Henley Rowing Club junior girls squad had a successful trip to this years National Championships of Great Britain returning with two gold medals, two silver medals. The championships where held on the 2000 metre six lane course at the National Water Sports Centre Nottingham over three days. Conditions where generally good with the exception of some torrential rain with thunder and lightning that caused a half-hour suspension of racing on Saturday afternoon.

The first Gold medals came from the WJ15 quad of Hannah Read, Becci Griffiths, Kaye Davies, Lucy Lewington and cox Nicola Johnson who had convincingly won their eliminating heat to proceed straight on to the final. This was a very close race to the 1000 metre mark with very little between the three front runners but the Henley girls where able to continue to pull away from St Lenonards and Sir William Borlase to go on to a clear victory. This was a particularly tough race for Lucy Lewington and Kaye Davies who only half an hour earlier had won a silver medal in the WJ15 doubles where they were narrowly beaten by Wycliffe Sculling Centre.

The second Gold Medal came from the W16 quad of Kate Osborn Jones, Gemma McIntosh, Melanie Gilson and Hannah Smith Willis. This crew has not be beaten this season and is selected to represent Great Britain in the J16 Anglo French competion this weekend. The girls showed their class by pulling out to an early lead which they continued to develop to finish five to five lengths ahead of second placed Wycliffe Sculling Centre.

On Sunday the girls moved up a status and competed in the Women’s Junior Quads. With some very good sculling and considerable determination and effort the girls pulled themselves back from fifth place at the 1000 metre mark to close on the lead crew of Dame Alice Harpur in the last 250metres from where they pushed them all the way to the line to finish half a length down in silver medal position with Northwich Rowing Club in third place a further half a length behind.

Though not winning medal fine performances came from the WJ16 coxed four of Natalie Robinson, Gemma Johnson, Amanda Moore, Caroline Green and cox Rachel Dadds who finished fourth in their final but had the satisfaction of beating into fifth place the Kinston crew who had beaten them at last weekends trials for the Anglo French competion. Another fine performance came from the Women’s Junior coxed four of Louisa Pickworth, Fran Compton, Sarah Fellowes and Lucy Darke who finished fourth in their event after having also just competed in the final of Women’s Junior eight’s with team mates Rachel Dadds, Lucy Pratt, Lizzie Gilson, Bethan Thomas and cox Nicola Johnson.