Contact the Boat Club:
tcrisford@shiplake.org.uk

Thames Valley Park Regatta

Three Shiplake scullers in the Thames Valley Park Regatta J16 singles, Arthur Law, Richard Fitzhugh and Charlie Simpson was the highlight of a very enjoyable and successful weekend of rowing for the Shiplake College Boat Club, with Charlie Simpson smiling as he took home the pot.

At Thames Valley Park Regatta, Tom Arnold set the tone for the day with a highly promising first race in a single even though an umpiring decision prevented him from progressing to the next round. The J14s also raced in 3 doubles with the Carey/Deane and McCulloch/Coleman combinations reaching the semi-finals.

Six stitches to strokeman Michael Glover’s hand had disrupted J15 training earlier in the week but despite this both the J15 A and B Coxed Fours were able to get through to the semi-finals where both fell victim to the eventual winners. Twins Henry and Max Robinson had worked hard to lay the foundations for a much improved performance, finishing second in the first round. Ed Crichton’s sculling also showed considerable technical improvement. Coming together in the Vlll the J15s pushed a strong St Paul’s crew hard to the finish.

The Senior Squad once again had a strong weekend with the Quad that is in training for Henley Royal Regatta winning the J18 Quads event. They now have a qualifier for the Fawley Club to prepare for.

On the Saturday a meticulously planned internal regatta, with huge support from parents and friends of the Boat Club, saw Year 9 novices rowing alongside sixth formers aspiring to GB honours in eights, with the Bookworms Vlll emerging triumphant. Later in the afternoon the eagerly awaited staff v pupils clash produced the usual controversial start. Although the teachers Vlll included several coaches with international honours, including an Olympic Gold Medal, the College 1st Vlll pulled away convincingly for a victory of youth over experience.

Marlow Town Regatta

Another successful weekend for Shiplake College Boat Club saw 3 wins at Marlow Town Regatta. The morning started with a powerful display from the 3 J14 Quads that had entered the regatta with 2 of these crews making the final. These Quads then broke down into Doubles and displayed some impressive technique and although not making it through any rounds a fantastic day was had by the J14 Squad. Later in the afternoon Notley and Holmes raced in the J14 Single event this is a great achievement as it really is a tough event to enter. The performance from both these scullers was very good and in particular Notely making it into the final was the result of the weekend.

The J15's also enjoyed a strong regatta with Lapham, Crichton and Simmonds all racing in Singles in the morning. Followed by the J15 B Four that was racing in the IM3 event against a much older and more experienced Radley crew and although they lost they should be very proud of their performance. Two further Doubles raced gaining their first experience of a regatta and this should prepare them well for TVP. The highlight for the J15 Squad was the victory in the Novice Coxed Four event beating a much older Marlow Four on their home water was a fantastic result.

The Senior Squad also attended Marlow Regatta and came away with 2 wins both from Simpson and Fitz Hugh in the J17 and Novice category. Turner, Brown, Law and Rewcastle also enjoyed good races in their Singles gaining huge confidence from taking part in this event. The Senior Squad that is hard in training for the Fawley Cup at Henely Regatta also raced as a Quad but unfortunately lost in the final. Finally Law and Rewcastle continued their good from with a strong row in the J16 Double event as did Turner and Brown in the J18 event.

Whilst the rest of the club was at Marlow the 1st VIII raced at Reading Amateur gaining some valuable experience of side by side racing in preparation for their Henley campaign.

National Schools' Regatta

After the medal-laden glory of some recent National Schools Regattas, at Nottingham, Shiplake College’s crews experienced a relatively quite regatta. For the J14 Vlll it was a triumph for the novice oarsmen to even take to the water after an unfortunate run of injuries had plagued their training. Showing character and tenacity the Shiplake boys demonstrated their potential when they were the third fastest qualifier for the semi-finals. Enthusiasm alone was no enough as the crew lacked the stamina and experience to repeat the feat.

What might have been was also the story for the J15 Vlll. They stormed through their processional to cruise in to the semi-finals. In the semi-final they enjoyed another strong row finishing second to Latymer School. In the final the crew began aggressively holding the lead after the first kilometre but they could not maintain their optimistic start and faded to a disappointing fifth. The J15 Coxed Four unfortunately was unable to make it through to the semi final but they should be pleased with their efforts.

