NEWS
Nat Champs 2009
Following Henley, some of our crews entered Nat Champs where we got the usual mixture of seasons known as Nottingham weather - wet/windy/sunny etc! However despite this, we had our most successful Champs ever as follows:
J14 1x: Alex came 3rd in his heat J16 2x: Jack and Luke came 5th in their heat WJ14 4x+: Harriet came 5th in her heat in a composite with Runcorn WJ 1x: Olivia won a really good bronze medal. WJ2-: Ella and Chelsey comfortably won their heat and then, on Sunday, won the Final easily. Well done to both of them. They won the Club Championship plaque as well which Chelsey (following Denis's example from Henley) promptly dropped! They also got selected to represent England in the WJ2- and WJ8. Congratulations to their coaches Adi (now on maternity leave but there watching) and Lydia.
Mens Open 2x: Pete and Brendan comfortably won their semi (rating about 24 in the process) and then came a very good 2nd to Nottingham/Reading Uni in the final. They also won the club championship plaque.
Womens Open 4-: Rosy/Charlotte/Lydia/Tanya also won a silver medal and the Club Championship behind a junior composite crew from LEH/Evesham and St Neots.
Womens Open 4+: Portia/Danielle/Lynne/Helen/Jess came 5th in the final
Mens Open 4-: Si/Brendan/Josh/Robbie just missed qualifying straight to the final in a photo with IC (who went on to win Silver) and then came 3rd in the Rep.
Mens Open 8: Liz/Craig/Pete/Tom/Josh/Robbie rowed in a composite crew with Notts and Union (Chris, Chris and Graham) and came a really good 3rd behind Leander and Molesey.
10 entries, 5 medals and 3 Club Championships!
Henley 2009
We had 3 crews entered: Thames, Britannia and Wyfolds. In the Thames, Ally's Army had been very lucky to avoid qualifying races but, that was the end of their luck as, on Wednesday, they drew a selected crew (Henley's equivalent of a seed) and were well beaten by Green Lake, USA, - although it was a little disappointing to see Green Lake race hard all the way to the line even though we were 2Ls down at halfway. The Thames was eventually won by Molesey, a crew we had had many races with over the last few years - well done to them.
In the Wyfolds, we drew Broxbourne and beat them well. This showed Brendan's development as they had been about the same speed as us 2 weeks previously at Marlow, yet after an initial attempt by both crews to wipe each other out, we pulled away to win by 2Ls in a respectable time. On the Thursday, we then raced the selected London and despite leading by 1/2 L to almost halfway, could not hold them there and they edged out to 1/2L up which they increased slightly through the enclosures to win by just under a length. A really good performance by our guys. Unluckily for London, they had to race again the next day early and lost narrowly to Notts and Union - who lost in the final to Sydney, Australia.
Our top crew was in the Britannia (Craig "Pocket Rocket" Morgan, Pete "Pistols" Warman, Tom(my) Dawson, Aussie Ben Sullivan, cox Liz O'Neill, aka the midget) and they were selected by the Stewards. On Wednesday, we raced York City (winners in 07) and beat them by 2l, followed by Molesey on Friday by a comfortable 3L. Saturday, we raced the Fermoy crew whom we knew little about. However, we took an early lead and held it all the way to line, resisting any pushes from the Irish boys, winning by 3/4L. Their cox had won the Brit some 19 years previously.
In the final, we raced Vesta whom we had beaten at Met. Conditions suited us with a bit of a head wind especially in the second half. Our tactics were to take an early lead and resist any pushes. (At Met, we had been fairly level to 1250ish). We also decided to counter the Remenham roar for Vesta by pushing hard at the same time. We led most of the way by 1/2L ish and increased that to 3/4L at Remenham, which we held to the finish line through some quite blustery conditions. We kept the rating down to 34 and concentrated on holding Vesta's final attack (at 39) to win by 2/3 Length in a time of 7.36. A great moment for all of us but hard lines to the Vesta guys who raced very well. Things then got fairly chaotic with plenty of congratulations from all our supporters - a big thanks to them for all the cheering. A proud day for every one especially for me (as father, coach and club captain). After the prize giving, Kevin did nudge my arm and make me drop the cup, honest.
Full results here
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our success, not just the crew and cox but especially Martin McIlroy for his time, effort and support and then all the people who rowed/coxed in the squad over the last few years - we didn’t just win it between 12.10 and 12.18 on the Sunday but it took many years of hard competitive graft from a lot of people. Hopefully, it wont be 148 years till we win again. 12 months anyone?
Marlow 2009
Whilst the women were performing well at Womens Henley (losing finallists in Senior 8s to Yale, having beaten Wallingford (winners at Met and Ghent) in the semi), the men went to race at Marlow in the now fixed 4+ and the slightly altered 4- with Brendan replacing Alex. Ally's Army were in Int 3 eights and Stuart was doubling in Senior and ELite sculls.
The sen 4+ raced well, easing past Vesta (whom we would race again at Henley) to win the heat but in the final, came a close 2nd to Reading Uni (rowing in our old Empacher 4+ which we'd sold them a few weeks earlier) and ahead of UWE, Goldie and Nottingham (another Brit contender). Meanwhile, the 4- (bearing in mind that Brendan had only been sweeping for 10 days) just squeezed into the repechage. In the rep they continued to improve but fell away in the final 300m when the water got a little bouncy. Still had made progress through their races.
Ally's Army came a good 3rd behind Abingdon and Dublin to squeeze into the semis, but missed the final by just over 2 secs in a close battle for 3rd place.
Stuart won Senior sculls but lost to the Chinese in Elite. Full results here.
Metropolitan 2009
The club went en masse to Wallingford with entries from the Senior and Development men, Senior women and World Class Start resulting in plenty of wins and the most successful Met ever for us.
On the Saturday, conditions were quite tricky, with a varying cross wind which varied at times to full head. This resulted in a wind shadow in lanes 1 and 2 and meant some races threw up some unusual results with surprise victories from lane 1 (effectively from crews that had come 3rd in their heats). In Senior 8s, the men won their heat well from UCD and London but in the final, started really well, leading to 650m but then Henley, Scullers and UCD went straight past and although still in contention at 1500, we fell away in the cross wind. Not a great performance. Scullers won from Lane 1.
Again, Ally's Army missed out on qualifying by being a good bit slower off the start and were well beaten by U of Bristol and Rob Roy. However, the Women did really well and won Intermediate 2 eights from City of Cambridge and York City by 3Ls. At the same time, Brendan was winning Senior sculls by 8secs from Star and Arrow. He also went one better on the Sunday and won Elite Sculls beating a quality field. The men were in 2 Senior coxed fours and, initially, seemed to have come 2nd (in a photo finish with Molesey) and 4th (UWE were 3rd). However, Molesey were subsequently disqualified for too many subs so we were upgraded to 1st and 3rd.
