STRATFORD-upon-Avon Boat Club’s junior squad took part in the prestigious Schools’ Head of the River Race on the River Thames.
More than 300 hundred boats took to the water with some of the best crews in the country attracted to the event.
Stratford’s girls’ VIII comprised Poppy Baines, Lucy Sartain, Molly Vondrak, Scarlett Richardson, Lily Warren, Aimee Appleton, Alexandra Francis, Eloise Cooper and Poppy Warren (cox).
The crew was made up of a mixture of Sixth Form-aged athletes who had been training together for the last month in the lead up to the event.
Competing in the Girls’ Championship Eight race, the Stratford crew made a strong start and settled into a solid rhythm under Chiswick Bridge.
However, the crew misjudged their line and clashed with another crew just over 1km into the race.
Stratford came to a stop for resuming their race and powered down the remaining 6km superbly steered by cox Warren.
Stratford’s J17/18 coach, Imogen North said: “The crew delivered a strong performance against the top crews in the country, representing the club in the girls’ eights category for the first time in over a decade.”
The club’s young scullers also took part in the prestigious Junior Sculling Head which took place on the Olympic course at Dorney Lake.
Stratford’s J14, J15 and J16 squads competed against crews from around the United Kingdom.
The club’s J14 squad made their competitive debut on the national stage as the girls’ quad of Abi Dunn, Charlotte Mansfield, Meredith Paul, Raya Hothi and Martina Bruce-Bonilla (cox) took to the water first.
The quad chipped away at their competitors to finish in a combined time of 17 minutes 18 seconds to finish 19th out of 45 crews.
Stratford’s boys’ quad were next up as Reuben Stanford, Connor Birrell, Nathan Lebordais, Tristan Hammick and Herbie Shickle (cox) finished in a combined 14 mins 43 secs to place an impressive fourth out of 44 crews.
J14 coach, Jon Francis said: “To come away from such a prestigious event having not only held our own but demonstrated that small squads and vintage boats are no barrier to success, is testament to the determination and enthusiasm of Stratford’s junior rowing programme.”
Stratford’s J15’s entered the OJ15 4x+ event with a boys’ crew consisting of Rory Rowan, Ed Appleton, Will Chadwick, Seb Happel and Rory Jones.
The crew produced a composed and consistent row to finish 50th out of 69 crews.
And the club’s J16 squad fielded two women’s coxless quadruple sculls in a 45-strong field.
Sophie Franklin, Maeve Dunn, Isla Dunn and Bryony Francis came home in 24th place while Millie Smith, Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines and Becca Smith finished 20th just six seconds ahead of their clubmates.
