Bulletin Board 2005 - 2006

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Edition 17     31st July 2006

Rowing for Wales

          On July 22nd, James Davenport, Patrick Lapage and Ed Whitehead represented Wales at the Home International Regatta which was held at Strathclyde Park, Scotland.The regatta involves all four Home Nations; England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Patrick and Ed raced in the Welsh Junior Mens Pair and also in the Junior Mens Eight, James raced in the Junior Mens Coxed Four. Patrick and Ed won the pair event by 1.8 seconds (an account of the race written by Ed can be read below) and in the afternoon they raced in the eight and finished 3rd behind winners England and 2nd placed Ireland but still beating Scotland comfortably. James raced in the Welsh coxed four at both the National Championships and the Home International Regatta. His crew came 3rd and gained Bronze at the National Championships and they also finished 3rd at the Home International Regatta behind Ireland and England. England were the overall winners of the Junior Mens Competition at the regatta, with Ireland and Wales close behind in 2nd and 3rd and Scotland were 4th.

        From Ed:
        We had a good start and the entire field was level after 100 metres. The English and Irish pushed hard for the first 500 metres, whilst we rowed long and low at 34, keeping within a length of them. The Scots, after doubling up in an earlier race, fell off the pace early in the race. After 500 metres, England slowed significantly. We rowed through them at around halfway. The Irish had half a canvas on us, but a 'johnson' with 750 metres to go put us a canvas up on them. From there, we built on our lead and won with open water.

Edition 16     2nd July 2006

Henley Royal Regatta Regatta - 28th June to 2nd July

          Henley this year saw a strong and powerful Shrewsbury crew take to the water against Bedford Modern School on Wednesday whom they beat by 2 ³/₄ lengths in a time of 6 minutes 43 seconds. St. Ignatius College Preparatory School from San Francisco, the winners of the U.S. Rowing National Youth Championships, also recorded a time of 6-43 so the battle had started. 

           Thursday saw the R.S.S.B.C. crew beating Radley College by 2 ¹/₄ lengths followed by a victory over St. Paul's School on Friday by 2 lengths.

           On Saturday came the race between Shrewsbury and St. Ignatius and a large group of Shrewsbury supporters saw a tremendous performance from both crews - St. Ignatius took half a length lead; Shrewsbury replied and reduced the lead to a canvas; St. Ignatius increased the lead and Shrewsbury came back again and so it went on with both crews fighting hard as they approached the Stewards' enclosure. St. Ignatius finished two-thirds of a length ahead in a time of 6 minutes 24 seconds - just 2 seconds outside the record. 

           St. Ignatius then went on to win the final against King's School Chester by 4 lengths. They will remember their race against Shrewsbury as easily their toughest race at Henley.

            The Shrewsbury crew was - from the bows:

Luke Taylor, Will Gray, Freddie Hay, Tom Hanmer, Patrick Lapage, Jonny Groome, Sean Duncan, Richard Putnam and Ralph Dowson.

             Five of this crew will still be at school next year together with many of this years strong second eight so ...

Edition 15     25th June 2006

Ironbridge Regatta - 24th June

         The double scull, Hugh Williams and Will Eaton, found the Nottingham Schools crew too strong for them in their J 16 race; in the senior 4 event they were close to the crew from Tyne and challenged very strongly in the home straight but were unable to push their bows ahead at the finish. Jo Bennett entered both the J 16 and novice single sculls; he reached the semi-final of the J 16 sculls but in the novice sculls he won all his races in fine style - the semi- final and final by considerable margins - to win his first sculling pot. 

Edition 14     25th June 2006

Marlow Regatta - 17th June

         The second four, J 15 A and B eights competed at Marlow. The second four of Janes Broadley, Ed Whitehead, James Davenport, Dom Power and Dan Turner were entered in senior 3 coxed fours and raced well but were unable to gain a place in the final. The J 15 A eight qualified comfortably for the final of their event; after a strong push in the final 200 metres they were just pushed into third place a few metres before the line. The J 15 B eight also qualified comfortably for their final in which they put in a strong performance finishing second to Eton - a very encouraging row.

Edition 13     27th May 2006

National Schools' Regatta - 27th/28th May

         On the Saturday the 1st VIII won the Queen Mother Cup for the first time since 1982, the 2nd VIII won silver medals in the Elsenham Cup and the J 15 B VIII won bronze medals in the Bluefriars Cup.