The Women just failed to win Intermediate 2 again, being beaten by Oxford Brookes in the final after winning their semi. Still 8 entries gave us 4 wins, a second and a third place. Full results here.
Training Camp 2009
Following Wallingford, the Seniors went on their training camp to Strathclyde Park and, although Park was virtually unrowable the first day, it did give everyone the chance to play in the Tank although it was a mistake giving Denis control of the water pumps as we soon were rowing in full on surfing conditions!
The conditions got better and the last few sessions were in flat calm, sunny conditions. We left Strathclyde with the 8 finalised and 2 fours from it as well. Thanks to our hosts for their hospitality and, weather permitting, its a great place for a camp.
Wallingford 2009
The Senior men went to Wallingford on the back of about the best Winter preparation possible, including winning at every Head they entered (sometimes twice). They were joined by the Development 8 (Alistair's Army) in their first foray into the national rowing regattas. The Seniors raced well in Senior 8s in good conditions - sitting second to Henley to 1500m and then coming strongly back from a length down to losing by about 1/3L in a fast time of 5.49. The Dev men were just edged out of their heat, failing to qualify by about 1/3l, losing to Itchen and Molesey in a time of 6.19.9 The Seniors had also split their 8 into 2 matched (Ish) fours to race Senior 4+ and 4-. In coxed, the crew raced ok to 1500m but then struggled to stay with the faster finishing crews and eventually came 5th to Molesey, Vesta and 2 Thames crews. In coxless, the crew took the first 1000m too steady and left themselves too much to do and failed to qualify for the final behind Kings and UL. Full results here.
Northwich Spring Head 2009
Only the senior men and the sen 4 eight raced here plus Alec Pavitt in J14 sculls. The sculling didnt go well mainly due to everyone taking a scenic trip to check out both banks! Several times just to be sure. However, the mens 4x won the 2nd division well and the Open 4 was the fastest coxed four of the day. The Senior 4 eight won the third division overall plus their pennant.
With the Head season now over, its very pleasing to have accumulated 20 wins so far - the most we have had at this stage!
Head of the River 2009
We had 3 crews entered and were starting 11th/69th and 271st. The first eight were very confident of doing well and the target was all 3 crews in top 150 which seemed very possible after Chester. However, unusually the first eight did not have a great row, not helped by being started very close to the crew in front and the next 2 crews behind them starting a few seconds behind. They rowed most of the way in wash being pressed from behind. They did come 26th and retained the Jackson trophy so had the unique distinction of winning everything they entered in the Head season. The second eight flushed with confidence from Chester passed 8 crews on the way to coming an excellent 82nd and beating all the other local first eights except ours and Grosvenor's. Unfortunately, the sen 4 crew did not have as good a row as previous races and were very disappointed with their final result of 234. However, it does give us 3 entries guaranteed for next year so that is good.
North of England 2009
The womens first eight were unable to race so a mixture of the first and seconds raced and won Sen 3 well. The Sen 4 women also raced and showed improvement from their disappointment at Tideway, although the conditions were quite tough (Head wind). In the afternooon division, the men retained the headship (4th year running) in a very fast time for the conditions. The new Sen2 combo raced and were pleasantly suprised to finish the course (9th) with the Sen 4 crew (15th) coming second to DUBC. We also had a Junior eight entered for the first time.
Schools Sculling Head 2009
The Junior 4x became the first Agecroft crew to race here and were disappointed when bad weather forced the race to be relocated to Dorney and become a 3 legged time trial in dreadful conditions.
Women's Head of the River 2009
We had 3 entries here and all performed well. The womens first eight regained the Provincial pennant and came 11th Overall having started 44th. An improvement of only a few seconds would have put us 7th. The second eight came 57th from 206th and the Senior 4s were a little bit disappointed to come 244th overall.
Reading 2009
We had never raced here before and the mens first eight raced Sen 1 and Sen 2 eights winning both. They also came 3rd overall in the morning division and fastest in the afternoon. The race had a big entry and was well run, although the first division results did not come out till late on. The eight then travelled to London to train there on the Sunday morning via an Indian restaurant near Heathrow.
Runcorn 2009
The Sen 4 viii were our only entry this year but did very well to come 2nd overall in the morning division and win the Senior 4 pennant.
Head of the Trent 2009
We have raced every year at Trent since the sevenites and although we have come second several times, we have never won overall. This year, the men's first eight started Head and rowed away from the crews behind for a first ever Trent headship. The senior 4 eight nearly won the second division overall but had to be happy (which they were) with second place and the Senior 4 penant. In the third division, then men's 4- also came 2nd overall and won open 4-. We also were the fastest 4+. The Senior women raced in the third division with a few subs on board and performed well. So we entered 5 crews at Trent and won 4 pennants plus overall fastest men's 8, 4- and 4+. A good day out!
Warrington 2009
The Senior women raced at Warrington and had some success winning Sen 1, 3 and 4 fours plus Novice 4x+. The Juniors won Nov 4x+ and J14 2x.
Peterborough 2009
Having won this overall for the last 4 years, we were looking forward to racing there in February and there seemed to be some good quality opposition. However, snow intervened and the event was cancelled the day before.
World U23 Championship 2007
A fantastic win for Olivia Whitlam (and her partner Heather) in Women 2-. Congratulations to them boath and Hamish their coach.
Agecroft's Olivia Whitlam and Bath University's Heather Stanning gave the British home crowd cause for celebration by taking women's pair gold at the World U23 Championships at Strathclyde Park yesterday alongside Britain's six other medals - all bronzes - on the event's final day.
"It was a tremendous performance", said GB team manager Drew Robertson. "They moved away from the field and just kept on going. They won by six seconds, around three lengths. It was the most commanding win of the whole event".
1. GREAT BRITAIN 7:15.90
2. Romania 7:21.28
3. Belarus 7:23.25
4. Ukraine 7:31.20
5. Germany 7:33.85
6. USA 7:35.01
Britain's bronzes meanwhile came in the men's and women's fours, the men's double, women's quadruple scull, men's pair and men's coxed four.
Olivia is part of the ARA's World Class Start Scheme, sponsored by Siemens, which is designed to uncover talent for future national squads. Agecroft's WCS Scheme has been producing strong results under coaches, Hamish Burrell and Adi Dolo since 2004 when the club opened its doors to house the programme.
Home Countries 2007
Brendan won the sculls for ENGLAND!!
Nat Champs 2007
National Champs: Eight, 1x, Comp W4x, WJ16 2x, J16 2x, W J16 1x
Mens 1x:
Brendan has now officially lost his novice status! He did so by comfortably winning his semi and going on to control the final from the front although his 5l lead at half way ended up only half a length or so! Well don Brendan!
