Juniors enjoy golden success in Gloucestershire

ROWING

STRATFORD-upon-Avon Boat Club juniors impressed in the in the Wycliffe Big Head in Gloucestershire.

The women’s junior 17/18 squad took two gold medals on the 4,500-metre course from Slimbridge to Frampton in Gloucestershire.

A newly-formed eight of Katie Wellstead, Mili Wilcock Emily Browne, Khloe Curnock, Molly Gill-Swift, Alice Baines, Amelie Sartain, Maiya James, coxed by Hermione Hill, were not fazed by their competition. Leading from the front, they dominated the race to win in a time of 16 minutes 58 seconds.

In the afternoon division the girls split into two crews.

Spurred on by their success in the morning division, Browne, Wilcock, Baines and Wellstead in a four coxed by Hill again took gold, recording the fastest time of the combined women’s and junior 18 coxed four events in 18:45.

The crew of Gill-Swift, Curnock, Sartain and James was only formed only two weeks prior to the event but came home in an encouraging sixth place.

“Given the lack of training time on the water, the results are a good lead up to their next competitive event at Worcester in two weeks time,” said J17/J18 coach Colin Bell.

Stratford’s sister club, King Edward The Sixth School, also won gold in both coxed fours races in men’s open fours and novice fours against some of the top rowing school opposition in the country.

The top boat of Joe Hodson, Felix Crabtree, Adam Bayliss and Cameron Dalrymple-Baker, very ably coxed by Jamie Mitchell, beat highly- ranked crews from Shrewsbury School, Kings Worcester and Shiplake College to take home the winning pennant, in just over 17 minutes.

In the Second Division, the novice crew of Dalrymple-Baker, Fred Allanson, Tobias Bretschneider, Sam Thornton, again very ably coxed by Mitchell, won by nearly a minute from Monmouth School.

For more, see this week’s Herald.