The schoolgirls of Henley Rowing Club won the inaugural Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta and there were two more new names in the record books on a thrilling final morning.

On their home water, Henley RC beat Canford School by two and a half lengths, and 17-year-old Joanna Unsworth in the three seat said: "I think we're the first people to scream at that pitch on the finish line".

"It feels great. It's good to be the first people to do it and be the first names on the records".

"Now we want to win it again; go for the double."

Star Club of Bedford won at Henley for the first time in their 52 year history.  Having led by over a length at one point in the final of the Britannia Challenge Cup for coxed fours, they held on for a verdict of three feet as rivals Taurus BC put in a huge late surge.

Having seen his Star eight lose in a final last year their coach, Olympian Pete Mulkerrins said: “It means the world to us.”

Nottingham rowers recorded their first win at Henley since three of the city’s clubs merged six years ago to form Nottingham RC.

Beaten finalists in last year’s Wyfold Challenge Cup, the coxless four rowed down Australian club ANA over the second half of the course having trailed by a length.

"We’ve had some close races this week already and I thought maybe we had had too many close races but they were brilliant," said Nottingham’s director of rowing Dez Atkins.

"We’ve strengthened them by a long way. Two guys from last year didn’t even make it into this boat, which just shows how much depth we’re starting to get."

In a similarly dramatic race, University of London ‘A’ overturned Newcastle’s early lead to triumph by ¾ of a length for their first Prince Albert Challenge Cup victory since 2007.

Molesey BC’s eight won the Thames Challenge Cup for the second time in four years, beating Thames RC by two lengths.

Two of Leander Club’s quad, Nick Middleton and Jack Hockley, won their third successive Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, the Henley club beating the potential Great Britain under-23 crew from University of London and Durham University.

The day began with a row-past by a group of British Olympic medallists in the royal barge Gloriana, which has been moored at the Regatta all week.

Among them, Elise Sherwell (nee Laverick) was rowing with Sarah Winckless for the first time since they won Olympic bronze in the double scull in Athens eight years ago.

"It was amazing to be rowing behind Sarah again," said Sherwell.

"I don't think we will have broken any records but it's certainly one of the most fun trips up the course I've done."

"We were cheered and clapped all the way. I thought it might be quiet but a lot of people were there early."

For further information contact Caroline Searle or Miranda Edwards in the Henley Royal Regatta press office on 01491 572153 or 01491 575056 press@hrr.co.uk or 07831 755351

Henley Headlines

American eights stood out on the fourth day at Henley Royal Regatta but seven of Sunday’s 20 finals will be all-British affairs. Sunday’s action begins at 11.30am, after a row-past by a group of Olympians in the royal barge Gloriana.

Nottingham survive for second chance

Nottingham RC's coxless four will hope history does not repeat itself too closely as they prepare for a second successive Wyfold Challenge Cup final.

The verdict in their semi-final today - beating Tideway Scullers’ School by three-quarters of a length - is exactly the same as it was last year, although on that occasion the semi had to be re-rowed after Scullers’ fin was caught in weed.

This time a crew with two of the same oarsmen - Richard Watton and Matt Gotrel - survived a battering wind and a dogged Scullers crew.

Now they must put last year's defeat to London to the back of their minds as they prepare to take on Australian club ANA on Sunday but coach Dan Johnson feels last year's Henley experience, going through a regatta that lasts at least twice as long as most, will help.

“The experience of going through five days is so important,” he said. “The crew that missed out last year had never made it to a Thursday before. It was all new and different.

“Obviously we would rather have won last year, then we could be sitting on a beach now, rather than being here in the wind and rain but it's probably a stepping stone you have to take along the way. It's very hard to just rock up, make the weekend and win.”
 

“Boss” swaps ballet for boat

A cool Californian, Brandon “Boss” Shald, strokes California RC’s eight in the Grand Challenge Cup with just a touch more poise, flow and rhythm than most.  But the 28-year-old’s unique sense of movement was already well honed by the time he was just 19. It was then that he danced his first lead role, in Balanchine's Concerto Barocco ballet.

