Last Sunday we sent six Emanuel crews to compete at the Wallingford Regatta held at Dorney Lake in Windsor. This regatta is a highly competitive event where many schools and clubs take part to gauge their standing ahead of the National Schools Regatta (which takes place at the end of May).
J18 4x
Crew: Leo Zagorac, Gabriel Obholzer, Guy Kitchen and Ollie Olby
This was the first major regatta of the season for the senior boys’ squad. Conditions were perfect with the wind blowing straight down the course. The Emanuel quad didn’t get off to a smooth start and found themselves in fifth place through the first 500m marker. With a solid push through the 750m marker, they pushed into fourth place and held overlap with Warrington in third. With a good rhythm and a third 500m surge, the Emanuel boat pushed into third place. The last 500m was very fast and managed to produce a personal best time of 6 minutes 29 seconds. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to secure a place in the final, narrowly missing out on less than three seconds. A strong performance with a lot more to come.
Mr Calvin (Head Coach: Boys’ Rowing)
School 4+
Crew: Dan Hirsh McConnon, Jacob Johnston, James Osbourne, Tom Marwood and Joe Barton (cox)
This was the first race of the season for the newly formed four. With some very tough competitors, it was always going to be a challenge. With crews from Shiplake College and Henley RC the boys needed to give it their all. The boys got off to a good start but struggled to match the pace of some very experienced crews. With a strong middle thousand, they managed to push themselves into fifth place and finished strongly with a new personal best of 7 minutes 8 seconds. A very good performance and a lot of experience gained.
Mr Calvin (Head Coach: Boys’ Rowing)
WJ18 4x
Crew: Maddie Jeynes, Lauren McAuliffe, Sophie Bucknall and Kathleen Beams
Competing in what is one of the most competitive girls’ events, the Emanuel girls’ quad went into their heat knowing they had a challenge in front of them to qualify for the final. After a steady start the crew pushed on in the middle 1,000m to take the lead. A fast push by Sir William Perkin’s School in the final 300m put them ahead, and us finishing in second place, 15 seconds ahead of third position. However, with a quick time the crew did qualify for the final. Lining up amongst some of the top crews in the country we knew the final would be quick. With a change in their race plan the crew went off hard, staying close to the leading pack throughout the race. A finish position of fifth was an excellent result and one which the girls will build on ahead of National Schools and Henley Qualifiers.
Miss Blaikie (Head of Rowing)
WJ18 4+
Crew: Maddie Jeynes, Kathleen Beams, Lauren McAuliffe, Orla Weighill and Georgie Trew (cox)
After racing two 2,000m races already in the quad, three of the crew changed boat type in the afternoon to join Orla and cox Georgie to compete in the coxed four. In the heat they had a fantastic battle with an unknown crew from Stratford-upon-Avon, finishing in third place and gaining a place for the final on time. Our final race of the day, with fatigued legs from a day of racing, the crew were determined to improve on their qualification sixth position. With some fantastic coxing from Georgie, driving the girls on more than ever, the crew pushed out of the pack, passing Stratford and King’s Worcester and pushing up on another strong Sir William Perkin’s crew. A final drive placed them in fourth place, narrowly missing out on third by three seconds. A strong result after a long day of racing.
Miss Blaikie (Head of Rowing)
WJ16 4+
Crew: Anna Varley, Asha Chauhan-Sims, Natacha Simpson, Kyra Hauptfleisch and Georgie Trew (cox)
The newly formed crew had a tough draw in the coxed four with many well established crews in their heat. After a fast first 500m the crew found a strong rhythm but found themselves in fourth position. After a surge of speed from the crews around them, they crossed the finish line in fifth place, putting them outside the qualification time for the final. A good race, with lots of race knowledge gained ahead of their next competition.
Miss Blaikie (Head of Rowing)
WJ15 8+
Crew: Lucy Evans (cox), Phoebe Trevelyan-Clark, Indigo Beauchamp, Dalia Ismaili, Rose Knapman, Maddie Kitchen, Katy Pilling, Maya Varley and Hetty Bieber
An early start on Sunday morning was not enough to put off the WJ15 8+. A first taste of the competition they would be experiencing at National Schools, they dug deep and raced well, coming third in their heat. With only the top six across all heats going to the final, it was a tough ask, and the girls finished just outside the finals cut off in eight place overall. Both crews look forward to racing at Bedford Regatta this weekend before the final block of training into National Schools.
Miss K Adams (Rowing Coach)