Mens eights:
The Senior men only entered the eights, resisting any ambitions to double up. We all wanted to race Leander again! As luck would have it, we drew them in the semi. Although it was a slightly different Leander crew as a couple had been picked for the U23s etc, they had replaced them with some multiple Henley medallists out of their winning Visitors four. They were also doubling up.
In the semi, 2 were to go through. Our plan was to get to 1000m in a solid qualifying position. Leander seemed to have a similar view. At 500m, we had 1/2 l on Leander and clear water on Molesey/Nottingham and Newark. The crews were level at 800 and at 1000, neither stroke man seemed interested in "knocking it on the head". Result was a 2/3 l defeat and easily over the rest of the field.
The other semi was won by Reading Uni (wih Robin Dowell, ex Agecroft on board) from Scullers. Durham Uni and Molesey came throught he repechage. In the final, we again blasted out with a 2/3 length lead on Leander, a length on Scullers. By 1000, Leander and Agecroft were level but we couldnt hold there big push just after that. Final result was a win for Leander by just over a legth, with us beating scullers (3rd) by a further 2 lengths. Although we still lost to them, it was a much better race than at Henley. A quick word of thanks to fellow coach Marysh for all his enthusiasm and assistance on the coaching front and also Martin Mc Elroy for his help as well.
Comp W 4x, with Alice on board, came 4th
J16 2x (Mark and Olly) also came 4th
WJ16 2 x (Chelsey and Olivia) came an excellent 3rd, winning us our first junior sculling medal in many years. Well done to them and their coach Adi.
WJ16 1x: Steph just missed the final by 2 secs in the Time Trial.
Henley Royal Regatta 2007
The abnormally heavy rain in the run up to Henley meant that there was a strong stream each day to contend with. There was a big cross current (and wind) to contend with at the end of the Island. This meant the stations were a little unfair at various places down the course but, it was the same for all competitors and all had to get on with it.
Britannia: the four drew Molesey A and, despite having the side with the better conditions (Berks) were well beaten by a better crew who ultimately lost narrowly to Henley A (eventual losing finallists).
Thames Cup: we were selected for the second year running and drew AK in the first round. The race, in a very strong headwind, was soon under control and we equalled the fastest time of the day to the Barrier and ultimately won by 5 lengths. On the Thursday, it was the unknown Cincinatti Juniors (who had knocked us out a few years previously). We again decided to use the conditions and the race was again resolved by the Barrier and resulted in an easily verdict.
Friday was more worrying. We were due to race Crefelder who had beaten the seeded London A on Wed from the Bucks station. The boat tent gossip also thought they had medalled at the recent German National Champs. We knew we were in for a race and we were on the weaker station. However, the Bucks station was sheltered to the end of the Island and then the advantage changed to the Germans. Our tactics were simple. We would try to lead to the end of the Island and then hold them when they had an advantage to just past the Barrier. This was exactly what we did and led by a length after 2 minutes. The Germans tried to come back but we refused to allow it and still led by about a length and a half with 20 strokes to go. They were in the shelter at the end and closed to about half a length but the victory was our! Our old friends Scullers were next! We went off to the cinema in Reading to see Die Hard 4.0 - ideal prep!
Semi final day: we had the good side but were racing a good crew - the best so far that week.. Our pre-race analysis was that Scullers might try similar tactics to the ones we employed the day before. We also talked about not losing by 2" this year. On the start line, the crew was very focussed and relaxed. In the launch, suddenly I felt confident. All the hard work over the past year must show through! Well hopefully. At the off, our first 3 strokes were season's best while Scullers had a more nervy first few strokes, we were up! We never looked back and had a length by the 1/4 mile, and then 1 3/4 by the Barrier. We held this lead to the enclosures and then pulled away to the finish line. A good race for us and hard lines to the Scullers guys. Leander won their semi against Molesey by 5 lengths but in the same time.
Sunday: Finals day: We did not race till 5.10 so had a long time hanging around in Molly's but spirits were high and everyone was raring to go when the time came! Amazing number of well wishes from friends, acquaintances alike! It was an amazing sight to see the vast boat tent virtually empty! Again, on the start, the crew looked confident and relaxed. Unfortunately, Leander did to us what we had done the day before to Scullers! A length and 3/4 down at the Barrier and worse to come. In the end, we lost to a better crew by 5 lengths. We rowed well but it wasnt enough. Well done, Leander.
Marlow Regatta 2007
The men entered Senior 1 eights and Senior 2 coxed fours.
In the eights, we lost to Bristol Uni in the heat and went into the repechage where we comfortably qualified for the final. The final was Brookes/Scullers/London/Molesey/Bristol and ourselves. We raced better in the final than in the heat and were more or less level with Bristol at 1000m and just down on Brookes. However, all the other crews made a move at 1000m and we didnt; this resulted in the leaders slipping ahead and the pack closing. Although still there or thereabouts at 1500, we dropped to a close last behind Brookes and then Bristol etc. 4 secs covered first to last. The coxed four qualified nicely for the semi final by coming 3rd in their heat but finished 5th in the semi. However, this crew continued to show progess and stood a good chance of avoiding having to qualify for the Britannia.
Metropolitan Regatta 2007
The club sent a good entry down with Sen 1 viii, sen 3 4+, W Sen 3 viii, W Sen 2 4+ both days and Olivia in her composite pair (with Bath Uni) on Sat and in a comp open viii on Sunday. Olivia's pair won easily on Saturday. The mens eight came 3rd behind Leander and Scullers in the final, the sen 3 4+ failed to make the final and the womens sen2 4+ came 2nd behind Molesey. The womens sen 3 eight came a creditable 3rd in their final behind Thames and Osiris.
On Saturday, Olivia again won in Open viiis and the Womens four came 3rd. The mens sen 3 49 rowed much better and came a close 2nd to Limerick Uni in the final and the Womens eight slipped to 4th in thier final. However, pride of place went to the mens eight who raecd very well in the Sen 1 final, taking a lead of a few feet about 200m into the race and then holding this all the way to the line with Scullers and Molesey very close behind. Official results gave 0.4 sec and 0.8 sec as the winning margins but it looked closer than that!
Essen Regatta 2007
Brendan Crean raced both days for the GB squad coming 3rd on Saturday and was lying 2nd on Sunday, going for the line, he crabbed and dropped back to 6th. Still an excellent weekend results. Olivia in her U23 GB Composite with Heather Stanning of Bath Uni won well both days.
Northwich Regatta (Sunday) 2007
Clare's girls raced novice fours there and won well, beating Northwich in the final.
