Tag Archives: Stratford Herald

World Masters Regatta 2026: Lake Bled, Slovenia

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At this year’s World Masters Regatta Stratford upon Avon was represented in different classes by Tom Doherty, Pete Spivey, Ellie Davis, Gina Fusco and Kjersti Rogneflaten-Woolley. Club members Dan Simkins and Suzie Radley were also attending the regatta but competing for Upper Thames Rowing Club in Henley.

There were more than 4,700 competitors at the event which was held between the 9th and 13th of September. Fifty one countries were represented from 860 clubs with 981 races over the 1000m course across the five days. For those who have never been to Lake Bled, it is one of Slovenia’s famous tourist destinations but also the home of Slovenian rowing and regular international rowing events. The World Masters being the largest.

It is common at these regattas for small clubs like Stratford to team up with other small clubs and compete in more events, using boats from a few clubs to make logistics easier. These entries are called composite boats or international entries if more than one country is represented.

There can be up to 200 entries into some of the categories and so each category is split into heats with eight lanes racing side by side. The winners of each heat are then classed as World Masters and receive their world championship medals after the finish. Each heat is highly competitive and athletes can range from 27 years of age to, this year, 92. Athletes compete against athletes of similar age.

Overall, Stratford represented themselves very well against the rest of the world. First off on Wednesday 9th was Kjersti, rowing with a friend, Eva, from Loch Lomond, in Women’s G (65 to 70 Age) double scull. They came a fantastic second place. Kjersti also competed with Eva and two ladies from Castle Semple Rowing Club in Scotland in the Women’s G and F quad sculls on Thursday and Friday respectively, being six seconds quicker on the Friday, which is progress in rowing terms and finishing in sixth place in each race.

Also on Wednesday was Pete Spivey rowing with an Austrian friend (Hannes Amon) in the Masters E (55 to 60) double scull event. They had won together in 2017 and repeated their performance with a comfortable win and one of the fastest times of the category which pleased both of them.

Pete also represented Stratford in the challenging Masters E single sculls event on the Friday. After being late for the start and receiving a warning, he just managed to get the boat straight to set off with the other competitors. His first 500m didn’t go as planned and mentally he was disheartened by the poor start, however he realised the other competitors were no longer pulling away and he had plenty of energy in reserve. He composed himself properly, put the hammer down and won the race by one second over the Portuguese masters champion: one of the highlights of his forty five years rowing!

Ellie and Gina were excited to be at Bled for their first international race. The venue was beautiful and it was quite something for them to be part of the 4000 + entries from around the world. The only downside was that the race they had been training for all year the women’s E double scull, got cancelled due to bad weather. The duo were gutted but showing great resilience, picked themselves up to get on with their other races .They had entered a double scull in age group D (50 to 55) and beat seventy of the one hundred crews on time in other heats so were happy with their performance against younger rowers.

The rest of their races were scratch crews, so had never raced with them before. They had a photo finish with Denmark for fourth place in a women’s  F (age 60-65) quad, only one second between third and fifth place which was very impressive given they were scratch crews: an exciting race to say the least!

Tom Doherty raced in a Men’s Double scull F with a friend from Bridgnorth, racing in the outside lane one and coming home towards the back of the field. However, on the Saturday both Pete and Tom teamed up with the rest of the Bridgnorth men and rowed in the Men’s Eight category F. They came a fantastic second place and each crew member was absolutely delighted and a little surprised on how well the race had gone: they left nothing on the line and completely emptied their tanks as a crew. Not bad for a bunch of old boys from the Midlands!

Dan and Suzie, rowing for Upper Thames challenged themselves, completing eighteen races between them, with Susie getting first place and a World Master title for the Women’s E Quad Scull. Upper Thames actually won the overall club trophy for the event, representing the UK at the highest level.

The Sunday of each World Masters regatta is always for the mixed boats and Stratford competed in the Mixed Eight and Quad Sculls, rowing with others from Bridgnorth, Warwick and Upton and just enjoying the last day of racing. Kjersti is quoted as saying, “It shows what rowing is all about, friendship and being part of a rowing community”

Ellie and Gina are planning on competing at next year’s event in Varese, Italy and others will commit to it also.

