Summary of Results and Home Countries Selection

Gold
WJ14 2x : Gabby Watson, Fifi Bevan
WJ15 4x+ : Gabby Watson, Fifi Bevan, Carmel Bevan in a composite with Walton RC (cox Rebecca Reeve)
OJ 16 2x : George Poynter, Robert Ashburner
WJ 2x : Louise Entwistle in a composite with Hollingworth Lake RC

Silver
WJ14 4x+ : Felicity Young, Henrietta Jenkins, Rachael Aldridge, Lexy Dobson (cox Zoe Broadbent)
WLwt 2x : Vicky Sims, Natalie Trinder
WU23 1x : Ally Brooks
W 4x : Sophie Delaney
OJ16 2- : Alex Ryde, Ertan Hazine
OJ16 4+ : Alex Ryde, Ertan Hazine in a composite with Maidstone Invicta (cox Emma Sanerkin)
WJ16 4x : Aimee Broadbent, Alice Ancora in a composite with Henley RC
WJ 8o : Maddie Reynolds, Aimee Campbell, Aimee Broadbent, Rebekah Kerns in a composite with Henley RC

Home Countries selection:
1. Louise Entwistle selected for England in the double
2. Ertan Hazine selected for England in the eight
3. Ally Brooks selected for Scotland in the single
4. Carmel Bevan selected for Wales in the single
5. Maddie Reynolds, Aimee Broadbent, Aimee Broadbent, Rebekah Kerns selected for England in the eight

Maidenhead RC sent a large entry to The National Championships. With several athletes selected for international events either away at training camps or not permitted to enter junior events, several potential medals were forgone and several juniors teamed up to compete in composite crews with other clubs, nevertheless achieving outstanding results.

As chaos hit the south of the country, Nottingham waited its turn. The waters of the lake were an excellent impression of a tidal sea as waves crashed onto the pontoons forced down by an incredible tailwind, said to favour lighter crews on the Friday. Several of the younger Maidenhead crews had to contest heats in atrocious conditions before racing was abandoned for the day at lunchtime.

Conditions were much better for the first of the finals on Saturday, with little wind and intermittent rain resulting in fair racing conditions and a very strong head wind came about for Sunday's finals.

Gold Medals
In their Friday heat the WJ14 double scull battled to the start and only 5 of the 6 crews in their heat made it as the Kingston double were the first victims of the conditions and failed to make the start in time. Maidenhead were first off the start and continued to increase their lead down the course despite Gabby nearly losing her blade at the 1000m mark. Knowing that the weather could potentially turn each race into a final, the double of Fifi Bevan and Gabby Watson never relinquished a meter as they fought their way down the course. A wise decision, as in the last 250m they caught a crab and precious seconds were lost as they regained control. They finished their heat 23 seconds ahead of Lady Eleanor Holles in second place.They held the course record for a few minutes until City of Oxford in the second heat stole it away as they were chased by a Castle Semple/Nithsdale composite.
On the Saturday the wind had died down to be replaced by the rain from the South. The WJ14 double of Fifi and Gabby were again first off the start and although Oxford pushed hard at the 1500m mark Maidenhead responded and won comfortably by 5.4 seconds.

Fifi's sister, Carmel and Sophie Wedlake from the Walton double joined up with Fifi and Gabby and cox Rebecca Reeve to take part in the WJ15 coxed quad, which had also qualified on Friday. Fifth off the start, by 1000m they were in fourth place. At 1500m they forced their way into 2nd place behind Oxford and just in front of St Neots and Star. 2.9 seconds separated 1st and fourth place in this exciting race. Finally, MHD/Walton pushed for home and beat St Neots by 1.14 seconds who beat Oxford into 3rd place by 1.44 seconds.

The J16/17 boys section of the club had a successful Championships. The best result of finals day for Maidenhead boys was a Gold medal for George Poynter and Robert Ashburner in J16 double sculls. The boys sculled a very astute tactical race to track York City RC, the National Schools Gold medallists through the race, up to the 1250 metre mark.  At this point the Maidenhead boys made a significant push and sculled past the York City double. The Maidenhead double then protected their lead of just half a length over the final quarter of the race to win the Gold medal. This was the stern pair of last years National Champion winning J15 quad.

Louise Entwistle and her partner Lucy Walczak from Hollingworth Lake RC never looked troubled when racing in the Women's Junior Double Sculls final. This double had at one stage been looked at as a possibility to go to the Junior Worlds in 2006. So, as expected, they were in a class of their own and won the event by a massive 34 seconds and in a time that was faster than the winning Leander double who won the Open event. Louise and Lucy were selected to represent England at the Home Countries in Cork next weekend.

Silver Medals
Vickie Sims and Natalie Trinder competed in the senior lightweight double event to win a sliver medal. After a slow start, the double pushed hard in the second 1000m to catcth the leading two boats of Mortlake, Anglian and Alpha and London Rowing Club. About 10 strokes to the line, they broke through London RC and finshed three quarters of a length behind Mortlake to gain a silver medal. This was an excellent result considering they hadn't raced together all season and the London crew were Henley finalists and reached final trials for GB lightweights. The two from Maidenhead had also entered the lightweight pair event and reached the final on Sunday but due to difficult weighing in times, they decided to scratch the pair and concentrate on the double.

In the WJ14 coxed quad scull event the Maidenhead crew of Felicity Young, Henrietta Jenkins, Rachael Aldridge and Lexy Dobson, coxed by Zoe Broadbent came second in their heat in very rough conditions on Friday. They expected to race later in the repecharge, but as racing was later abandoned for the day due to the conditions, they found themselves directly in the final based on heat times. In the six crew final on Saturday, conditions were perfect and (unusually) they started well and were soon in second place to Stoke Rowing Association who had flown off the start and were some way ahead by the mid point of the race. Maidenhead continued to scull well, never catching the Stoke crew but keeping up the pressure up to make sure that they themselves were not caught by Queen Elizabeth High School who were finishing fast. Maidenhead held them off to take the silver medal, much to the delight oftheir coaches Orlando Fricker and Laura Lion.

