Leander coach proud as club win three women’s regatta trophies

THERE was success for Leander, Henley and Shiplake College at this year’s three-day Henley Women’s Regatta as the three clubs won five trophies while Upper Thames suffered final heartache.

Leander, who won three trophies, had a record entry of nine crews and two composite entries in both the women’s double and women’s pair.

Leander crews all made it through Friday’s time trials to the knock-out stages of racing. The women’s eight raced off against Penn lightweights later in the afternoon and rowed to a convincing win.

Saturday morning saw the final of the time trials take place. This time it was the turn of three Leander championship quads.

With all thre quads having qualified for the women’s championship quadruple sculls it was inevitable that two crews would meet at some point. Friday afternoon provided a chance for Leander B and Leander C to face off against each other. Leander B came off the quicker on this occasion but only seconds separated both crews.

Quarter-final racing on Saturday went well for the Leander crews which led to seven crews through to the semi-finals on Sunday morning.

First up was the women’s eight with the development drew narrowing losing out to Oxford Brookes A.

The women’s composite double of Kathryn George and Vwaire Obukohwo (Twickenham Club) won their semi-final after coming from behind to progress to the final.

Both athletes faced off against a GB development crew in the final and showed their strength and power to win overall.

The women’s composite pair of Abi Topp and Phoebe Snowden (University of London) progressed from the semi-finals after beating an Oxford crew who put up a valiant fight in the early stages of the race.

In the final, two hours later, Topp and Snowden lost out to a University of London/IC composite.

In the championship quads. Leander B lined up against Molesey and fought hard but it was Molsley who progressed to the final. Next up Leander A powered their way past Thames RC into the final.

In the final Molesey led briefly off the start, however they were no match for Leander A who showed their power and determination through the middle of the race to win by five seconds.

In championship coxless fours Leander B raced Durham while Leander A raced a Scottish composite crew.

Leander A were unchallenged in the semi-final but the race of the day came from Leander B against Durham. Durham led the charge out of the blocks but were reeled in only for both crews to go toe to toe with Durham evenutally winning by 0.5 of a second. In the final Leander A defeated Durham by 10 seconds.

Speaking after the regatta, Leander’s women’s chief coach Ross Hunter said: “I am extremely proud of all of our Leander athletes this weekend. These results are the culmination of a hard winter’s training and I couldn’t be happier for them all.”

Henley Rowing Club qualified five of its six entries from the time trials to the side-by-side racing with two crews reaching finals and one of these taking gold.

In the Groton School Challenge Cup, Henley had two fours, both winning their first round heats but losing in the quarter finals. The crew of Florence Lenthall, Daisy Janes, Kiera Delaney, Yasmin Lakatos, Alesha Stokes cox lost to eventual winners Glasgow Academy.

The quad of Pippa Jamieson, Nonnie Luke, Ailish Harkin and Freya Weiser beat Surbiton High School then Hartpury College to progress to the semi-final against Tideway Scullers’ School. The semi-final was a close race but Tideway took the victory to progress to the final.

In the top junior event the Peabody Cup for eights, the Henley crew of Ella Dickson, Abbie Smith, Gwennie Hunter, Tabby Hall, Ellie Simmons, Issy Kelland-Shorthose, Emma Eltze, Sophie Eltze and cox Matilda Ley beat crews from Lady Eleanor Holles School, St Paul’s Schools and Surbiton High School to reach the final. In the final they faced Headington School and while pushing them hard throughout the race finished just a length down.

The youngest Henley competitors competing in the Nina Padwick Trophy — for J16 quadruple sculls — saw Jess Mack, Freya Smith, Nicollet Pagdin, Lilya Wild progressing to the final after beating crews from Lea RC and Kingston Grammar School.

In the final Henley secured the trophy after beating Putney High School by a length.

Upper Thames had eight crews racing with 27 athletes.

In the Copas Cup Aspirational eights, the crew of Lucy Bird, Elise Cope, Izzy Pullinger, Ella Wandless, Lucy Darke, Hope Kannor, Rebecca Abbott, Matilda Mann and coxed by Freddie Bryce qualified into the top 16 crews to go forward to the side by side racing. The Upper Thames crews had finished just outside of the top eogjt in the time trial and had to race the seeded City of Bristol in the first round where they lost by over a length.

