Leander secure three wins at Reading head of the river

LEANDER CLUB picked up three wins at the Reading University Head last weekend.

Charles Waite Roberts, George Rossiter, Cameron Buchan, James Robson, Ed Grisedale, Callum McBrierty, Harry Glenister, James Stanhope and cox Henry Fieldman won the open men’s eights event.

The crew got off to a good start and showed good discipline to maintain a very fast average speed and achieve a time of 12 minutes and 24 seconds to win their event.

With two last minute substitutions, the second eight had less than ideal preparation for their event and came home in fourth place.

The crew comprised Alex Ball, Tom Ballinger, Francisco Mendes, Callum Jonson, Seb Devereux, Richard Hawkins, Barney Stentiford, Ryan Todhunter and was coxed by Whitney Powell.

The open men’s quad of Victor Kleshnev, James Cartwright, Olly Stephens and stroke Olly Dix overcame the waves and constant steering battles to win their event. Also racing in the event were two of Leander’s Star and Arrow junior quads, who were using the event as practice ahead of next week’s Schools Head and Scullery.

Last up was the women’s quad of Katherine Maitland, Charlotte Fennell, Georgy Brayshaw and Ruth Siddorn, who raced well to win their event in style.

Meanwhile, in London on the Tideway, Leander’s women’s eight of Natasha Harris-White, Olivia Caesar, Juliet Perry, Rachel Heap, Annie Withers, Sam Courty, Anna Portious, Susie Dear and cox Morgan Baynham-Williams raced against Oxford.

Conditions were so windy that after stopping the first race, they rowed out a shorter one, from Barn Elmes to Harrods, about 1,000 meters and, after exchanging leads along the course, Oxford won by the smallest of margins.