Leppard brothers take double victory at Head of the Don

Henley Rowing Club brothers Tom and Will Leppard both secured victories at the Head of the Don in South Yorkshire on Sunday, November 1.

They travelled north with their father, Chris, who grew up in the area and welcomed the opportunity for the family to race on his home waters.

The event featured three divisions, including a GB Rowing Team U19 Autumn Benchmarking Event in the second division, bringing some strong young talent to the River Don.

Racing took place upstream over 4,000 metres, with the J13 and J14 events and J15 single sculls contested over a shorter 2,000-metre course.

Despite the challenges of navigating an unfamiliar stretch of river under race conditions, Tom won the boys’ J15 single sculls in 7 minutes 48.02 seconds, ahead of competitors from Gorse Boat Club, York City and Lambton Rowing Club.

Will marked his first race in a single scull with victory in the boys’ J13 category. He finished in 9:30.6, holding off strong local competition from Doncaster Schools Rowing Association.

Chris completed a successful family outing with third place in the combined Masters A/C/F single sculls, finishing in 18:29.6.