Tag Archives: National Watersports’ Centre

All Fun At The Fun Regatta!

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Although the wait of a year seemed a long time, all the expectations of the Fun Regatta were met and even bettered! The Fun Regatta attracted competitors from local companies, villages and groups of friends and twenty crews with just three hours’ training produced some quality rowing, ably coxed by skilled members of Stratford Boat Club’s junior squad and watched by crowds and friends from the Club’s grounds, the Bancroft Gardens and the Rec, Fun Regatta organiser Adam Franklin said, “We were heartened by the huge numbers who came to watch, cheer the competitors on and enjoy the spectacle even though the weather was hotter than ideal: it may not have been Henley Royal Regatta but we like to think that it was more fun to watch!”

Fancy dress was again a major part of the day, with crews dressed in multi coloured outfits, Britney Spears look a likes – One M’oar Time; nuns and bishops – White Smoke; red and white striped blazers and boaters – May The Oars Be With You; Ninjas in black and white and a troop of Jedi warriors! There were also crews made up from local companies and organisations such as Simplify IT, Stratford Ladies Netball Team and a squad from Stratford upon Avon Rugby Club

Commenting further, Adam Franklin Fun Regatta organiser added, “Through the hard work and all the efforts of Club members, we have been able to raise funds for replacing equipment, repairs and maintenance. As always, we are especially grateful for the tolerance of those who make their living on the river and to our sponsor Crowne Plaza Stratford.”

Dawson Curnock, Boat Club Chairman also commented, “The wait was worth it! A fun day was had by all and Stratford Boat Club was happy to contribute to the vitality and atmosphere of the town and give visitors and residents a cause for celebration! We were so grateful that Stratford upon Avon’s Mayor Cllr Dani Hunter and her daughter visited us and presented prizes to the winners: Stratford upon Avon Town Council’s support is essential for the encouragement for sport and recreation in the Warwickshire area and community.”

Whilst the Club members were running the Fun Regatta, the Club’s masters’ squad were competing in a fantastic two days of racing at Henley Masters Regatta. Held on the iconic Henley Royal Regatta course, the event attracts crews from all over the world competing with the best national crews for a chance to race between the booms.

A bye in the first round saw Stratford’s Mx4x race against Trafford in the quarter final. A strong start ably stroked by Rebecca England saw Stratford racing at thirty six strokes per minute ease out to a two length lead by the 300 metre mark and by halfway had stretched this lead to three lengths. With the race under control, Stratford were able to ease back on the power and finish comfortable winners by three lengths.

Significantly sterner opposition awaited Stratford in the semifinal with World and National Championship medallists Warwick Rowing Club. A strong start with Rebecca leading the crew off at forty strokes per minute and a high tempo race pace of thirty six strokes per minute saw the crews neck and neck at the 300 metre barrier. Warwick, knowing they were in a race, began to increase their effort but excellent steering by Jeanette Caldicott, fresh from her excellent win on Saturday, and a big effort by Pete Spivey and Tom Doherty in the engine room kept Stratford in touch out to the 600 metre mark. Warwick’s superior size and strength saw them increase their lead towards the end of the race running out winners by just over a length.

Said crew member Pete Spivey, “Rebecca and Jeanette with their excellent race control and steering gave us a great platform for two excellent races. Given our limited training opportunities beforehand we can be very satisfied.”

Saturday also saw Stratford’s J17 pair of Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak race in Band One of the open pairs category at Burton regatta. The crew took a win in their first round by two lengths against an adult composite from Derwent and Trentham, leading the whole way after a strong start. They then went on to win the final against a Derby crew easily, giving them a solid practice race and a good result the week before racing at the British Rowing Championships.

Meanwhile, Curtis Dickens, the pararower from Stratford’s adaptive squad, followed up his recent GB appearance at the Rowing World Cup in Italy with victory at the trials for the England squad. He will represent his country in two weeks’ time at Dorney Lake, the venue of the 2012 Olympic rowing international competition, in the Home Internationals.

Curtis’ adaptive colleagues raced in Cardiff this weekend where Stratford’s adaptive squad won all their races which is in line with their results elsewhere this season. Edward Owen-Smith, a recent thirteen year old adaptive recruit, won in his single and also in a double with buddy rower Aron Altman. Stratford’s Gillian Middleton won comfortably in the women’s double event partnered by a Llandaff rower. The best race of the day involved Paola and Ian Ward who had a titanic struggle with the mixed double crew from Ross with the Wards eventually winning by a length and half. Jake Blatcher had tough draws in the mainstream singles events each day.

Commenting, Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Head Adaptive Coach, said, “Jake continues to be very competitive but just coming up short: a win must be surely just around the corner!”