In the Chairman’s Trophy Aspirational, the quad of Emily May, Claudia Adams, Penny Hamand and Isabella Daniels qualified from time trail to Saturday’s racing where they lost to a strong four club composite of students from Agecroft, Hartpury, Leeds and Strathclyde Park.

In the W Peer Cup Championship double sculls, Upper Thames’ Chloe Knight and Meghann Jackson were racing in a competitive event with semi-professional athletes trying for GB selection.

After successfully qualifying Knight and Jackson lost by a couple of lengths to Edinburgh University and Newcastle University.

Also racing in a championship event was the coxless pair of Emily Paul and Rachel Borrows. With 16 crews qualifying for the knock-out racing, the crew had to race their first heat on Friday afternoon after the morning time trial.

Despite the bouncy water the Upper Thames crew rowed well beating a crew from Georgetown University, USA, in the fastest time of all the heats. On the Saturday morning Upper Thames beat Marlow RC to reach the semi-final where they lost to a composite crew from Imperial College and University of London.

In the Rosie Mayglothling Trophy Aspirational double sculls event, Daisy Hampton and Teuntje Tijssen qualified but were outside the top eight crews so drew a faster crew from Durham University in the first round.

On the way to the start for their race the Upper Thames crew broke a blade doing a practice start and a spare had to be rushed up the bank to them. Sculling with an unfamiliar blade the Upper Thames double narrowly lost out.

In the Lester Trophy Aspirational Club coxless fours, the crew of Sophie Lane, Beccy Norman, Lauren Herrington and Yasmin Ryman-King progressed smoothly though the heat, quarter-final and semi-final beating crews from Auriol Kensington, Cantabrigian and Wallingford.

In the final the Upper Thames crew were just edged out by Worcester RC.

Upper Thames had Alice Pickthall racing in the Fiona Dennis Tropy Aspirational lightweight single sculls and Naomi Holland in the Godfrey Rowsports Trophy Championship lightweight single sculls. Pickthall had a very strong time trial and sculled well in the heat to beat the sculler from Fulham Reach BC comfortably. However, in the quarter-final the sculler from Newark RC was able to establish a small lead in the middle part of the race and despite a strong finish Pickthall lost by a length.

This was a similar story for Holland who had a strong race in the fastest semi-final losing out by just two lengths to the eventual event winner from Dart Totnes.

Shiplake College had four entries, including two quads — A and B — competing in the Bea Langridge Trophy, a coxed four competing in the Groton School Cup, and a single sculler racing in the Di Ellis Trophy who went on to win overall.

In the Di Ellis Trophy, Jess Weir dominated, winning all of her races in a comfortable fashion to take the overall win and claim the trophy.

In the Bea Langridge Trophy, Shiplake’s A quad of A Merritt, M Jackson, Emily Downing and Sophia Foreman raced themselves into the quarter finals only to be beaten by Tideway Scullers’ School. The B quad of Sophia McDavid, Olivia Alexopoulos, Phoebe Young and Lucy Price finished outside of the top 16 in their time trial.

The coxed four of Amelie Parker, Georgia Catlin, Emily Over, Lara Vahle and cox Monty Walker made the semi-finals of the Groton School Cup where they were narrowly beaten by Marlow Rowing Club.

Shiplake Vikings entered a drew in the J16 quadruple sculls with Sophie Pendlebury, Niamh Askin, Bronte Bennett and Evie Blomfield being eliminated in the time trials.

The prizes were handed out by New Zealand Olympic champion Grace Prendergast, who said: “The atmosphere was amazing, the racing was really exciting, and with any regatta that is held here the scenes are just impeccable. It’s such a special place, the knock-out racing is unlike anything else.

“I’m really passionate about women rowing, and that’s why these regattas are amazing — you see the turnout, you see the excitement that everyone has coming to watch, and that’s pretty special.”

Henley Women’s Regatta chairman Naomi Riches said the event was “unique”, and praised the level of competition and the support on the bank. She said: “The last three days have been so inspiring, not just for those new to rowing, but for those who have been rowing for years –— decades. Watching the talent coming through in our sport is just incredible.”