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Bulletin Board 2007 - 2008

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I have included some archive photographs for notable crews up to and including 2007.

Edition 9 10th June 2008

National Schools' Regatta (re-arranged) - 7th June 2008

Double Gold at the re-arranged National School’s Regatta.

The RSSBC First VIII is the fastest schoolboy crew in the country this year. In its field, the RSSBC Second VIII is also the fastest schoolboy crew in the country this year. This was established on Saturday 7^th June 2008, when they both led the field of all comers and returned home with Gold Medals. 2 weeks previously the National Schools' Regatta was cancelled due to high winds: this was the re-arranged match held at Dorney Lake.

Having more or less cruised into the final, the Second Eight did not need to use their mid-race push at all, nor even to take her home, such was the almost unassailable lead they had established early in the race. Photos show nearly a length of clear water between them and the nearest opposition, and the stopwatch indicates a time that would have put them in 3^rd place among other First VIII’s (2 seconds off the winning time) and in the pack in the Championship eights final. This year’s win adds to the gold medal scored last year and a silver the year before at the National Schools Regatta.

	Final	School Second Eights
	Lane
1st	4	Shrewsbury School	06:06.2
2nd	3	Eton College	06:11.1
3rd	5	Latymer Upper School	06:11.2
4th	6	Abindgon School	06:17.8
5th	2	Radley College	06:22.8
6th	1	St Paul's School	06:36.1

In their eliminating heat the First Eight conserved energy and rowed only fast enough to qualify for the final; some observers – and possibly a few unwary competitors – thought that the mighty Shrewsbury machine was running rough and losing pace. Not so former Headmaster Eric Anderson, who (having also been Headmaster at Abingdon and Eton) was looking forward to a satisfying outcome no matter which of the three main contenders won. His enquiry as to whether the crew had raced tactically was met with an answer that implied he would have to be shot if he heard the affirmative.

In the event the final was a two horse race: Abingdon fell off the pace as first Eton then Shrewsbury pushed hard. Eton moved first and took 2 men back from Shrewsbury's small lead; Shrewsbury's reply was to extend their lead by a further 6 men. However with only a few hundred metres to go Eton charged for the line and started to reel in the 3/4 length lead stroke by frightening stroke. The crew responded and dug very deeply to hold them off, by a 0.3 second margin - or about 6 feet. Not as close as Henley last year, but, as that result showed, every bit enough to put a smile on all Salopian faces. This year’s gold adds to last year’s silver medal at the National Schools’ Regatta and the Queen Mother Cup gold medal of two years ago.

	Final	Championship Eights
	Lane
1st	5	Shrewsbury School	05:54.7
2nd	4	Eton College	05:55.0
3rd	3	Abingdon School	05:59.0
4th	2	Radley College	06:02.4
5th	6	St Paul's School	06:08.2
6th	1	Latymer Upper School	06:12.3

When added to the unprecedented Hat-trick of Double Gold in the Schools’ Head of the River Race scored by the RSSBC First and Second VIIIs these results are a truly remarkable demonstration of a near vice-like grip by RSSBC on the top schoolboy rowing in VIII’s.

Coaches: N.D.J. Henderson and M. Henderson.

First VIII	Second VIII
Bow: P Thorneycroft	B: G Rae
2: E. Whitehead	2: H Williams
3: E Stephenson	3: P Nickerson
4: A Tenison-Collins	4: J Lowrie
5: S Goodbody	5: J Bennett
6: H Davies	6: W Eaton
7: D Power	7: P Aylwin
Str: P Lapage	Str: C Mertens
Cox: N de Lisle	Cox: H Robertson

Edition 8 23rd April 2008

J 15 Squad - the season so far

The second term saw some strong racing from the 4th Form. The culmination of which was a strong performance at the National Schools Head of the River. The J15 VIII (Lambie,Davey,Hawkins,Heard,Landells,Wray,Tham, Anderson, Vernon) finished 7th, significantly closing the gap between Kings Chester and St Georges where previously we were 26 seconds and 15 seconds behind respectively. The 4+ (Robertson, Ellery, Thomason, Maxton, Fitzpatrick) that raced, a scratch unit, performed well to finish 7th. Building on these results, we had a productive camp in Oxford alongside the top squad, which enabled the crews to make further progress and start preparing for the sprint season, one of the highlights being their incredible start routine!!
Since starting back after the Easter break we now have a fuller squad with some fresh faces, encouraging a much more competitive environment. With a 2km ergo test under their belts, and plenty of personal bests, the summer term looks set to be successful.

