NEWS
Trent 2007
The club enjoyed its most succesful Trent Head ever - entering 9 crews (and needing 2 trailers to get there) of which 7 raced and 5 won with very good performances from the Mens and Womens Sen 2 crews, neither being in their final Head lineup. These 5 wins of Sen 2 viis, Sen 4 viiis, W Sen 2 viiis, Sen 2 iv+ and Sen 2 iv- made us the club with the most wins at the Head, followed by 3 wins for Grosvenor and Edinburgh Uni. The only black spot was the failure of the Sen 3 eight to make it to the start (as last year!) by losing their fin whilst boating.
In Div one, the Mens Senior 2 crew started third behind Goldie and then Leander.The Leander crew had been changed on the day due to illness in the crew but this didnt seem to slow them up and they finished a close 3 seconds behind Goldie who had the advantage of watching them all the way down the course. Our guys came another 4 secs behind Leander with a good solid row which looked technically quite strong. There was then a gap of 22 secs to Grosvenor and another second to York and Worcester, 3 of our rivals for the Jackson trophy at the end of March. All three will be stronger by then. The men won Sen 2 by 22secs.
Division 2 was dominated by our Sen 4 A crew including super sub Mike Swallow and they won the division by 25 seconds over a shorter course - a gap of nearly a length a minute over second place, Loughborough who themselves won Novice. Our B crew found the pace a bit hot though and came 17th.
Division 3 brought 3 wins and both mens fours, racing for a second time did well to win their events (despite breaking a back stay and the steering handle falling to bits in the coxed four - are they repaired yet?) The 4- were pretty pleased to be a tired 28 seconds behind a slick looking Leander 4- who were the class crew in the division (they may have raced earlier as well but I dont think so). The Womens sen 3 crew started last in their event and came 4th in Sen 3 and 37th overall, 34 seconds behind their winners. However, the Womens Sen 2 crew gave possibly the best Agecroft performance of the day by coming second fastest women, only 9 secs behind CUWBC who won sen 1 but ahead of 2 good Reading crews (coached by Denis's nephew!) and winning W Sen 2 by 26 secs.
South Yorkshire Head
All the clubs Juniors - World Class Start, Mark's lot and the Sunday morning kids - all travelled to South Yorkshire Head in Doncaster for the club's first visit there. Between them they entered a whopping 19 crews and we were hopeful of plenty of wins. Unluckily however, the weather was not the best and conditions on the river worsened throughout the day, resulting in the third division being cancelled on safety grounds. We did manage to pick up a couple of wins in J18 4x and J14 2x - well done boys. We may have missed a few more opportunities to win in the thrd division but everyone was glad to head home early as safety must come first. Hopefully, we will see some Doncaster crews at our Head in the Autumn.
Peterborough 2007
For the third year running, the men made the long trip to Peterborough Head and retained their title - this year by an increased margin of 40 seconds from Star Club. Yet again, the second eight came second in their event (Sen 3) by 5 secs this time to First and Third. As last year, their failure to get past crews they had caught by half way probably prevented them getting closer to the Cambridge college. The women came hoping to renew their rivalry with Imperial College but unfortunately the crew from London scratched and our girls went on to record the fastest women's time by 55 seconds! The girls second eight raced well in W Sen 3 and came equal 3rd out of 22 entries and 5th overall of all the women.
Henley Royal Regatta 2006
Our Thames Cup eight enjoyed a very successful run at Henley in baking sunshine. As always, we stayed at Molly's house at the top of the Henley Mile and this gave us an excellent, quiet base to prepare properly.
When the draw was announced, we were one of four selected crews which surprised us a little as our summer results were inconsistent. We seemed good at winning heats but not so good in Finals. We had however come 2nd at Marlow behind *London A* who were possibly the favourites (along with Henley). *Henley* (last years excellent winners) were also seeded and in our half of the draw (they beat us twice at Met). The final selected crew was *London B* whom we had beaten previously.
Also, in our half of the draw were *Neptune, Nottingham County* and *Tideway Scullers*(all of whom had beaten us at Met regatta). Add to this formidable list was a slightly unknown German crew who had come 15th at Tideway (but may have changed since), *Thames, Kingston* and *Molesey*. Some of the above crews also appeared to have strengthened their line-ups since Met regatta so all in all a pretty tough half of the draw for all crews! *Belfast* and *AK* were in the other half with the 2 London crews.