Congratulations to Pete and Suzie for their successes and for putting Stratford upon Avon Boat Club on the medal table and to all the others involved in this most enjoyable and amazing event.

At Worcester Small Boats Head, held on the 3rd of October, the honour of the Club was defended by Stratford Men’s 2x Masters F crew of Tim Lunel and Chris Edger. It had been four years since their last challenge for the Men’s Masters E/F title at Worcester SBH had been stymied by a handicap given to a crew from an older age category. Using Chat GTP, AI and a complicated algorithm to determine their optimal chances of victory in this blue-riband event, Tim and Chris determined there and then that after an enforced four year absence to move up an age category to give them a twenty four second handicap which would optimise their chances of success in this blue-riband event.
Four years later, on Saturday after an arduous aging process, interspersed with some light training coupled with coffee breaks, Tim and Chris lined up against a younger Hereford crew in a titanic battle. The result? Stratford overtook their mighty opposition in the first third of the race, their opponents having been clearly discombobulated by their twenty four second disadvantage. Going forwards, Tim and Chris intend to deploy this aging strategy judiciously, culminating in medaling in the over-80’s World Masters category in 2045 when medals will be handed out to everyone who competes, based on the fact that they have stayed the course for so long!
For media coverage, please see Stratford Observer back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/10/09&pages=32#page/32 and Stratford Herald page forty five

Stratford Make Short Work of Wallingford Long Distance Sculls

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On Saturday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J17/18 Performance squad had three crews in Division One and three in Division Three at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls head race. In the former, racing the 4k in the Open 4x- event, Will Shaw (bow), Seb Happel, Euan Richter and Ed Appleton came fifth overall out of two hundred and eleven crews competing and fifth in their event, pitted against strong crews from St Paul’s, Wallingford and Magdalene in a very commendable time of 15:58.7. The WJ18 4x- of Millie Smith (bow), Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines and Martha Cooke sculled very well and also came fifth in their event against strong scullers from Lady Eleanor, Henley and Wallingford in a time of 17:27.6. Finally, Imogen de Pennington sculled against twenty other WJ17 1x competitors and came third in a time of 19:32.0, a fantastic achievement for someone with only one year of sculling under her belt.

In Division Three, sculling in the Women’s 4x- event (4k), Erin Appleton (bow), Maria Ntoukaki, Imogen de Pennington and Orla Linforth came seventh in their event, putting in an excellent time of 17:18.4 on the board. In the WJ18 2x event, Tessa Parkin (bow) and Martha Baines won their event in 18:40.0, beating strong crews from Wallingford, St Edwards School, Headington and Thames Scullers. Millie Smith (bow) and Martha Cooke came fifth and sculled with great technique.

Commenting, J17/18 Coach Hugo Happel said, “The J17/18 boys and girls sculled really well on this great stretch of the Thames, really putting Stratford Boat Club on the map once more. Their attitude off the water and their determination and grit on the water is such a thing to behold. Lots to build on: well done to all athletes!”

The first race of the season for the J16 Performance squad brought beautiful rowing conditions: clear blue skies, no wind and no stream. The morning saw Connor Birrell apply himself well to the 4km course in a large field of high quality singles, finishing twenty two out of forty two competitors across two divisions. The boys double of Nathan Lebordais and Rueben Stanford had an excellent row, full of power and energy to finish second, only three seconds behind the Wallingford crew rowing on their home stretch and well clear of all the chasing boats. Such a result early in the season bodes well for the rest of the year.

In the afternoon, the girls double of Martina Bruce-Bonilla and Lilly Parsons rowed neatly and positively to finish seventh. By the time the girls singles set off, the temperature had risen unseasonably high and it was warm work for Abi Dunn who finished fourteenth and Meredith Paul who finished nineteenth and both scullers worked hard in a field of strong athletes.

For more great pictures of Wallingford LDS, see Kathy Baines’ selection https://1drv.ms/f/c/8e50dac120123b06/IgDL3-1WZD1eTb34ndqwKf3sAXiPyCK1VlATiX666n-rgfA

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty seven and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-performance-squads-shine-at-wallingford-long-distance-sculls

River Health Morning

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The morning began for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club with River Hope’s Martin Liddament giving voice to the River Avon, reminding us that “this is the only water on the planet – all there ever was and all there ever will be.”  Composed by Mary Manandhar, convenor of River Hope, Martin’s reading provided a powerful reflection on our shared responsibility to respect and protect it.