Ally Brooks had to step up to senior sculling (WU23 1x), as once selected to represent GB you are asked to enter senior events at National Champs. On the Saturday conditions were perfect for lightweight scullers and Ally had probably her best scull of the season to date winning her semi-final in a good time. Next day the wind had changed into a strong head wind which adds another minute in a sculling boat. Off the start Brooks was fast and by 400m she had opened up a 1 length lead, but just before the 500m mark her blade caught a big wave and this knocked her back. Racing down the course side by side with an Upper Thames RC sculler Ally had to settle for a well earned Silver at this higher level.

Sophie Delaney raced in the GB junior quad which was also stepping up to senior open level (W 4x). The crew had a substitute on board so had to qualify for the final through the repacharge. The final went well and the crew came together well to take a much deserved silver medal at this senior level.

The boys pair of Ertan Hazine and Alex Ryde who recently represented GB as the J16 pair were up against their friends and composite fours partners of Alex Torbica and Craig Turner from Maidstone Invicta who were also the GB J16 double scull at the recent Anglo France competition. This was a very good race with Maidenhead taking an early lead but the Maidstone boys made a large push in the middle of the race to take the lead. This left the Maidenhead in silver medal position which they consolidated to the finish.

The Maidenhead and Maidstone pairs then combined into a J16 coxed four coxed by Emma Sanerkin. The race was always likely to be contested between Evesham who were the J16 GB crew at the recent international match and the composite four who have had just five outings together as a four. The Evesham four took an early lead with the composite a little slow off the start. The race soon developed into a race of the two fours at the front of the race and the remaining four crews. The composite crew had significant pushes in three places in the race and gradually reduced the lead which at one point was over a length. The final 250 metres saw the composite come back from over half a length down to just a few feet on the line. A well deserved silver medal and both crews agreed that it had been a tremendous race, with the crews finishing a massive 36 seconds ahead of bronze medal position won by Bedford School.

A fast composite was put together for the WJ16 quad event. Aimee Broadbent and Alice Ancora teamed up with Henley RC to take a Silver medal.

After only a few outings in an eight, another junior composite Maidenhead/Henley crew including Maddie Reynolds, Aimee Broadbent, Aimee Campbell and Rebekah Kerns did well to challenge for the Gold medal in the first half of the course and to take a Silver medal at the finish line. Sean Kerns coached this crew over the few outings they had.

Other Maidenhead crews
In the WJ15 Double sculls, Anna Campbell, rowing in a composite with Polly Rider of Claire's Court had a fast start in her Friday heat and they were leading at the 500m mark. However, they struggled with the difficult conditions in the middle of the race and finished 5th.

Katy Lion, still only a J16 was not allowed to race in the WJ16  competition as she has been selected to compete in the international Coupe de la Jeunesse event. So with her Coupe partner from Marlow RC she entered the Senior double sculls competition. They qualified for the final through the repechage and finished in a very creditable fifth position behind top adult crews.

Rebecca Reeve, who has been struggling with injury all season came a very respectable fourth in her heat of the WJ14 single sculls which was held in difficult conditions on Friday.

Laurian Pepper, a former Maidenhead junior squad member, raced in Lightweight coxless pairs for Maidenhead Rowing Club with her pairs partner from Loughborough University. Laurian did well to make the final and take 5th position.

The Maidenhead/Claire's Court composite J16 quad or Ross McCorriston, Alex Aber, George Poynter and Robert Ashburner qualified for the final through a time trial. The boys were against stiff local competition from Sir William Borlase School, Marlow RC, Windsor Boys and the Evesham quad who have been beaten just once at J16 level since last September and who were also the GB J16 quad. Borlase took an early lead with places changing on a frequent basis. The Maidenhead composite quad let the medallists get away in the middle of the race with a six second deficit on Star Club of Bedford in the third quarter, who were the eventual bronze medallists but finished very strongly in fifth place behind Windsor Boys, just outside medal positions. The race was won by Evesham with Borlase winning the silver medal.

The intermediate boys entered two events for the experience. Jack Beaumont (still only a J13) raced in the heats with his double scull partner, Max Rushent from Reading, but in atrocious conditions on Friday they finished fourth in their heat and had to rush back to the rafts as their boat was completely filled with water. The J15 Quad of Nick Brett, Brad O'Halloran, Tom Leverington and Sam McCoriston with cox G.West also came fourth in their Friday heat.

Tim Wildbore entered J18 sculls which it was expected would not contain many of those already selected for the GB J18 teams. This wasn’t the case and there was very stiff competition. Tim sculled in atrocious weather conditions on Friday in the time trial and finished just five seconds off a qualification place for the last twelve places.

This is the final National event of the season which has been successful for the boys squad, coached by the team of John Truswell, Derek Cook and Ben Tipney.

Ertan Hazine now goes to Cork next weekend to represent England as part of the J18 national eight to race Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Louise Entwistle is selected to represent England in the J18 women's double; Carmel Bevan selected to represent Wales and Ally Brooks selected to represent Scotland in the single sculls. Although initially selected for England's women's junior eight, Rebekah Kerns will be on holiday and Aimee Campbell competed for Scotland last year and is ineligible to change countries without a year's break, so Alice Ancora will now join Maddie Reynolds, Aimee Broadbent and athletes from Henley RC in the crew.


Billy Brooks
Captain Juniors