Ghent Regatta 2007
The mens eight and four went across to Ghent. For the four, it was a bit of a learning experience and they race ok each day but were not quick enough to make the final. However, the aim was to bwe 10 secs quicker by Met and another 5 by Marlow. The mens eight missed the Satuday final in a photo finish with Dublin Uni who went on to come 3rd behind Osnabrook and Brookes (coxed by Liz,). On Sunday, suitable "motivated" by Denis, they went out and rowed well to win their heat in the fastest time of the day so far but Leander won their heat easing off. However, the final was waited for keenly but disaster struck with a mishap off the start leaving us a length down after 10 strokes! We never really got back into the race which was well won by Leander with Dublin Uni second, London 3rd
North of England Head 2007 - March 24th
Despite making a few enforced changes, the girls still won Sen 2 in the Morning Division and were the fastest ladies crew and came 7th overall. In the afternoon division, the first eight retained the Headship narrowly from Grosvenor. The second eight won Sen also narrowly and came 4th overall. The third eight came 25th in the afternoon and the girls second eight were a bit disappointed with their 42nd in the morning.
Following their various Head successes, both eights travelled down to London full of confidence only for high winds to bring sinking conditions around Barnes to St Pauls. Although the first 45 crews started the race, only 21 made it to the finish and another 12 or so actually sank, including the first eight! Lickily, noone was injured and the race was cancelled. Yet another missed opportunity to do well at Tideway - even more frustrating after last years clash.
13 guys, 2 coxes, 2 coaches and 2 mascots (Zig and Oz) headed staright to Nantes for what proved an excellent training camo. Although conditions were still windy, they seemed insignificant after the previous Saturday's water at Tideway and we returned to Salford with eight settled and the four too. Our hosts (C.A.N.) in Nantes were fantastic and their hospitality made it a memorable camp. Many thanks to them or "Merci beaucoup". One of the highlights was watching Zig and Zog (aka Oz) playing computer games after we cleared the TV room of other guests!
Hammersmith Head 2007 - March 17th
On the same weekend as Women's Head, the first eight travelled down to Tideway to be coached by Bill Mason again - its becoming an annual thing. Following yet another enthusiastic and productive morning from Bill, the guys tried to race in Hammersmith Head, only for it to be cancelled due to high winds at Putney which prevented crews from there boating safely. Meanwhile at the start, conditions were just rowable. In the end, about 10 crews went out and did a piece together with our guys coming 2nd fastest behind Henley 1 and just ahead of Henley 2, Worcester and Scullers.
Women's Head 2007 - March 17th
Following their good performance at Trent, the Womens first eight headed for London full of confidence. Conditions were ideal and the girls had a great row coming 9th and winning the Provincial Pennant for the first time. The girl started 26th and with Polly steering a great line, managed to pass seven crews on the way to Putney. The second eight were also inspired and came an excellent 46th after starting 167th. Easily, the best results the club has had at this event.
Runcorn Head 2007 - March 10th
Like last year, the club sent the second and third eights to try and win at Runcorn. The second eight again won Sen 2 and the afternoon division by 50 seconds, whilst the other crew came 4th in Sen 4 in the morning division.
Trent 2007
The club enjoyed its most succesful Trent Head ever - entering 9 crews (and needing 2 trailers to get there) of which 7 raced and 5 won with very good performances from the Mens and Womens Sen 2 crews, neither being in their final Head lineup. These 5 wins of Sen 2 viis, Sen 4 viiis, W Sen 2 viiis, Sen 2 iv+ and Sen 2 iv- made us the club with the most wins at the Head, followed by 3 wins for Grosvenor and Edinburgh Uni. The only black spot was the failure of the Sen 3 eight to make it to the start (as last year!) by losing their fin whilst boating.
In Div one, the Mens Senior 2 crew started third behind Goldie and then Leander.The Leander crew had been changed on the day due to illness in the crew but this didnt seem to slow them up and they finished a close 3 seconds behind Goldie who had the advantage of watching them all the way down the course. Our guys came another 4 secs behind Leander with a good solid row which looked technically quite strong. There was then a gap of 22 secs to Grosvenor and another second to York and Worcester, 3 of our rivals for the Jackson trophy at the end of March. All three will be stronger by then. The men won Sen 2 by 22secs.
Division 2 was dominated by our Sen 4 A crew including super sub Mike Swallow and they won the division by 25 seconds over a shorter course - a gap of nearly a length a minute over second place, Loughborough who themselves won Novice. Our B crew found the pace a bit hot though and came 17th.
Division 3 brought 3 wins and both mens fours, racing for a second time did well to win their events (despite breaking a back stay and the steering handle falling to bits in the coxed four - are they repaired yet?) The 4- were pretty pleased to be a tired 28 seconds behind a slick looking Leander 4- who were the class crew in the division (they may have raced earlier as well but I dont think so). The Womens sen 3 crew started last in their event and came 4th in Sen 3 and 37th overall, 34 seconds behind their winners. However, the Womens Sen 2 crew gave possibly the best Agecroft performance of the day by coming second fastest women, only 9 secs behind CUWBC who won sen 1 but ahead of 2 good Reading crews (coached by Denis's nephew!)and winning W Sen 2 by 26 secs.
South Yorkshire Head
All the clubs Juniors - World Class Start, Mark's lot and the Sunday morning kids - all travelled to South Yorkshire Head in Doncaster for the club's first visit there. Between them they entered a whopping 19 crews and we were hopeful of plenty of wins. Unluckily however, the weather was not the best and conditions on the river worsened throughout the day, resulting in the third division being cancelled on safety grounds. We did manage to pick up a couple of wins in J18 4x and J14 2x - well done boys. We may have missed a few more opportunities to win in the thrd division but everyone was glad to head home early as safety must come first. Hopefully, we will see some Doncaster crews at our Head in the Autumn.
Peterborough 2007
For the third year running, the men made the long trip to Peterborough Head and retained their title - this year by an increased margin of 40 seconds from Star Club. Yet again, the second eight came second in their event (Sen 3) by 5 secs this time to First and Third. As last year, their failure to get past crews they had caught by half way probably prevented them getting closer to the Cambridge college. The women came hoping to renew their rivalry with Imperial College but unfortunately the crew from London scratched and our girls went on to record the fastest women's time by 55 seconds! The girls second eight raced well in W Sen 3 and came equal 3rd out of 22 entries and 5th overall of all the women.
Henley Royal Regatta 2006
Our Thames Cup eight enjoyed a very successful run at Henley in baking sunshine. As always, we stayed at Molly's house at the top of the Henley Mile and this gave us an excellent, quiet base to prepare properly.
When the draw was announced, we were one of four selected crews which surprised us a little as our summer results were inconsistent. We seemed good at winning heats but not so good in Finals. We had however come 2nd at Marlow behind *London A* who were possibly the favourites (along with Henley). *Henley* (last years excellent winners) were also seeded and in our half of the draw (they beat us twice at Met). The final selected crew was *London B* whom we had beaten previously.
