Tag Archives: Stratford Herald

Stratford’s Adaptive Squad Takes More Records!

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Adaptive section entered two of its young SEND rowers into the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships recently.

Competing in the SEND Two Minute School Year 9 race against eleven other competitors, the pair finished with the Gold and Silver Medals. The physically large Edward Owen-Smith came in first, completing 607 metres in the allotted time. Lance Fowler, who is better at longer distances, finished second with 536 metres and competed remotely. The boys won the same medals at December’s British Indoor Rowing Championship.

Edward also competed in the Mainstream Four Minute Indoor Race: this race had seven hundred and one entrants and Edward finished nineth overall with a distance of 1167 metres. The winner covered 1198 metres. The World Record for an intellectually impaired rower of his age was 919 metres: Edward surpassed the mark by 248 metres.

Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Head Adaptive Coach, commented, “I am very proud of them both: they both continue to amaze me. They train hard and ultimately that is where these results come from.”

The Club’s adaptive section now holds sixteen current Indoor Rowing World Records.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-claim-gold-and-silver-at-national-junior-in-9459008 and page forty five

Stratford Conquer The Tideway and Gloucester Canal!

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On a beautiful spring day, as a culmination of winter training, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Women’s Masters E VIII competed at Women’s Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR) on the iconic Oxford/Cambridge boat race course on the Tideway along with over three hundred women’s VIII. The crew of cox Jen Carey, Ellie Davis stroke, Gina Fusco, Jane Cryer, Ruth Poulten, Clare Booth, Abby Symons, Caroline Collins and Charlotte Jones at bow.

Ellie Davis held the stroke rate at a solid thirty strokes per minute over the course which the crew followed creating a smooth and confident rhythm . Masterfully coxed by Jen whose experience of Tideway racing led to a fantastic racing lining maximising the stream.

The crew were all very pleased with the row and the improvement in time over the previous year: they look forward to the racing together soon. Coach Sam Hill watching from Hammersmith Bridge commented, “Jen steered the perfect line round the long Hammersmith bend straight under the famous lamp post. The crew displayed powerful efficient rowing, a credit to the hard work they have been putting in for the last six months. The training continues in preparation for Vets Head in two weeks’ time.”

While the women conquered the tideway, Stratford’s masters were also represented closer to home on Sunday at Gloucester Head where they faced wild weather and very choppy conditions. Due to illness and a last minute substitution, Rebecca England and Thomas Doherty ended up racing in both divisions, racking up a tidy total of twenty eight kilometres. They rowed well and overtook a number of crews, being placed second in both their races. They were especially pleased with their morning race where, despite being a mixed 2x, they only missed winning the master’s men’s event by eight seconds.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty five and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/winter-training-pays-off-as-stratford-rowers-impress-on-the-9458253

Masters Triumph at Avon Spring Head

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First off for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club rowers at Avon Spring Head was the Masters’ C mixed quad of Rebecca England, Pete Spivey, Lucy Scarlett and Thomas Doherty. Going toe-to-toe with strong opposition from Gloucester in very blustery conditions, the Stratford crew started strongly with Doherty steering an excellent line round tricky bends to remain in the fast flowing stream. Taking the rate up in the final 1km straight, the Stratford crew did well to hold off their opposition, finishing second in a very respectable time.

The Senior women’s double of Rebecca England and Lucy Scarlett were thrilled to have the opportunity to race at Avon County head after a frustrating start to the year with floods in Stratford preventing them from training on the river. Racing in Band One down a windy course, Scarlett and England held a good, consistent rate over the first half of the 3.5km course. After being held up under the bridge by a crash between the crews in front, Stratford restarted well, overtook their opposition and upped their rate coming into the final straight. They were pleased with their third place finish and hope to be able to increase their water time over the spring.

Stratford’s Thomas Doherty and Pete Spivey were last to go in the afternoon division. With slightly calmer conditions, racing in his first head race in a single scull, Spivey had a relaxed start before winding up both the rate and power as the course progressed. “I was very pleased with my racing line and loved every minute, feeling like my winter training paid off” said Spivey, who managed to catch the sculler in front in the final stretch and finish a very strong second in his category. In the Master’s G/H single sculls, Doherty started strongly. Gaining on the sculler ahead, he increased the tempo over the middle part of the course. Raising the rate to 30 strokes per minute in the final straight, Doherty stepped up the pace to overtake his opposition in front and ultimately take the win. “It was a very successful day on the river with this being my first ever win in a single,” commented Doherty.