Edition 12     3rd May 2006

Wallingford Regatta - 30th April

         Wallingford Regatta was a 1500m race held at Dorney lake. The top squad had a truly memorable day and for the first eight it was a real learning curve. The first eight raced in senior 2 eights in the morning. In the heat we had our first school encounter of the regatta season with St. Paul’s (one of the favourites) and Radley. It was a very close race between us and St Paul’s for second place with and Tideway Scullers slightly ahead. As it was only first 2 to qualify we needed to beat Paul’s for a place in the final. We did this but only just. The final later that morning was a race I feel we would all rather forget. We were up against the other Nat Schools favourite Abingdon and came in a disappointing fourth losing to them. With revenge on the mind we approached the afternoon racing. Here we raced in J18A eights. The first heat had Abingdon in it so we were really keen to show them what we could really do. We finished first closely followed by Abingdon. As it was first three crews to qualify it was hard to judge whether Abingdon were truly pushing themselves when they saw they were going to qualify regardless of whether they beat us or not. The final was when we would find out if we could gain our national champion status back. The final consisted of all of the main school boy crews including a new and improved Eton crew and of course Abingdon. We had good start and were up in front with Eton and Abingdon. Eton slowly began to fall and it was left as a cat and mouse game between us and Abingdon. Abingdon would sprint gaining a few seats and we would slowly try to claw it back. At 250m left Abingdon had a lead of 2/3rds of a boat length. Most crews would have given up at this point but not Shrewsbury. We had a huge sprint at the finish giving all we had and managed to beat them by just over a second winning the event. It was truly a memorable moment for us all.

    The second eight also raced the senior 2 event in the morning. They had a great race beating King’s Chester’s first eight. Sadly they didn’t qualify but they definitely showed everyone that they were up there with the first eights. The second eight raced in the J18B event in the afternoon. They won their heat beating boats from Bedford Modern, Hampton and Latymer, qualifying for the final. In the final they showed everybody just what they can achieve dominating the whole event beating second place Emmanuel School by 4 seconds.

    This was a successful and educational day for the top squad.

    The J15 squad had mixed results at Wallingford.  Racing heartily, although without four regular members of the squad, and knowing that the challenge ahead was going to be tough for both crews.  The J15 2nd 8 raced in the J15B event, competing with a mixture of J15 1st and 2nd crews.  For them, this was the first regatta of the year (and first ever race for one more new recruit) and in their heat they finally settled to a strong rhythm after an understandably 'experimental' racing start.  To qualify for the final they needed to finish among the top three in their heat and a tough battle for 3rd place developed. Sadly, despite their efforts, they missed out on the final by under a second to a strong Radley B crew but acquitted themselves well against national competition.
    The J15 1st 8 demonstrated the progress made since Notts City with an excellent display of powerful and efficient rowing in their heat of the J15A event.  They eased clear of the other five crews, and maintained an open-water advantage at 31spm to the finish line to qualify for a middle lane in the final.  With Eton's J15A boat winning the other heat the scene was set for a tough but exciting final.  This time, however, the race did not go according to plan.  Another robust racing start saw the J15As and their Eton counterparts begin to pull clear of the competition but after that the story lacks a happy ending.  Without ever discovering their most effective rhythm (and the coach would like to point out that hunting for it around the 38-40 spm area is unlikely to turn it up) their challenge faded and Eton were left completely untroubled at the finish. Still, aside from the last 4 minutes of the racing, the rest of the day was a great
success and we now look forward to a day's pot-hunting on our own doorstep at the Shrewsbury Regatta. 

Edition 11     3rd May 2006

Evesham Regatta - 29th April

     The 3rd eight entered novices and battled valiantly against a combined 1st/2nd eight crew from Cheltenham. Although they gave the opposition a good run for their money Cheltenham pulled ahead after about 700 metres and maintained their lead.

