Henley Rowing Club

Founded 1839

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NATIONAL SCHOOLS REGATTA

Henley Rowing Clubs junior squad had one of its most successful National Schools Regatta returning with three gold medals and three silver medals including the first medals for boys in the top Championship events.

The Nat Schools regatta is held over three days on the six lane course at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham. Notorious for the winds causing problems with racing Fridays and Saturdays racing where held in rain and strong head winds whilst Sunday suffered from strong cross head winds favouring one side of the course. For this reason the organisers elected to use an echelon format (fastest crews lane 6 to slowest crews lane 1) for Sundays racing.

Separate events are raced to a conclusion on each day of the regatta with Friday being restricted to under 14 and under 15 events raced over 1000 metres. The first of the Henley medals came from the girls J14 quad of Kate Thomas, Gemma Hall, Caroline Brocklebank, Abbie Stephens and cox Lauren Hillyer. The girls won the eliminating and semi final rounds comfortably but in the final came up a strong crew from Lady Eleanor Holles School by half way these two crews had established clear water over the other crews in the event but Henley where unable to close LEH down and had to settle for second place and a silver medal.

On Friday the J16 girls of Orla Millar, Kate Chapman, Kelly Whittaker, Ailsa Buck Pippa Whittaker, Chantal Cummings, Jenny Arnold, Emily Derrig and cox Ellen Anthony won gold in J16 eights. In non of the rounds including the final where the girls ever seriously threatened by any of the other crews, winning the final by over eleven seconds nearly four lengths. The ease of the victory led Sir Mat Pinsent when presenting The Steve Gunn Trophhy to Emily Derrig stroke of the eight to comment “ not even close”.

The third medal came in one of the top events Championship boys double sculls and the gold medal won by Drew Ford and Chris Clarke is the first open win at the Nat Schools by a Henley boys crew. They qualified early in the day through participating in the processional time trial taking them to the semi final where they were drawn against Walton, Marlow, St Neots, Northwich and Monmouth boats. In the semi final, they lead from the start and had pulled out a good lead over Walton by the  half way stage going on to win easily. The final saw the Henley boat up against Windsor Boys School, Marlow, Maidenhead, Reading and Walton. These crews included GB squad and World Class Start athletes ensuring  a potentially very competitive final. The Henley double had a good start and had pulled out a modest lead over second placed boat Windsor early on which they managed to extend progressively up to the 1000 metre half way point where they had a good two lengths lead. They managed to maintain this lead until the last 250 metres when Windsor attempted to close the gap but by this point Henley had control of the race going on to win. Chris and Drew were presented with the Fox Tankard and their Gold medals by Sir Matthew Pinsent who himself won this trophy in 1988.

One of the bigger and pleasant surprises of the regatta for the club was the second place silver medal win by the J16 girls coxed four of Raffie Varley, Kate Chapman, Ailsa Buck, Alice Skinner and cox Ellen Anthony. Again this crews first round was a head race with 12 crews from 21 going to the semi finals. The Henley crew  won the semi comfortably but in the final a very classy Haberdashers Monmouth School crew took an early lead which the Henley girls couldn’t quite match. The Henley crew though also established an early lead over Lady Eleanor Holles School in third place who then hung on to Henley’s stern throughout the race pushing the Henley girls all the way to the line.

Sunday saw Chris Clark, Drew Ford, Tom Pocock and Peter Wagner taking part in the Championship Quad Sculls and winning Silver medals. Qualification early in the day was through a processional time trial which cut the very large entry down to eighteen boats for three semi finals. Only two boats from each semi final went through to the final. In their semi final, the Henley boat was drawn against Windsor Boys School, St Georges College, Tiffin School, Llandaff and High Wycombe Royal Grammar School. They won the semi final comfortably ensuring a good chance of a favourable lane essential for the final given the strong cross wind conditions. In the final, Yarm School established an early lead which they maintained enabling them to dominate the race to the finish with Henley fighting off a challenge from Maidenhead coming in second well ahead of Bronze position Maidenhead to take a much deserved Silver place. Maidenhead were third with Marlow, Windsor Boys School and Avon County taking the remaining places.

The third gold medal came from the girls in J16 quad sculls. The crew of Pippa Whittaker, Chantal Cummings, Jenny Arnold and Emily Derrig have had a very successful season so far and where perhaps race favourites which brings its own pressures. A poor start in the semi left them in third place at 500 metres gone but good sculling in the second 500 metres saw them with a length and a half lead over local rival Maidenhead and Marlow by halfway, fro here they cruised to finish the semi 12 seconds ahead. In the final despite a good start Maidenhead took an early lead which they extended to nearly a length by 750 metres, but from here Henley with good sculling drew through Maidenhead and a good push by Henley at 1000 metres saw them go into the lead. After this the race was over and Henley just kept pulling away to a comfortable nine second win.

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