Meanwhile, sadly Stratford Juniors’ hopes of racing at the weekend were dashed with the cancellation of British Rowing’s West Midlands Championships for which the whole junior squad had been training for several weeks and, adding further to their frustrations, water sessions at home at Stratford were also cancelled due to the River Avon being in flood again with high river levels and fast flow.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty three and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/strong-results-for-stratford-boat-club-rowers-at-blustery-av-9456215 and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-masters-triumph-at-avon-spring-head and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/03/06&pages=24.

Boxing Day Scratch Regatta 2025

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s traditional Boxing Day Scratch regatta over 350m from the ferry to the Club grounds is always a superb attraction for the Stratford upon Avon townsfolk and visitors to the town over the Christmas break.

This year’s Boxing Day Scratch Regatta was no exception as twenty rowers together with volunteer coxes took part in the coxed fours knockout round robin racing with the bonus of get out on the river which recently has been hampered by high and fast river conditions.

It was an awesome morning of fun working off the roast potatoes and tins of Quality Street (other confectionery is available!) consumed on Christmas Day! Four crews took to the water: no collisions this year though a number of near misses and re-starts and a great number of really competitive finishes! Crews were made up of the masters, seniors, novices, juniors and even a few returning family members who dusted off the cobwebs to show us how it’s done!

Commenting, Paul Stanton, the Club’s President said, “The start of 2026 is promising and the Club looks forward to training and competing in local, regional and national head of the river races. Luckily another dry, mild Boxing Day which meant plenty of family members and the general public were watching from the Recreation Ground, Bancroft Gardens, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre terrace and the Tramway Bridge. The event was really well supported and organised and a special thanks to Helen on the safety launch, Jon marshalling the start, Helen marshalling the finish line and Dave Edwards for organising the morning!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/festive-fun-on-the-avon-as-boxing-day-regatta-returns-9447707 and page thirty one and the Northern Echo! Also see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-stage-annual-boxing-day-regatta and British Rowing online  https://www.britishrowing.org/2026/01/stratford-upon-avon-bcs-boxing-day-regatta

F​or more great pictures of the Boxing Day Regatta, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0lnRHMyNHlDR0tBS1RwY3JzSVlTVnFWUUFkYlgxcUdBc2JkeUlDem5yVlc3d0EwP2U9MjlnME54&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21s828cdbeca0184e0a972bb0861256a550&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Welfare, Wellbeing & Inclusion Award for Mark Dewdney, Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach

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Over the past ten years, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club Adaptive Section has developed one of the largest and certainly the most impairment-diverse squads in the country: an inspiring model of what inclusive sport should like.

The squad, led by Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach Mark Dewdney, now boasts six qualified adaptive coaches with three more currently in training. The coaching team includes neurodiverse and physically impaired coaches with growing female representation.

The squad supports athletes with a wide range of conditions including spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, neurodiverse conditions such as autism and ADHD, multiple sclerosis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, amputation, stroke, long COVID and many other acquired impairments arising from accident or illness. Commenting, Mark said, “This diversity is not coincidental but reflects a conscious commitment to inclusion, compassion and flexibility. The ethos of the squad is simple: rowing for everyone. We feel all rowing clubs, our governing body (British Rowing) and indeed many sports have a long way to go to be termed “inclusive”. National strategies need to be coordinated, properly resourced and given the highest priority. All relevant bodies need to start to deliver. Participation is the only valid measurement of success.”

Commenting further, Paul Stanton, Stratford Boat Club’s President said, “This well deserved award for Mark not only is a credit to him but also to the whole adaptive squad family – coaches, buddy rowers, helpers, parents and the athletes themselves! Mark has shown that co-operation and working together can achieve great things for all the rowing and wider community.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/festive-fun-on-the-avon-as-boxing-day-regatta-returns-9447707 and page thirty one and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-head-adaptive-coach-mark-dewdney-receives-award

World Records for Stratford’s Adaptive Squad!