Shiplake’s 1st Vlll is a relatively young crew with Elliott Quelch, Jamie MacLeod, Adam Roels, Sam Evans, Toby Bownass, Oliver Vizard and cox Chris Troup all still in their Lower Sixth Year. Just James Briggs, studying and hopefully rowing at Harvard University next year and Charlie Emerson, are in the Upper Sixth. A sound row in the processional, confirming their place in the top 12 school eights in the country, saw them through to the semi-finals but they could not emerge from a highly competitive race where margins of centimetres are the difference between success and failure.

For Shiplake it was a case of the acquiring of wisdom. With a large number of crews and coaches travelling to Nottingham the Boat Club has learnt some important lessons. Misfortune for the 14Bs, who were rowing well, putting in one of their best technical performances of the season until equipment failure, a jammed seat, scuppered their chances, epitomised the College’s National Schools Regatta.

It was encouraging that a young 1st lV of Miles Turner, Jonathan Brown, Richard Fitzhugh, and Charlies Simpson, coxed by James Dempster qualified from their processional before elimination in the semi-final. Shiplake were still rowing on the Sunday and the talented Ed Allen had an excellent row in the J17 single sculls. Another hugely promising performance came from Andrew Rewcastle and Arthur Law in the J16 doubles. Further Semi Final appearances in the Semi Finals of the Championship Pairs and Coxed Fours for Shiplake finished off the National Schools campaign for another year.

Bedford Thames Ditton and Poplar Regatta

It was a busy rowing weekend for Shiplake College Boat Club managing the logistics of sending boats, boys, buses and packed lunches to Bedford, Thames Ditton and Poplar Regatta.

At Bedford, with just 45 minutes between arriving and racing the J15 Vlll demonstrated that they continue to learn and make progress. Although the crew were below their best they beat Oundle by 2 lengths. The crew showed greater focus and fight in the second round but went out to the oars of a very strong Abingdon School crew.

The J15 Coxed Four of Ehren Elcock replacing the injured Marek Lapham, George Davis, Luke Simmons, Michael Glover and Louis Miller-Bains fared much better. They scrapped a victory over Eton and then followed up with a half a canvass victory over Radley College. Having left Shiplake at 9am the weary four eventually took to the water at 7.45 pm for their final versus Norwich School which they lost after a very tough race. The J15 B Coxed Four also had an encouraging day with a confidence boasting victory in the first round against Norwich but the semi final against Radley proved to be there downfall.

It was a disappointing day for the College’s J14 A and B Octuple and Quad but all part of the getting of wisdom process as they gained invaluable experience in preparation for their trip to the National School’s Regatta at Nottingham next weekend.

At Thames Ditton the senior Coxed Four consisted of Richard Fitz-Hugh at bow, JB Brown at 2, Miles Turner at in the 3 seat and Charlie Simpson at stroke with James Dempster coxing raced competitively at the crew’s first regatta of the season. The four went up against an experienced crew from Emmanuel School who proved to be the better crew winning by one and half lengths. Although the four are disappointed to have not done better, they are still determined to do well at the National Schools Regatta in two weeks time. Another coxed four made up of the Squad known as Super Subs also raced at this regatta leaving Shiplake at 06:00. Unfortunately they raced against a University of Warwick crew and lost but it was great to see this crew race.

Three single scullers also attended Thames Ditton and with Rewcastle and Law reaching the semi final in the J16 event and Ed Allen reaching the final of the Novice event the standard of sculling at Shiplake continues to improve.

Success arrived on Sunday with the 1st Vlll travelling to Poplar Regatta in East London. A tough draw and colossal head winds did not deter a focused Shiplake Vlll who dominated their first race to become the final’s fastest qualifiers. Front-loading the final they tried to pull away from the pack. Passing the 1km marker in the 2km race the Shiplake crew still had work to do. With just 500 metres to go Fitzwilliam’s College had drawn level and were moving through and with just 100 metres to go the Cambridge College Crew had a lead of a seat. Increasing the rate, Shiplake drew deep and won with a dramatic last ten strokes. This victory, against a mature and experienced College crew, sends the Shiplake Vlll to Nottingham with a vital morale boaster.

