The Shiplake College Girls’ Quad were declared champions of the premier sculling event for juniors at Henley Women’s Regatta yesterday, winning The Bea Langridge Trophy. Fresh from winning at the National Schools’ Regatta and Marlow Regatta, all eyes were on the Shiplake crew to see if they could keep up the momentum.
The crew, consisting of Merry Oakes, Izzy Blake-Hurworth, Nicole Dunn and Mia Vickerman, started their Henley Women’s campaign on Saturday morning with the time trial. They were in the top 16 of 26 crews so progress to the heats, but as the times were not published it was unknown how they compared to the other crews that qualified.
Saturday afternoon they raced Lea Rowing Club, winning by four lengths and posting the fastest time of the day, completing the 1,400m distance in 4 minutes 41 seconds.
Shiplake met local rivals Henley Rowing Club in the quarter-finals on Sunday morning, winning by 2½ lengths in 4 minutes 32 seconds. The semi-finals saw them beat Wallingford Rowing Club by 2½ lengths in a time of 4 minutes 35 seconds, taking them to the final against Marlow Rowing Club.
The girls once again took command of the race early on and won by 1¾ lengths in a time of 4 minutes 29 seconds. The course was shortened this year for safety and logistical reasons due to the pandemic, which meant that no course records were being recorded.
Head of Girls’ Rowing, Mr Dan Safdari, commented: “Henley Women’s Regatta is a one vs one, gladiatorial event. It’s a ruthless process, with the winner of each round progressing and the loser heading home, no second chances. Spectators lining the full length of the course and, at points, only a few metres away, creating a stadium feel. Over the duration of the weekend, the Shiplake crew completed five 1,400m races against top junior crews.
"The final was against a strong crew from Marlow Rowing Club who had finished second to Shiplake at National Schools' Regatta five weeks prior. The Shiplake crew took charge of the race early on with a slight lead within the first 500m. Over the middle section of the course, they extended the lead to a length but Marlow never backed off. In the closing stages of the race, the Shiplake crew moved away, extending their lead further to about two lengths and eventually taking the win.
"It’s a huge win for the College, having never won the junior quad event before and I’m extremely proud of the crew and how they performed over the weekend.”
Mr Dave Currie, Director of Rowing, said: "It's great to see the girls reaping the rewards of a hard year of training under unusual circumstances. This is the first time Shiplake College has won Henley Women's Regatta as a full Shiplake crew. Our girls rowed with confidence and looked like a class act throughout each round of the regatta. In the final they took an early command of the race and demonstrated why they are currently the best junior girls’ quad in the country."
Good luck to the girls as they participate in the British Rowing Junior Championships from 16-18 July as they continue to prepare for Henley Royal Regatta in August.
Flickr album: Henley Women's Regatta 2021 |
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