British Rowing Masters Championships 2026
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DATE: 13th to 14th June 2026
VENUE: National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham The 2026 British Rowing Masters Championships took place on 13–14 June at the National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham — and Agecroft Rowing Club were there in force, fielding three crews across the two days of racing. Over 1,000 competitors from 134 clubs descended on Holme Pierrepont for what proved to be a characteristically competitive and hard-fought weekend of 1,000m side-by-side racing. Saturday, Open H Double Sculls Bill Aldridge & George Perrin took to the water on the Saturday in the Open H2x, but conditions were far from ideal. As Bill put it afterwards: "Disappointing — fifth. Last year we were second. The weather? Flipping windy. The water? Flipping awful. Our rowing? Too flipping slow." Never one to dwell, though, he was already looking ahead: "What's next? Row better and faster, and try to win Henley Masters again." That's the attitude. Sunday Morning, Open D Coxless Fours Sunday brought calmer conditions and a cracking race in the Open D4-. It was, as British Rowing noted, very much a battle of the red crews — Agecroft, Marlow Rowing Club, and Nottingham & Union were the teams to watch in both the heat and the final, with the three fastest crews from each heat going head-to-head for the medals. Marlow had the edge in the heat, but Agecroft saved their best for the final. With an excellent start, the crew were clearly ahead of London RC, Wallingford RC, and Inverness RC at the 500m mark — but Marlow and Nottingham & Union were running neck and neck all the way to the 250m mark. Then, in the closing stages, Agecroft dug deep. Bow and steersman Robbie Macfarlane summed it up perfectly, when talking to British Rowing after the race: “It was a tough one, but a good one” “It was neck and neck all the way and we were slightly down in the last 100m and then pulled through to win”. And win they did — gold medal by just half a second. Outstanding racing. Sunday Afternoon, Open Intermediate 50+ Quadruple Sculls The afternoon brought the Open Int 50+ 4x-, with the crew giving their all in a very competitive intermediate straight final event. They finished fifth, but the attitude coming off the water was spot on. As bow and steersman, Stephen Davis crew member reflected: "We all enjoyed the overall experience of being part of the championship — if not the execution of our event. It's given us things to work on so we can return next year as better rowers." That's a sentiment that will resonate with anyone who's followed Agecroft's Masters journey. It's the same attitude the club brought when they first showed up at this event back in 2013 — finishing fifth across three events, but hungry for more. What followed were many successful years of Masters racing. A great weekend for Masters rowing Beyond Agecroft's own results, the weekend was a memorable one for the sport. 2026 marked another record entry, with almost 100 more rowers racing than the previous year, with entries closing early due to demand. The overall Victor Ludorum was claimed by Tideway Scullers School, with Bradford on Avon Boat Club and London Rowing Club taking the small and large club prizes respectively. Congratulations to all three Agecroft crews. |
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