Also, in our half of the draw were *Neptune, Nottingham County* and *Tideway Scullers*(all of whom had beaten us at Met regatta). Add to this formidable list was a slightly unknown German crew who had come 15th at Tideway (but may have changed since), *Thames, Kingston* and *Molesey*. Some of the above crews also appeared to have strengthened their line-ups since Met regatta so all in all a pretty tough half of the draw for all crews! *Belfast* and *AK* were in the other half with the 2 London crews.
Having said all that, we knew (and possibly our opponents didn’t) that we hadn’t been quite fully fit at Met (due to varying injuries in April). We also didn’t start any speed work till very late. The aim being to peak at Henley and not before. This might counter the other crews ability to strengthen themselves. We would find out as the regatta progressed.
Wednesday brought a race against St Michaels from Limerick. Although unknown to us, we had some good info from Shane Kearney in Ireland and decided to go hard from the "GO". This worked well and we had clear water just after the 1/4 mile and maintained a lead home. Good opening race. Meantime, Scullers and Henley had a battle down the course that resulted in a win for Scullers. Henley had crabbed in front of the Stewards and we will never know whether Henley could have held off the closing Scullers if the crab hadn’t happened. A shame to lose in such circumstances.
Thursday meant a rematch with Neptune. We had raced 3 times before and although the score was 2-1 to us, they had won our last meeting, holding us off well all the way up the course. However, our first 500m were now much stronger and we decided to try and surprise them and let them chase us! Again this worked well, and we led by about a length at the Barrier (2'), however, we couldn’t break free and Neptune closed to 1/2L as we approached the Stewards. There was no panic in our crew and they waited for Liz to call the last big push. This resulted in a win for us by a length. A really good race against a really good crew - there was never clear water between us. Scullers beat the Germans and Thames A and County progressed as well.
Friday brought Thames A, a crew we had beaten several times already. However this was a quarter final and side by side (a "Duel" as the Americans call it). The race went to plan and again we were able to establish a lead and control the race a little from the front. Three races gone at Henley and we had never been behind in any of them! Meanwhile, Scullers were beating County in a race that was quite similar to ours with Neptune. The 2 Semis were us against Scullers and London A against Belfast (who had beaten London B).
Saturday was very hot and humid. We raced at 5.10pm (whilst England were playing Portugal) and we thought the crowds would be off watching the football. How wrong we were! The noise from the crowd, supporting both crews, was fantastic. Off the start, there was even a chant of "Agecroft, Agecroft!" - possibly alcohol fuelled!! When we had raced Scullers previously (although it was a slightly different crew line-up), they had led initially, we had rowed through and then they had come strong at the end. So we decided to again try to lead from the front.
Although our start was not as good as the other 3 days, we soon settled into a good rhythm and led by about 3/4L at the Barrier. Not quite the length we wanted. I also thought Scullers didn’t get as good a start as they had in previous days. Maybe a bit of semi final pressure on both crews? We tried to move out before Fawley, but Scullers realised, did their own push and started to close ominously. From Remenham to the enclosure, they pulled level and then ahead by a canvass. Down the Public Enclosures, we got back level and then the lead changed hands backwards and forwards to the Progress Boards. At the start of the Boards, we were up, and the end of them, they were! 6 strokes to go we were ahead then it was Scullers! We crossed the line absolutely together with both crews completely exhausted! In the launch behind, we thought Scullers had it but then I remembered our boat had a longer bow than theirs! Hope? However, the verdict went to Scullers by an official One foot! The smallest distance they give at Henley. As we left the launch, Mike Sweeney, the Regatta Chairman, came out of the Judges box to commiserate with us and congratulate Scullers. He said it was less than a foot. Later, saw the photo - not much more than a bowball. A fantastic race and good luck to Scullers in the Final. In all our previous races, our defeated opponents had been quick to offer us sporting handshakes and good wishes for the next race. We all went quickly (or as quickly as we could move!) to do the same to Scullers and met them coming to us.
Mutual respect from two closely matched crews. Well done to both crews. Our Henley run was over, we had not quite been fast enough to get to the final! Thank you to everyone who offered us good wishes throughout the week. Also, thank you to Billy Mason and Marysh Chmiel - our secret weapons!
In the Final on Sunday, I am sure Scullers must have been feeling the effects of their hard races. London A got the length lead we had craved, then stretched out, resisting Scullers attacks and then ended up about a length and a half ahead at the finish line. Congratulations to them - they were worthy winners. Hard lines, Scullers - you all have big hearts (and cochons!!).
Hopefully, the eight will return next winter more determined to improve on this year. There are many other guys in the club who could have been in the crew - they just need to commit sooner to the long steady ergos!
Hopefully, our run will attract new members who will strengthen the group. Next year, a Thames Cup run again plus a Britannia and Wyfold run? Could my heart stand the excitement? You bet it could!!!!
Denis O'Neill
Men’s Coach
Agecroft have also made the front cover of Rowing & Regatta.
Women's Henley 2006
A win for Agecroft 4+ at Women’s Henley 2006!
This year has been the strongest ever entry at Women’s Henley for Agecroft RC. We entered 2 Lightweight pairs an 8 and a coxed 4. The 8 and the 4 had to take part in a time trail on Friday morning to reduce the numbers in each category to 32. This gave the crews a chance to test out the course without the pressure of a side by side race. Both boats qualified with no problems and prepared for their first races on Friday afternoon. The Lightweights first races were on Saturday.
Intermediate 8+
After a turbulent time of crew selection and injury the Intermediate 8 proved their worth at Henley this year.
The crew achieved the 1st hurdle of qualifying against 38 other strong crews. The time trial went well without any hitches rating a solid 35 and a perfectly steered course from Andrea.
Then the draw came out we were up against UCL. At least we could laugh at stern pair as we boated with blades on the wrong sides!!! We swallowed our nerves on the start line and held them from the beginning. We started well and soon found ourselves pulling away and cruising along at 35. We sat in front for the whole race with excellent calls and pushes to maintain the distance. We won by a comfortable 3 lengths.
Going through to race on Saturday was more than we could have hoped for but we knew it would be a tough race against Reading. Friday night saw lots of pasta, rest and early nights ready for battle on Saturday.
On Saturday morning nerves were running high in camp Agecroft but a bit of Nelly Furtardo soon brought out the GRR in us. We boated knowing this would have to be the race of our lives as Reading would expect an easy win. From the start the determination in Andrea's voice pushed us well with a longer start than usual we stayed with them and didn't let them achieve clear water easily. Throughout the race we never gave up and never let Reading settle. For the finish a kitchen sink call was given and the crew picked it up and gave it everything they had left. We lost to Reading in one of the fastest race times in our round.