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club daytime rowers were delighted to welcome actors Janie Dee and David Tarkenter, River Hope, Rubbish Friends, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Wildlife Friends and Cyril Bennis BEM.  Everyone commented on how enjoyable it was to come together, share knowledge and take action for the river.

The morning included a coxed outing supervised by Vice Captain Alfie Nash, litter picking on land and water and a wildlife walk led by Bill Wright of Stratford Wildlife Friends. Cyril Bennis BEM was interviewed by local photographer Charlie Budd, reflecting on how the health of the river is connected to our own health – and to the health of the planet.

Visitors were also able to see Stratford Boat Club’s adaptive rowing programme in action with coaches Mark Dewdney and Gillian Middleton on the water with Women’s Masters rower Suzie Radley and Alex, our new British Rowing GB Development referral.

There was plenty of time to enjoy the social side of the morning too, with pastries, teas and coffees and the wonderful views from Stratford Boat Club.

The event hinged on Stratford Boat Club volunteers, led by Chris Belcher, making boats and launches available, allowing activities to take place both on and off the water. Stratford Boat Club also took part in the Great UK WaterBlitz, using a free Earthwatch testing kit to measure nitrate and phosphate levels in the river. The results are now displayed on the Club noticeboard and sadly reflect the wider picture of poor ecological health in our rivers underlining the importance of continuing to monitor, understand and care for the Avon.

A special thank you goes to actor Janie Dee, whose enthusiasm helped catalyse the morning, and the Club members who freely gave their time to make the morning’s outing possible. Thanks also to everyone who made boats, launches, equipment and expertise available.

copyright Marcus Miggins, Stratford Observer

The feedback afterwards captured the spirit of the morning beautifully: “Everyone at the boat club was just great – really interesting and fascinating to talk to.” The river clean proved surprisingly addictive, with everyone getting stuck in, while the rowing was described as “an absolute joy”.

Commenting Claudine Pearson, Stratford Boat Club’s lead on sustainability said, “Perhaps most importantly, the morning reminded us to look up and out – to see beyond our own activities and organisations and recognise our place within the wider life of the river, the community and the natural world.”

For more pictures of the event, see Charlie Budd from Chin Badger’s selection https://chinbadgermedia.client-gallery.com/gallery/stratford-river-day-18sep26

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald’s Thursday edition page eight and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/rsc-actor-janie-dee-amongst-campaigners-at-river-avon-enviro-9484687 and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/stratford-rowers-swap-their-oars-for-litter-picks

Stratford Score Twice at Chester

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On Sunday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were represented by Thomas Doherty and Rebecca England at Chester Long Distance Sculls. As part of their training for the Pairs Head of the River in London, they raced the 5k course twice, both in the masters’ and the senior mixed double events. In both divisions, they were really pleased with their racing, having maintained a good rhythm and length throughout. The double was able to take the power and rating up when under pressure from chasing crews and they finished the day with a medal from the Masters’ event and a respectable third place in the Seniors’ race.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Stratford Boat Club was the venue for the ever popular Shakespeare Hospice Annual Dragon Boat event with twenty six crews from all over the region competing and a thrilling six boat final! The Dragon Boat Event raises much needed funds for the Shakespeare Hospice. Next year’s event is Sunday 19 September 2027

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page fifty two and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/doherty-and-england-impress-at-chester-long-distance-sculls-9484312 and Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-pair-triumph-at-chester-long-distance-sculls and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/09/25&pages=40#page/40

Boat Club Newbies Succeed at Upton!

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Three adult Learn To Row crews from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club travelled to Upton Rowing Club Beginners Regatta on Sunday to race in four ‘round robin races’ in the warm sunshine.

