11 - 12 June 2011
The J16s and Seniors competed at the Reading Amateur Regatta in a variety of boat classes. The J16s secured wins in their heats of IM3 Eights and J18 coxed fours but despite some close races in their semi finals missed out on the finals.
In preparation for Henley four members of the 2nd Eight were entered into J18 quads to get sculling experience in order to compete for a place in the Fawley Challenge Cup. The school rarely competes in senior sculling events but obviously no one had told the crew this. Despite some interesting steering they won their semi final against Kingston Grammar School to put themselves into the final against Henley Rowing Club. In the final they held a better line on the inside of the first bend to take the lead and hold off Henley’s challenges in the closing changes to win the J18 Quads event. This was a tremendous result for the crew of Charlie Uden, Dominic Graham, James Richards and Robbie Brough.
The 1st Eight competed in the two highest category events of the Regatta, Elite and Senior Eights. In Senior Eights the crew came up against Upper Thames in the semi final and lead from start to finish to put themselves into the final against Bristol University’s Temple eight coached by OA Paddy Vickers. The crew once again started strongly on the outside station to move clear when the course straightened to go on and secure the Austin Balsom Challenge Cup.
In the last race of the day the final of Elite Eights the 1st Eight came up against Shrewsbury School who had just won the J18 Eights event. Both crews started strongly with little separating them after the first corner. Shrewsbury put in a push but failed to move on the Eight, in a decisive move 1st Eight cox Neil McKenzie called for a counter move in which the Eight took a length out of the opposition. The crew held the margin to secure the Reading Grand Challenge Cup.
On Sunday the J15A crew competed in the pouring rain in two events, J15 and Novice Eights, making their debut appearance in an adult event. They made both finals, in J15 beating Bedford Modern School and losing to Pangbourne. In Novice eights they beat Reading Rowing Club in the first round before pulling off a sensational win by a matter of inches against University College Dublin. They went on to race a very strong Oxford Brookes University crew in the final and put in a very creditable performance but were undone by Brookes' superior power.
Photographs are courtesy of http://www.bigblade-photos.com.