Our crew came off the water happy and even coach Hazel had a smile on her face. Without her we wouldn't have made it so far and we showed the south what true northern spirit is. GGGRRRR!!!
Intermediate 4+
The coxed 4 entered HWR having only been together for 6 weeks and only having raced at Metropolitan but we did win S3 and came second to Osiris at S2.
The crew was made up of Rosy and Hannah who were part of the 4 that got to the semi finals in 2005 and Alice and Jackie who are part of the World Class Start Programme based at Agecroft and of course 11 year old Harriet, who has inherited her mothers competitive edge and is our secret weapon!
An expert team of timekeepers at the time trial (thanks Andy, Mike and Lynne) gave us a rough idea who was going quickly and who might prove the biggest threat. It was obvious that some seeding had taken place with ourselves, Southampton Uni, Upper Thames and Molesey being given a opportunity to meet in the semi finals, surprisingly Osiris where not among that 4.
If everything went to plan for us (and Osiris) we would meet each other in the quarter finals, this was the only crew to have beaten us before HWR.
Our first two rounds where quite straight forward giving us a great opportunity to race the course without too much pressure and giving Harriet a chance to get the steering and calls 100%.
Quarter Final Sat 6pm it was still incredibly hot as we paddled to the start. The crew was amazingly calm and collected as we waited to be called to attach to the stake boat. The Osiris cox was doing a great job of winding her crew up loudly so we could all hear they were going to take us in the 2nd 500. Harriet, meanwhile, was humming the theme tune to the song she had made up “4 girls and a cox”.
Once attached to the stake boat, all we had to do was stick to and trust the race plan. It was a perfect start for us which meant we could see the Osiris crew at the end of the Island and could hear when they were going to push, which they did ,and came back almost level with us. As we raced past the boating area Harriet gave the call which started the wind for home, we stuck to our plan and we won by half a length. This was a massive race for us, a huge achievement for the crew, and hardest race of our lives and our ticket into the Semi finals, Alice’s lunch reappeared at the end of the race which was surely a sign of how hard the crew was pushed.
Semi Final Sun 11.55am Upper Thames were the next crew that stood between us and a place in the final , a crew on home water was not going to be easy. This is exactly what their cox was telling them as we lined up at the start! Having had a hard race the day before had given us all a massive confidence boost and this was a great race for us we crossed the finish line ¾ of a length ahead breaking a 10 year course record!
The Final Sun 3.20pm We were up against Southampton University, they came second to us at Met in S3 but we came second to Osiris in S2 at Met, so anything could happen! The wind had picked up significantly which made lining up on the stake boat more difficult. We didn’t have the best start, Alice missed the first stroke which meant the boat swung towards the booms, a quick call from Harriet to ease off on bow side enabled her to get the boat straight but this meant we were still level at the end of the Island. Our 500m push gave us the lead and we never looked back, we could hear the cheering from the crowd as we approached the finish line but it seemed to take for ever to get there. It wasn’t our best race but it was enough! Southampton has proved to be a great crew to race and I hope we meet them again at the Nationals.
It was a very emotional row back to the landing stage, the support from the club and others was fantastic. I can’t thank everyone enough. We are now the proud owners of Henley Medals and hold the course record for Intermediate coxed 4’s. It is a dream come true and all the hard work and commitment over the years has finally paid off.
Since being back home we have found out that Harriet is the youngest ever Henley Medal Winner. On the bank Harriet is an 11 year old girl, once she is in the boat she is a competitive adult very instinctive but calm and collected at the same time. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to have been coxing us during this race.
We are now training in the 4+ for the National Championships being held in Strathclyde in July where we hope to continue the same success and bring home a medal.
The Women’s squad has gone from strength to strength since the new boat house was built in 2004 at Salford Quays. This year has been the strongest ever entry at Women’s Henley for Agecroft, with every crew qualifying and wining at least one race. Many hours of training have been put in for this event by all the athletes, we have a fantastic squad of rowers at the moment and I hope we can improve upon these successes next season. A big thank you has to go to the coaches Steve Hitchen, Hazel Warburton and Hamish Burrell, without there support none of this would have been possible!
Hannah Whitton
Women’s Captain
Northwich 2006
After months of preparation Agecroft women’s intermediate eight rocked up to Northwich. It was our first set of regatta races and an excellent base for testing whether or not the months of ergs, outings, weights, circuits, blood, sweat and tears was about to pay off.
We had entered S2, 3 and 4 to gain as much racing experience as possible. Our first race was S2 against Northwich. We had a confident row up to the start and the whole crew was in high spirits. Race excitement and nerves kicked in as we lined up at the start. Hearts racing and blades buried we waited for the call to go. It was a tense start as we fell behind in the first set of draw strokes but as the boat speed picked up in the wind and leg drive we soon began to push through the Northwich crew. With renewed confidence and the boat setting to a good steady rate and rhythm we pushed on to clear water. Following the race plan we stayed strong and concentrated on rowing with the girl in front. We crossed the finish line with two lengths in between.
It was a fantastic boost for the crew to win a S2 race. After a short break in the shade and a top up on water we headed back down for our S4 race against Trafford. After an eventful row up to the start and some inventive use of gaffer tape we lined up at the start for a second time and waited. Once again we were down off the start but we stuck to the race plan, sat up and powered on to stride past the Trafford crew. We settled into our best rhythm of the day and used the solid platform to do some power pushes. We crossed the line several lengths in front of the Trafford crew.
It was back up to the trailer for water, chocolate and shade before heading back down to the boat for our final race of the day. We felt tired but confident going into our final race. Once again we fell behind in the first few strokes but the adrenalin kicked in and we strode out to a steady rate. The race was a little rocky but we pushed on and powered down to gain clear water. The tiredness from the previous two races kicked in with 500 metres to go. Northwich pushed on to us but we pushed back and put in a big 20 to hold our ground, crossing the line with clear water.
It was a fantastic day for the crew and excellent prep for the ever-approaching women’s Henley. Thanks go to: Sarah, who kindly agreed to Cox us; Northwich, who arranged the regatta; Stuart, who towed the trailer; the girls who gave us such fantastic races; the lads and girls who came to support us; and Hazel, who gave her time to coach and urge us on and made sure we were all wearing our hats!
The Head Of The River 2006
This left the Men's Head of the River with both eights approching it with some confidence of good results. The first eight, having only lost to two Cambridge crews previously, were on a high and as well prepared as they could be, The second eight were boosted by their race the previous week and both crews were ready and up for it on the day. The second eight rowed really well and came 74th overall which is the best result for our second eight in about 10 years. With the exception of Henley II (who beat their first crew), our guys beat all the other club second eights and quite a few first crews. A big improvement since failing to even get to Trent to race!