First to race was the crew of Liz Robb, David Howells, Alison Pigdon, Ann Field with cox Richard Field. They won their first race by two lengths against a composite crew of Ross/Monmouth/Upton

Two other Stratford crews came up against each other for their first race. They were very well matched and it was very close but the crew of Ella Roper, Steve Barron, Carl Nolan, Claire Cunningham with cox Sally Bliss took the win by half a length over the other Stratford crew of Helen Heenan, Michael Court, Max Phillips-Mills, Rachel Burns coxed by Rochelle Jefferies.

In the ‘round robin races’, the Robb crew won one race by two lengths and the Heenan crew won one race by four and a half lengths: the Roper crew won three out of four races and came second in their group.

The final overall results after five races were the Robb crew eighth; the Heenan crew fifth and the Roper crew third. The winners were a brilliant crew from Ross. Summing up the day, Sally Bliss commented, “The Stratford crews all improved with every race and it was a fabulous day!”

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page forty six

Stratford Take The Honours at City of Oxford Regatta

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On Saturday, Thomas Doherty and Rebecca England represented Stratford in the mixed masters CDE double sculls at City of Oxford Regatta. For their first race, they faced Swindon, a fellow D crew, in the semi-final and enjoyed a comfortable win over the 1000m course. A harder task awaited in the final where they came up against Abingdon. Being older, Abingdon had the advantage of a head start which allowed them to negate the disadvantage of their bend. Even though Stratford had a fast start and a good row, they were unable to row down the deficit on this occasion, coming second out of the six starting crews.

Stratford’s adaptive section visited Oxford Sprint regatta in force on Sunday aiming to take the cup for the best performing Adaptive team. This they duly did comfortably, winning six of the nine events they competed in.

Star of the show for Stratford was the fourteen year old Tristan Caudle-Stephens. He won both his singles and doubles events. In his single, he sculled beautifully against his City of Oxford opponent who had won two weeks early at Maidenhead, winning by three lengths. In the double there was a close fight between Guildford and Tristan and Neville Hand. Technique ultimately told for another three length Stratford win. These were Tristan’s first ever event victories.

Stratford Boat Club’s adaptive squad other fourteen year old athlete Lance Fowler also won a singles event, defeating his Marlow opponent in the final by the ubiquitous three length margin.

Stratford’s James Bastin, who has multiple disabilities, raced with his former Stratford adaptive rower colleague Andy Morris, now at Stourport, and they were drawn against Oxford in his straight final. Another epic fight resulted in a narrow and popular win for James.

The Wards mother/son combo completed a good regatta season against old rivals from the City of Oxford: a tight race ended with Stratford less than a length in front. Also, Ricky Clutterbuck, after suffering disappointment in his single, combined with Andy Morris to defeat another City of Oxford double by a convincing five lengths.

There were final defeats for Edward Owen-Smith in a double, Ricky in his single and for Christiane and Helen Helliwell’s double. All learnt from the experience.

Edward Owen-Smith also competed in the J15 mainstream singles event as there was no one fast enough to compete against him in the adaptive events and no J14 event. He was a little outgunned and lost his semi-final.

Jake Blatcher got through a tough semi-final in the Open Singles. His final opponent from Falcon proved a tougher nut: Falcon took an early lead but Jake was forcing his way back until he made a mistake. This sealed his fate and Falcon went on to win by just under two lengths.

Mark Dewdney, Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach commented, “The Victor Ludorum Cup and to honour an adaptive rowing pioneer Andy Weekes who died in February, was our target. All who raced and helped, contributed to Stratford’s adaptive squad taking the honours. City of Oxford regatta completes the adaptive squad’s regatta season. Our next major target is the British Indoor Rowing Championships which this year combined with the Worlds in early December.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page thirty nine.

All in the Family!

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s adaptive section and some senior rowers competed at Maidenhead Regatta on Saturday. Sadly, only two Stratford adaptive crews ended up competing, both made up of a mother and one of their children. Both crews were successful and won their events. A third crew was unable to get to the event due to a rail strike.

The final of the Women’s Supported Double was between the mother and daughter double of Helen and Christiane Helliwell and an experienced Marlow crew with this being Christiane’s first proper competitive event. The Helliwell double consistently pulled away from their opponents throughout the 500m course and won by a convincing five lengths.

The final of another Supported Double event was between the mother and son combo of Paola and Ian Ward and a Guildford crew. Ian had been unwell during the week but despite this, the Wards turned out to be much the stronger crew and won easily.

