Wallingford 4s and 8s – Junior Girls
For the second time this season the Henley Rowing Club crews were back on the Wallingford stretch for a long distance race on Sunday 18th November. This time swapping their sculling blades for sweep blades to race in the Fours and Eights Head. This is a popular race with the entry being full within 24 hours of opening with all 350 crew places being taken. Why so popular is a mystery when it is such a difficult course with the first 2000 metres of the 4500 presenting some interesting steering challenges. The race is run in two divisions and Henley had a full complement entered Boys, Girls and Masters covering both Divisions.
The girls picked up wins in four of the Eights events winning Under 23 and all three of the Junior categories J18, J16 and J15 The Under 23 crew (Phoebe Fletcher, Daisy Bellamy, Phoebe Snowden, Sophia Hahn, Carla Russel, Maddy Pollard, Holly Cookson, Hannah Hills, cox Ella Nolson) were the fastest women’s eight in Div 2 beating crews from universities including locals Oxford Brookes. The J18 8o (Charlotte Williams, Emma Berry, Georgia Brown, Izzie Bird, Charlotte Rowley, Millie Guida, Amber Weller, Emeline Warner cox Madison Sturgess) finished 10 secs ahead of Lady Eleanor Holles who took second and third. The WJ16 8o (Emilia Fulford Dobson, Georgie Pollard, Izzy Cotten, Della Luke, Riley Butcher, Holly Thompson, Gina Segrt, Sophie Underwood, Cox Madison Sturgess) had a convincing minute and 5secs victory over Lea RC in a time that would have seen them only just missing out on first place in the older age group of J18. The WJ15 8o (Beatrice Bethell, Cleo Davis, Rose Mcewen, Josie Sawbridge, Ella McKay, Laoise O’Donohue, Natalie Schoenmakers, Mia Vickerman, cox Daisy Rolstone) had one of the biggest winning margins coming in nearly 3minutes ahead of their opposition and again in a time that would have seen them well placed in older age categories.
Winning WJ16 8o
From Bow Sophie Underwood, Gina Segrt, Holly Thompson, Riley Butcher, Della Luke, Izzy Cotton, Georgie Pollard, Emilia Fulford Dobson cox Madison Sturgess
In the Coxed four events the club took first and second place in WJ18 4+ the crew of Phoebe Fletcher, Daisy Bellamy, Sophia Hahn, Hannah Hills ,Cox Ella Nolson, taking first place ahead of Holly Cookson, Maddy Pollard, Phoebe Snowden, Charlotte Rowley ,Cox Ava Reineke both crews were nicely clear of the following pack which included crews from the top girls schools. The WJ16 four Emilia Fulford Dobson, Izzy Cotten, Della Luke, Georgie Pollard, Cox Ava Reineke had a comfortable win 21 secs ahead of the Lady Eleanor Holles School and third place Putney High School.
Junior Boys update
The J18s also took a break from their sculling to try their hand at sweep rowing, fielding an 8 and a 4, both with great success. In Division 1 the eight, Luke Marshall, Balthasar Issa, Grant Taylor, Seth O’Connor, Ed Roy, Joe Long, Euan Tufnell and James Swinburn, and coxed by Charles Washbourne, containing 6 of this season’s GB sculling triallists, had a cracking row and won Band 2 of J18 8os in a time that would have seen a top 3 finish in the open category. In Division 2 a J18 four of Alex Carr, Sam Beattie, Olly Taylor and John Yolland coxed by Charles Washbourne produced their row of the season so far to take 5th place out of 9.
On Saturday some of the boys squad competed at Hampton Head. Dan Crick and Soren O’Connor came third in a very strong field of twenty seven in the J16 doubles event. James Wallace and Tom O’Reilly also performed well in the J17 doubles to finish seventh in a field of nineteen.