For the first eight, the race srarted well and went to plan to Hammersmith Bridge, cruising nicely at 34 and ready to push on to Putney. Then disaster struck! University of London II, the crew in front, started to impede them round from St Pauls. They ignored repeated warnings from the Umpires and just after the Bridge, their cox decided to do her best to ruin another crews chances and turned into our path! our bow's oar hit their stern and then he crabbed, resulting in a complete stop. The rigger and gate was damaged but, worse still, we found out later that Matt had a suspected broken rib. Alhough the crew resumed, the same speed and rate were not there. Matt also was in some pain. We ended up 42nd and lost out to Royal Chester in the Jackson Trophy. Although UL were correctly disqualified, this was no consolation to our crew. A whole Winter's work undone thanks to a selfish piece of coxing. The pictures on Big Blade show she only had to ease over a little to the right and we were past. The official splits to Hammersmith show how well we might have done if we had been allowed to finish properly.
Click on the Results link for details.
North of England Head 2006
This was our best set of results of the winter with 3 wins and the second eight having a great race with Shrewsbury, the schools Head winners. The Womens first eight were the fastest womens crew in the morning division and the Womens Sen 4 crew won well. In the afternoon division, the men were fastest overall and the second eight was fourth overall. The sen 4 eight raced as well.
S4 stroke man's Comments:
The S4 eight had a decent start to the race, chasing Derby all the way, before making a move to overtake on the final bend when disaster struck, and the four man caught a crab. This resulted in them nearly swinging into Kings Chester School, whom we were managing to hold off after seeing them gain throughout the race, but Kings seized the opportunity and passed on the inside of the bend, forcing us back to the outside, and crushing any chance we had of passing Derby. Demoralized the 8 tried to maintain some composure and pushed on to the finish. To rub salt into the wound Liverpool Uni had beaten us yet again, but this time by a greater 20 seconds.
Click on the Results link for details.
Hammersmith Head 2006
The mens first eight spent the weekend on the Tideway, working with Billy Mason which was very productive for them (Thanks again, Bill). They then raced a little tired at Hammersmuth and were delighted to win overall, beating Henley, London, Worcester and Thames, amongst others.
Womens Head Of The River 2006
Two crews raced here and both came back disappointed. The Womens first crew caught the crew in front who wouldnt move out of the road and this resulted in a clash which slowed the girls down considerably. Thanks to Oxford University Lightweights who selfishly ignored the rules. Our girls ended up a disappointing 32nd behind some crews they had beaten at other Heads. The sen 4 girls managed to come 233rd but enjoyed their first race in London.
Click on the Results link for details.
Runcorn Head 2006
Two crews entered Runcorn and both did well: The Mens second eight managed to get there on time and won overall from Northwich and Grosvenor. The third eight racing at Sen 4 came 2nd in the morning division to Liverpool Uni who won the Sen 4 pennant. Both beat the Sen 3 winners.
S4 stroke man's Comments:
The morning of Runcorn head saw sub zero temperatures, and a layer of snow on the ground greeted the arrival of the third eight at Runcorn, and it was to many a curse and numb fingers that the boats were rigged! However this soon cleared to near perfect rowing conditions in the morning, with glorious sun, close to zero wind, and still some bite in the air seeing the start of the race.
We pushed off well from the start, with Andrea the cox taking the best line on every bend and pushing us hard all the way. Despite her best efforts though we were unable to shake off Liverpool Uni S4, who dogged us all the way, determined to hunt us down, which, at the end, they succeeded in doing. We managed to hold them off for most of the race, but their determination got the better of us at the end, and they gained considerably in the final straight. Well rowed guys, but we’ll have you next time! Although coming second, we still managed to beat all other S3 crews.
Click on the Results link for details.
Trent Head 2006
The Club had 4 crews due to race at an eventful Trent in windy February. The Mens First eight performed well, starting 2nd. They pulled away from Worcester but couldnt quite hold off the challenge of Goldie who started 4th and caught us almost on the line. However, Third overall and ahead of some good crews was an excellent result. The second eight were unable to get to Trent on time! So did not race.
The Womens First eight, who had high hopes of emulating the mens first eight were racing well until, just in front of the boathouses, the Northwich crew they were just overtaking had a medical emergency and headed straight for the landing stage, resulting in an Emergency Stop from our girls. Although we restarted, the impetus had been lost. The Womens Novice crew performed well but found the opposition quite hot.
Click on the Results link for details.
Peterborough Head 2006
Saturday, 4th Feb saw the top crews going to Peterborough for their Head - one of the largest in the Country after Tideway, Trent and Chester. Ten men had raced their last year for the first time and having won overall were looking forward to starting first and not having to avoid slower crews (as last year). The second eight had come 12th last year and should also have had a high starting position but unfortunately, due to a mistake by the organisers, they had to start behind some novice crews and not up with the faster crews. The Womens crew were racing there for the first time against some quality opposition including renewing last year's rivallry with York City ladies.
Weather conditions were perfect for Head racing - light wind, no stream (its against the stream) and flat calm. En route to Peterborough, there was a bit of excitement with the M6 being closed at Stoke but a hasty rerouting via A50, M1 and Leicester (despite an unscheduled wrong turning into a housing estate) meant the trailer was there in time for the warm up outing which went pretty well.
The women's eight starting well down the order and 2 places behind York City started strongly in their new ERB boat and soon passed the crew in front. Harriet their 12 year old slave driver (sorry i meant cox) had to steer a mean course to get past various slower moving crews. At halfway, the girls slipped past York and chased after AK and 99s. However, behind them a strong looking Imperial crew was slowly closing on them. In the end, the girls came 2nd to Imperial (20secs behind) and edged out AK and 99s. The girls were pleased with their first race in this new combination and now look forward to Trent and the Womens Head with some confidance.
The Mens second eight were racing Sen 3 and despite starting lower down stated well and aggressively and soon started passing crews. They caught up with Derby just after halfway but couldn't find that extra speed to get past and found the wash on the last straight a bit unsettling and came 11th overall and second in sen 3 by only 2 secs to a high starting crew (Jesus College). It definitely is an advantage to start near the front at Peterborough as there is less wash and less overtaking involved. Maybe if we had had our correct starting position from last year or if we had managed to get past Derby, we might have won. However, the second eight were pleased with their row and when the crew is strengthened next weekend, they hope to gain a little more speed.