Admittedly, it’s hard to picture the big man - just one race away from lifting the Regatta’s top prize - as once having graced the theatres of the West Coast but the San Francisco Chronicle described him as: “A very musical and sensitive partner”

“It was my first lead and you always remember that one,” explained Shald, shortly after getting his breath back having led his crew to a convincing two-length victory over Australia’s top U23 eight.

“Back then, I was just 175lb (12st 7lb). But now, I’m about 215 Ib and really enjoying myself in this eight.”

Shald switched to rowing in 2008, after his father, a former oarsman, suggested he give it a try. Four years later, he just missed out on a place in the Olympic team but plans to continue rowing in an attempt to make the US team for Rio 2016.

“The guys in our eight didn’t quite make it this year but I learned so much under [US coach] Mike Teti,” Shald said.

Remarkably, though, Shald’s eight has only had three days working together with their coach, the former German lightweight Bernhard Stomperowski before the Regatta, they remain many observers’ favourites to take the Grand ahead of their compatriots from Brown University.

“It’s a long race out there in these conditions,” said Shald, “but if we find our rhythm, I think we have a solid shot of winning.”

Molesey look to bigger picture

Molesey oarsmen will feature in two of Sunday’s finals and chief coach Ben Lewis has a job on his hands if the men in black are to prevail against both a Thames RC eight in the Thames Challenge Cup and the Dutch student four from Nereus in the Visitors’ Challenge Cup. But while these two events are Lewis’s immediate priority, his dream is to find a way for the Surrey club to produce an eight good enough to win the Ladies’ Challenge Plate.

That Lewis has a long way to go, was shown by the comprehensive defeat of the Molesey and Oxford Brookes composite by Harvard University in the Ladies’ semi-final on Saturday afternoon.

“Those guys from Harvard do a great job. They’ve got the experience of previous winners in that boat and plenty of time to integrate new guys,” said Lewis. “Our guys have different styles and we have only had a short time together.”

But hope is at hand in the shape of Lewis’s Thames Cup eight, aiming to take the title they last won in 2009.

“We could have tried to put our best four in the “Brit” or Wyfolds but we’re a big club and it’s right we should try and win the Thames Cup,” he said. “If we are successful on Sunday, I hope to keep the basis of that crew together to make a challenge on the Ladies.”

Fred Gill, who strokes the Molesey / Brookes crew in the Visitors Challenge Cup has his eyes firmly set on a place in the British team for 2016 so may not fit into that plan.

Nevertheless, as a former Ladies’ Plate winner with Leander, Lewis knows what it takes. And he thinks that Harvard will start as favourites to beat his old club on Sunday.

“The three Brits they have in that eight row really well and, overall, their coach Harry Parker has done a great job,” he said.

The men Lewis is referring to are Andy Holmes, Casper Jopling and Patrick Lapage. Two of them are former world junior champions and Jopling won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup with Eton.

Triple Olympian Dekker chooses Henley for farewell

Hollandia’s 3 ¼ -length victory over Piediluco in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup extended stroke-woman Femke Dekker’s 18-year career by a further day, and took her into her first Henley final at the third attempt.

Dekker, 33 next month and an Olympic silver medallist in the Dutch eight four years ago, just missed out on selection for that boat again this year but was offered a seat for Henley after injury hit the Dutch development quad preparing for the European Championships.

“I was hoping to be in London for my fourth Olympics but I just missed out on the women’s eight after a slight injury and some family problems,” she said. “People here love rowing and I’m here because I love rowing too. The whole event, how people dress up and the history … now I know why I love rowing.  Being here is better than World Cups because there everyone is busy with themselves but here we’re all one family; we share the thing we love the most.”

Her crew will face the Australian Under-23 quad, who raced level to the Progress Boards 50m from the finish with their New Zealand counterparts, before surging to victory.

“It will be tough tomorrow,” said Dekker, “but I will give more than 200% for my last race.”

Searle takes seat on Gloriana

Jonny Searle has confirmed he will be on the Royal Barge Gloriana, as one of a group of Olympians who will row over the course at 11am on Sunday morning and he will join more than 170 rowing Olympians at a reunion later in the day.

