Across The Line: Six wins for British crews in Boston
Your weekly roundup of all the racing action across the UK and around the world
Credit: AllMarkOne
We’re Across The Line! Join us to look back on a worldwide weekend of rowing from Massachusetts to Weybridge and everything in between!
British crews grab the headlines at 60th anniversary of the Head of The Charles
Every rower has bucket list of events they want to race at and for many of them, the Head of the Charles is right at the top. With a gorgeous backdrop of the Boston skyline and trees turning golden brown in the autumnal sunshine, crews weaved their way down the three-mile course starting at the Charles Basin by Boston University’s boathouse and passing under seven bridges on their way to the finish line.
2025 celebrated 60 years of this great race, welcoming 2685 crews from 852 clubs from all across the United States and further afield. The British crews were outstanding, flying home with half a dozen wins. In one of the most highly anticipated races, Cambridge University BC led off the Men’s Championship Eights field after their victory last year. Rob Baker’s boys were pushed hard all the way down the course by the best that the USA had to offer but the light blues were too strong, beating the IRA National Champions, The University of Washington, by just over 1.5s. Harvard University, racing on home water, were third with a crew that contained five Brits including cox Natalia Toms and Freshman Alp Karadogan.
Credit: AllMarkOne
The junior crews performed admirably on the third day of racing. St Paul’s School BC and The Windsor Boys’ School BC led off Men’s Youth Eights and Men’s Youth Coxed Quads, respectively. Bobby Thatcher’s programme have now won Men’s Youth Eights three years in a row after beating St Joseph’s Preparatory School from Philadelphia by 0.3s on Sunday. Not to be outdone, Mark Wilkinson’s lads laid down a huge gauntlet to the rest of the world. After losing two athletes from the crew that won the Fawley Challenge Cup, The Windsor Boys’ School BC were 16.5s ahead of St Catharines from Canada while Tideway Scullers School were seventh.
Credit: AllMarkOne
Success continued for Tideway Scullers School with a strong performance from their Women’s Youth Double Scull. Kate Cohalan and Jessica Kerbiriou were one of four junior crews that Rhona MacCallum took to this year’s event and their 11.5s win ahead of Calgary is made even more impressive by the fact they started 33rd. TSS also raced in the Women’s Youth Coxed Quads. While they finished fourth, the event was won by Marlow RC, beating Los Gatos, winners at the US Youth National earlier this year, by seven seconds. The penultimate event of the weekend was the Director’s Challenge Parent/Child Doubles. Winning by only 0.54s was Molesey BC’s Tom and Joseph Middleton while Kevin and Ollie Plank from Stirling RC were third, one place ahead of Chris and Hugo Ware from City of Cambridge RC and King’s School Ely BC.
Speaking of Molesey BC, their Women’s Championship Eight made an almighty statement so early in the season. They placed second behind the US National Team, a crew made up of athletes who were all racing out in Shanghai a few weeks ago. Eight seconds back on Molesey BC were Oxford University BC. One year ago, the dark blues were trounced by Cambridge by some 29 seconds but this year’s result is rather different. Oxford were 22s up on their rivals, setting the stage for a fascinating build-up to next year’s Boat Race which will be broadcast on Channel 4. Leander Club’s women were given a one minute penalty but without the penalty, would have been significantly back on Molesey BC and the Oxbridge boats.
Much like their men, the Cambridge University BC alumni, racing as Crabtree BC had a huge amount of success. They climbed the rankings to second, having started in 43rd place. After colliding with Friends of Georgetown, Crabtree BC were left wondering what could have been as the Longhorn Legends crew took gold by just over six seconds. Crabtree BC also took second place in the Men’s Grand Master Fours and the Men’s Master/Senior Master Fours.
Headington School BC had a cracking start to the season, rising four places to finish second behind RowAmerica Rye, the defending Champions and back to back winners of US Youth Nationals. City of Cambridge RC’s Chris Ware had a busy weekend. On Friday he was second with Guy Blanchard of Rob Roy RC in the Men’s Grand Master Doubles, while Molesey BC picked up the bronze medal after a great row from Tom Middleton and David Gillard. On Saturday, Chris teamed up with his wife Kate to take the silver medal back to the Cam in the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Doubles. London RC were third in the Women’s Master/Senior Master Fours.
Ella McDougall marches on at Weybridge Silver Sculls
Hosted by Weybridge Rowing Club since 1956, the Weybridge Silver Sculls is the oldest sculling head on the non-tidal reaches of the Thames. Many famous scullers have won the trophy including Sir Steve Redgrave, Guy Pooley (four-times winner), Chris Baillieu, Dan Topolski and Tim Crooks. The event was expanded a few years ago to include Double Sculls and J14 Coxed Quads.
Ella McDougall of Barn Elms BC has continued her hot start to the season after being awarded the Bonnie Bird Trophy at the 2025 Weybridge Silver Sculls. The J18 sculler who was the fastest junior woman at Scullers Head ahead another trophy to her collection after winning over the 3300m upstream course by 22s. Mia Stephenson placed second on home water. The Houghton Cup will also travel to the tideway after it was won by Dasiy Wild of Mortlake Anglian and Alpha BC who placed first in the Women’s Masters D Single Scull.
The 2025 Silver Sculls were awarded to Alexander Didaskalou. The Leander Sculler has hit the ground running winning the Open Band1 Senior Single Sculls event and adds his name to a sensational roster of previous winners. Leander Club also won the Demerara Cup after Louis Sheasby won the Open J18 Single Scull, two seconds ahead of Alexander. The hat-trick of wins was completed by Alfie Webb who won the Open J17 event.
Mortlake Anglian and Alpha BC showed tremendous speed in the Double Sculls, not just the Single Sculls. Ramsden and Wild won the Women’s Masters D/E event and were the fastest women’s Double Scull of the dya, while the fasters junior women’s crew went to Walton RC who also produced the fastest junior men’s crew.
Weybridge RC rounded off a successful weekend, winning the Open Senior Double Sculls.
Check out last week’s results
- Berwick LDS (Northern LDS series)
- Norwich Small Boats Head and Norfolk Sculls
- Nottingham Autumn Heads
- Maidstone Small Boats Head
All roads lead to Fulham Reach BC: Ashley Ntumba’s coaching origins
Ahead of British Rowing’s Coaching Week, Fergus Mainland sat down with Ashley Ntumba to find out how her British Rowing Assistant Coach Training shaped her journey to coaching on the tideway
Social Spotlight: Paralympic pathway gears up for Fours Head
Last weekend two PR3 classified quads were training in Nottingham for the Junior Fours Head and Fours Head. Our junior crew will take part in the first ever Junior Fours Head on 14 November!
View this post on Instagram
That’s all from Across The Line this week!
Got any stories for us? Email [email protected]