Edition 7 22nd April 2008

The National Sculling Head - 3rd March 2008

The

J14 squad had an enormously successful day at this event - the "Schools Head for sculling". Racing against crews from all over the country for the first time, three octuples took to the water on a breezy afternoon. The A and B crews were no strangers to racing by now, and the benefits of having two such similar crews to train against one another soon told. Both quickly caught and overtook the crews ahead, rowing efficiently but powerfully into a stiff headwind. The third octuple also raced ferociously and, even though they lacked experience, they fared well against their counterparts from other schools (3rd in C-octuples) and beat a number of A- and B-crews to finish an outstanding 24th overall. Nonetheless, the biggest smiles of the day came from the boys of the J14A and J14B octuples when they learned that each had won the gold medal in their event - and each with over 30 seconds to spare. Finishing 1st and 5th overall was an outstanding result and one of which the whole squad can be proud.

Edition 6 18th March 2008

The Schools' Head of the River - 4th March 2008

e crews had been sitting on the choppy water above Chiswick bridge for 45 minutes when the news broke: the race organisers – no doubt considering the cancellation of last year’s Head of the River Race – had shortened the course. Now merely 2.5 miles long, the new race-course was to start just beyond the Chiswick Eyot, missing out on the headwind conditions and the roughest of the water. The race marshals called the crews to row the 2500m down to the new start-line, and so the crews paddled down, oarsmen mentally preparing themselves for the shortened effort, Nick de Lisle (L6 O) trying to keep Radley, starting second, from falling too far behind.

There wasn’t much time for manoeuvring. The start line was soon there, and RSSBC 1st VIII, starting first, hit it at full stride and never looked back. The course was now officially two and a half miles, and the north west wind, which would have blown against the crews in the first stretch of the course, was a strong tailwind for almost all of the new course. The shortened course, and fast conditions, meant that there was even less margin for error than before, and that the race would be an entirely different proposition from the 18 minute slog they were anticipating. The RSSBC boats were not to be fazed, though: the 1^st VIII and 2^nd VIII finished at the tops of their fields, three and two seconds ahead of the next finishers, respectively. The 3^rd VIII also performed well, finishing third in its category, and the J-15 crew finished in the top half of its field.

Congratulations to the boys on their stupendous effort, in the most difficult of conditions. Many thanks are due to the coaches who made this possible, and to Ian Turner for his efforts to keep the shells in one piece. Special kudos go to the 1^st VIII (Nick De Lisle, Claas Mertens, Dom Power, Patrick Lapage, Angus Tenison-Collins, Ed Stephenson, Ed Whitehead, Sam Goodbody, Harry Davies) and 2^nd VIII (Dan Turner, Will Eaton, Patrick Aylwin, Patrick Thornycroft, Joe Bennet, Jack Lowrie, Chris Cox, Hugh Williams, George Rae), as this is the third year running in which both eights have won their classes. Well done, RSSBC!

Edition 5 27th February 2008

Worcester Head - 23rd February 2008

aturday, February 23, was another good day for RSSBC! Owing to debris in the water, what was originally intended to be a four-mile race was shortened to three, the decision made at the last possible moment; this didn’t faze the crews, however, since RSSBC won, usually by an impressive margin, every event in which it was entered.

The J-14 squad finished first and second in the quad, and first, by an impressive margin, in the octuple. The J-15 squad also raced well and won, again by a significant margin. The J-16 four (Carter, Fitzpatrick, Mayo, Babuta, Lywood) won their event as well.

