Dedicated rowers with a lesson for cricketers

THE current England cricket team could learn from Team GB’s successful rowers, according to Leander Club press and publicity officer Robert Treharne Jones.

He spoke at the Henley Standard’s Best of the Week awards dinner at the Bull on Bell Street last week when he recalled an occasion some years ago when the then England team visited the club on a fact-finding mission.

He said: “They wanted to come to quiet, leafy Henley and do some training sessions with the rowers. We were very much looking forward to it but they said they were trying to keep it under wraps as they wanted to keep out of the glare of publicity.”

The two lots of sportsmen met on the first evening for a meal at the club but it soon became apparent that they had very different attitudes towards training. Robert said: “The cricketers had been at the bar and during the meal, while the rowers were on squash and juice, they decided to add to their quantity. After the meal the rowers went right to bed and the cricketers headed out to town. Within a nanosecond every person in Henley knew the England squad was in Henley.

“At training the next day one of the Leander coaches said, ‘let’s look at the behaviour of each camp’. The rowers have been at the top and stayed at the top, whereas the cricketers have been up and down. Maybe this is why. History says maybe those lessons haven’t been learned.”



Robert, who commentates on rowing events including the Olympic regatta, also recounted a story from a world championship final, where his co-commentator made an embarrassing mix-up. He said: “We got to the final of the lightweight eights, where Denmark were looking to regain their gold medal. They had a lead as I handed over to my partner and suddenly something amazing happened and Poland took the lead.

“They were a team without any pedigree in rowing, so much so that they weren’t even competing in the race! He had seen the red and white blades of Denmark and thought it was Poland.”

The race finished with a comfortable win for Denmark and Robert’s partner, an experienced rower and Olympic medallist, was still blissfully unaware of his mistake. It was only when he was pointed towards the start list that the realisation hit him.

Robert said: “He asked why I was kicking him under the table. I said ‘take a look at the start list and tell me what lane Poland are in!’”

Who was his unfortunate partner? He wasn’t telling!