Sunday 1 March saw the Shiplake Boat Club make its way to London to compete at Hammersmith Head. This event takes place on the world famous tideway, home to the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. It is on this course that the School’s Head of the River will take place on Monday 16 March, and so is seen as a useful event to give the rowers and coxes a practice on the course. The event is also one of the first times schools put out their crews that will be the most likely to race at the Schools Head, so offers a fantastic insight into how the opposition crews are shaping up ahead of the ‘Big One’!
Upon arrival at the host Rowing Club, Auriol Kensington, the teams were confronted by unfavourable conditions due to strong winds. Fearing the event would be cancelled, Shiplake rigged the boats and warmed up regardless. The organisers delayed the start by 20 minutes, which allowed the wind to calm and the conditions to greatly improve.
First down the course for Shiplake were the 1st VIII. The first half of the race looked promising, however the team felt the effect of heavy legs in the closing stages and were unable to maintain the good rhythm and pace with which they had started. Despite this, the team raced hard and achieved a credible 4th position in the Men’s IM2 VIII. Finishing as the 6th quickest school crew, the pupils gained valuable experience.
The 2nd VIII followed, finishing 13th in the IM3 event. The rowers handled the conditions brilliantly and pulled together as a team. The event proved the potential and speed for the crew in next 2 weeks.
Despite losing one of their strongest oarsmen to illness, the J16s had a very encouraging race. They found a good rhythm which served them well in the race, and finished 2nd; a very positive result as we build towards the Schools Head.
The J15 VIII were the last Shiplake crew to race the course. It was the first time rowing on the tideway for these students and it proved fantastic experience for the crew. This section of the Thames is very different to the calm waters back at the College! The crew found the experience invaluable, and Director of Rowing Mr David Currie emphasised that ‘given the limited time the boys have been oar rowing, they did exceptionally well, and I am confident that they will take the experience and apply it to their training back at the College.’
To see more photos from the event, please click here.