Edition 10     17th April 2006

Nottingham City Regatta - 22nd April

    Nott’s city was a pretty decent start to the regatta season for the top squad. The first eight raced in the senior 2 event, involving a heat and a final. We had a good race coming second to Nott’s County rowing club and qualifying for the final. As it was first three to the final and the leading three boats didn’t need to use final sprints it was hard to judge how we would fair in the final. The final was very intense with Shrewsbury and Nott’s county taking the lead. Nott’s county moved up on us gaining a few seats and we fought it out till the end. Sadly for us they managed gain a few more seats. It was a great race and the men in the crew were very impressed that we managed to hold them.

    The second eight really were the heroes of the day winning J18 8s. They are really shaping up to be an outstanding crew and have kicked off the regatta season to a great start.

    The J15A eight took the opportunity to race over 2km at Holme Pierrepont despite having to row against senior crews in the Novice eights event. Racing from a standing start for the first time this year, they needed to finish 3rd or better in their heat to make the final and guarantee two rows in the day. A slightly wobbly racing start did not dampen spirits and they rowed through the majority of the field to finish comfortably in 2nd place of 6 in the heat - but behind a strong Newcastle University crew. 

      A major talking point of this regatta was the presence of the 'Steve Redgrave Liverpool 8' - clear winners of the other heat and about which a documentary is being filmed this year. It was certainly exciting to learn that the J15A crew were drawn in the adjacent lane for the final. The J15s raced hard from the outset, staying close to the Liverpool 8 for as long as possible (more in hope of getting on TV than winning this senior race!) but finally slipped 'out of shot' by the halfway mark and finishing in 5th place of the 12 entries. A good days racing during which a lot was learned.

Edition 9     18th March 2006

North of England Head at Chester - 18th March

      Link to Royal Chester Boat Club for results now available - click here. 

     The J15 squad continue to suffer from a number of absentees with the 'bug' claiming another few victims this week.  For the North of England Head the J15B crew were entered in the J15 8+ category for a showdown with the Kings Chester J15A crew - a match up that resulted in a tie last time they met (at Wycliffe).  The J15As were pushed up to J16 8+ event to keep clear of the B crew and their 'mission'.  Despite the meticulous planning, the number of oarsmen who were both fit and healthy never quite reached 16 and the J15B crew (all 6 of them still standing) were stood down for the weekend. Sadly, the JJ15A crew's opposition also decided to withdraw (despite being present that day) leaving them to row the course alone, observing the J15 event behind them.  They completed the course with a flourish, comfortably clear of the J15 opposition and cheered on by parents, friends, and the J14s (their event having been cancelled without warning!). Not the most exciting race of the term and our focus quickly shifts towards the Easter camp, and warmer weather to come. The whole squad have worked hard throughout the term and a bit of rest and recuperation is now long overdue!

Edition 8     10th March 2006

The Schools' Head of the River Race - 9th March

      Wins for the first and second eights; second places for the third, J 15 A and J 15 B eights. 
     For full results click here.
     For photos visit the scrapbook - see left.
.    What more can I say! This was a fantastic day for the boat club. The first eight had a truly amazing race beating 2nd place Abingdon by 26seconds to win the event. The first eight started second behind Eton. They overtook Eton just before Hammersmith bridge hopefully giving the large Shrewsbury fan base something to cheer about. On that note I must thank everyone who came to support, it is much appreciated. The first eight then went on to get clear water from Eton and pulled away further from the Abingdon crew, which started behind. The first eight were one second off the record time of 17.12, securing a time of 17.13.  
     The true record breakers of the day were the 2nd eight with a fantastic performance, breaking the course record for 2nd eights, winning the event with a time of 17.51. Not only did they dominate other 2nd eight crews they beat roughly 28 other 1st eight rowing crews including Eton’s top boat by 7 seconds.  
     Our third eight rowed a great race overtaking Bedford on the outside of the Hammersmith bend and raced with real determination over the whole course to finish 2nd behind Hampton - also beating a fair few 1st and 2nd boats.   
     After a stressful 10 days since Worcester Head owing to a number of J15 oarsmen being ill and off school, the full J15 squad was reassembled just in time for this important race. The J15 2nd VIII raced first, starting well down the field but making good ground on the crews around them. The short course does not offer much time to catch and overtake as many other crews as they are used to, but nonetheless they raced aggressively and finished strongly to record an excellent time of 8 minutes 54seconds. Sadly the Abingdon 2nd boat pipped them to the medal by a mere 4 seconds but their 2nd place makes them the most successful J15B crew for a number of years and bodes well for the regatta season. 
     The J15 1st VIII set off strongly in their race over the long course and soon caught the Abingdon 1st crew at Barnes Bridge.  A spirited push from the Abingdon crew meant that they slugged it out side by side most of the way round the Hammersmith bend, before finally shaking them off with a couple of miles to go.  By this stage, the strong Latymer crew at the head of the division had built up a significant advantage.  A ferocious final mile from the Shrewsbury crew closed the gap down and at the finish there was nothing to choose between the two.  Unfortunately, the decision went in Latymer's favour by just one second - an agonising margin of defeat, equivalent to just 20ft over the 4.25 mile course.  Nonetheless, it was a fabulous race and the J15A's time (beating several 1st VIIIs and most J16 crews) helped RSSBC to the Thames Team Trophy. Hopes are high for the regatta season.
     Thanks to a set of excellent results throughout the whole club, RSSBC won The Thames Teams Trophy which is awarded to the club with the most successful crews of the day. This goes to show how much the club is improving as a whole.  
     After The North of England Head next week, we can all now look forward to an exciting regatta season this summer.