Wallingford Regatta

The 1st Eight rose on a wet, blustery morning at 06:30 to race at Wallingford Regatta at the Eton Racing Course, the Olympic rowing venue of the 2012 games. With the prospect of 4 races we knew the day wasn’t going to be easy. In our first heat we finished a comfortable 2nd, winding down towards the line, finishing just over a boat length from St Pauls. In the final we were unfortunate enough to be drawn in one of the far lanes, most susceptible to the winds however we still managed to finish second, again behind St Pauls. The final race of the day was unfortunately cancelled due to the regatta running 64 mins behind schedule, overall it was a very good day and we look forward to racing Poplar regatta in two weeks time.

Written By James Briggs

Sunday started with rain and wind at Dorney Lake and our crew stayed warm by squeezing the 9 of us into the pick up truck. Mr Crisford gave us one of his legendary speeches to get our crew ready to race. Once we were on the water there was a chilling wind which made it twice as hard. We started strong and by the 500 metre mark we were just ahead, the whole crew pushed off the bows of the other schools. By 1000 meters we were well ahead a lead of 3 lengths that we held until the end. As the weather was so bad the organisers decided that they were not going to do a final, instead they would determine the winner on the times set in all of the 3 heats. We ended up coming second to St Edwards School.

The J15 B coxed Four also raced and although they did not get through the first round it was a pleasing race that highlighted the need to work on the second thousand meters of the race.

Written By Luke Simmonds

On the Sunday of this EXEAT the J14 A boat travelled to Dorney Lake for the Wallingford Regatta. We arrived in cold and wet conditions which did not look very promising for the day ahead. Our first race was at 10.45. It was a timed processional with the six fastest teams going through to the final. With the weather as it was, not everyone was looking forward to getting out on the water. However, with the wind picking up a little bit we boated. Our journey up the warm-up lane was not as straight forward as it could have been, with high winds blowing right across our boat, pushing us closer and closer to the sides. When we reached the top of the lake we joined the very confused queue to the start line. Once in the correct lane we had 1500 metres to set the fastest time that we could. With the weather against us it was not quite the row we wanted. After coming off the water we were all nervous to find out whether we had qualified. Unfortunately, we did not, finishing 10 out of the 17 boats racing. Although the day did not go quite to plan it was still good racing experience and we look to repeat the success we had at Hammersmith at our next Regatta.

Written Tom Arnold

Two J16 doubles consisting of Arthur Law and Andy Rewcastle and Charlie Simpson and Richard Fitz-Hugh in the other raced at Wallingford Regatta at Dorney Lake last Sunday. Both crews faced strong opposition in their opening heats, with the aim of coming in the top three in order to qualify for the final.

Arthur Law and Andy Rewcastle came sixth in a time of 7:57, behind crews like Marlow and Maidenhead. The double of Charlie Simpson and Richard Fitz-Hugh also came sixth in a time of 7:44 after racing against the crews that had recently medalled at the Inter-regional regatta. Both crews were disappointed not to have qualified but felt that they rowed well down the course putting into practice the training that they had done in the previous week.

Written By Charlie Simpson

GB Rowing Trials

On Sunday 25th of April, Adam Roels and James Briggs raced at the GB Trials Regatta at Dorney Lake – the rowing venue for the 2012 Olympics. The water was calm and the conditions temperate and in the time trial they finished with an initial rank of 19th. Content with this result they aimed for a top 3 finish in the semi final and they achieved this, after a blistering start to lead the pack for the majority of the race before dropping back into third place to conserve energy for the all important final. By this time the conditions had become a little bit tricky, with a prevalent cross wind resulting in both steering and balance becoming a challenge. Unfortunately they were drawn in the far lanes, most susceptible to the winds; however they still managed to come 5th in the final. We are optimistic that this will be enough to earn an invite to the final GB trials which take place a week after Henley Regatta.

Hammersmith Regatta

A great start to the season at Hammersmith Regatta resulted in 3 wins for Shiplake College Boat Club.

The J14 A 8x raced superbly beating St Paul's B, Kings Wimbledon B, Emanuel and in thefinal Kings Wimbledon A. This was a great start for the boys and winning their first race at their first regatta is a great achievement. The J14 B 8x also put up a good show losing to Kings Wimbledon A but they should be pleased with the race that they had. The J14 A 8x also raced in 2 Quads and again this provided the crew with some excellent experience.