Searle won gold in the coxed pairs in Barcelona in 1992 and his cox in that race, Garry Herbert, will also attend. The third crew-member, Jonny's younger brother Greg, is on the Great Britain training camp in the Austrian Alps as he aims to win a second Olympic title 20 years after his first.

Overheard

“Even from the Barn Bar you can hear a hum, then when you get to Remenham it’s huge. I could taste blood but I just had to keep going.”
- A London RC competitor describes the “Remenham Roar”, which greets member crews at the Remenham Club half-way up the course

“It’s a lovely eight; it goes like the wind. Well, it did.”
- Henley Steward Dan Topolski after a Saturday morning paddle with the Great Britain lightweight crew that won the world title in 1977

“We only wash the boat on Saturdays. If you need to wash it on Wednesdays, you’re really struggling.”
- Star Club coach Pete Mulkerrins prepares his coxed four before the semi-final victory over London RC

For further information contact Caroline Searle or Miranda Edwards in the Henley Royal Regatta press office on 01491 572153 or 01491 575056 press@hrr.co.uk or 07831 755351

American eights stood out on the fourth day at Henley Royal Regatta but seven of Sunday’s 20 finals will be all-British affairs after some brutal racing with the gusty headwind that has been a feature all week continuing to make life hard.

Brown University will take on a California RC crew made up of oarsmen who just missed out on Olympic selection in the final of the Regatta’s blue ribbon Grand Challenge Cup, and another Brown  crew face University of Washington freshmen in the Temple Challenge Cup for student eights.

Harvard University will race a British eight from Leander Club in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate after beating a Molesey composite crew coxed by Sydney Olympian Rowley Douglas in today’s semi-final.

But the Americans did not have things all their own way. In the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for coxed fours, University of London ‘A’ came out best in a neck-and-neck tussle with Harvard.
As they attempt to win the event for the first time since 2007, UL must tomorrow face the winners in 2008, Newcastle University, who beat Imperial College in their semi-final.

Fours from Nottingham RC and Star Club of Bedford booked places in Henley finals for the second successive year, in the Wyfold Challenge Cup and Britannia Challenge Cup respectively, but Tideway Scullers’ School suffered defeats in the semi-finals of both events.

Star beat London RC with ease and will face Taurus BC, who just held off Scullers for a three-quarter-length victory early in the day.

Nottingham's verdict in their semi-final today - beating Scullers by three-quarters of a length - is exactly the same as it was last year, at the end of a bruising encounter. Having lost in last year's final they will seek to go one better against Australian club ANA on Sunday.

"It's the first race I've been nervous in for a long time, whether rowing myself or coaching," said Nottingham coach Dan Johnson.

"Conditions were really horrible, really gusty but the crew kept loose and it was pleasing to see them be so ruthless."

In the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, Leander’s quadruple scull will take on a four-club composite hoping to compete for Great Britain at the Under-23 World Championships. Leander braved a sudden rain storm just before lunch to beat Bayer Leverkusen of Germany after the under-23s, rowing as Durham University and University of London, overcame New Zealand’s West End RC.

Thames RC will face Molesey in the final of the Thames Challenge Cup after withstanding a furious late push from Upper Thames RC as the latter passed their own clubhouse half-way up the course. Thames won by two thirds of a length. Molesey, who won the event in 2009, cruised past Royal Chester.

Abingdon School, the National Schools Regatta winners, beat their Australian counterparts from Scotch College, Melbourne, but Hampton School – second at National Schools – lost to Radley College in a gripping semi-final later in the day.

Marlow RC face Sir William Borlase’s School in the final of the Fawley Challenge Cup for quads, having defeated Prince Alfred College of Australia on Saturday.

The final of the inaugural Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls will be a repeat of the Henley Women’s Regatta final in the event. On that occasion, Henley RC beat Canford School by a length.

Sunday’s action will begin with a row up the course at 11am by a group of Olympians in the Royal Barge, Gloriana, which has been moored at the Regatta site all week.  1948 Olympians Paul Bircher and Michael Lapage will be amongst the crew, as will James Cracknell of a more recent Olympic vintage.