Edition 7     26th February 2006

Worcester Head 25th February

     Wins for 1st VIII, J15 A VIII and J 14 A Octuple. 

Not the most popular of races, Worcester was made more exciting this year with entries from the south such as Hampton and last years Henley winners Eton. The top squad had an early start and after a healthy breakfast served by one of the newer members of the kitchen staff, Mr Baxter, we were raring to go! The 1st and 2nd VIIIs had not raced since Wallingford and so were very keen to see how the training since had paid off.

The results speak for themselves. The 1st VIII gained the fastest time of the day, beating the well respected Worcester elite crew by 9 seconds: they beat Hampton by 26 seconds and Eton by 43 seconds. The 2nd VIII also had a fantastic race coming 2nd to the Eton top boat by only 2 seconds. The 2nd boat really are proving to be one of the best 2nd VIIIs the school has seen for a long time. The 3rd VIII put out a very strong performance and are proving to be very serious competitors in top squad rowing.

The day was a success all round giving the crews confidence and focus for the Schools Head in the up and coming weeks.

Another very successful day for the J15 squad, with both A and B crews at full strength for the first time this year.  The J15A crew raced hard with their counterparts from Eton and Hampton, beating both by more than a minute - an impressive margin over traditionally strong opposition.  Within the same event, the J15B crew rowed ferociously at an impressive 35spm to overtake several A crews and finish 5th of 12, just behind Hampton's J15A crew and just a few seconds from 3rd place.

Worcester Head Online weather forecast ….Friday – Minimum temp – 1oC, Maximum temp – 5oC. Is this right? Granted, there are snow showers, but these were followed shortly by t-shirt worthy sunny spells.Saturday – Minimum temp – OoC, Maximum temp – a whopping 6oC – , the BBC website advises “sunny spells”. Hmmm, I think that in retrospect, we needed Harry Potter to cast those “sunny spells”. The bitterly cold morning was uncomfortable for those of us rigging the J14 quad boat at 9.30am, but by the time our intrepid oarsmen ventured onto the River Severn at 10am for their first ever race, the icy breeze was ripping right through their pristine RSSBC t-shirts (luckily, most had at least 3 layers underneath!). After a steady 4km warm up, the boys waited at the start for the rest of the Division One boats to arrive. Several hours later….when the RSSBC crew finally came past the WRC clubhouse, they looked very impressive – timing sharp, strokes long and strong faces smiling. Fantastic! 
In Division Two, the J14 octuples had a similarly successful time. The B crew looked powerful as they stormed past the boathouse, determined to make their mark in their first eight-man event. Shortly after, the A crew came into sight. They were also having a very spirited race, putting in a  well timed, crowd pleasing overtaking manoeuvre right outside the clubhouse  - note to parents, the shouting/ encouragement definitely helps!  Congratulations to the As who won the J14 8x+ event. It is very encouraging to note that there are several boys who will be challenging for seats in the top boat at Schools’ Head next week. Watch this space….and if anyone knows any “sunny spells”, please email me! 
KM Weston