The first eight had no worries about wash or overtaking as they were starting off first and had a completely clear run all the way. Their opponents included Star (with 2 Olympians on board), Abingdon School, Notts County and Imperial College's top student crew. The last 2 were starting further down the order and could have had a few problems with wash etc. Right from the start, things went well. Hitting a solid 33 all the way, we soon eased away from Star behind (with the two Olympians on board) and maintained a solid row all the way down the long straights, crossing the line a minute ahead of Star and 1.40 ahead of Abingdon in the fast time of 14.07 - *a new course record!* We didnt know how NCRA and IC had performed and both had clearly passed a few crews on the way down. NCRA in particular seemed to have caught a bit of a log jam towards the finish. We had to wait till the official results at 5pm which confirmed we were fastest overall in a new course record, beating IC by 12 and Star by 30 secs. County only came 5th.
Full results on http://www.peterboroughcityrowing.co.uk
AGECROFT ROWING TRIATHLON 2006
The Agecroft Rowing Triathlon of Sunday the 22nd of January 2006 was a great success, click HERE for the results (in Microsoft excel format).
Santa Claus Pub Crawl 2005
Here is a low quality version of the Official Santa Claus Pub Crawl print taken by Mike Ho Ho Ho Swallow who will be producing a large print and putting it up at the club. Prints will be sold for between £10-£25 depending on size and demand. Half the cash made will be donated to the Rainbow Foundation and the other half to the rowing club's funds.
If you are interested then please email to let him know.
AGECROFT SMALL BOATS HEAD 2005
The RESULTS of the head race on Saturday the 26th of November are now available here (And posted just 35 minutes after completion!).
FOURS HEAD 2005
We had a good day out at the Fours Head with 6 crews racing (we had 7 entries but one fell apart due to late illnesses).
Results were mixed but overall quite good. Best results were 41st (Sen 2 4x of Robbie/Robin/Yuri/Rich) and 67th (Sen 2 4- of Ben S/Jon/Tim/Simon) but they had the boost of using the latest new Empacher (4-/x). The lightweight four came 106th (Sen 1 4- of Matt V/James/Alex/Mark G) which was ok considering steering changes and Alex's recent knee injury - and the other quad (Nick/Mike/Ed/Ali) were 114th.
The two coxed fours (Pat/Matt G/Mark P/Justin/Val and Ben /Chris/Tom D/Rob/Claire) were a little disappointed with 136th and 173 respectively but apparently, despite averaging 85kgs and 6'5", both crews were delayed by pint sized school crews refusing to move over (allegedly) and the stream being particularly narrow just when they were racing! This is all part of Tideway jousting.
But, joking apart, all in all a good set of results - seemed to better than most regional clubs who were entered and compare with some of the more notable clubs like Thames, IC, UL and Brookes. However, its a long way to go!.
TRAFFORD HEAD 2005
As well as the 4s Head on Nov 12th Agecroft was competing at the Trafford RC head over their course of 3200m. It proved quite a successful day having won half of our races.
The stand out performances being the WN4+ who won their race when two of the crew have only been rowing a few weeks. It was also terrific to see the junior crews who attended competing so hard with Harriet winning the J12 sculls, very well done to them.
NORTHWICH AUTUMN HEAD 2005
Agecroft had another good day out at Northwich Head on Saturday with 7 wins as follows:
The Sen 2 4- was the fastest crew overall and the Sen 3 4+ winning time also included a small "coming together" with the crew in front. This resulted in the usual verbal banter (!) and unusually, a quick handshake between Stroke man Rob Brown and one of the other crew and then it was off to the finish! As always, the time lost by this has grown with each retelling but the guys were pleased to get a win!
The women continue to dominate locally and the WSen 2 and W Sen 3 crews rowed well to win their events.
Mens Sen 3 pair were the the fastest coxles pair of the day but this wasnt suprising as they were the only pair entered!
The Sen 2 4+ did not have the best of days with some illness induced changes resulting in a complete scratch crew racing. Having said that, they did beat the Sen 3 4+ mentioned above.
The Sen 4 4+ out of the new Development Squad won well and this augers well for that group through the Winter Heads. This also showed in both novice crews, who didn't win but were pleased with their row generally.
As always, the Head was well run with good food afterwards. Results did seem to take a long time to come out but appart fom that, a good day for all!
For the full list of results click here.
HOLLINGWORTH LAKE 2005
For the second year running, Agecroft have won the Victor Ludorum at the North of England Sprints yesterday. A record entry of 450 crews battled it out from 8am with races every 3' right through to 8pm. A fantastic day out in red hot weather, although a nasty cross wind during the day made racing a little tricky. We managed to hold off a late points surge from Tees in second place.many thanks to Hollingworth Lake and their generous sponsors.
Overall, we won 13 events and came second in nearly as many. Highlight of the day probably were our entries in J13 singles and doubles! - probably our first ever at that level and signifying Project Oarsome is working!Well done boys!
The other highlight was the success of the Novices and only a late crab whilst winning Novice VIIIs prevented a clean sweep of all (both men and women) novice events! Not bad for beginners, many of whom only started rowing late April!
We also won all the Senior fours (men and women again) and only defeats in Sen 1 and Open viiis to a well drilled Nottingham BC crew (off to World Vets?) upset the plans. At least we gained revenge in Open fours over them!
Special cogratulations to Jackie Moore who managed to lose her Novice status in sculling and rowing in the same day.
Well done everyone and a good start to winter training..........or an end to Summer fun!
WARRINGTON SPRINTS 2005
Agecroft entered three new novice crews for their first regatta at the thoroughly enjoyable Warrington Regatta this summer. The results where a combination of what was expected and one superb result for such inexperienced crews.
First to take part where the ladies novice four+ who after a nervous start drove home a clear qualifying win in their first ever race, much to their supporters delight.
The mens four+ however didn't fair so well and where well knocked out in their first round. However all involved thoroughly enjoyed the thrashing and will look forward to Hollingworth Lake in September to try improve upon their performance.
The ladies double had an unlucky start and didn't quite recover but put in an excellent effort and lost to worthy opponents.
The real action came in then from the ladies four+ whose confidence was growing rapidly as they proceeded to go on to win their next qualifier and put themselves in the final. Getting here was a real and exciting result but the final was a thriller. The girls had a very shaky start as the fatigue and nerves took their toll. Sheer guts, sweat and determination forced their bows back up in line with the opposition for a nail biting finish that both sides must have believed to have won. The judges found it too close to call and it was announced as a dead heat which would have to be repeated promptly. Both crews had to turn right around and do it all over again without even leaving their boats. Knowing that a win was now possible for both teams the pressure was serious as a point was almost within reach and it could not be closer between crews.
Sadly for Agecroft the final was not as close the second time around as the pressure and fatigue proved to be just that little bit too much and despite a good recovery the Agecroft crew were clearly beaten by Hollingworth Lake. Despite this it was a superb performance for such a novice crew and an exciting glimpse in to hopefully what it to come in future regattas!