For further information contact Caroline Searle or Miranda Edwards in the Henley Royal Regatta press office on 01491 572153 or 01491 575056 press@hrr.co.uk or 07831 755351

All-British finals are in prospect in at least four Henley Royal Regatta events, including the two for coxed fours, after some hard-fought semi-finals on the fourth morning.

University of London 'A' (UL) came out best in a neck-and-neck tussle in the Prince Albert Challenge Cup with Harvard University, conceding an early lead and running level through the middle of the course before winning by half a length.

"They came back level at Fawley and from then on, I had no idea if we were up or down," admitted James Cook, the crew's stroke.

Ollie Cook, who sat at bow, said: "It wasn't until we got past the grandstand that I sensed we could win it."

As they attempt to win the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for the first time since 2007, UL must tomorrow face the winners in 2008, Newcastle University, who beat Imperial College in their semi-final.

Star Club, The Britannia Challenge Cup

Star Club of Bedford booked their second Henley final in as many years, beating London RC with ease in the Britannia Challenge Cup. They will face Taurus BC, who just held off Tideway Scullers' School for a three-quarter-length victory early in the day.

Leander's quadruple scull will take on a four-club composite hoping to compete for Great Britain at the Under-23 World Championships in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup. Leander braved a sudden rain storm just before lunch to beat Bayer Leverkusen of Germany after the under-23s, rowing as Durham University and University of London, overcame New Zealand’s West End RC.

Thames RC's eight in the Thames Challenge Cup withstood a furious late push from Upper Thames RC as the latter passed their own clubhouse half-way up the course to win by two thirds of a length. The second semi-final, between Molesey and Royal Chester, was scheduled to take place later on Saturday.

Graeme Thomas of Agecroft RC – a World Cup finalist in Munich earlier this month – eased to victory in the all-British semi-final in the Diamond Challenge Sculls, beating Loughborough Student Jonathan Walton.
Dutch Olympic silver medallist Femke Dekker extended her 18-year career by a further day when her Hollandia quad beat the Italians from Piediluco in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup semi-final.

"I was hoping to be in London for my fourth Olympics but I just missed out on the women’s eight after a slight injury and some family problems," she said.

"People here love rowing and I’m here because I love rowing."

More than 170 British rowing Olympians will come together at the Regatta on Sunday and Jonny Searle has confirmed he will join them. Searle won gold in the coxed pairs in Barcelona in 1992 and his cox in that race, Garry Herbert, will also attend. The third crew-member, Jonny's younger brother Greg, is on the Great Britain training camp in the Austrian Alps as he aims to win a second Olympic title 20 years after his first.

For further information contact Caroline Searle or Miranda Edwards in the Henley Royal Regatta press office on 01491 572153 or 01491 575056 press@hrr.co.uk or 07831 755351

Henley Headlines

Another windy day at Henley saw young Australian crews show their strength, while schoolgirls made history by appearing at the Regatta for the first time. Saturday brings semi-finals in each of the 20 events.

Aussie shows true grit

After a remarkable victory in a heat of the Temple Challenge Cup, James Medway showed just how strong the Aussie spirit can be.

At 10.40am, an exhausted Medway thought his regatta was over after his Harvard University ‘A’ eight were beaten in a close contest by the University of Washington. Unknown to the freshman, compatriot Matt Cochran – who was due to race for Australia’s National Rowing Centre of Excellence ‘A’ eight in the Grand - had been just been taken ill with a gastric bug.

“We knew we needed a sub but we had to wait for about an hour after Matt had lost the Temple before we asked him,” said Peter Shakespear, Australia’s high performance development manager.

It was not just a physical but also a technical challenge that faced Medway. He had raced in the regatta on bow side but the NCRE eight needed him to sub in on the other side in their race against the Dutch national lightweight eight, Hollandia.

“We knew he’d rowed on stroke side a while back, so we reckoned he could do it,” said coach Tom Morris. “He kept pretty quiet when we asked him but you could see that he was pleased to get another shot at winning.”

