Friday Racing:
St Edwards v Shiplake ‘B’
There was a bit of misguided steering from the Shiplake crew immediately off the start, they drifted into the middle of the river and towards the booms- but Teddies was taking the bold line and moved out into the centre of the course slightly. By Fawley however, Teddies had not only pulled ahead but were extending their lead to a length and a half. But Shiplake kept in touch and were giving themselves space to take it to a sprint to the line, but it wasn’t enough to claw back the win from the impressive Teddies crew.
Marlow R.C v Wycliffe Junior R.C ‘A’
I have to admit, this race surprised me, Marlow looked in control the whole way down and lead their opposition from the start. Wycliffe did all they could and improved their steering from yesterday’s race, but they couldn’t stay in touch with the dominant Marlow boat who came through the finish at a steady rate 28. Both of these crews have had great seasons and have raced against each other multiple times- in this side-by-side contest however it was the Marlow crew that prevailed.
Hartpury College B.C v Shiplake ‘A’
Shiplake had the lead from the start, although it was marginal, and with every stroke they pulled further away. By the time they had passes Remenham club race they had clear water, about three lengths of it, and once they were rowing past the grandstand- well it looked as if they were doing another technical paddle. They came over the line at a very easy looking rate 26 compared to the sprint that Hartpury produced. Again, the Shiplake crew had an impressive day.
Peterborough R.C v Wallingford R.C
As predicted, the crew from Peterborough proved their worth and ended up coming away with the win- the race was not as close as I anticipated however, and Peterborough had to keep pushing in order to maintain their lead. Wallingford put up a good fight, managing to stay in touch and even drawing level at the ¾ mark. Ultimately it was not enough to row through, and Peterborough responded with a decisive move to get the lead back, which they then held on to until the line. A good turn from both crews.
Saturday Racing:
Peterborough R.C v Shiplake ‘A’
This Peterborough crew have had an excellent regatta, to come to Henley Royal and get through to the Saturday is a great achievement- one they can add to the ever-growing list. However, they are coming up against the titans from Shiplake who have consistently made their races look like a practice paddle, not least because they’ve been doing early square exercises whenever they have the chance. I’m sure Peterborough will give it their all and might be able to keep Shiplake on their toes but there is no doubt that the girls from Shiplake will come away with the win, they are still the favourites to win this whole event and rightly so.
Marlow R.C v St Edwards
Marlow went up against Wycliffe today and came away the decisive winners, in a race that they had wrapped up quite early on. Marlow is another one of the favourites to make it into the finals on Sunday, and in all honesty, I think they will make it there, but not without Teddies putting down a good race. They looked very impressive against the other Shiplake crew and put down a tenacious row to come through and win. I would hesitate to say that they might be able to put the Marlow crew under pressure but not enough to take the win.
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