HENLEY Rowing Club recorded a clean sweep in the heats on the opening day of the regatta.
The club, which has not picked up a Henley trophy since 2005, won in all three of its races to progress to the next round of the Thames, Britannia and Wyfold Cups.
Ian Desmond, captain of Henley Rowing Club, said that they are in it to win it. “I am delighted with the results and the standard of rowing. Everything is looking good and we are looking forward to racing again. We are performing faster and faster in the Thames Cup with our new boat and both the Wyfold and Britannia crews also did well.
“The racing is the easy part — our preparation has gone well, all the hard work happened in the winter. We are ready for action and we want to win.”
Despite sweltering temperatures, Henley got its trophy campaign off to the best possible start after they dispatched Poplar, Blackwall and District Rowing Club in the Britannia Cup by two lengths with a time of seven minutes and 20 seconds.
Crew member Luke Wootton, 21, who lives in Thameside, Henley, said: “It felt good to get rid of the pre-regatta nerves and get the first win under our belts.”
Henley continued to live up to its “favourites” tag in the Thames Cup, defeating Durham Amateur Rowing Club by one-and-three-quarter lengths with a time of six minutes and 51 seconds.
Crew member Ollie Bottrell, 25, who lives in Grange Road, Henley, said: “It was a good race, we controlled it quite well from early on, but Durham didn’t let us get away with it. It sets a solid marker for us.
“There is always pressure when you are fighting for something worth winning and we are more than happy to deal with that. We are full of confidence.”
Henley completed a stunning hat-trick sending the New York Athletic Club packing back to America.
Steersman Ross Barnes said the weather conditions made the race difficult. “It was a good opener to start with,” he said. “There were difficult conditions — the heat was definitely a hindrance, we were struggling to feel our legs but it was nice to win on home water.”
Upper Thames Rowing Club continued its recent good form by setting up a mouth-watering clash with Henley Rowing Club in the Thames Cup yesterday (Thursday).
It defeated Rob Roy Boat Club by one-and-three-quarter lengths with a time of six minutes and 39 seconds to make it into the last 16.
James Waters, 24, racing in his third Henley Royal Regatta, said: “We were a bit nervous before the race, we hadn’t raced Rob Roy before so we didn’t know what to expect.”
Meanwhile, Shiplake College, which has not won a Henley trophy since 1984, defeated Norwich School by three-and-a-half lengths with a time of six minutes and 48 seconds.
Adam Middleton, who lives near Watlington, said: “I am really pleased, the race went really well. We started strong and got into a rhythm early.
“We didn’t have to stretch ourselves too much and so we will have a lot of energy going into the next round.”
The 18-year-old added: “We will be going into the race as underdogs, but it will put all the pressure on them to perform.”
It was heartbreak for the Oratory School in Woodcote after it crashed out of the Princess Elizabeth Cup against Belmont Hill School in America by two lengths in a time of six minutes 50 seconds.
James Cunnigham, 17, who was competing in his first Royal Regatta, said: “I believe it was the best performance we could have done. It was a very quick time for us.”
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Published on 06 July 2009
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