Tag Archives: Sarah Walker

Stratford Clean Up The Medals at Evesham Head

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Making a welcome return to the Stratford Boat Club’s racing calendar, after several years of cancellations, was Evesham Autumn Head. The race which was run over 2000m on the River Avon in Evesham always proves popular and this year was no exception.  Stratford upon Avon Boat Club packed the entries with over thirty crews racing over three divisions.

The J14s were out in force fielding crews across all three divisions. An excellent day of racing kicked off with Chris Durance, Arthur Burt and Archie Eaton delivering composed performances in their single sculls, unfortunately losing out to strong Evesham crews enjoying home advantage over familiar waters. Hot on their heels in the girls’ event came Islay Milles and Eva Cruise who processed to blow the opposition away finishing first and second in one of the larger events of the day. To prove it was no fluke, the girls swiftly returned to the start in their double scull for a Division Two race and duly confirmed their status as Queens of the Avon with a blistering performance against yet more strong opposition. Double medals, and all before lunch.

The afternoon saw the now familiar local derby between the Stratford J14 boys’ quad (Eaton and Burt joined by Eli Ford, Archie Mansfield and Ethan Siwakowski) pitted against Evesham. As best of frenemies, the two boats battled valiantly down the 2km course with the Evesham crew recording a winning time less than one second better than Stratford’s, an incredibly close result over a long distance.

Coach Jon Francis was pleased with the day and said, “They’ve built on solid performances at Wallingford to land the first silverware of the new season, proving this squad have the makings of something special”. Club Chairman, Dawson Curnock, was similarly impressed not least with the young athletes’ ability to navigate the gentle curve of the river whilst avoiding the large yet static moored barges.

Stratford’s J15 squad fielded a large entry at Evesham, with ten boats in total across all three divisions and with many of the athletes rowing the 2km course twice. First up in the lovely flat conditions were the doubles, with all three girls’ crews finishing a few seconds apart in fifth (Martina Bruce/Bethany Hammond), sixth (Abi Dunn/Meredith Paul) and seventh (Lillian Parsons/Scarlett Wheeler). In the boys doubles, Reuben Stanford and Tristan Hammick had a good row to finish second.

Later in the morning, the J15s rowed in the quads, with the girls racing well against a field of Headington School boats (which took the top four places) finishing sixth in the division (Meredith Paul, Bethany Hammon, Raya Hothi, Martina Bruce, Charlotte Mansfield (cox)). The boys once again demonstrated the power that had given them good finishes in national events last year to win their division by nearly a minute (Nathan Leobordis, Reuben Stanford, Herbie Shickle, Conner Birrell, Tristan Hammick (cox)).

In the final division of the day, Stratford’s J15’s put out four singles, with Abi Dunn placing fourth and Raya Hothi eleventh in a competitive girls’ race. In the boys’ races, Conner Birrell had an excellent race, setting off at the head of his division and increasing the gap to the chasing boats to secure his second medal of the day, and Nathan Leobordis followed not far behind in third.

Stratford’s combined J17/J18 squad were in action throughout the day with the first crew down the course being the women’s J18 coxless quadruple scull of Bryony Francis, Lily Warren, Josephine Cooper and Poppy Warren.  The crew opened the scoring for the club with an emphatic win over Evesham on their home water.  Next up was the open J18 double scull of Ollie Rowlands and Theo Richter who delivered a strong performance to record third place overall. Matching the boys’ efforts, the women’s J18 double scull of Alice Jones and Sophie Franklin also recorded third place. Hot on the heels of the doubles was the women’s J18 single scull of Becca Smith who battled down the course for fourth place overall. In the final division of the day, all the J17/J18 athletes had the opportunity to race again. With the opposition firmly in their gaze, the Mixed J18 coxless quadruple scull of Lily Warren, Ollie Rowlands, Theo Richter and Becca Smith sneaked victory over AB Severn by a mere two seconds. Then came the turn of the women’s J18 coxed four of Sophie Franklin, Josephine Cooper, Poppy Warren, Bryony Francis and Alice Jones (coxswain) who again delivered the goods to win by two seconds over Evesham Rowing Club.

First up for Stratford Masters Women Division One were Corinna Burger and Helen Helliwell in a Women’s Masters C double. Their first race after training through the summer, Corinna said, “After a period of anticipation, we were off with good consistent rowing right up until the end, minding a few trees along the way and coming second overall.”

Next up were Ellie Davis (stroke) and Gina Fusco in women’s masters E double. Competing in their first head together, they executed their plan to row a strong, steady and relaxed race which led to a win. The crew were delighted.

In Division Two, Rebecca England (stroke) and Lucy Scarlett racing in their first head together in the senior women’s double. They had a good start and settled into a solid rhythm, Scarlett steering an excellent course round the long bowside bend. A final push gave them the win with which they were thrilled.

In the last Division Three of the day Women’s Masters had three crews entered. Corinna Burger, Clare Booth, Claudine Pearson and Ruth Poulten (bow) in the Women’s Masters D quad. Their boat, Imperious Countess first outing with new riggers and a new crew formation. In the water, the first stroke appeared to demonstrate a complete inability to row but captain Ruth Poulten (bow) navigated “gate-gate” with calm and confidence and thanks to on-land support and a spanner, gates and oars adjusted, once again the crew were mobile. Ruth steered the course superbly for a respectable timed result. Handicaps placed Stratford third behind two home crews. Ruth Poulten said, “Crew camaraderie, team focus and determination ensured we overcame a number of obstacles on the day to complete the 2k race with smiles all round.”

The newly formed Women’s Masters C crew of Rebecca England (stroke), Ellie Davis, Lucy Scarlett, Gina Fusco were joined by J16 Cox Rory in a coxed four. They started well and settled into a strong rhythm. Pushing off the bend, they were able to increase their power, upping the rate and ably steered by Rory Jones, they overtook two quads ahead of them. This gave them the momentum they needed to finish strongly and take the win.

Last up of the day for Women’s Masters was the beginners quad crew of Sarah Walker (bow), Charlotte Juxon (2), Urania O’Reilly (3), Sally Bliss (stroke) and Jen Carey (cox). They came over the line in great form to finish second of three in their first ever head race together. They kept a steady rate from the start with a final push to secure their position. the crew were super proud of what they achieved.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page sixty three and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-are-out-in-force-at-evesham-event-9437519 and also Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-win-medals-galore-at-evesham-autumn-head and also back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/10/17&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