Those watching the final stages of the Grand could see that Medway’s technique was under pressure but the coaches were delighted with his performance.

“I think we’ll keep him in for tomorrow’s race against Cal [California Rowing Club],” said Morris.

Injury has also affected Australia’s second entry in the Grand Challenge Cup and yet another of Harvard’s five Aussie rowers, Charles Risbey, has been drafted in as a replacement.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks for us,” Shakespear admitted.

Junior women make Henley history

The Regatta began a new page in its history today as the Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls event got under way.

And even though they are familiar with the river the quad from Henley RC – who won at Henley Women’s Regatta a fortnight ago on a 1500m course – felt the difference over the full mile and 550 yards (2112m).

“You definitely know it's longer than 2k,” said 17-year-old Joanna Unsworth, who sat in the three seat, as Henley beat Headington School in one of the first heats.

“It was very different to any race we've done before, especially in the last 1000m with everyone supporting.”

Henley coach Chris Boothroyd said more girls’ quads have raced throughout this season as a result of the Regatta Stewards’ announcement of the new event 18 months ago.

“Headington are a sweep club but as soon as the announcement was made, the next thing you saw was a Headington quad out there, understandably,” he said.

“Having the event will raise the status of girls' sculling; it's bound to.  It was a good race; conditions were horrible but they handled it well.

“It is a very different event to anything else we've done: Henley Women's, National Schools, any of those. The pressure is different.”

Henley RC has beaten all but Nottingham RC this year so are confident for the rest of the Regatta.

The club earlier this year received a grant from the Stewards’ Charitable Trust, which was established in 1988 to provide funds to support young people to row.

Boothroyd said: “The money has allowed us to employ a number of coaches to help not only at this level but to bring on our 12- and 13-year-olds so we get a bigger base and improve across the whole range.”

One of those coaches is Leander oarsman John Collins, who was unable to watch the quad because he was racing, along with Alan Sinclair, in their double scull in the very next race, beating a Dutch duo easily.

As is common practice with new events at the Regatta there will be no trophy on offer this year but the winners will receive medals.

Canford lightweight

At only 7st 13lbs Lauren Fry is probably the lightest rower at Henley but the Canford bow certainly packed a massive punch as she helped her crew defeat Tideway Scullers in a later heat of the Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls.

James Stevenson, one of Canford’s coaching team, described his 5ft3in oarswoman as “seriously feisty; a real racer”.

“Lauren pushes more weight on the squats than any other member of the crew,” he added.

After her race, Fry explained how she knew her crew were ready to race: “We had a couple of the girls vomiting with nerves before. But it was the same at National Schools and we won that. So I knew we were up for it.”

Smith hopes Scullers’ luck continues

Tideway Scullers’ charmed life in the Wyfold Challenge Cup continued on Friday, and Antony Smith hopes it will last two more days so he can break his Henley duck. On Wednesday, the four won despite clipping one of the wooden booms on the side of the course; yesterday they came from behind to beat the selected London ‘A’ crew.

On the third morning of the Regatta they had to restart their quarter-final against the Munich crew after a clash. Steering was erratic at the second attempt too and photos show the Scullers bow pair with their arms up in appeal mid-race.

Ignored by umpire Mike Williams, they went a length down in the process but still managed to pull through to win by a length.

Smith will have deja-vu on Saturday when he faces Nottingham ‘A’ in a re-match of last year’s semi-final. The 10st 10lb oarsman, who has been racing at Henley for a decade - usually in a lightweight quad with little chance of victory – reached Sunday in an eight in 2008, but was unable to clinch a medal.

“We've done everything in this boat now. It's quite a fun boat to be in. Hopefully we can keep going now,” he said. “It’s about time. Fingers crossed.”

Lifeguards celebrate 25 years at Henley

Rowers in distress at Henley will find several friendly faces on the river waiting to come to their aid, and one face has been the same for 25 years.

Colwick Park Lifeguards from Nottingham have been manning boats along the course since 1988, and vice-chairman Nigel Buck has attended every single Regatta since.