     Results - click here

Edition 6     24th February 2006

GB Trials, Boston, 18th/19th February

     RSSBC entered 5 members of the top squad for the GB pairs trials in what turned out to be an unusually sunny Boston! 
    The Saturday morning saw Ed Whitehead (SH) and Patrick Lapage (R) racing together in the J16 2- event. Although being made to start last behind all the other crews, they stayed focused and it certainly paid off, as they had a strong race and rowed past Hampton and George Watson’s to finish in 1st, with 2nd place over a minute behind them. Ed and Patrick’s time placed them 40th in the J18 2- division, which is a superb achievement for a J16 2-. 
     Next it was the turn of Freddie Hay (G) and James Davenport (R), who both raced in composite pairs. With Will Gray (O) unable to race due to illness, Freddie Hay rowed with James Soane from St.Paul's School and James Davenport with James Cook from Monmouth School. Both pairs rowed well over the 5km long course with the RSSBC/St.Paul's composite doing especially well and finishing 12th and just over 30 seconds behind the winners. The RSSBC/Monmouth composite finished in 36th place a good position and a respectable time to go with it. 
    With Sunday came the second day of racing and much colder weather but once again RSSBC performed well. Freddie Hay (G) paired up with Will Satch of Shiplake and came 20th, a solid performance considering they had no time for any race preparation or practice! Ed Whitehead (SH) made the jump from J16 2- to J18 2- on Sunday to row with James Davenport (R), and even though they had hardly any practice managed to finish in a strong 29th position. 
    All 5 of the RSSBC representatives at the pairs trials had good results and hopefully they will all earn the chance to represent Great Britain this summer.

Edition 5     5th February 2006

Wycliffe Big  Head, 4th February

    Cloudy and cold but dry with no wind, the 3rd VIII, J 15 A and B VIIIs and three J 14 quads took to the water for the first head of the term. The 3rd eight won the Senior 4 event in which they started strongly and steadily caught up Radley with whom they fought for about a mile eventually overtaking them shortly before the finish: a tough race rowed with grit and determination.

     The first head of the term was cold and we stepped out of the warm bus with our hopes high. The race was long and the J15 A crew started well and overtook a couple of eights before the first bridge where we just couldn't get past before we were called to 'easy oars' for the narrowing of the canal. The crew then stormed to the finish and came first comfortably. The J15 B crew gave their new boat a good workout  and showed just how well they can row it.  Along with new coach, gap student Gavin Cookman, and a new recruit to the squad in the bow seat, they raced hard overtaking Canford and King's Worcester along the way. Their finish time of 17m26 was an excellent result, placing them in equal second place with Kings Chester's J15 1st VIII.   

      Having suffered from the bitter cold and wind last year, the 2005-06 J14 coaches ensured that their athletes were fully prepared for their first ever racing experience on the Gloucester-Sharpness canal. Wrapped up in several layers of RSSBC kit, woolly hats, gloves and even an errant pair of pogies, three J14 quads pushed off into unknown waters at 10am. In amongst boats of other boys, girls, university students and veteran rowers, sometimes it was more exciting to watch crews rowing past on their way up to the race start (some 6 km away) than to focus on technique and timing. However, the first major hurdles to overcome, or should that be, undergo, were the canal bridges, all of 2 feet above the water line, and the coxes soon learnt to look ahead and warn their brave crews of these impending obstacles. We didn’t want to bring a whole new meaning to the term “Head of the River”!The race itself was very exciting. With two junior girls J14 quads immediately behind the RSSBC boats, the attention of the rowers was sharply focussed right from the start. Unfortunately, one ladies crew decided to make the most of a little hiccup the RSSBC “C” had whilst approaching a bridge and the boys ended up making more than a passing acquaintance with the starboard bank. However, they soon regained their composure, pushed off and paddled down the river with renewed vigour round their riggers – and hopefully quashing some of that gentlemanly behaviour that allowed the young ladies to pass in the first place. The RSSBC “B” crew had a storming performance battling against the bridge-crushing girls crew all the way down, never giving up and letting them pass. In a similar manner, the RSSBC “A” crew had a great tussle with the Evesham quad in the first third of the race, but were unfortunately beaten by this more experienced crew.  The day was certainly a great experience for all concerned. Battle lines have been set out for the rest of the season and we are looking to settle a few scores at Worcester Head on February 28th. The RSSBC 2005-06 J14s have a strong and powerful squad which certainly bodes well for the rest of the Head season and should hold us in good stead for the (warmer and far more sociable) regatta season in the Summer Term.