Jake Blatcher competed in the top band of the Open Singles: he had won two similar events in July but this was not to be his day. Coming up against a strong Reading sculler in the quarter-final, it was nip and tuck the whole way with the Reading man getting his nose in front near the end to win by a canvas.

Jake then doubled up with Helen Helliwell in the Mixed Doubles event. The other crews were young and also very good. The Stratford crew came up against a fast Burway boat in the semi-final and were well beaten. Adaptive Head Coach Mark Dewdney commented, “We were pleased with how the adaptive races went. In the mainstream events, Jake made a few mistakes but he has had a very good season. Our Mixed Double was out-gunned on the day so many lessons learned.”

For media coverage see Stratford Herald page forty four and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/five-length-triumph-for-stratford-adaptive-rowers-9478394 and also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-family-pairs-triumph-for-stratford-boat-clubs-adaptive-squad-at-maidenhead and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/08/14&pages=32#page/30

Stratford Visitors to Henley Town Triumph

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J17/18 squad delivered a strong and determined showing at the Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta, an event with roots stretching back to the late 1850s, with several athletes stepping up impressively across multiple races.

In the Open Mixed Double Sculls, Alexandra Francis and Seth Vondrak made a composed debut as a new pairing. Despite facing a far more experienced Warwick crew preparing for the World Masters, they settled quickly, held their pace through the middle of the course and mounted a determined push towards the line. Stratford were narrowly beaten by a third of a length but it was an encouraging first outing for the duo.

Francis returned to the water shortly afterwards, joining her WJ18 4x teammates for their final against Reading. The race quickly became a test of resolve with Reading taking an early lead but Stratford refusing to let the contest slip away. They pressed hard all the way down the course, showing real grit and earning warm praise from the event commentators even though Reading held on for the win.

Vondrak also stepped up again, this time into Band 1 Open Singles, punching well above his Junior 18 status. For an 18‑year‑old, reaching Band 1 is a notable achievement, reflecting the racing points he has already accumulated and placing him directly against some of the regatta’s fastest single scullers. He rose to the challenge with a composed and determined row, giving everything he had against older and more experienced opponents to finish third in the final, another strong marker of his growing potential.

Concluding Stratford’s day were James Albrighton and Ollie Rowlands in the J18 Open Double Sculls. They made a sharp, confident start in their final against Reading Rowing Club, pushing out strongly from the line: however, that early pace proved difficult to sustain over the full course and Reading were able to move ahead. Albrighton and Rowlands continued to fight all the way to the finish but Reading held their advantage to take the win. It remained a committed and promising row from the Stratford double.

Commenting, Colin Bell, J17/18 Coach said, “Taken together, the performances across the day highlighted the growing strength, determination and competitive spirit within Stratford’s J17/18 squad.”

Stratford’s J16 squad were represented by Ed Appleton and Will Shaw in the single sculling competition and Erin Appleton and Immie De Pennington in the double sculls. First up, the boys were pitted against a sculler from Wallingford. Racing three lanes as a straight Band 1 final, all three had quick starts but Will Shaw maintained a higher rating and carved out a lead which he held to win by two and a half lengths over Wallingford with Ed Appleton just a length back and closing the gap, with his superior technique making up for what he gave away in height. Another fifty metres could have seen a Stratford placed one and two!

Stratford’s J16 girls were drawn centre lane in the three way Band 1 final and were up against City of Oxford and Shiplake School. Appleton and De Pennington, who have been working hard on their starts, set off at forty four strokes a minute and took an early lead. Settling into their rhythm and with very tidy sculling, they stamped their authority on the race, extending the lead to win by four lengths over City of Oxford. Commenting on the J16’s performance, Coach Eric Appleton said, “A fantastic brace of winning medals in what is likely to be the last race for the J16’s this regatta season!”

With a reduced entry due to holidays and no opposition for Stratford’s J14 squad, the girls’ 2x a compact squad of a boys’ 2x crewed by Ethan Siwakowski and Archie Mansfield were in a straight final and a boys’ 1x Christopher Durance in an initial semi-final boated in excellent water & weather conditions.