He is part of a 16-strong team, covering four positions along the reach. The team at the finish tells members of each crew to sit up immediately if they lie down exhausted.

“The idea of telling them to sit up as they cross the line is to be able to identify anyone who is in desperate need,” said Buck.  “They have done a long race and are short of breath but can get that back while sitting up. Those who are laying down and staying down are the ones you worry about.

“Wednesday was busiest as regards injuries. A kneecap was dislocated, there was another knee problem and another guy's back had gone.”

The team’s first involvement in rowing came at the 1986 World Rowing Championships at Nottingham’s National Watersport Centre, after which they were asked to come to Henley.

Usually the lifeguards will try to keep injured rowers in their boats, while alerting medical services on the bank. But sometimes they have no option but to bring an oarsman or woman on board their boat.

“Several years ago, as an eight crossed the finish line, the handle of the stroke's oar got stuck in his chest and threw him straight into the water,” said Buck, “right in front of a packed weekend Stewards’ Enclosure.”

Auriol Kensington honour Olympic champion

After seeing the steering problems suffered by racing crews on Thursday, Auriol Kensington RC’s Jimmy Pigden was fretting overnight about taking a crew up the course during the Regatta this morning for the first time in – he estimated - 50 years.

Wearing the same blazer he wore 50 years ago, Pigden was cox of one of the veteran eights that rowed over during the lunch interval, celebrating the centenary of club member WD “Wally” Kinnear’s Olympic singles triumph and the 50th anniversary of AK’s annual three-day row from their club house in Hammersmith to Henley.

In the event, though, he had no reason to worry about the potentially treacherous wooden booms that line the course.  They told us to go down the middle so it was fine,” he said.

Three-times world lightweight champion Peter Haining – another AK member who was inspired by fellow Scot Kinnear - and Wally’s seventh child Donald were on hand for the naming of a new eight in the Olympic champion’s honour. Since 1912, no Brit has followed Kinnear onto the top step of the podium for single scullers.

Brown show strength in depth

You can tell that Brown University’s top eight are not superstitious. The Americans, hotly fancied in the Grand Challenge Cup, have chosen to race in the same boat that Oxford University used in their controversial defeat in this year’s Boat Race.

“Yeah I saw that race, it was kind of crazy,” said Ben Dann, Brown’s two-man, but understandably he is purely focussed on trying to win the Grand. For him, Brown’s opening race could not come soon enough.

“We’ve been really anxious to get going,” explained the senior-year oarsman. “But you could tell we used that energy well in our race against the Italians.”

Brown’s varsity crew opened their account with a comfortable victory against the Italian national lightweight eight.

With a strong Australian under-23 crew waiting for Brown on Saturday, Dann knows his crew will have to step up.

“We’ve had a fantastic season so far. We know we’ve got some good crews to face but we’re going to give winning the event our best shot.”

Dann himself is no stranger to U23 competition, having represented the USA in the single sculls at last year’s championships.

An indication of the high standards at Brown was the size of the crowd that greeted Dann’s crew when they got off the water. It included Brown’s junior varsity eight, fresh from their success in the Temple Challenge Cup against a strong Nereus crew.

Henley Steward Jamie Koven, the former world sculling champion, just had time to change into his alma mater’s blazer after winning a heat of the of the Silver Goblets and Nickalls’ Challenge Cup over Germany’s lightweight pair. On Friday, Koven and Mike Blomquist – veterans who both just missed out on Olympic selection - face a strong U23 pair from Greece.

For those that want to understand a bit more of the winning Brown philosophy, a fabulous book has just been published called: Ever True. It is beautifully resourced and tells in great style the illustrious story of rowing at Brown. Copies are available from Richard Way Bookshop in Henley.

Brown’s Boat Race connection is about to go even deeper: next year Alex Fleming, the Australian strokeman in the Grand eight, will study and row at Cambridge University.

For further information contact Caroline Searle or Miranda Edwards in the Henley Royal Regatta press office on 01491 572153 or 01491 575056 press@hrr.co.uk or 07831 755351