      For full results click here.

Edition 4     5th December  2005

Wallingford Head of the River, 4th December

    Wallingford, was the first time in eights for the top squad this season, and the results and the conduct of the racing itself were particularly heartening.  The first eight finished with the second fastest time of the day, won its event (senior 2) by 38 seconds, had a time over a minute faster than any of the other school crews, and defeated even first boats from traditionally effective clubs like Thames Rowing Club, Molesey, Sons of the Thames, as well as all of the university crews but one, the Oxford Lightweight first eight.  A highlight of that race came after the boys had passed the second Oxford Lightweight eight, and steadily moved up on and eventually passed an elite entry from Imperial College.  In the meantime, our second boat came seventh in the same event, had a time that would have put it third among first boats in the School event, even enduring a tangle so frustratingly characteristic of head races.  Our third eight finished respectably, 40 seconds behind the second third, eleventh in their event, senior 4, 50 seconds off the winner.

    The J15’s produced two eights for Wallingford Head. After the long journey we boated in the second division and rowed down to the start, working ourselves up for the race. Both crews were entered for the Junior U15 eights. We had been in the boats for approximately two hours when we were called forward to the start, but we were ready. 

    The A’s, after seeing the Winchester crew over the horizon, caught up with some women’s eights and kept concentration for the less eventful, long stretches of the race. The B’s overtook the Winchester crew in the first 500 metres of the race and rowed a hard race. Both crews had a great, technically good race and the A Eight succeeded in winning the event cleanly.

    An excellent day for the first eight achieving the second fastest time of the whole day - 7seconds behind Nephthys and over a minute faster than Pangbourne, the next fastest school crew.

For Wallingford Head results click here.

Edition 3     3rd December  2005

Agecroft Head of the River, 26th November

    Agecroft was a huge success with the top squad picking up 4 medals. (and may I add some very stylish t-shirts!) The top four had a very close race battling it out with the Agecroft Senior 1 four. We managed to finish about three seconds in front with a time of 10.56.10. Not far behind were our second four who won the Senior 2 event beating the other Agecroft four by 0.14s. A close shave but a great race with them getting a time of 11:09.35. Sadly our Senior 3 boat fell short of Manchester University but nevertheless rowed well.

    The afternoon had more great results with the J18 four beating Bradford grammar school by a considerable amount, and our Novice 4 picking up the final medal of the day by beating Agecroft. Our Senior 4 four sadly lost out to a very good Agecroft crew. All in all it was a great days racing and things are looking exciting for the rest of the season.      

    Agecroft Head was a very successful event for the J15's. Two coxed fours were entered in the second division. The 'A' crew, after overtaking some very stubborn double sculls, managed to wrestle a medal from the event. The 'B' crew put as much effort in and finished close seconds behind. The coxed quad was up against some very tough, admittedly quite LARGE competition and after their best efforts came second. 

    In the afternoon an on-the-day crew shuffle produced 3 coxed fours to race in the J16 event! The crews endured another cold row and secured a 'J16' medal, third and fifth places. It was a good day and the crews are looking good early in the season.

For Agecroft Head results click here.

Edition 2     3rd December  2005

Fours Head of the River, 12th November

On Saturday the 12th November the top squad took 4 fours down to London to row on the tideway for the Fours Head. It is a hard race and was made even harder by the fact that the finish is a bit further on from the finish of the Schools Head that we all know. The B four had a great race and were really flying as they went under the famous Hammersmith bridge. They got a great time of 20minutes exactly and came a very impressive 7th in the Senior 2 event. The A four were close behind finishing 9th with a time of 20 minutes 5 seconds. The B and C fours also had encouraging races and got some very respectable times. Although no medals were won, this race has set a good precedent for the rest of the season and we can all look on in excitement.  

For Fours  Head results click here

Edition 1     8th November  2005

Northwich Autumn Head, 15th October

Worcester Autumn Head , 9th October

      The start to the head season has been encouraging with 11 wins so far - 6 at Northwich and 5 at Worcester. Some good racing from crews at all levels with excellent performances from the J15s in their first rowing events.

For Northwich Autumn Head results click here