SCHOOLS HEAD

Henley Rowing Clubs Junior squad had a tough schedule of racing last week with The Schools Head of the River Race on Thursday followed by The Women's Eights Head of the River Race on Saturday. Both races are rowed over the 4 ¼ mile Boat Race course but in the reverse direction starting at Chiswick Bridge and finishing at Putney. The Schools Head being slightly shorter by about 400 metres. Conditions on both days where reasonable but a strong wind kept temperatures on the water down and presented a head wind on sections of the course.

At the Schools Head four crews raced the most successful but unluckiest of which where the girls under 16 quad of Kay Davies, Becci Griffiths, Hannah Smith Willis and Lucy Lewington. The girls where unlucky to be the first quad off behind the Women's Junior coxed fours whom they caught very quickly. With a number of these slower crews failing to give way the girls had a difficult course to steer and clashed with a number of crews including coming to a complete stop on the stern of a Headington boat that moved into their path. As they eventually finished second behind a Headington quad this incident was particularly grating. These two quads where though well clear of their nearest rivals, third place Sir William Borlase being 42 seconds behind the Henley crew. 

The J14 boys of Simon Jones, Drew Ford, Peter Wagner, Chris Clarke and cox Nathan Hillyer produced another good performance to finish fourth in their division. This is the first time that the boys have been beaten but can take some consolation that they where the fastest of all the Thames based clubs.

Competing in girls under 18 quads where Hannah Read, Gemma McIntosh, Natalie Robinson and Melanie Gilson. The girls finished in fifth place which was a very good performance as Hannah and Natalie are under 16 and where competing against girls who where up to three years older and more experienced.

The fourth crew was the under 18 four of Gemma Johnson, Caroline Green, Elley Lewis, Hannah Boyd and cox Becci Varley. The girls raced a wonderful first half of the course and where clearly moving away from the crews behind but where unable to maintain the pressure during the second half of the race and finished in 8th place. 

On Saturday Lucy Darke, Hannah Read, Gemma McIntosh, Natalie Robinson, Kaye Davies, Becci Griffiths, Lucy Lewington, Hanna Smith Willis and cox Hanna Boyd returned to the Tideway and swapped their sculling blades for sweep oar's to take part in the Women's Head. Starting at 192 the girls raced exceptional well to finish 95th out of the nearly 300 crews competing. The standard of the performance is even more exceptional when it is appreciated that 6 of the girls are under 16.