In a weekend of fantastic racing, across three glorious May days, it’s hard to select a genuine highlight. Watching St Paul’s School crush the Championship Eights was special – it felt like the culmination of years of hard work and comprehensive development in a world-class program. I also thoroughly enjoyed watching Shiplake spring a surprise on the whole field to take an impressive win in Junior 16 Championship Eights. Gregg Davies, headmaster at Shiplake and ardent rowing supporter, was down below our commentary booth when his charges won a very special gold – his delight was ours in a great moment. I’ll take you through a brief rundown on some of the runners and riders from this weekend’s action…
Championship Eights
This was all about St Paul’s. The boys in black and white tore the field apart – their eventual winning margin of 15 seconds was the largest I’ve ever seen at that level and evoked memories of the 2009 and 2010 Eton crews. A tremendous performance to not only make good on the form they showed in March but better it – they decimated a field containing all of their major rivals. The only question now left to be answered is whether they can power their way to a quadruple – it’d take a brave man to bet against them.
Behind the undisputed dominance of St Paul’s, Radley College put in a stunning row to claim silver. Having showed very little speed in the lead up to the regatta, they performed their usual party trick of pulling a performance out of the hat. Shiplake won a marvellous bronze, tussling with Bedford School all the way down the course. With a cross-head wind forcing the committee to redraw the lanes in echelon formation, Eton College struggled in Lane 8 – their casual attitude towards the time trial came back to haunt them as they failed to medal for the first time in a few years. Bedford School claimed the First Eights title in their semi-final and put in a very respectable performance in the final, finishing fourth and defeating a number of Championship crews.
Second Eights
Another tale of the favourites proving true to their pre-regatta billing. Eton College have now established themselves as the undisputed kings of the second eight, putting their assorted opponents to the sword on Saturday in a display of relaxed, smooth, powerful rowing. The question now remains as to whether Mark Fangen-Hall can amalgamate his first and second eights to find added speed in the run-up to Henley Royal Regatta – anything less than a weekend would probably represent a poor return in a squad with plenty of natural talent.
Championship Girls Eights
Henley finally shook off the challenge of Headington to claim the ultimate prize in junior women’s rowing. This squad has so much talent, as Henley continue to attract all of the premier talent in the female region. They’ve become such a breeding ground for success that if a young athlete wants to win medals they move to Henley to take that step. Leon Redman, Chris Boothroyd and the rest of the coaching team at Henley can take great pride in this weekend’s performances. Marlow exceeded expectations to take bronze, which shows that their program is moving back in the right direction.
Championship Quads
Maidenhead looked imperious throughout the day, winning every stage of this competition on their way to an assure victory which completes part 2 of the Triple. With those titles in the bag, attention now turns to Henley Royal Regatta and the Fawley Challenge Cup. Having also won Championship Doubles yesterday, the depth and versatility of their program was on full show this weekend. Windsor Boys were silver medallists in the quad, before qualifying three scullers for the ‘A’ final of Championship Singles – Isaac Workman took the gold with Bryn Ellery in sixth and Julian Van Gelderen in eighth. Westminster took the bronze, in partial vindication of their decision to prioritise the quad over the eight.
Championship Girls Quads
We’ve come to expect to see Henley’s name at the top of the roster and approaching Henley Royal Regatta, they’re certainly the crew to beat. Having already taken the Championship Girls Eight prize, they stormed to victory in the quad ahead of Latymer and Marlow. The margin of victory was perhaps a little smaller than expected, indicating how strong the latter two crews were in the end. Latymer tend to produce high-class women’s quads, a fact evidenced here by their silver medal finish. This is the first time we’ve seen Marlow on the podium since 2014, and was a welcome bronze to add to silverware they won on the Saturday. One thing I noticed was that Latymer’s B crew finished second in the ‘B’ final – they’d be capable of boating a pretty good eight if they integrated their crews.
Junior 16 Championship Eights
What a race. A sensational performance from Shiplake, who were perhaps slightly underestimated before the event, to take a resounding gold with St Paul’s in silver and Abingdon in bronze. Having managed to negotiate a length’s lead with 500m gone, the Bees never looked like relinquishing their hold on a final which appeared to simply get away from the other competing crews. St Paul’s, who took gold at Junior 15 level, are the program to watch in the next few years though, with a strong second eight and excellent J16 and J15 programs. Abingdon, who won Wallingford Regatta, failed to continue a winning run but put in a strong performance as they begin their climb back to the summit of junior rowing.
Junior 16 Girls Eights
Henley – again. A ten-second margin of victory hammered home the level of dominance that this club have over junior girls rowing. With wins in pretty much every event they entered a top crew into, they’re probably the most successful junior program in the country – period. Lady Eleanor Holles took the silver, a result which should help them bridge the gap at senior level, whilst Headington were bronze medallists but some 17 seconds off the pace of the leaders.
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