The boys in the 2x had a great race up the course keeping to the race plan and bringing what they had been working on to their row and achieving a credible third place with all three crews showing some skilled sculling.

The 1x had a great start and kept ahead for the majority of the race until about 100 metres from the finish and then had two unfortunate meetings with some river furniture but picked everything back up to just miss out going through to the final in second place.

Commenting, Dawson Curnock, J14 Coach said, “For all three boys, more experience of side-by-side racing at another prestigious event and representing themselves and the Club admirably: onwards boys!”

Also competing at Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta were Stratford’s Masters Women: first to to row were Ellie Davies and Gina Fusco competing in Women’s Masters’ E 2x. Unfortunately, the double had a shaky start and failing to get into their usual rhythm plus clashing with a buoy meant the double lost their semifinal so no medal this time.

Plagued by an injury-strewn summer which limited their training capacity, Rebecca England and Lucy Scarlett were finally able to come back together to race in the Women’s Master’s A double sculls. Facing strong opposition from Vesta, the Stratford duo rowed well together in the swell and maintained a good rhythm but unfortunately were beaten to the finish line on this occasion.

Last event of the day for Women’s Masters but the first race in the new VIII was a phenomenal success for our Women’s Masters on the iconic Henley course in beautiful conditions. Rowing in Women’s VIII Senior Band and vying for The Sagamore Challenge Cup, the crew of Ellie Davis (stroke), Gina Fusco, Rebecca England, Ruth Poulten, Charlotte Jones, Abby Symons, Caroline Collins, Claudine Pearson (bow) and Jen Cary (cox) had a relaxed and powerful start at rate thirty six strokes per minute before settling and focusing on technique.

Jen steered a confident line down the 800m enabling the crew to apply their power and set the pace against a determined composite Guildford/Walton opposition and a Milton Keynes boat who struggled to keep up. Ellie stroked a superb race which helped the crew to a comfortable two length victory and in a boat which made a decisive difference. Coach Sam Hill said, “I’m so proud of the crew and absolutely delighted that all their hard work on and off the water has paid off. This memorable win is extremely well deserved and testament to their dedication.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty four and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-juniors-impress-at-henley-regatta-9477387 also Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-junior-and-masters-scullers-triumph-at-henley-town-and-visitors-regatta and back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/08/07&pages=32#page/32

Stratford’s Juniors Excel at Junior National Championships and Masters Conquer at Bewdley

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The weekend saw the British Rowing Club Championships in Nottingham with Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s juniors out in force. Held on the 2000m lake at the National Water Sports Centre, the event brings together clubs and schools from across the country over a four day period.

First to race were the J17/J18 squad. J18 single scullers Xavier Sissins-Roffey and Seth Vondrak boated first, however were unable to progress beyond the Time Trial stage. Next to go were the WJ18 double sculls of Millie Smith and Maeve Dunn plus Martha Baines and Poppy Baines. Following the time trial, the Baines sisters progressed to the E Final where they battled their way through from sixth to cross the line in third place. Moving into the second day of the regatta, the J18 boys raced again in the coxless pair. Their time trial performance earned them a place in the semi-finals where they progressed to the B-Final and a fifth place finish. In the WJ18 single sculls, Alexandra Francis recorded eleventh place in the time trial and moved forward to the semi-finals to win a place in the B-Final and sixth place overall.

Blessed with hot weather and mild winds, the following Stratford J16 crews took to the Holme Pierrepoint water on Friday: Maria Ntoukaki and Imogen de Pennington in the WJ16 1x time trial. Maria, still somewhat under the weather a D category struggled to reach a higher stroke rate, recorded a 6:36.2 time over the 1,500m (thirty second out of fifty four competitors) whilst Imogen posted a fabulous 6:13.5 (third place) which put her into the semi final AB2 around at noon, in which she came second, thereby qualifying for the A final. Maria came fifth in her F final, a really good row in the circumstances. Imogen finished sixth in a 8:30.7 time, five seconds faster than her semifinal time. Commenting, Hugo Happel, J16 Coach said, “Credit to both girls who showed grit, determination and dare in their finals.”