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The British Rowing Indoor Championships took place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham at the weekend. A number of Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s adaptive squad athletes competed and returned with a numerous medals and two new World Records!

The team consisted of four neurodiverse rowers and one amputee. The latter, Ricky Clutterbuck, winning an early Gold in the PR3 Para Four Minute Event, covering 1086m. Ethan Roberts achieved 1140m and Ian Ward 972m in the Open Adaptive version, finishing second and fifth respectively. Ethan followed this Silver with a Bronze in the 2000 metres, completing the distance in a phenomenal  7:15.7!

Edward Owen-Smith and Lance Fowler, both neurodiverse and just thirteen years old, competed in the mainstream Year Nine Boys Event with Edward taking a terrific Silver medal in a time of 1:34.2 while Lance finished in a great fifteenth place out of twenty four competitors with a time of 1:45.4. Both beat the previous World Record of 1.53.9 in the PR3-ID (Intellectual Disability) category for 13-14 year olds.

All the Club’s neurodiverse athletes competed in the One Minute Dash. In the adult open adaptive event Ethan won a bronze medal with 314m, Ian was sixth with 274m. In the Year 9 Open Adaptive event, Edward clocked up 319m and Lance 284m, taking Gold and Silver. Again both beating the existing PR3-ID World Record of 261m.

Head Adaptive Coach Mark Dewdney “Two World Records, good results from everyone: that was a good day! The championships, and rowing in general, has to put more thought into how it accommodates adaptive and particularly neurodiverse athletes. We would have competed in many more events but the scheduling was inappropriate for some of our athletes with complex needs. We will be producing a report for the National Neurodiverse working group to this end.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online  https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-claim-two-world-records-at-british-indoor-c-9444995 and page thirty seven, British Rowing https://www.britishrowing.org/2025/12/the-numbers-behind-the-british-rowing-indoor-championships-2025 and Stratford Observer back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/12/12&pages=24, online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-adaptive-squad-break-world-records-at-british-rowing-indoor-championships and Concept online https://www.concept2.com/records?record_type=world&machine=rower&event=&gender=&age_category=13&srsltid=AfmBOoqXAOLOOWcgQ0ZjSWbBBp47rZM5KL5utP1KDx7IZBEVfMZBe5Av&adaptive_rower=3&language_variant=

Stratford’s Juniors Score at Hampton!

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club Junior Squad spent Saturday competing at Hampton Small Boats Head which served up classic winter racing on the twisty 3000m stretch of Thames between Sunbury and Hampton. Across multiple divisions, singles, doubles and quads from schools and clubs tested their speed in cold, blustery conditions that punished messy steering and rewarded tidy, aggressive racing. For some it was a first serious outing in small boats this year: for others, a clear checkpoint on winter training and a marker for the season ahead.

Stratford’s J17/J18 squad took to the water in single and double sculls. In the single sculls, Alexandra Francis delivered a strong performance to achieve second place in a high quality field with Poppy Baines in the mix lower in the ranking. In the WJ17 double sculls the two crews of Martha Cooke and Martha Baines and Millie Smith and Maeve Dunn came home fourth and fifth respectively. In the next age band up, Martha Cook and Poppy Baines stepped up to the big league coming eighth in a packed field of twenty crews. Alexandra Francis and Tessa Parkin went quicker still to come fourth, narrowly behind Peterborough City Rowing Club and with both crews besting some high end outfits such as Molesey Boat Club and Putney High School Boat Club.

Fresh from their outing on the Tideway for Junior Fours head (6.8k), Stratford’s five J16 Performance boys put on another great showing, this time on the non-tidal part of the Thames at Hampton Small Boat Head 3,000m downstream. In Division One, Seb Happel, Will Shaw, Ed Appleton and Rory Rowan came eleventh overall in the OJ16 4x- event (out fifteen crews competing) in 09:57.2 beating crews from St Georges College, Staines, Molesey and Royal Grammar School High Wycombe.

