Henley Rowing Club

Founded 1839

Henley Rowing Clubs junior squad had a fantastic start to the new rowing season notching up six wins at last Saturdays Wallingford Long Distance Sculling race. The race is in two divisions and is held over a 4000 metres course from Cholsey Ferry to the OUBC boathouse at Wallingford Marina and contains a number of bends that make it a testing course for the coxless boats.

Becci Griffiths was the fastest of the women junior scullers winning the WJ18 category. This gets her season off to a good start in which she will be hoping to gain a place in this years GB Junior squad having made final trials last year. The next age category down WJ16 was also won by a Henley sculler Natalie McIntosh who was third fastest of the Henley junior girls over a minute clear of her nearest rival in the WJ16 category.

The Henley girls also won WJ18 quad sculls the crew of Natalie Robinson, Hannah Read, Kaye Davies and Melanie Gilson. The girls had a significant margin of 48 seconds over nearest rival St George's College. To complete a clean sweep of the Women's Open Junior events Kaye Davies and Lucy Lewington won the WJ18 double sculls. The fifth win for the girls came from the under 14 quad of Emily Derrig, Ellen Anthony, Jenny Arnold, Orla Millar and cox Blair. This young quad sculled well over the long course and finished nicely ahead of top girls school Lady Eleanor Holles and local rivals Reading Rowing Club and Upper Thames.

Not to be out done by the girls the junior boys also notched up a win in the J15 quads. Chris Clarke, Peter Wagner, Drew Ford, Simon Jones and cox Kate Thomas put in a very impressive performance finishing eighth overall. This was a good win in a quality field that included crews from the very well known boys rowing schools.