On Saturday, Ed Appleton sculled really well in his time trial, recording a 6:11.9 time, against seventy other 16 year old men. Sadly Ed’s great technique did not land him a final. On Sunday, it was the turn of the coxless quads, first up Seb Happel, Euan Richter, Will Shaw and Ed Appleton, followed by Orla Linforth, Imogen de Pennington, Maria Ntoukaki and Erin Appleton. Both crews sculled very well indeed and made their way into a C final later in the day. The boys’ quad came sixth in 7:15.9 and the girls came third in 7:33.4. Commenting further, coach Hugo Happel said, “Overall, a fantastic display of good technique and attitude, a credit to the Club and all came away with numerous learning points as well additional experience. Joint Coach Eric Appleton and I felt very proud of them all.”

Six of Stratford Boat Club’s J15 rowers represented the club in small boats at the Junior National Championships. In the single sculls category, Reuben Stanford finished forty eighth out of seventy six competitors, thirty three seconds behind the fastest time, while Abi Dunn rowed to forty nineth pace out of seventy six competitors, thirty sixth seconds off of first place.

In the double sculls, Bethany Hammond and Raya Hothi placed in fifty fifth places (eleven seconds off a place in the final) with fellow crew of Meredith Paul and Lily Parsons placed sixtieth (fourteen seconds off a place in the final), in a field of sixty seven competitors.

Commenting, Dave Parkin, J15 Coach said, “Although none of the J15 crews were in the top thirty six places to progress to the finals, all six athletes delivered solid performances in strongly contested races and should be proud of their achievements at a national level event.”

The J14 squad was represented at the Championships by Ethan Siwakowski (OJ14 1x), Mary Heenan (WJ14 1x). Both had great time trials given the level of competition and moved forward to F & D Finals respectively where both put in outstanding performances in their finals to finish in second place, one and a half seconds off first and fourth place respectively. Great results from the work put in over the last month especially.

Christopher Durance and Arthur Burt (OJ14 2x) and Islay Milles and Amelia Cruickshank (WJ14 2x) both had great time trails as their earlier squad members did to round off the initial rounds of the event. Chris and Arthur moved forward to their D Final with Islay and Amelia progressing to a sixth place overall in the time trials and semifinals where they also finished sixth  overall and into the A Final. In their final, Chris and Arthur had a great row which improved their seeded position to fifth, again proving that all the hard work that they have put in over the last few weeks.

Islay and Amelia had a tricky start to their A Final which was the last race of the event and had a great race from that point on to finish fourth, two seconds off the bronze medal improving their seeding by two places.

Commenting, Dawson Curnock, J14 Coach said, “Overall, a superb day for the squad with everyone making finals and all the athletes coming away with individual wins and learnings to take away into training and the next event. As a coach, I saw a great effort from everyone, not forgetting the parents that carried boats and blades throughout the day, their support is really appreciated!”

Stratford’s Masters’ squad were also in action at Bewdley Regatta: in the morning division, a composite crew of Ann Jewell from Gloucester Rowing Club, Eva Rankin from Loch Lomond Rowing Club and Claudine Pearson and Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley from Stratford Boat Club had entered as WMasG4x drawn against an experienced Bewley women’s crew. After a good start, the crew unfortunately hit an underwater object and had to stop to recover a blade. To complete the race, they had a good row with excellent steering from Claudine, her first in a competition as bow.

In the afternoon division, Eva Rankin and Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley raced WMasG2x against an experienced double from Evesham Rowing Club in the semifinal. After a good start and some steering challenges in the wind, they worked hard to just beat Evesham by half a length. In the final, the crew were up against a Loughborough. The Stratford double rowed well and won comfortably. Kjersti commented saying, “An amazing day that showed what masters women can do when they just want to race!”

Corinna Burger and Helen Helliwell had a strong day in their double. In their first race, a semifinal against a Hereford crew, there was some pre-race anticipation and worries about steering but once racing, they settled quickly, held a steady pace and raced with great will to take the win. The final was against tough competition: knowing the plan, they put down a confident, well-steered piece with good rhythm but just came up short on the day. Overall, a really positive outing with solid steering experience to build on for future races.