The J15 A 8 also made a great start to the regatta season winning the Eight and Four. The final in the Eight was an excellent race against a strong Westminster crew and this victory suggests the crew has progressed well since the training camp. The victory in the 4 was also pleasing against Norwich School that had unfortunately knocked out the J15 B Four in the previous round.

It was also pleasing to see the girls racing in a Quad and Double and I look forward to seeing them race at the Ball Cup and Thames Ditton during the next few weeks. The Novice Four that also competed had a great row against a much more experienced crew losing out to a Thames Rowing Club.

Our next race is at Wallingford Regatta and we look forward to hopefully winning more races.

Shiplake Inter House Head Race
1st Burr 19 Points 2ndOrchard 18 Points 3rd Skipwith 15 Points 4thEverett 10 Points 5thWelsh7 Points

Schools' Head

On Thursday the 11th March the First and Second VIII travelled to the Tideway to participate in the Schools Head of the River 2010. With every rowing school in the country racing we knew that this would be a great opportunity to test ourselves against the rest of the country. Unfortunately for the 1st VIII our preparations had been disrupted by numerous illnesses and with some rowers ill on the day we had to make do. The First VIII came 14th in their event, a disappointing result for a crew that considered the top 10 as a minimum expectation, but given the circumstances not entirely surprising. The Second VIII finished a strong equal 9th with Radley’s 2nd VIII. Overall it was a disappointing day for the senior crews but we have learnt a lot and are now even more motivated to achieve in the future.

The J15’s also competed and enjoyed a promising row with plenty of punch and power throughout the long race. Overtaking 4 crews during the race including local rivals Pangbourne was a great return for this quickly developing crew. This crew finish in 6th place out of 13 crews in their category.

National Sculling Head

The Year 9 rowers set of to Dorney Lake on Friday 19th March to compete at the National Sculling Head. After a short trip we arrived at the impressive site of the lake, the venue for the 2012 Olympics. After a good warm up we were ready to get on the water to start the gentle 2k row to the start line. We were number 8 in our group and we were being set of 15 seconds after each other in different lanes. Our objective was to make sure that the boat following us did not pass us. I am pleased to say that on both of our runs we were not. Our first run did not go quite to plan, however, we were determined to go out and do a better job in our second run.

On our first run some of the difficulties we had were, half way down the course our number six had a problem with his oar this slowed us down dramatically. Unfortunately that was not the end of our troubles, we realised at the end of the course one of our bowmen’s seats had come off. At this point I did not think we would make our second run, as we had had these problems. I am happy to report that with some determination we did and our second run was a lot better than our first.

We ended up with a slightly disappointing finishing place of 32 out of 40. We aim to do better at our next regatta. We would like to thank Mrs Satch for taking us and coaching.

Written by Tom Arnold and Matt Butler

Hammersmith Head

Despite severe weather warnings, the First and Second VIII set off to Hammersmith for a 4,000m race which could be our last race before Schools Head. Boating from St Paul’s School the conditions were temperate and the water relatively calm. Despite a queasy stroke man the First VIII had a good solid row and finished as the fastest VIII of the day, beating traditionally stronger crews such as Hampton and St Edwards. The Second VIII finished a respectable 21st as well as pulling away from St George’s Second VIII this is impressive given that many of the boys only began rowing this year. Overall these are a good set of results to take forward into our biggest race of the term, Schools Head of the river, a week on Thursday. Good luck to all the crews racing there.

Hampton Head

The following reports have been written by members of each of the crews and will be read in Assembly this week.

The J14’s went to their first ever regatta on Saturday the 6th February. After an early wake up we were on the bus and off to Hampton. As we reached our destination we were all very excited and ready to row. Once we had arrived we had to rig up the boat and get ready to go on the water for 10:30, and join the 3k queue to the start line. At this point we were all quiet nervous but at the same time we were ready for the start. We were slightly nervous as we had only been on the water a few times before this and we were worried about what might go wrong; I am pleased to say that hardly anything did. When we eventually reached the start line we were ready to go during the long wait our nerves had been building, as a first experience this was an amazing one. We raced as hard as we could, but we had an unfortunate finishing place at second to last. We left with our heads held high ready for our next race, where we hope to do better.