The top squad recorded equally impressive results. The 2^nd VIII (Turner, Williams, Aylwin, Thornycroft, Bennett, Lowrie, Cox, Eaton, Rae) won the J-18 event – beating the first VIIIs of St. Edwards and Hampton – and recorded the second fastest time of the day. The 1^st VIII (De Lisle, Mertens, Power, Lapage, Tenison-Collins, Stephenson, Whitehead, Goodbody, Davies) soundly won the S2 category, and recorded, by a margin of 27 seconds, the fastest time of the day.

Congratulations to all coaches and oarsmen, and thanks to Ian Turner for his capable help. Well done, RSSBC!

Edition 4 6th February 2008

Wycliffe Big Head - 2nd February 2008

Sat

urday, February 2^nd, was a great day for RSSBC! The entire team – Top Squad, J-15, and J-14 – raced successfully at the Wycliffe Big Head, in Gloucestershire, and several different crews earned victories and new course records. It was a cold, clear day, with a stiff breeze that thankfully translated to a direct tailwind.
      The Top Squad raced in three events: Senior 2, Senior 3, and J-16, and coaches Nick and Morgan Henderson were very pleased with the results: a strong victory, new course record by over 30 seconds, and fastest time of the day for the first VIII in the Senior 2; another big win, and course record, and third fastest time of the day, for the second VIII in the Senior 3; and a good second place behind Kings Chester in the J-16 event. Special kudos goes out to Claas Mertens (5 – S) for racing twice.
      The J-15 team raced hard and well, and finished third out of a field of 15, behind Kings Chester and St. George’s, and vanquishing Radley, St. Edwards, and the rest. Well done to Miss Leake and her squad!
      The J-14 team under coach Paul Pattenden performed very well, winning and setting course records in both events – J-14 4x+ and J-14 8x+. The octuple performed especially well, winning the race by well over a minute!
       Many thanks to all parents and supporters who came out to cheer on RSSBC, and to Ian Turner, Nick Waugh, and Claire Leake for seeing the boats safely to and from Gloucestershire. Congratulations RSSBC, on all levels!

Edition 3 9th November 2007

Victoria, Sabrina and Williams Sculls

Senior Challenge Sculls - October 2007

he day of the Victoria, Sabrina, Williams Sculls competition broke warm and sunny – warmer and sunnier than most October days – and the boys of RSSBC truly did the day justice. The Top Squad, J-16, and J-15 teams all put in mighty efforts, and the end of the day saw three champions crowned: the Top Squad winner being awarded the Victoria cup, the top J-16 finisher getting the Sabrina chalice, and the fastest J-15 earning the Williams Cup.

The race was run in three flights, due to equipment limitations: three times as many boys raced as there were single sculls! But, thanks to the planning of Phil Lapage, and with the help of Head Coach Nick Henderson, the day was smooth from start to finish. The only hiccup was, arguably, the flipping of lower-sixth entrant Perry Nickerson as he rounded the Pengwyrn bend; to his credit, though, and in the spirit of the day, he righted himself and finished the course.

The winner of the Victoria cup, and the fastest overall boy, was captain of boats Patrick Lapage (U – Riggs), with a time three seconds ahead of the next best finisher, Ed Whitehead (U – SH). An intrepid staff member braved the waters, and performed admirably, taking for himself the fifth place (despite having two run-ins with the bank and one with an irate fisherman). Claas Mertens (5 – SH), a fifth form entrant, was the class of the field in the Sabrina challenge, winning in a time of 6:44 and finishing sixth place overall, some 34 seconds ahead of the next best J-16. And the Williams urn went to John Landells (4 – SH), who finished 18th overall and who bested the next J-15 finisher, Ed Thomason (4 – Riggs), by a healthy margin.

The overall house trophy went to School House, with a cumulative time of its top four finishers of 27:01. Riggs’ was next, and Porthill, on the strength of good performances by Dom Power (U) and Rowan Stringer (L).

It was an excellent day for RSSBC, and a heartening performance by so many boys of all different ages!

Edition 2 18th October 2007

Worcester Autumn Head – 7th October 2007

It was a full weekend for the RSSBC! A small part of the squad had just returned from the Pairs Head, in London, when they were off again the next morning, this time as part of a much larger RSSBC contingent (both Top Squad and J-15), for the Worcester Autumn Head.

