Shiplake College

Hampton Head Saturday 4^thFebruary

Despite the arctic conditions Shiplake College Boat Club sent a record number of crews to compete at the Hampton Head with nine boys' VIIIs and one girls' IV+ racing.

The J14s, in what was their first ever race, made a very promising start to their rowing careers especially in such challenging conditions. The main focus for the three J14 octuples (more than any other school in attendance) was to safely navigate down the course avoiding catching the dreaded crabs or boat stoppers! After only one month’s rowing this is harder than it sounds and some crews were more successful than others, but overall a fantastic start. The best finishing position for the J14s was 7th out of 30 crews.

The J15s also took three VIIIs and after an intense first month of training led by Mr Armstrong they arrived in high spirits looking to put in a good performance. Like all the crews that raced this weekend, selection is still up for grabs as all crews were matched adding a bit of extra spice to the racing. They will leave Hampton encouraged by their result but very aware that progress will be needed in all areas if they are to achieve the considerable squad potential. In the A category the top position was 7 out 17 and in the B category 3 out of 11.

It was a real delight to see a girls' IV+ racing and they should be very pleased with their performance - as indeed I am. Racing against crews with much more experience will have been a real eye opener and I am sure they will build on this performance.

The J16s have quietly been getting on with training this season, under the watchful eye of Ms Satch. Some new faces have arrived, most notably Harry Hogan, bringing some considerable strength to the boat. I am sure with lots of hard training this crew will gain the rewards they deserve this season.

The seniors were due to race at Wycliffe but due to a frozen canal a quick rearrangement saw them race at Hampton. Like the other crews, the seniors are very much at the selection stage and this race was a very important part of this selection. Both crews performed well finishing 5th in the A event and 3rd in the B event.

Well done to all Shiplake crews and coaches and a massive thank you to all the supporters, particularly the Parents’ Committee for organising much needed bacon rolls and hot drinks.

Tom Crisford

Final Results

For Full Result see this Link