On Saturday 6th February the J15 A’s travelled to Hampton for the first race of the season. We left the school at 10 o’ clock and when we arrived we still had a few hours to go until our race started, we were not looking to win but to simply set a benchmark of where we are at the beginning of the season. We tried to stay focused on the race. When we arrived on the water we warmed up, however, we were on the water for about 45 minutes before the race. We rowed well in the beginning however during the end of the race our power dropped. We finished 11th out of 18 thanks to Mr Crisford and well done to the whole crew.

Last Saturday the First and Second 8 headed off to race at Hampton Head. After a slightly disappointing result last weekend there was much to prove. After making changes to both 8s we were optimistic that we would find the speed that we have been looking for. Although the stream was strong there was little wind and the conditions were altogether favourable. We started our race aggressively and soon settled into a rhythm, we crossed the finish line in a time of 7.52, in 5th place overall. The Second 8 performed well and came second in their event. Although we beat many strong crews we still have much ground to make up on the likes of Hampton and BMS. We can expect further changes to the teams but in the meantime there is a lot of work to be done.

Quintin Head

Last Saturday the 1st VIII and 2nd VIII set off to the first race of a busy head season at Quintin Head. After leaving at 07.30 we boated for at 09:00 for a pre race paddle in an effort to get to grips with the volatile conditions associated with the Tideway. The 1st VIII faced stiff competition in the J18 event against schools such as KGS, St Pauls and Kings College Wimbledon. Typically, the wind had picked up as we boated for the race and as the tide turned the conditions worsened. The 1st VIII after a respectable row finished 5th in their event and 15th overall. The new 2nd VIII performed well with a 33rd overall finish. Respectable as these results are, it would be fair to say that they leave us unfulfilled. It is this desire that will eventually lead us to success, but in the mean time there is a lot of work to be done.

Report from James Briggs Captain of Boats Shiplake College

Reading Amateur Regatta

Another successful weekend for Shiplake College Boat Club at Reading Amateur Regatta resulted in a further 4 wins for the College. The 1st VIII racing without their strokeman Ross McKellar competing at the Scottish National Championships lost to a Molesey crew in the first round of IM2 Eights. Although disappointing I am sure this strong crew will perform well in the build up to Henley Royal Regatta. The J16's racing in IM3 Eights raced London Rowing Club who had previously beaten our arch rivals and National Champions Eton J16's. The J16's had a fantastic row dominating the race from the first stroke and finishing 1 length ahead of their opposition. The next round against Bristol University 2nd VIII was more of challenge as they struggled to deal with superior strength of the university students. However, this crew should be delighted with their performance and is looking forward to the qualifiers for the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. The first win of the weekend also came for the J16's racing against Pangbourne College in J18 Coxed Fours. This crew included Elliott Quelch, Jamie MacLeod, Sam Evans, Adam Roels and Cox Chris Troup. The J18's also raced in a quad but unfortunately lost in the second round a special mention should go to James Goddard in his last race for the College.

The Sunday of the regatta saw the J15's and J16's racing over the 1100m course.The first win of the day came for the J15 Quad displaying excellent technique to win their event with a very commanding race against Kingston Grammar School. This crew consisted of Alex Barker, Charlie Simpson, Richard Fitz Hugh, James Wright and Cox Jordan Wise. The J15 VIII also had an excellent day reaching the final but losing to Abingdon School. The J16 Pair of Ed Allen and Toby Bownass was the next Shiplake Crew to win against Kings College School. This was a real confidence boost in their preparations for the Anglo French trials in 2 weeks time. The J16 VIII also carried on their good form by beating local rivals Henley Rowing Club by 1 length. The J16 Coxed Four could not match their winning performance on Sunday and there remains much to do if this crew will qualify at the GB Anglo trials.

We look forward to even more wins at Thames Valley Park Regatta and seeing the 1st VIII in action at Henley Royal Regatta.

National Schools Regatta

Shiplake College Boat Club enjoyed considerable success at the National Schools Regatta in Nottingham. On Friday the J14 A Octuple reached the final of the Cherwell Cup after easing through in the semi final and time trial. The final proved to be more of a challenge and they finished in 6th place. This was a great achievement for a crew that only started rowing three months ago. The J14 B Octuple also raced hard but unfortunately did not qualify for the semi finals after finishing 14th in the time trial.