The morning started well. The team arrived to Worcester without incident, and coaches Nick and Morgan Henderson, with assistant coach Paul Hamm and J-15 coaches Clare Leake and Charlie Oakley, immediately set to tasks administrative while the boys prepared the shells for racing. The three Top Squad crews were racing as Senior 3 (Hugh Williams, Joe Bennett, Patrick Aylwin, Paddy Thornycroft, Nick de Lisle) and two J-16 fours (Claas Mertens, Rory Antcliff, Huw Vaughan-Jackson, Tom Airey, Bertie Carter; and John Broadley, Toby Lywood, Bertie Mayo, George Huntley, Harry Robertson), and they raced superbly, winning the Senior 3 and finishing first and second in the J-16 divisions. The J-15 team, racing up a year in the J-16 category, performed very well against older and stronger competitors, and finished 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th. It was a good start to the day, and an encouraging start to the J-15 season.

The morning races over, the tired and happy athletes piled on the bus for the trip home, while the rest waited for the 2:30 start of the afternoon races. It was worth the wait: the RSSBC crew racing as Senior 2 (Patrick Lapage, Angus Tenison-Collins, Sam Goodbody, Harry Davies, Dan Turner) finished as the Head of the River for the afternoon division, beating all other crews in all other classes. The two other Top Squad crews raced in the J-18 event, finishing first (Perry Nickerson, George Rae, Jack Lowrie, Chris Cox, Nick de Lisle) and second (John Broadley, Huw Vaughan-Jackson, Rowan Stringer, Richard Hawley-Jones, Harry Robertson) in the event and third and thirteenth overall, out of a field of eighty crews.

Deserving of special kudos are Patrick Lapage, Angus Tenison-Collins, Harry Davies, Joe Bennett, and Claas Mertens, who raced in both the Pairs Head and the Worcester Autumn Head, and to John Broadley and Huw Vaughan-Jackson, who raced in both morning and afternoon divisions in the Worcester Autumn Head. Well done, RSSBC!

Edition 1 18th October 2007

Pairs Head – 6th October 2007

It was a grand experiment, months in the planning; the seed had formed in head coach Nick Henderson’s mind the day after the win at Henley ’07, as a possible answer to the question that had been plaguing him: How will we get faster? Pairs. Rowing and racing in pairs on top of the usual training in eights. And so three RSSBC pairs, selected over the previous month, ventured to the Tideway on Saturday morning. It was a blitzkrieg mission: with the help of assistant coach Paul Manser and Top Squad coach Morgan Henderson, the small group was to leave early, race at mid-day, and return in time for tea.

The three pairs were racing in two categories: Patrick Lapage and Angus Tenison-Collins were in the Senior 2-, and the duos of Harry Davies and Joe Bennett, and Claas Mertens and Ed Stephenson, raced in the Junior event. Rumours had swirled concerning the competition: it was going to be stiff. The top pairs from Eton and St. Paul’s were there, as well as from other London-based schools. RSSBC boated from the St. Paul’s boathouse, located just before the finish line at Hammersmith Bridge.

With coaches Nick and Morgan tailing the pairs on bicycles, and Paul Manser filming from Barnes Bridge, the pairs started at Chiswick bridge – Lapage/Tenison-Collins starting number 98, Davies/Bennett number 132, and Mertens/Stephenson number 149 – and they started well: the Davies/Bennett combination immediately overtook the boat ahead of them. The course was challenging, the tideway being considerably wider than the Severn (and thus with more opportunities for mis-steering), the day windy, and the competitors many, but all three crews performed admirably, placing 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th in a junior field (counting Lapage/Tenison-Collins as a junior crew) of thirty, and, more importantly, finishing with times within ten seconds of each other.

The coaches were pleased with the results, which were especially impressive considering the number of top athletes who, for a variety of reasons – personal, academic, and extra-curricular – were unable to attend. This showing was but a fraction of RSSBC’s power.

The day done, the small squad headed back in the mini-bus and, yes, arrived in time for tea.

Message from the web site editor:

I shall be in Bangkok during 2007 - 2008. I hope to keep some of the site up to date.

School Second Eights