Tag Archives: Stratford Herald

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

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 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

British Rowing’s Coaches’ Course Hosted by Stratford Boat Club

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Sunday was the final day for Stratford members taking part in British Rowing’s Coaches’ Level Two Course: a total of ten members took part including five from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club

The course was run by British Rowing’s Marcus Walker, Level 2 and L3 Course Coach: the extensive four day course covered topics such as risk management; warming up and cooling down exercises; understanding the assessment process, coaching behaviours, the code of conduct, responsibility, safety requirements; cold water immersion and hypothermia; developing athleticism and the practical application of boat adjustments

Commenting, Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Head Adaptive Coach who booked and promoted regional participation said, “To have the British Rowing (BR) coaches’ course at Stratford is a major benefit and shows BR’s commitment to Stratford Boat Club and the region. The emphasis of the course is to teach the participants how to be a coach and ensure the safety of all athletes”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty five and https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/club-proud-to-host-coaches-course-9436815 and also Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-host-british-rowing-coaches-course

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’s Masters Triumph at Chester

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Sunday saw Stratford upon Avon Boat Club make the long journey up to Chester for their premier small boats head. The event, raced over 5km, attracts a strong field of competitors as it acts as a training ground for the upcoming London national small boat events.

Stratford Boat Club, represented by Tom Doherty and Rebecca England in the mixed masters double, were up against crews from both the Midlands and the North of England. Blustery conditions and a strong stream made for lively racing. Stratford, setting off at thirty strokes a minute with strong, youthful competitors from Pengwern chasing them down, settled into a good rhythm. Nip and tuck racing saw neither club giving any quarter as both crews overtook a number of other small boats along the course. With the race heading towards the last kilometre, both crews took it up in an attempt to make a decisive push for the line. Stratford, increasing their rate to thirty two strokes per minute, were determined to hold Pengwern at bay and gain the win.

Reflecting on the victory, Rebecca England commented, “It was great to compete over a longer, more challenging course and come out with a positive result to start the head season.”

For media coverage see Stratford Observer back page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/09/26&pages=24 and online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-masters-double-triumph-at-chester and also Stratford Herald page forty four and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/decisive-push-for-the-line-proves-crucial-in-stratford-s-suc-9435034

Stratford’s Novices and Senior Triumph at Worcester and Upton

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Novice Coxed quad of Emily Burton, Charlotte Juxton, Helen Helliwell, Sarah Jane Walker plus cox Jen Cary raced at Worcester Regatta on Saturday.

The crew said, “We had a great experience in a loaned boat from Worcester called ‘The Flying Nun’.” The Stratford Novice crew came second to the opposition who were an all male crew: Stratford were given a seven second head start and did themselves and the Club proud by losing only by three seconds! Thanks went to Jen Carey, the cox, for her patience, support and encouragement

Also at Worcester Rowing Club Regatta was Stratford senior sculler Jake Blatcher. His opposition was Birmingham Rowing Club in the semi final which was a tough race where both parties swapped the lead in the early stages but Jake Blatcher kept strong and maintained a good lead towards the end winning by a boat length.

Jake’s final was against Worcester Rowing Club: the wind was stronger for this race and the river was quite choppy making the rowing conditions more challenging. Jake had the lead from the beginning and worked hard to keep this with a two boat lengths distance as he crossed the finish line. Commenting, Jake said, “A rewarding day out!”

Meanwhile, another Stratford’s Novice crew went to Upton. A convincing five length win in their debut race at the Upton Beginners’ Regatta in torrential rain, Stratford’s newest adult crew of Rochelle Jeffrey, Ricky Neault, Sophia Barnard and Paula Belcher, who started the Club’s ‘Learn to Row’ course only in April. Eight crews race each other in two groups in a round robin. A less than ideal footplate setting cost the Stratford crew the second race by a length and the third with a diving oar at the start of the race.  But the crew regrouped, concentrated on form and carried off their fourth, fifth and six races in style, winning four out of six races and the ‘Plate’ group.  “A great comeback for this resilient, determined, thoughtful, crew” commented cox Celia Price. We would like to add a big thanks to Club member John Robinson who volunteered to trailer the two stable boats, promised for the regatta, when the planned tower’s vehicle developed an eleventh hour problem!”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-novices-and-senior-impress-at-worcester-and-upton and Stratford Herald page forty five

VJ Day: Stratford will remember them

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Friday was a busy day for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club with the Junior Summer Camp but members took time out to remember VJ Day with a short wreath laying and moment of reflection to remember those Club members who died in world wars, other conflicts and especially the Far East theatre of war: Masters’ member Graham Cann laid a wreath on behalf of Club members. Graham was a Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines Commandos during the Falklands War