Racing on the Saturday started well for the College as the J15 Coxed Four finished 8th in the country in the Mariners Cup and the J15 VIII finished 11th in the Junior Colts Cup. Even better was to come in the afternoon however. The J16 VIII had been tipped to do well in the championships after some very fine performances in earlier Regattas. They eased into the final of the Desmond Hill Colts Cup beating Abingdon School. In the final they were drawn against Eton College, Kingston GS, Radley, Westminster and Abingdon. In a tremendous race Shiplake made Eton fight all the way to the finish gaining a much prized silver medal. The focus for the VIII will now be qualification for the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta.Ten minutes later it was the turn of the College 1st VIII to race down the course in the final of the Child Beale Cup. This proved to be another tight race and in the final 250 metres Shiplake just lost out to Bedford Modern and Kingston GS gaining a bronze medal in this very competitive event.

Twenty four hours later senior boys were involved in small boat races. The Coxless Pair of Ross McKellar and Freddie Marriott finished fifth in the final of the Championship Event. The Coxed Four finished 11th; the J16 Coxless Pair 9th and the J16 Coxless Four recorded the sixth fastest time of the day. The J15 Coxed Quad also progressed through the time trial and finished in 17th out of 29 crews.

Well done to all boys that competed at this regatta and represented the College with such determination and dedication. Many thanks also to all the parents that supported these crews throughout the weekend.

Throughout the next few days photos will be added to the Boat Club Blog at http://www.shiplakecollegeboatclub.blogspot

Thames Ditton Regatta Saturday 16th May

The J14B octo put in a really strong performance and received a lot of acclaim on the day from onlookers. They convincingly beat Whitgift School in the first round and then drew Kingston Grammar School A crew in the Semi Final. Unfortunately they lost but not without a fight and they maintained good style and determination throughout the race. Compared to other B crews I’m hopeful for their chances in the J14B octo event next week.

The J14A octo were a true credit to the school. The timetable was very drawn out with 3 races set over 8 hours and the boys behaved brilliantly and with good humour throughout the day. In the first round they dominated Tiffin A and took an easy victory. In the Semi-Final they drew a very strong crew from Dulwich College. They soon realised that Dulwich were not going to be an easy adversary to beat and yet the boys rose to the challenge with both crews level down the whole course. A final burst from Shiplake allowed us to win by a canvas. In the final we drew St George’s College (2nd placed crew at the schools head). Again the boys realised this would be tough and again they raised their game and produced a spectacular race to beat St George’s by half a length, resisting an impressive push from St George’s in the final 100m. To quote the commentator, ‘the St George’s crew looked incredibly good; but the Shiplake crew looked exceptional’. The boys have won their first ever rowing pot and have had confidence boost for National Schools next week.

The J15’s also showed their strength in depth as they raced in a Coxed Four and 2 Doubles whilst the A crew stayed at Shiplake to prepare for National Schools’. The J15 Four progressed to the final after a determined row saw them beat local rivals the Oratory. In the final they lost to Bryanston but they should be pleased with a good afternoons racing. The J15 doubles of Brady/Plato and Lloyd/Cam also enjoyed their first regatta of the season and although they lost in the first round they will have gained huge experience from this event.

The Super Sub’s also had their first race of the season racing in the Novice Coxed Four’s Event. They raced a very strong Wallingford crew and unfortunately lost but it is always fantastic to see this group racing especially this early in the season.

I was also delighted that the girls entered a Quad that raced in a straight final against Molesey. Although they did not win this race they should be congratulated for the quality of their sculling and the determination that they showed.

Photos via http://www.shiplakecollegeboatclub.blogspot.com/

Bedford Regatta Saturday 9th May

The J15 and J16 VIII along with the J15 B Coxed Four attended Bedford Regatta for what is always a long but enjoyable day.

The J15 B Coxed Four in their first regatta as a crew performed creditably against a strong St Paul's crew but unfortunately lost. I am sure they will build on this performance and get quicker as the season progresses.

The J15 Eight had a fantastic row against St Edwards beating them by 1 and half lengths, this is a great result especially as St Edwards beat them the previous week at Wallingford Regatta. In the quarter final they lost to St Pauls but they should be pleased with 2 good races against high quality crews.

The J15 A Coxed Four beat Hampton in the first round and then lost to Bedford Modern School in the semi final.

