STRATFORD-upon-Avon Boat Club’s juniors finished the winter head season in style as the women’s J16 squad won gold at Bedford and Great Ouse.
The women’s J16 four of Amalia Richardson, Maddie Hall, Harriet Noyes, Kate Richardson and cox Imogen Hill produced a superb display to win gold, beating all the senior and masters women’s crews at the event.
And Charles Happel put in his best performance of the season to finish third in the single scull, just one second behind Leicester Rowing Club.
J16 Coach Sam Hill said: “I am very pleased for the athletes. To achieve such a good result at Bedford is very encouraging for the regatta season that starts in two weeks at Nottingham.”
The Stratford WJ15 girls also put on a great performance at the 2022 Bedford Spring head as the squad of Eloise Cooper, Molly Vondrak, Lucy Sartain, Esmerelda Elfwood and Aimee Appleton (cox), sculled the 2000m course in a fantastic time of eight minutes and 16 seconds.
J15 coach Hugo Happel said: “They missed out on gold by only four seconds to the girls from Falcon RC (Oxford).
“However, they beat five other crews, three of them based on the Thames: Wallingford, Eton Excelsior and Staines plus Leicester and Bedford!”
Also at Bedford were the J17/18 Performance squad represented by Freya Watts, Martha Usselmann, Amelie Sartain and Harriet Holmes who competed first in the Women’s coxless quad event.
J17/18 Performance Squad Coach, Abi Terry said: “With Harriet steering an excellent line down the tricky course, the girls finished a respectable third in the most competitive band and fourth overall in a field of stiff competition.”
Later on, the WJ squad split into two doubles, Martha and Amelie competing in the Women’s event, and Freya and Harriet in the Women’s J17 category.
The two scratch crews finished third and sixth respectively in their events, against some prestigious crews.
And competing at Bedford Head was the double of Nick Sartain and Ed Lewry who were the first Stratford crew to hit the water competing in the Open Double Sculls event.
The duo posted the fastest club time for the day across the 2km distance to finish at the top of their band and seventh overall.
