STRATFORD-upon-Avon Boat Club’s junior scullers took part in the prestigious British Rowing Junior and Senior Club Championships at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham.
All of Stratford’s J14 scullers qualified for a minor final over 1,000m following the 900m time trials as Will Shaw placed third in the OJ14 1x F final while Seb Happel, Ed Appleton, James Greenwood, Euan Richter and Rory Jones (cox) raced in the OJ14 4x+ D final and finished sixth due to double crab as they sprinted to the finish.
Fellow scullers Orla Linforth and Erin Appleton took part in the WJ14 2x F final after a time adjustment due to a capsize ahead of them and finished fifth.
J14 coach, Hugo Happel, said: “Fantastic performance from the J14s, battling tricky conditions and displaying fine technique in both time trial and finals. This is now the baseline for them and they are eager to return next year.”
Stratford’s J15 squad competed in single, double and quadruple sculls events against crews from across the British Isles including as far afield as Gibraltar.
The women’s double sculls of Sophie Franklin/Bryony Francis and Millie Smith/Josephine Cooper raced in a bumper field of 94 crews and placed 48th and 63rd respectively but failed to progress to the finals.
The crew of Isla Dunn and Becca Smith placed 34th in the time trail to qualify for the F final with Maeve Dunn and Poppy Warren 17th to reach the C final where they finished fifth.
And in the single sculls, Dunn and Martha Cooke raced in another packed field with the former 23rd and the latter 46th. Dunn then raced ahead in the D final only for scullers from Hereford, Peterborough and Shrewsbury to overtake her in the closing stages.
The coxed quadruple scull crew of Franklin, M Smith, Martha Baines, B Smith and Warren (coxswain) progressed to the semi-finals after finishing 11th in the time trial. They eventually raced in the B final and finished ninth overall.
In a display of grit and determination, Stratford’s J16 girls and boys showcased their prowess in the time trial event as Alexandra Francis delivered a strong performance as she finished fourth in a nail-biting race with the first four scullers separated by a matter of seconds.
Francis secured a sport in the AB semi-finals and then the A final where she narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth.
The coxless quad, comprising Lily Warren, Alice Jones, Sophie Evans, and Poppy Baines, placed 15th to earn a place in the C final where they finished sixth.
And the J16 boys, represented by Theo Richter, Xavier Sissins-Rofey, Seth Vondrak, Ollie Rowlands and cox Meg Nuttall, continued their impressive form to finish ninth in the time trial before placing fourth in the B final.
Warren and Baines also competed in the double sculls event and placed 25th out of 55 crews before finishing fourth in the E final.
And fellow Stratford pair ondrak and Sissins-Rofey fought valiantly in the repechages to reach the A final and finish fifth overall.
J16 coach, Colin Bell said: “Their performance, particularly against seasoned competitors from Hereford, was a testament to their potential and the depth of talent within the club.”
In the J18 competition, the duo of Harriet Froom and Nancy David finished 40th in the double sculls time trial and impressively won the G final to place 37th overall.
The 4x- of Lucy Sartain, Scarlett Richardson, V Vondrak and Aimee Appleton competed a year up in the W18 category and secured an excellent fifth place finish in the semi-finals.
The crew eventually raced in the B final and produced a fine row to finish second over the 2,000m course and fifth fastest overall.
Stratford’s senior women’s scullers, Alice Baines and Imogen North, also raced in the double sculls and finished eighth in the time trial.
And after securing a place in the B final, the Stratford pair held off a strong challenge from a GB development crew to take fourth.
Stratford also entered three of the club’s adaptive rowers in the Championships as the squad came away with one gold and two silver medals.
GB pathway rower Curtis Dickens became the club’s first British para champion in the PR2 category.
Stratford’s head adaptive coach, Mark Dewdney, said: “It is a pity that he does not get more effective national opposition. He is clearly the up and coming GB man in his category.”
Andy Morris took part in the PR3 category and crossed the line in second place to claim silver in a competitive race.
And 14-year-old Isaac Clarkson also won silver competing against a 17-year-old opponent in the junior PR3 event.
Dewdney added: “Isaac has beaten the competitor before but he has improved and conditions did not favour us. This is a friendly rivalry which will see many more battles in the next few years.
“We have worked hard to get para/adaptive events in the Championships and this was the first time. We are happy that we have, at last, attained equality and that we had a decent set of results for the club.”
Fresh from his success at the Club Championships, Dickens moved onto the Home International Rowing Regatta at Strathclyde Park in Scotland.
Representing England, Dickens competed in two events – the long and short course – competing against crews from Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Over the long 2,000m course, Dickens took on Scottish sculler Jake Woods who was handed a 24-second advantage due to the difference in categories between the two rowers.
And despite a valiant effort from Dickens, the deficit proved too much to overturn.
Dewdney said: “The rules sometime provide a real mountain to climb. Curtis got most of the way up this one but Jake’s experience and quality was too much to overcome.”
On the short course, the same two scullers battled against each other once again with Woods given an eight-second head start.
Dickens made up the time difference by the halfway mark and claimed victory by just over a second in a thrilling race.
And the points gained by Dickens helped England retain the senior men’s trophy by a single point.
