Crews from Shiplake headed to the world class rowing lake at Dorney Boat Club to participate in the hotly contested BASHER rowing race. Pupils racing for the J14s, J15s and 2nd VIII headed to the Olympic rowing lake to participate in time trials and races against rivals such as Eton and Radley. The experience was useful for the crews, and the 2nd VIII walked away with a phenomenal victory!
Coach Mr Pete Muhley provides the following report from the 2nd VIII crew:
‘After the success of a fifth place finish at the Schools Head of the River, the 2nd VIII turned to BASHER with high expectations. Racing all of their rivals from Schools Head it was a fantastic opportunity for the crew to show their cards. Furthermore, the pupils were excited about their prospects following a successful Easter training camp. The 2nd VIII raced the trial confidently, and cruised through to the A/B semi-final, finishing in second position. In the semi-finals, the VIII raced well, moving into a half-length lead by the 1km marker, with Hampton School hot on their heels. The crew never fully broke away from the final, and they were chased by Hampton all the way to the finish line, winning by a matter of feet!
Following a discussion on race tactics and strategy from coach Mr Pete Muhley, the VIII were ready for the final. They were to race the winners of the Schools Head in the final, which was an amazing opportunity to turn them over. The crew came out of the blocks with exceptional pace and broke free of the field, gaining a one length lead by the 750m. Showing excellent 8’s racing strategy they held onto their lead, and powered over the finish line in first position by nearly a whole length. Coaches and parents were delighted by their performance, and the crew are looking forward to the next regatta at Bedford. Training will now focus on gaining even more speed between now and National Schools!’
Thank you to Mr Tom Crisford for providing the following report on the performance of the J15 crew:
‘The J15 rowing squad, consisting of three VIIIs, raced at Dorney Lake on what proved to be an incredibly valuable day of racing on the inspiring Olympic ground. The first test required the VIIIs to race 1900m in a time trial format; the J15A VIII finished the time trial in third place in their category, beating Abingdon, Bedford, Eton and Reading Blue Coat, and finishing an impressive 20th out of 67 boats. The B and C crews also made a promising start to the event, with the B crew beating Reading Blue Coat and Bedford School, and only narrowly missing out to beating Radley and Eton.
The multi-lane racing proved to be really exciting, with the A crew having a tough race to begin the regatta season in a heat with Hampton and Eton. Unfortunately, they finished in last place in this race but certainly learnt a lot about racing, and how to get off the start cleanly. Their final race of the day proved to be much stronger, and the crew finished second just behind Hampton. The racing prepared them well for the upcoming Wallingford Regatta!
The J15B VIII had two fantastic races: the first of these saw them finish second, whilst the next race saw them achieve first place! This proved to the boys themselves that they are more than capable, and as the season progresses they will be working hard to attack the start and settle in to a good strong rhythm. The J15C VIII also left on a high, winning their race after struggling in the time trial.’
Thank you to Mr Keith Settle for providing the following report on the performance of the J14 crews:
‘All of the J14s learnt a lot from the experience, as the campaign towards National Schools’ began in earnest. They conducted themselves perfectly in the face of some stiff competition. The J14A Octo came third overall in the time trial. But in some greatly executed side by side races, the crew managed to come at second place, narrowly missing out on the top spot to Radley. Nonetheless, the crew comfortably beat rivals Bedford, Hampton and St Pauls in the process.
The J14B crew raced well, and also thoroughly enjoyed the experience of rowing on the Olympic rowing lake. The crew used the experience as they headed towards another race against St Edward’s school, and other races to come in the busy regatta season.’
