It was a crisp, sunny winter afternoon at Dorney Lake
on Saturday, making perfect conditions for the Boat Club’s first race of 2015;
BASHER Head. Eton College’s Invitational Head race, was originally set up as a
private match for Bedford School, Abingdon School, St Paul’s, Hampton, Eton
College and Radley College, but other schools with the potential to race at a
high level now also receive an invitation.
Shiplake’s senior and J16 crews raced three 1900m runs
back to back with just enough time to turn the boat. The J15s got off relatively
lightly by only having to race two 1900m runs. The final results produced an
individual time for each run and an accumulated time. Scroll down to find out
how each boat got on.
Mr David Currie, Director of Rowing, commented: ‘This
was a well-run event which all our boys enjoyed and benefited from. Shiplake
College would like to thank Eton College for their invitation to race.’
J15s
The J15s used this race as a welcome opportunity to get
on the water after being on dry land for much of the term due to fast river
conditions. Because of the limited water time we were only able to take a
reduced number of the J15’s due to their level of competence at present. The result
was irrelevant as the boys have only been on the water once this term, but they
showed fantastic commitment to racing and produced two solid runs. With a few
weeks until Wycliffe Head we hope to get some good training done, weather
permitting and have two VIIIs racing at the next event.
Mr David Currie
J16s
Seventeen J16s raced at Dorney Lake over the three runs.
Due to injuries in the senior squad there were some changes to the originally
listed crews with Charlie Bertram and Jonny Walter moving up to the seniors and
Tom Hallam coming up from the J15s. There was no ‘A’ and ‘B’ boat selected as
the season is still in its early stages and all boys are looking to prove
themselves, however, one crew did fair slightly better on the day finishing 4th
out of 10 whereas the other boat finished 8th.
The boys learnt a great deal from the day and will look
to push on with their training and look forward to racing again at Wycliffe
Head on the Saturday 7 February.
Mr
Adam Moffatt
Seniors
The SCBC senior squad attended an invite only event,
hosted by Eton College at Dorney Lake. The invites are only issued to Colleges
with potential to race in the Championship category, or whom are on the upper
edge of the First category. The event consisted of a short bout of racing, with
several races undertaken back to back. The format resembled that of a head race
or time trial, with each crew being set off at timed intervals for their run.
Each run was timed independently, the three times then making up an overall
time which is used to develop rankings. The format of the race is incredibly
useful for coaches and athletes to better understand how they place in relation
to other crews around at the present- and as a confidence boost to build upon later
in the season.
The senior squad split into matched eights, taking
their last opportunity to race in matched boats before the decisions are made
to form fixed crews for the imminent School’s Head of the River in March. The
two eights did exceedingly well, both placing in the top ten, with A1 placing 6th,
and A2 10th of the 33 crews. The third eight also held their own, living up to the
high expectations of the race and placing 29th. The results were pleasing, with
the fastest crew having only been beaten by Eton, St. Paul’s and Hampton, which
suggests a promising future for both the 1st VIII and 2nd’s, when they are
formed.
In summary of the event, the racing provided a
promising insight into the level of competition in the coming year. It also
acted as a useful reminder to the students, that Shiplake College has the
ability to start racing among the elite levels of the sport, and achieve new
heights.
Henry Cawthorne
Captain of Boats
