Upper Thames and Henley triumph on home water at masters regatta

LAST week’s two-day Henley Masters Regatta, held on Friday and Saturday, provided some good races and successes for host club Upper Thames and Henley Rowing Club despite some categories being affected by substitutions caused by covid.

This year’s event, the 28th, saw 1,200 competitors from 145 clubs competing in 360 crews with athletes competing from 11 different counties over the 1,000m course, from just above Temple Island to Upper Thames Rowing Club.

Host club Upper Thames had a large entry and came away with six wins after some extremely competitive and hard-fought races. The first Upper Thames win of the day came in a the women’s masters G quads where a composite crew with Melbourne University defeated Ardingly Rowing Club easily in a time of three minutes and 22 seconds.

Upper Thames took the honours in the women’s masters F double sculls where they defeated York City Rowing Club by two-and-a-half lengths in a time of four minutes and 19 seconds.

In the men’s masters D quad sculls, Upper Thames defeated an Ardingly composite crew in a close race by three-quarters of a length in a time of three minutes and 10 seconds. Two Upper Thames single scullers won their events. Bob Gullett won the masters I category after beating Parry of Wallingford Rowing Club comfortably by four lengths in a time of four minutes and 25 seconds while Tim Lincoln won the masters J category beating Green of BTC Southampton Rowing Club easily in a time of four minutes and 53 seconds.

In the masters F quadruple sculls Upper Thames beat Newark Rowing club by half-a-length in a time of three minutes and 27 seconds.

However, it was a mixed weekend of racing for Henley Rowing Club who had two crews competing in the women’s masters E category double sculls and the women’s masters B category single sculls. Racing on Friday, the women’s double of Niki Orr (stroke) and Helen Turnell (bow) faced a composite crew from Auriol Kensington and Tideway Scullers’ School who they beat with a verdict of easily in a time of four minutes and 25 seconds.

The following morning, they raced the semi-final against a crew from Durham Amateur Rowing Club beating them by a distance of three lengths in a time of four minutes and six seconds.

The final proved to be an exciting race with the Henley crew up against another composite, this time from the USA. The Dallas/Texas crew took a small lead from the start and started to draw away at 500m but the Henley double were tenacious to the end with a gutsy performance.

Ultimately, they were unable to row through, leading to a defeat for the home crew by a distance of one-and-a-
quarter lengths with the Dallas/Texas crew winning in a time of four minutes and two seconds.

It was then the turn of Michaela Spitzer who had two races on Saturday in her single scull event.

In the first, a semi-final, she was up against a sculler from Mortlake Anglian and Alpha Boat Club whom she beat by a distance of four lengths. No time was taken. In the final later that afternoon, Spitzer took a slight lead from the start against her opponent from Peterborough City Rowing Club with both crews staying in contention for most of the race.

Lifted by the home crowd supporting her from the bank Spitzer raised her sculling rate with 100m to go and won the final by half-a-length in a time of four minutes and 18 seconds.

The regatta is run annually and relies on more than 100 volunteers, sponsors, advertisers and supporters, whilst continuing to attract a growing reputation in the national and international masters rowing calendar.