For the first time in the club's history Maidenhead Rowing Club entered a Junior girls 8 at this major event on the famous Oxford and Cambridge boat race course.

The Junior womens 8 had a training session against UL last Sunday where the training plan was to race UL women's 2nd crew over 3 x 6min pieces on the Tideway course. On the Saturday this same UL women's crew raced last year's winning Junior 8 from Headington School Oxford over the same distance. UL won 2-1 over the 3 x 6min pieces. So this training session would indicate how close we might be to Headington.

This young Maidenhead crew set off from the Schools Head start at Chiswick Bridge and raced UL womens crew for 6mins. The crews were neck and neck the whole way with Maidenhead pulling out to a half-length lead at the end of the 1st 6min piece. Both crews paddled down the course to Hammersmith Bridge where they started their second six minute piece. UL took a slight lead early on but then this young Maidenhead crew drew level at the 3 min mark and then went on to pull out a lead of just about a length at the finish. UL decided not to race Maidenhead on the planned 3rd 6min piece so Maidenhead did this by themselves. End result was a pleasing 2-0 result against a leading University London crew that went on to finish 41st at this year's WHORR.

On the Schools Head race day a couple of seat changes had to be made due to Ally Brooks being hit with a sickness bug. So Louise Entwistle moved from 7 to stroke and Katie Lion joined the crew at 7, with Alice Ancora 6, Rebekah Kerns 5, Caris Marsh 4, Sophie Delaney 3, Aimee Campbell 2, Laurian Pepper bow and Charlotte Weeks coxing. Despite these last minute crew changes, this young crew which includes three 15year olds, did the club proud by putting up an exceptional rowing performance to start at the back of the junior 8 division and to proceed down the course overtaking 6 crews and finishing a very credible 3rd place. The steering practise Charlotte Weeks received in the training session against UL the week before proved to be very useful on race day. Headington School won this event with Molesey coming second.
 
The good news for Maidenhead is that six members of this crew can compete in this same event again next year. So with this excellent new starting position the aim will be to attempt winning this J18 level event in 2007.
 
This was an excellent performance considering ALL the 8 competed successfully the day before at the National Sculling Head in Henley.


Billy Brooks
Captain Juniors