Across The Line: Reading and Durham put on a show across the weekend
Find out what’s been going on across the UK as well as the action from Reading Amateur and Durham Regatta
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We’re Across The Line! Join us to look back on a thrilling couple of days of racing from across the UK and Europe.
Shiplake back up Nat Schools success
After a famous National Schools’ Regatta double, winning Girls and Open Championship Eights, Shiplake College are continuing to build momentum as the season unfolds. On Saturday, the school were victorious in Band One Women’s Eights after triumphing over Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA by three and a half lengths in the final having beaten London RC earlier that morning.
For the Open side of things, it was an all schoolboy affair in the final as Hampton School and Shiplake beat Lea RC and Reading Blue Coat School respectively, setting up a corker of a final as the last race of the day. In the end, Shiplake ran out winners by two lengths but perhaps Hampton get a shot at redemption on another stretch of the Thames in just a couple of weeks time.
Saturday’s racing over 1500 conjured up some outstanding results, the closest of which came in some of the J15 events. Surbiton High School pipped Lady Eleanor Holles School by just three feet in the final of the Band Two WJ15 Eights while Radley got the better of St Pauls by two feet in their race to decide the winner of the Band One J15 Eights. In the final of the Open Doubles, it was a familiar tale as Reading University lifted that trophy but they didn’t have it all their own way and were pushed incredibly close by Norwich School who came up two feet short on the line.
However, arguably the best race of the day came before 11:00 between two of our aforementioned crews. LEH and Surbiton were up against each other once again, this time in the semi-final of the Band 1 WJ15 Coxed Fours. On this occasion, it was LEH who prevailed by one foot and their reward was to race their teammates in the final.
Sunday’s racing was once again downstream, but over 1000m. Racing was underway at 08:45 with the semi-finals of the Women’s Junior Double Sculls and after easily winning the first race of the day, Walbrook RC would go on to beat Wallingford RC in the final.
This time, it was the turn of the masters to provide the close racing, most notably the Masters C Quadruple Sculls. Staines BC were the great entertainers of the day, first beating Trent BC by a canvas in their preliminary race before taking on Twickenham RC in the final and edging out their London opposition by one foot as they hurtled towards the finishing line.
Over 10 hours of racing reached its crescendo on Sunday evening with the final of open eights. Both Auriol Kensington RC and Reading RC easily navigate their semi-final opposition and it seemed fitting that Reading would win the final race of the day, beating their Hammersmith opponents by a third of a length.
Did you miss any of the action? Don’t worry you can catch up on the results from both days of racing here.
‘The Henley of the north’ puts on a show
For Durham’s 16 colleges there are serious bragging rights up for grabs at Durham Regatta. In the novice events, St John’s College beat Butler College to win the Open Eights by half a length while St Cuthbert’s were the losing finalists of the Women’s event, in a race won by Newcastle University. Speaking of the Blue Star, they had a great weekend of racing for their men as their top men’s boat winning both Elite and Championship Coxed Fours across the two days.
The Newcastle men were also involved in some of the closest races of the regatta, as their top entry for the Temple Challenge Cup was beaten by Durham University’s top boat by just two feet in the first semi-final of Sunday’s Championship Eights, an event the palatinate army would dominate in an all-Durham affair. That was the second of two ‘two feet margins’ across the weekend and it was no surprise that Durham and Newcastle were involved in the other, this time in Saturday’s final of Elite Eights won by the Blue Star.
If you thought that was close, then keep reading. Over the weekend, 412 races would take place on the Wear and five of them were decided by one foot. In Saturday’s first semi-final of the Open J15 Single Scull there was a terrific win for Durham School on home water but come the final, it was Cambois RC who prevailed to win by a length. Once again, it was the novices who provided some of the best racing. Sheffield University progressed well to the final of Open Novice B Coxed Fours but met a galant home crew from Durham University.
The students representing the city of steel were victorious in one of the best races of Sunday morning. The Durham students would have their moment though. After beating South College by a foot, St Cuthbert’s novice squad would pick up another win, this time after beating St John’s by a quarter of a length in the final of Women’s Novice Coxed Fours.
It wasn’t just the students at the beginning of their rowing journey, the J13s were in action too. In one of the closing races of the weekend, Durham ARC put together a masterful performance to beat Cambois RC by one foot as well. Both crews progressed well to the final, comfortably winning their semi-finals but the home support and local knowledge must have played some part in a cracking win for Durham ARC in the final of the J13 Coxed Quadruple Sculls.
Full results are available here:
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Check out last week’s results
- Barnes and Mortlake Regatta
- Marlow Town Regatta
- Bridgenorth Regatta
- Nithsdale Regatta
- Northwich Regatta
Scorching racing at World Rowing Cup Varese
Catch up on all of the action from Varese where the Great Britain Rowing Team looked to build upon the results from the European Rowing Championships. The team placed second in the medal table, winning three golds and two bronze medals.
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Social Spotlight: Epic racing at British Rowing Masters Championships
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That’s all from Across The Line this week!
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