Report
Twickenham Regatta 2008
25th May 2008
Senior Women
Despite a rainy start to the day, Twickenham regatta was rowed out in calm, warm and sunny conditions and saw all senior rowers in action in a variety of crews!
The ‘Hildegard’ S3 4+ (Stroke: Caroline Wagner, Gayle Farmer, Nic Butler, Una Green. Cox: Sam Grant) came through their opening race against Imperial College B with ease but had a much harder battle against IC’s A crew in the final.
Faster off the start, Twickenham held the students until Glovers Island eventually losing by 1.25 lengths.
In the WS4 4+ event the ‘George’ crew (Clare Byrnes, Erica Hamnett, Becs Hurran, Gill O’Beirne. Cox: Laura) found themselves with a ‘bye’ to the final where they faced Upper Thames who ran out winners by 2.5 lengths. By their standards this was a disappointing race but the crew promised to pick themselves up for Met the following week.
Both fours came together to form an eight in the WS2 8+ division (Stroke: Clare Byrnes, Caroline Wagner, Gayle Farmer, Nic Butler, Una Green, Erica Hamnett, Becs Hurran, Gill O’Beirne: Cox: Sam Grant). Having had only one outing the day before and not having sat in an eight since the Head of the River back in March, hopes were not necessarily all that high as they lined up against a strong Weybridge crew.
However with the lightening fast Clare Byrnes in the stroke seat and the advantage off the staggered start, the girls gave Weybridge a run for their money…well at least for first quarter of the race! Secretly everyone was rather please just to lose by 2.5 lengths…
A ‘scratch’ quad was put together for the WS2 4x Final featuring ‘returning to action’ coach Rachel Woolf in the stroke seat and Caroline Wagner, Gayle Farmer and Gemma Taylor pulling her down the river.
An intense five minutes of practise the day before paid off as they took a lead off the start, holding a clearly strong Imperial College crew well over the first 500m. However their lack of ‘consistent’ training together clearly showed in the second half of the race and IC crossed the line well ahead.
Photographic evidence suggests that all the crew – Rachel included – were working hard all the way to the line!
There was to be some silverware for the Women’s Squad in their home regatta as the day wore on.
Novice double of Becs Hurran and Nic Butler cruised through their semi final against Christchurch to set up a final face-off against Weybridge.
The girls clearly had revenge for the eight in their minds as they made their way – somewhat erratically down the course. Weybridge had some steering issues of their own and despite Twickenham crossing the line first, the race was sent back to the start for a ‘re-row’.
At the second attempt the fitness and determination of the Twickenham girls clearing showed and they picked up the Club’s first pot of the day!
They were soon to be followed by the Lightweight Pair of Gemma Taylor and Christine Palmer against Marlow. Unperturbed by coming up against heavyweight opposition the girls stormed down the course to pick up pot number two…and claim their first and much deserved win of the season.
Gayle Farmer
It was the old-guard versus the new at this year’s Twickenham Regatta, when the current snr 2 coxless crew took on the Henley four of yesterday for a one-race, straight final shoot out for a coveted snr2 pot.
The four of Doug Knox, Jeremy Hullah, Dave Lyons and Paul Utting (which famously qualified for Henley in their novice year in the early 1990s) took on Ian Bell, Peter Crush, Mike Dowell and Adam Ellis.
The newer men’s squad admitted being uncharacteristically tense, as a win was expected, but a freak defeat to the ‘young vets’ would be a major embarrassment, especially as this year’s (younger) senior four have their eyes on reaching Henley again.
In the end, the race went as planned for Bell’s boat. It got a brilliant start and were up on Knox’s boat (which started fractionally ahead due to the stagger), within a matter a strokes. It zoomed past, and started eating up water, going further and further ahead. By half way Bell was some five or six lengths up, and extending the lead all the time. It dropped the rate to the mid 20s near the end to narrow the gap, but the verdict was ‘easy’.
Bell’s boat breathed easy in the end, but thanks go to a spirited fight from Knox et al, who, despite lacking power, still succeeded in giving the current senior boys enough cause for worry!
Peter Crush
