Maidenhead’s top junior athletes (3 boys and 3 girls) participated at the GB Spring trials and were tested out against the top 14 boys and girls scullers from across the UK. This was a major achievement for everyone to have made it through to these trials and an indication to selectors of how strong the junior sculling squad is at this time at Maidenhead Rowing Club.

The first part of the event was a 3 day GB squad training camp for the very top Rowing and Sculling athletes which took place at Nottingham’s Holme Pierrepont, The National Water Sports Centre from the 1st through to 6th April. All the Maidenhead athletes competed in the sculling section.

On Day 1 all the sculling athletes had to compete in a head format over 1500metres into a major cross head-wind. The results of this first trial was important as this gave indication as to who should be competing for a seat in the top quad for boys and girls.

Results for the Maidenhead athletes on day one can only be described as truly exceptional. On the boys side Maidenhead finished 1st Dave Jones, 2nd Carl Delaney and 4th Phil Clapp and on the girls side we finished 2nd Louise Entwistle, 3rd Ally Brooks and 12th Sophie Delaney. Day 2 saw athletes being tested out in a doubles matrix and then this moved into quads for further matrix evaluation on Day 3.

At the end of this 3 day GB Spring Trials camp the selected scullers (4 boys and 4 girls) were invited to stay on for a further 3 days to help prepare their quads for Munich International Regatta. Tim Foster joined the Pre-Munich camp and was put in charge of the boys quad.

At the end of this Pre-Munich camp the selected Junior J18 crews combinations were announced as follows:

Girls GB Quad

    Bow:  Charlotte Jeffries – Headington School
         2:  Louise Entwistle – Maidenhead RC
         3:  Lucy Walzach – Hollingworth Lake RC
Stroke:  Ally Brooks – Maidenhead RC
 
Boys GB Quad

    Bow: Carl Delaney – Maidenhead RC
         2: Steve Robinson – Tideway Scullers
         3: Oliver Collins – Walton RC
Stroke: Dave Jones – Maidenhead RC
 
This is a brilliant result especially for the athletes as this regatta is seen as a pre-cursor to the Junior World Rowing Champs where only the cream of the GB junior squad will compete.
 
Thank You to all the coaches and support people involved  that help contribute to achieving and maintaining this top level success.


Billy Brooks
Captain Juniors