In Division Two, Will Shaw and Euan Richter came nineth overall in the OJ16 2x event (out of twenty four crews competing) in 10:11.1 beating crews from Molesey, Wallingford, Kingston Grammar, Claires Court, St Peter’s School, Marlow, Wallingford, Tideway Scullers and Tiffin. In the O16 1x event, Ed Appleton came sixth overall (out of twenty three crews competing) in 11:02.6, beating crews from Claires Court, Rob Roy, City of Bristol, Henley, Walbrook and Kings School Canterbury and Euan Richter came thirteenth.

Lead J16 Coach Hugo Happel said, “The athletes showed great discipline and attitude, good technique and achieved great results on this maiden event for them. The Thames got very narrow at times with plenty of overtaking but they steered and sculled well. Well done to all athletes!”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page thirty seven and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-boat-club-s-juniors-impress-at-hampton-small-boats-9444491 and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-junior-scullers-impress-on-the-river-thames and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/12/05&pages=24

For more pictures of Hampton Small Boats Head, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL2YvYy8zZGQ4ZjZhNzBjMGNiNjI1L0VnN256czk1YWVSRXNHenByd2FoYk5VQmV2c0p2Y2cySXhxMmxTNUNrU19QV3c%5FZT11S09Gb2o&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21scfcee70e697944e4b06ce9af06a16cd5&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

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

Club Falls Silent as President Leads Act of Remembrance: We Will Remember Them

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Sunday was a busy and poignant day for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club with Club members taking time out from rowing to remember those who died in World Wars and other conflicts past and current

On Remembrance Sunday, the whole Club stopped to meet around the Club’s memorial: as is Club tradition, wreaths were laid by the Club’s oldest member, Donald Imrie and the youngest member, Hattie McGurk, to remember Club members who gave their lives in wars and conflicts. Seventy three years separate Donald’s and Hattie’s rowing and life experience!

The Club was honoured to have Louise Beardmore (née Hitchman) lay a wreath to commemorate Francis Percival ‘Frank’ Hitchman, a Club member, who died in World War One. Louise and the Hitchman family first noticed the memorial to Frank Hitchman during their marquee wedding celebrations at the Club in August. Mark Dewdney, the Club’s Archivist, researched Frank Hitchman and found that Francis Percival “Frank“ Hitchman was born in Stratford in early 1895 and grew up in the town. Frank started working for the local railway company Stratford and Midland Junction Railway as a clerk. He was also known to have played for Stratford Rugby Football Club as a forward in the 2nd XV. He started at the Boat Club as a cox and was known to have won in a large fours event at Ross in 1908. He was the third member of that crew to perish in WW1. Not destined to remain a cox, he grew to over six foot tall and weighed around fifteen stone! Frank joined up in November 1915 and served with 15th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (2nd Birmingham Pals) and went to France in February 1916 where he served during the infamous 1916 Battle of the Somme. Wounded in Sept 1916 and again in May 1917, Frank’s end came in the third Battle of Ypres – Passchendaele. On 6th October 1917, Frank was wounded close to Menin Road. He was evacuated from the front to a casualty clearing station where he died without regaining consciousness. Frank lies in Godewaersvelde British War Cemetery near the Belgian border with 1,000 other soldiers. During his brief resume of Frank Hitchman’s life, Mark Dewdney commented, “It is now eighty years since the end of World War Two and we should take this time to remember the sacrifice that Club members and local Stratford people made in the two World Wars and other conflicts”

Reflecting further on Sunday’s Act of Remembrance, Paul Stanton, Stratford Boat Club’s President said, “Whilst the Club is a forward looking organisation with its sights set firmly on the future, we take this time to look back, pause, reflect and give thanks for those who served and died for their country and colleagues so that we may live in peace and pursue our sport with happiness and joy. We were also pleased to have members of the public join our act of remembrance and be part of our community: we were especially happy to have Louise and the Hitchman family with us as it emphasises the connection between the past and the present”

For media coverage, see British Rowing online https://www.britishrowing.org/2025/11/club-falls-silent-in-act-of-remembrance, Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/picture-special-remembrance-sunday-in-south-warwickshire-2025-58963 and pages five, six and seven and also Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/remembrance-sunday-2025-south-warwickshire-pays-respect-to-9441484 and page twenty three

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