Stratford’s junior squads were back on the water on Sunday after coxing at the Fun Regatta, putting in more training for the British Rowing’s Junior Championships at National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham this coming weekend. Steve Wellstead, Junior Co-ordinator commented, “The junior squad will be heavily represented with crews from J14, J15, J16 and J17/18 categories all there for their chance for glory against some of the best schools and clubs in the country: we wish them luck! The logistics of getting multiple boats, trailers, coaches, athletes, coaches and supporters to National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham is immense and I’d like to thank all who have given their support, time and effort to make this complex exercise possible!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer page four https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/07/18&pages=24 and online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/all-smiles-at-stratford-boat-clubs-fun-regatta and Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/masters-compete-against-the-nation-s-best-on-iconic-course-9425571 and pages forty seven and pages twenty two and twenty three

For pictures of the Fun Regatta, see Kathy Baines’ great selection at https://1drv.ms/f/c/8e50dac120123b06/EsckqrD2bNZGuZ_TxqfQOZcBRP0rWUyhtwHd2Bp8W4x3Fg

Peterborough, Ironbridge & Nottingham in One Weekend!

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Saturday saw Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J14 squad in action at Peterborough Junior Championships on the purpose-built Cambridgeshire rowing lake. The event drew in top schools and clubs from the junior rowing scene to do battle on the 1000m four lane course. First to go in the heats were the WJ14 coxed quadruple scull of Martha Cooke, Millie Smith, Josephine Cooper, Isla Dunn and Maeve Dunn (coxswain) with a solid fifth place of the twenty four crews entered.  Going forward to the B Final, the girls had a ding dong battle with Cambridge’s Rob Roy Boat Club to finish second by the slimmest of margins.

Next to go were the WJ14 double sculls of Sophie Franklin and Becca Smith along with Bryony Francis and Poppy Warren going to work in the heats to record fourth and fifth place respectively of twenty two entrants. In their finals the Francis/Warren combination dominated their B Final and romped over the line in first place whilst the Franklin/Smith crew chased Nottingham and Union down the course to maintain their fourth place overall ranking. In the last of the J14 events, Stratford’s single scullers took to the course as the afternoon heat continued to bake the spectators. In the heats Stratford was represented by Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines and Maeve Dunn who recorded eighth, fifth and fourth respectively of the thirty three scullers racing. In the B Final, Tessa and Martha brought their best to finish fourth and second against stiff competition.  Meanwhile, in the A Final, Maeve Dunn dug deep and tore down the lake to better her time trial ranking and earn herself a richly deserved silver medal against quality competition in the process.

Stratford’s Junior 15 squad also competed at the Peterborough Junior Championships. The competition was intense, with crews from Leeds, Lincoln, Oxford, Sussex, and London. There were one hundred and fifty two races, with four-lane racing and initial time trials. The fastest twelve crews were seeded into the ABC finals, which took place throughout the day.

In the double sculls event for the Junior 15’s, Theo Richter and Ollie Rowlands represented their squad and finished third in the C final. Xavier Sissins-Rofey and Seth Vondrak competed in the time trials for the same event and finished fourth in the B final. Vondrak and Sissins-Rofey also competed in the single sculls event and finished fourth in their respective division B finals. Lucy Yang and Alice Jones raced in the Junior Women’s 15 single sculls event. Yang did not qualify for the finals due to being overwhelmed by her first singles event more to come in future events but Jones finished third in the C final.

In the double sculls event for the girls, Alexandra Francis and Poppy Baines narrowly missed out on the A final but won their B final. Lily Warren and Sophie Evans finished fourth in their B final. Francis also competed in the single sculls event and won a bronze medal in the A final, while Baines placed second in the B final.

Commenting, Colin Bell J15 Coach said, “Overall, the event provided valuable learning experiences for Francis, Baines, and Vondrak, who will apply what they learned in the upcoming British Junior Championships.”

Sunday saw the trials for the U16 GB vs France match take place at the National Watersports’ Centre in Nottingham. ‘V’ Vondrak and Scarlett Richardson entered in the double sculls event in their first opportunity to compete for a GB Rowing badge. With the forecast for thunderstorms in the afternoon, the side by side finals were cut from the programme meaning selection would be based on performance in the time trials only. The Stratford girls sculled well in the early heat of the day, missing out on a top five finish by just 0.5 seconds but demonstrating they are in the mix with the most competitive crews in the country.

Meanwhile, Jake Blatcher, competing in the open single sculls event, was the only Stratford Boat Club representative at Ironbridge Regatta on Saturday. In the first round he came up against a local rival from Evesham. Jake overcame his opponent, in a hard fought race, by a length and a half. His semi-final against a young sculler from Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club proved a more straightforward affair. Pulling away consistently, he won easily.

This win set up Jake for a final against a very good sculler from Falcon Rowing Club (Oxford). The tall rower from Falcon set up an early lead. In the last few hundred metres, Jake’s improved technique started to tell and he began to close quickly on his rival. Unfortunately, he was not able to quite catch up before the finish line. Mark Dewdney, Head Adaptive Coach commented, “This was another sign of progress in an encouraging season. I’m pleased with the performance”.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-juniors-take-on-peterborough-junior-championships and Stratford Herald page fifty two

For more great pictures of Peterborough Junior Championships, please see Kathy and Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9j69o2xUB_tV0JoX2OQ?e=1HikGG