29/10/06

Local clubs do well in Upper Thames Small Boats Head

The Upper Thames Small Boats Head of the River race on Sunday 29th October offered events for coxed and coxless fours, quadruple sculls, coxless pairs and double sculls. Competitors ranged from elite men and women through to club level athletes, veterans and juniors. This year’s race saw 210 crews representing 25 clubs enjoy near perfect weather conditions throughout the day.

The Small Boats Head is run as a 3km time trial. Boats are set off in procession at timed intervals and progress upstream from Henley Management College towards the town bridge with the finish on the upstream side of Phyllis Court.

Leander Club fielded the fastest crew of the day in men’s Elite coxless fours, winning in an impressive time of 9 min 35sec. to win the Sutherland Rose Bowl Trophy. Leander also produced both the fastest women’s coxless four and women’s quadruple sculls of the day.

Upper Thames Rowing Club recorded three excellent wins. A determined performance by the women’s Senior 2 quadruple scull overpowered all opposition to win by a clear 30 seconds; the crew (from bow) was Caris Marsh, Beth Jackson, Elise Cope and Jennifer Hawkins.

The composite crew of Victoria Wood (Henley Rowing Club and U.T.R.C.) and Mary-Ann Chalmers (Upper Thames) won women’s Senior 2 double sculls and was the fastest women’s double of the day by almost a minute.

A newly-formed Upper Thames women’s Junior 15 double scull of Hannah Shimmin and Katherine Poulter won by two seconds over Maidenhead R.C. to claim their first medals together. Skilful steering, consistent strokes and a determined finish helped them come through in a time fast enough to have won the Women’s Senior 3 event.

Other Upper Thames juniors, all coached by Livinia Cowell-Sherriff, also rowed extremely well, most of them in their first ever race. Henley Rowing Club was represented in the majority of events and their men and women dominated the junior categories. Oxford Brookes University, also out in force, impressed in both the men’s and women’s sweep-oared events winning no less than 11 categories from Senior 3 through to Elite.

The Victor Ludorum Trophy for the most successful club was a close-run contest between Henley R.C. and Oxford Brookes with Henley finally retaining the trophy for another year. Medals and trophies were presented to the winners by Peter Sutherland, the founder and President of Upper Thames Rowing Club.

Thanks are due to all of the volunteers who run the event, particularly Jenny Robb and John Urry and to the competing clubs for their support.