In one of her first races in a single, Rebecca England competed in the afternoon division at Bewdley regatta against Ironbridge. Despite being greeted at the start with the first rain of the summer, England settled into a good rhythm and, for the most part, managed to stay away from the bushes and shallows on the course. This allowed her to steadily pull away from her opponent and take the win. Speaking afterwards, Rebecca said, “I really enjoyed being in a 1x even though the steering was quite stressful!”

Ellie Davies and Gina Fusco raced Women’s Masters E 2x in a late afternoon with a straight final against Monmouth. A strong start enabled the Stratford crew to get into the lead which they extended over the course to take the win.

Jake Blatcher competed in Open singles in one of the first races of the day: this quarter final was against a Worcester sculler who Jake had beaten in Cardiff recently. The result was identical, a Jake win by four lengths. The semifinal was competitive for half the course before Jake’s technique began to tell with Jake going on to win convincingly. In the final, Jake was always a little faster than his Birmingham opponent: that and his superior steering resulted in a comfortable win by three lengths. A great day of racing by Jake with a well earned medal at the end of it: this was Jake’s second regatta win in a couple of weeks.

Patrick Taylor and Dan Simkins competed in the double scull and the pair categories, enjoying a great day of racing with fellow Masters rowers. They finished second in both events, missing out on the medals on this occasion.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page thirty seven and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-juniors-show-their-potential-at-national-champions-9475966 and also Stratford Observer back sports page https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2026/07/31&pages=32#page/32

For more great pictures of British Rowing Club Championships, see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://1drv.ms/f/c/3dd8f6a70c0cb625/IgAeHLJNQmY6QpAR9zkwCOjDAb4Hf4lMesvxfl-1T4V1rXA

Stratford Masters & Adaptives Score at Burton, Henley & Llandaff

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Rebecca England and Thomas Doherty represented Stratford upon Avon Boat Club at Burton Regatta on Saturday. Racing in the mixed masters D/E double sculls, they faced an older Loughborough crew who consequently had a head start. The 1.1km course included several tricky bends which had got the better of many a crew in the morning division. However, after a fast start and some hard steering around the first corner, the Stratford 2x caught and overtook their opponents. Maintaining a good length through the straight and into the long, final bend, England and Doherty were able to extend their lead, taking victory by five lengths. 

Later in the weekend, Stratford Women’s Masters joined forces with Bewdley Rowing Club to row as a composite eight at the prestigious Henley Masters Regatta. A clear win of one and a quarter lengths over the 1km course on Saturday against Champions of the Thames (Cambridge) took the crew through to the semi-final on Sunday. Despite the rising temperatures, the crews were well matched for the first half of the race but Wallingford composite pulled away, winning by one and three quarter lengths, going on to win the whole event for Masters F category. The Stratford crew comprised Jane Cryer (4), Abby Symonds (3), Caroline Collins (2) and Gina Fusco (Bow). Commenting Jane Cryer said, “It was such a privilege and joy to row on the Henley Royal Regatta course and under such beautiful conditions. We gave two very gutsy rows and are really pleased with our results and especially how collaborative the sport of rowing is when two clubs come together to race.”

Stratford’s adaptive squad also competed over the weekend at Llandaff with a good row from Gillian Middleton despite the wind.

Commenting on the day, parent Chris Owen-Smith said, “Thank you Mark for all the coaching, driving, organising, rigging, de-rigging and everything else you do for us. A great day today and well done to everyone there. What a fabulous team effort! The chairman of Llandaff Rowing Club approached Edward at the end of the regatta and awarded him a medal for his effort after hearing about it being his first J14 mainstream event and coming so close to winning it. They are such a welcoming club and the regatta has a brilliant atmosphere!”

Commenting further on the day’s racing, Mark Dewdney, Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach said, “The athlete who beat Edward won his later final easily: he is winning regularly so Edward is still very competitive in the mainstream able bodied category.”

Stratford’s Jake Blatcher also won Men’s 1x category and Paola and Ian Ward v Josh & Ethan were in an all Stratford epic. The Stratford mother and son combo won by half a length.

Edward Owen-Smith in his first mainstream J14 event missed a stroke near finish and opposition took advantage to win by a few feet even though Edward was in lead 20m from finish.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/duo-are-victorious-after-success-for-stratford-pair-at-burto-9475051 and page fifty three