British Rowing Masters Championships

HENLEY Rowing Club’s masters squad delivered a commanding performance at the British Rowing Masters Championships held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham last weekend, returning with an impressive haul of medals despite challenging weather conditions.

A strong headwind created testing conditions across the board, but the Henley rowers rose to the occasion with a series of impressive performances. Leading the way was Jack Barrett, who claimed gold in the Masters B single sculls after a tightly contested race, edging out his nearest rival by just over a second.

Barrett then joined forces with Mike Lambourn, Nick Friend and Rich Ellera in the Masters B quadruple sculls, where the crew established an early lead and held off a strong challenge from London Rowing Club to take gold by a margin of just over three seconds.

This victory secured a domestic treble for the crew, having already won at the Henley Masters Regatta and the Masters Head of the River Race. Friend and Ellera also raced in the Masters B double sculls, rowing strongly to finish with a well-earned silver medal in a competitive field.

John Gelling delivered a strong performance in the Masters C single sculls, surging into an early lead with a blistering start. He held his advantage for much of the race but was narrowly edged out in the closing stages by a fast-finishing Nottingham Rowing Club sculler, earning a well-deserved silver medal.

The Women’s Masters F quadruple sculls crew of Elizabeth Thimaseu, Miriam O’Leary, Laura Johnson and Helen Turnell produced a solid race to take silver, finishing just behind Cambridge-based X-Press Boat Club.

Meanwhile, in the Masters B coxless pair, Elliot Cole and James Padmore were in contention for the win coming into the final 200 metres. However, after clipping a buoy, they were forced to settle for a well-fought bronze medal.

The club also saw success in the non-championship events. The Open 50+ quadruple scull of Shaun Paice, Ken Fitzgibbon, Alex Scott and Mark Gray staged an impressive comeback, rowing through Walbrook RC to seize gold. In the Mixed 65+ double sculls, David Brown and Judy Walker delivered a standout performance to claim gold, beating a strong Exeter RC crew.