZmpNLVJhUnBYeU0taWNXM3gycHc%5FZT1hZTB2d2w&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21s183cc7e2e93147b1b6d01f7c410573c0&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford’s J16’s Excel on the Olympic Course

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s under 16 squad travelled to the Olympic Course at Eton Dorney last Bank Holiday Monday to take part in the “Scullery” Regatta. The event run over 2000m attracts the finest scullers from across the country and visitors from as far afield as South Africa and Ireland.

Stratford women’s coxless quadruple scull of Isla Dunn, Maeve Dunn, Tessa Parkin and Martha Cooke took the water first in the time trial with a solid thirteenth place ahead of the South African Rowing Schools Union and once again closing the gap to regional rivals Hereford Cathedral School.

Next up was the women’s double scull of Martha Baines and Sophie Franklin. The pair motored through the time trial stage in seventh place thus securing a place in the B Final.  Gusty conditions made the final quite an event with Sophie and Martha engaging in battle with Great Marlow School to finish third.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/juniors-tackle-famous-olympic-course-9417134 and page forty seven and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-junior-scullers-excel-on-olympic-course

For great pictures of Scullery, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvcyFBaVcyREF5bjl0ZzlrTGQwUDlhNGxTVHJfaUJHS2c%5FZT11eGJvR0o&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21269300&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford’s Juniors and Masters Score at Nottingham and Birmingham

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Following the recent West Midlands trials, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club juniors headed to Nottingham’s National Water Sports Centre to represent the region at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta.  A national level event, the athletes competed against regional crews from Scotland to Wessex and everywhere between. Stratford’s J14 boys were representing the West Midlands in the quad and approached the time trial with a now familiar enthusiasm. Just seconds separated the nine fastest boats and the crew of Reuben Stanford, Connor Birrell, Nathan Lebordais, Herbie Shickle and Tristan Hammick (cox) missed a slot in the A final by just a fraction of a second. They embraced the challenge of side-by-side racing on the big stage in a thrilling show-down across the full 1.5km, with the lead swapping between them and Thames London throughout. With fearsome encouragement from their cox, Stratford timed their final surge to perfection for a deserved B final victory.

Stratford’s J15 squad had two crews taking part in the inter regionals regatta. First up in the 1000m time trials, the composite WJ15 4+ of Orla Linforth, Maria Ntoukaki, Erin Appleton and Daisy Wilkes (Evesham Rowing Club sculler), coxed by Ed Appleton, rowed well and qualified for the B final with the crew bemoaning their stroke rate and their catches. Next up in the OJ15 2x event, Seb Happel and Will Shaw had a good row and qualified for the C final. In the afternoon, the WJ15 4+ came fourth in their 1500m stake boat start final, finishing ahead of WAGS/Wales and Wessex. The OJ15 2x won their final, beating WAGS/Wales. J15 Coach Hugo Happel said, “The J15’s showed good technique on the water, gave 100%, took the learning from the Time Trials into the Finals and showed superb team spirit and collective off the water. Brilliant work and attitude: they should be very proud!”

The women’s J16 coxless four crew of Martha Cooke, Becca Smith, Martha Baines and Millie Smith delivered a solid row in the time trial to secure a place in the B Final. Lining up against sweep rowing powerhouses such as Aberdeen Schools, the girls exploded from the start and took an early lead by clear water. The race remained a close run event with Stratford battling to hold a lead over the fast charging opposition eventually losing ground in the closing stages to cross the line in fourth place.

Meanwhile closer to home, the newly formed masters 2x crew of Rebecca England (stroke) and Lucy Scarlett (bow) travelled to Edgbaston Reservoir on Saturday to compete at Birmingham Regatta over the 700m laned course. Having been promoted out of the lower category due to a lack of opposition, the Stratford double faced a tough race against home favourites, Birmingham. Fortunately, weather conditions were favourable with flat water and little breeze. While being held on the staked start for a previous incident to be cleared, anticipation and nerves grew. However, the Stratford duo started smoothly and powerfully, edging ahead of their opposition early on. When lengthening into their race pace, they were able to maintain an efficient rate of thirty three strokes per minute which enabled them to pull further away from the Birmingham crew. Lucy, at bow, steered an excellent line which saw the Stratford double cross the finish two lengths ahead, taking the win. Rebecca and Lucy would like to extend a special thanks to Thomas Doherty for transporting the boat and enabling them to race. They now hope to build on this success, developing their training to become a more established crew throughout the summer.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty five and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-masters-pair-win-gold-at-birmingham-regatta and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/05/02&pages=24

For pictures of JIRR, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0V0RUJkazdaeXVaSHJnbVR2X3BoeENRQjVZWEZBWlVYYkJEbEVXcG1sUWRHOEE%5FZT1JRUdxbE8&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21s4e7601d1cad947e6ae0993bffa61c424&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625