The J16 Eight progressed through to the final after beating Eton B and Radley. The final saw us race our arch rivals Eton College. The crew was very motivated to win but lost by 1 length in an exciting race. Although this is disappointing I am sure they will beat Eton at some stage this season.

The 1st VIII raced on Sunday at Poplar Regatta and finished 2nd behind the Sporting Giants Crew from Leander. This is a great achievement and particularly impressive as they recorded a time of 5.59 the fastest time recorded by Shiplake for a number of years.

Crews

1st VIII McKellar Albon Tyrwhitt Drake Marriott Emerson Turner Goddard Frossell Goddard

J16 A Eight Quelch MacLeod Roels Allen Evans Andreou Bownass Vizard Troup

J15 A Eight Simpson Wright Fitz Hugh Barker Settle Clapham Rewcastle Gabe Wise

J15 A Coxed Four Simpson Wright Fitz Hugh Barker Wise

J15 B Coxed Four D Williams Dempster Kerrigan Oke Goody

Full Results

http://www.bedfordrowing.co.uk/php/regatta.php?id=106&full=1

http://www.poplarregatta.co.uk/results.aspx

Photos

http://shiplakecollegeboatclub.blogspot.com/

Wallingford Regatta Sunday 3rd May

Wallingford Regatta proved to be another promising regatta for all 3 crews involved as we start the final preparations for National Schools'. The J15's reached the final of their event and finished in 5th in what was a very tightly fought final. The J16's won their heat in the morning and had a strong row in the final finishing in third behind Eton and Kingston Grammar School. In the afternoon they raced in the Novice category but unfortunately they were unable to progress through the heat. The 1st VIII had a very busy day and reached both finals of the events that they entered. In the morning division they finished 3rd in the IM3 event ahead of St Edward's and Radley's 1st VIII. In the afternoon they also finished 3rd in the J18 B Eights just being beaten by Kings College School by 1 foot.

Full results can be found by clicking on the link below.

http://www.wallingford.regatta.org.uk/

In addition the Boat Club now also has a Blog Spot where pictures and videos are going to be uploaded from the events that we attend. To view the pictures please click on the SCBC links page.

http://shiplakecollegeboatclub.blogspot.com/

Eton Regatta Saturday 25th April

The first regatta of the season proved to be very successful day for the Boat Club with all crews performing well in very difficult conditions.

In particular the J14 A Octuple had an excellent day recording the fastest time out of all the Octuples in the Time Trial. They then gained excellent experience of regatta racing under multi lane conditions and had 2 strong performances finishing with a rank of 39th out of 62 crews. This is very impressive and places them amongst the quickest Octuples in the country.

The J15 A Eight also had a promising day finishing in 27th. I am sure they will build on this performance and have a successful season.

The J16 A Eight performed well reaching the A final and then finishing in third place behind Eton 2nd Eight and Eton J16 A Eight but they did beat Bedford 1st Eight.

Full result can be found by clicking on the link below.

http://www.etonrowing.org.uk/

We look forward to Wallingford Regatta next Sunday and we hope that you will be able to support at this event.

Junior Inter Regional's Saturday 18th April
Junior Inter Regional’s Adam Roels and Sam Evans were selected to race at the Junior Inter Regional’s for the Thames Up River Region. They finished in Second place behind a very strong pair from Maidstone.

Easter Rowing Camp Belgium

The Shiplake College Senior Squad, consisting of the J16 A Eight and the 1st Eight, travelled to Brugge in Belgium for their annual Easter Camp. This proved to be an excellent venue for us to start our regatta preparations with 15km of fantastic water for our crews to row on. During the course of the 5 day camp at least 120km of rowing was completed and in between the rowing the boys completed plenty of revision for their upcoming exams. We enjoyed visits into the lovely town of Brugge and fishing on the canal also became popular.

After 5 days training at Brugge we decided to attend the Gent International Regatta with crews competing form France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. The Shiplake J15 Squad also travelled to Gent to compete at this regatta having completed their training back at Shiplake. This proved to be a very successful weekend for all Shiplake crews with some rowers taking back 6 medals. The events that the College won included J18 Coxed Fours and J18 Coxless Fours on both Saturday and Sunday and J16 Coxless Fours on Sunday.