Paul Stanton, Club President, said a few words and led the short act of remembrance and commented, “15th of August marks one of the most significant events in World War Two when Japan finally surrendered bringing WW2 to an end. We felt that it was fitting that the Club commemorate this occasion and remember former members who gave the ultimate sacrifice. With all the current conflicts around the world, it was good to take time out to remember and thank those who made the sacrifice so that we can live in comparative peace and enjoy our sport”

Paul Stanton also made mention of the Club’s former member Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf who was a Stratford Boat Club member in the early 1930’s and raced in fours. Arthur died on 9th December 1941 in the incident that led to posthumous award of the Victoria Cross: his Victoria Cross was one of only twenty-two awarded to the RAF in the Second World War and the only such award made to the RAF for service in the Far East theatre of war. Arthur Joined RAF in 1936 and his squadron was sent to Singapore in 1939 and in 1941, 62 Squadron were stationed in northern Malaya. In the early hours of 8th December 1941, Japan launched its invasion of what is today Thailand: part of Japan’s attempt was to seize the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. On 9th December Scarf’s squadron was ordered to attack Japanese aircraft on the ground at airfields in southern Thailand which had been captured by the Japanese. Arthur was the first to take off: an attack of Japanese bombers then destroyed or damaged the rest of his unit before they could get airborne. Scarf decided to proceed with the attack alone: he evaded Japanese fighters on the way by flying very low and completed his bombing run on the target airfield. He attempted to return flying at tree top height hoping to evade constant fighter attacks: sadly, he was not fully successful. Scarf was grievously wounded: one burst of fire shattering his arm, another ripping through the unarmoured pilot seat into his back. Scarf’s crew mates had to hold him tight to keep him upright in his shattered seat as he grimly struggled to bring them home. He eventually crash landed his ‘plane at a British airfield: he died a few hours later of his wounds. His crew survived.

Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Archivist, who prepared the notes for Paul said, “The closing words to the citation for Arthur’s Victoria Cross say everything, “On 9th December 1941, Arthur ‘displayed supreme heroism in the face of tremendous odds’ and ‘his splendid example of self-sacrifice will long be remembered.”’ Arthur’s VC is now owned by the RAF Museum Collection

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page eleven and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/stratford-boat-club-marks-vj-day-with-memories-of-heroic-vic-9430450 and Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/commemorations-across-south-warwickshire-for-vj-day-57453 and page three https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/08/22&pages=24

Stratford’s Adaptive Squad Stars at Oxford

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The Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Adaptive Squad competed in its last regatta of the season on Sunday at Oxford Sprint Regatta. Its dominance at regional regattas was again in evidence – winning five of the six events it entered.

There was a number of debut wins: these started with Ricky Clutterbuck, an amputee, winning his first singles’ pot. In the final, giving his experienced local Oxford opponent a ten second start, Ricky gradually pulled back the difference, winning a great race by a length. Lance Fowler, a neurodiverse thirteen year old, competing with Andy Morris in his final and beat another Oxford crew by a convincing five lengths. For Lance, who has been rowing for less than three months, this was also his debut event.

It was also the first time for Ethan Roberts: competing with Jake Blatcher, he took the honours in his final against Oxford. The crew took an early lead, kept it, crossing the line two lengths in front. Fresh from his first ever win at Maidenhead last weekend, Jason Clark, racing with Andy Morris, dominated Marlow in his final and won by four lengths. The Wards, Ian and Paola, defeated only once this season, beat a Marlow crew by three lengths to bring the day to a close. Unfortunately, James Bastin and Jake Blatcher suffered an equipment failure soon after their start and were not able to compete effectively against a fast Marlow crew. Jake Blatcher was also racing in mainstream singles, losing to a very good St Hugh’s sculler in the semi-final who then went on to win the event.

Commenting on the season Head Adaptive Coach Mark Dewdney said, “This season was very much a transition year for us. Some have moved out of the area and Curtis Dickens, Stratford’s Paralympian hopeful has gone to train with the GB squad. The Adaptive Squad has generally performed above my expectations. We have only lost about half a dozen races all summer. The expansion of the neurodiverse provision at the Club in 2025 is particularly pleasing.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-adaptive-squad-celebrate-success-in-final-regatta-of-season and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/08/22&pages=24 and Stratford Herald page forty two and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/adaptive-squad-continue-their-dominance-at-regional-regattas-9430448