The main focus of the weekend was the racing in the Eights with Shiplake having 3 Eights racing in the J16-18 category. On the Saturday the 1st Eight came 2nd behind Monmouth School and the J16’s 3rd. Unfortunately the J15’s had to compete in the J18 event but they still performed creditably especially after their strokeman, Charlie Simpson, had already raced in 5 other events. After the disappointment on Saturday of not winning this event, all crews were very determined to have a good performance on the second day. The 1st Eight and J16 Eight were placed in a strong heat with 6 crews side by side and all crews had a much better row. Unfortunately the 1st Eight came second by a canvas behind a very strong composite crew from Belgium and the J16’s finished in third.

Overall this was an excellent way for all crews to prepare for the season and although the J14 Squad did not come to Belgium they also had a productive camp at Shiplake. We look forward to our first regatta of the season at Wallingford and we hope that this will be a successful season for Shiplake College Boat Club.

Shiplake House Head Race
1st Burr 18 Points 2nd Welsh 17 Points 3rd Skipwith 16 Points 4th Orchard 13 Points 5th Everett 12 Points

Results Schools' Head
1st VIII J18 Championship Eights 15th out of 41 crews 17.26 J16 Championship Eights Unable to row crew and coach ill J15 Championship Eights 12th 19.34 J15 Second Eights 17th 22.46 Full results can be found by clicking on the link below. http://www.wsbc.org.uk/shorr/2009timesprov.pdf

Results National Sculling Head
Both J14 Octuples put in good performances at Dorney Lake gaining their first experience of a National Competition. The A Crew finished 37th and the B Crew 44th. I am sure both of these crews will build on these performances and gain some good results as we approach the regatta season. Full results can be found by clicking on the link below. http://www.mikrotime.com/rowing/row2009/natjsh09.html

Results: Reading University Head

Shiplake J14’s had an eventful but very promising start to their racing careers recording some encouraging results. The J14 A 8x unfortunately only raced with 7 boys due to illness at the start of the race. Despite this they still performed well finishing in a time of 18.35.1 this would have placed them 13/22 J14 Octuples. I am sure that when they have their full strength crew racing they will make further progress. The J14 B 8x also had a good performance gaining a lot from this new experience of racing at a Head Race finishing in a time of 18.58.0. I look forward to watching them race next Monday at the Sculling Head.

The J15’s also continue to make progress with the J15 A 8 finishing 14/28 crews beating our local rivals Blue Coat, Pangbourne and Oratory. The J15 B 8 also performed well and should be pleased with their efforts. I am sure both crews will build on this performance and gain some creditable results at Schools’ Head.

The J16’s had another strong result finishing 2nd out of 15 crews in a time of 14.22.4. Although disappointing not to have beaten Eton it puts this crew in a strong position as they start their final preparations for Schools’ Head.

The 1st VIII had to make some last minute changes to their crew with strokeman Matt Tyrwhitt Drake becoming ill the day before the race. Despite this they still raced well finishing 4th in the Men’s S4 category in a time of 14.22.9.

All crews look forward to Schools’ Head next week and I very much hope to see you at this important race.

Full results can be found by clicking on the link below.

http://www.ortnerbc.com/RUHORR/results_2008.htm

Results: Henley Fours and Eights Head

Due to Wycliffe Head being cancelled Shiplake College entered Henley Head as a late entry alongside Shrewsbury and Eton. These crews all raced in a separate Division and could not be entered into the main draw. The full results can be found by clicking on the link below.

http://www.henleyrowingclub.org/Open_Events/Fours/Results/2009.pdf

The results as below are very encouraging for all crews and if you compare them to the Senior Men’s crews we would have been very competitive. The 1st VIII and J16 were quicker than the event winners of the Men’s Novice and S3 categories.

Timed Only Sub Division
Eton College BC - A 00:10:32
RSSBC - A 00:10:47
RSSBC - B 00:11:16
Shiplake - A 00:11:17
Eton College BC - B 00:11:25
Eton College BC - C 00:11:32
Shiplake - B 00:11:38
RSSBC - C 00:12:14
Eton College BC - D 00:12:20
RSSBC - D 00:12:46
Shiplake - C 00:12:57
Henley RC 00:13:54
RSSBC - E 00:13:56
RSSBC - F 00:15:45

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