Having said all that, we knew (and possibly our opponents didn’t) that we hadn’t been quite fully fit at Met (due to varying injuries in April). We also didn’t start any speed work till very late. The aim being to peak at Henley and not before. This might counter the other crews ability to strengthen themselves. We would find out as the regatta progressed.
Wednesday brought a race against St Michaels from Limerick. Although unknown to us, we had some good info from Shane Kearney in Ireland and decided to go hard from the "GO". This worked well and we had clear water just after the 1/4 mile and maintained a lead home. Good opening race. Meantime, Scullers and Henley had a battle down the course that resulted in a win for Scullers. Henley had crabbed in front of the Stewards and we will never know whether Henley could have held off the closing Scullers if the crab hadn’t happened. A shame to lose in such circumstances.
Thursday meant a rematch with Neptune. We had raced 3 times before and although the score was 2-1 to us, they had won our last meeting, holding us off well all the way up the course. However, our first 500m were now much stronger and we decided to try and surprise them and let them chase us! Again this worked well, and we led by about a length at the Barrier (2'), however, we couldn’t break free and Neptune closed to 1/2L as we approached the Stewards. There was no panic in our crew and they waited for Liz to call the last big push. This resulted in a win for us by a length. A really good race against a really good crew - there was never clear water between us. Scullers beat the Germans and Thames A and County progressed as well.
Friday brought Thames A, a crew we had beaten several times already. However this was a quarter final and side by side (a "Duel" as the Americans call it). The race went to plan and again we were able to establish a lead and control the race a little from the front. Three races gone at Henley and we had never been behind in any of them! Meanwhile, Scullers were beating County in a race that was quite similar to ours with Neptune. The 2 Semis were us against Scullers and London A against Belfast (who had beaten London B).
Saturday was very hot and humid. We raced at 5.10pm (whilst England were playing Portugal) and we thought the crowds would be off watching the football. How wrong we were! The noise from the crowd, supporting both crews, was fantastic. Off the start, there was even a chant of "Agecroft, Agecroft!" - possibly alcohol fuelled!! When we had raced Scullers previously (although it was a slightly different crew line-up), they had led initially, we had rowed through and then they had come strong at the end. So we decided to again try to lead from the front.
Although our start was not as good as the other 3 days, we soon settled into a good rhythm and led by about 3/4L at the Barrier. Not quite the length we wanted. I also thought Scullers didn’t get as good a start as they had in previous days. Maybe a bit of semi final pressure on both crews? We tried to move out before Fawley, but Scullers realised, did their own push and started to close ominously. From Remenham to the enclosure, they pulled level and then ahead by a canvass. Down the Public Enclosures, we got back level and then the lead changed hands backwards and forwards to the Progress Boards. At the start of the Boards, we were up, and the end of them, they were! 6 strokes to go we were ahead then it was Scullers! We crossed the line absolutely together with both crews completely exhausted! In the launch behind, we thought Scullers had it but then I remembered our boat had a longer bow than theirs! Hope? However, the verdict went to Scullers by an official One foot! The smallest distance they give at Henley. As we left the launch, Mike Sweeney, the Regatta Chairman, came out of the Judges box to commiserate with us and congratulate Scullers. He said it was less than a foot. Later, saw the photo - not much more than a bowball. A fantastic race and good luck to Scullers in the Final. In all our previous races, our defeated opponents had been quick to offer us sporting handshakes and good wishes for the next race. We all went quickly (or as quickly as we could move!) to do the same to Scullers and met them coming to us.
Mutual respect from two closely matched crews. Well done to both crews. Our Henley run was over, we had not quite been fast enough to get to the final! Thank you to everyone who offered us good wishes throughout the week. Also, thank you to Billy Mason and Marysh Chmiel - our secret weapons!
In the Final on Sunday, I am sure Scullers must have been feeling the effects of their hard races. London A got the length lead we had craved, then stretched out, resisting Scullers attacks and then ended up about a length and a half ahead at the finish line. Congratulations to them - they were worthy winners. Hard lines, Scullers - you all have big hearts (and cochons!!).
Hopefully, the eight will return next winter more determined to improve on this year. There are many other guys in the club who could have been in the crew - they just need to commit sooner to the long steady ergos!
Hopefully, our run will attract new members who will strengthen the group. Next year, a Thames Cup run again plus a Britannia and Wyfold run? Could my heart stand the excitement? You bet it could!!!!
Denis O'Neill
Men’s Coach
Agecroft have also made the front cover of Rowing & Regatta.
Women's Henley 2006
A win for Agecroft 4+ at Women’s Henley 2006!
This year has been the strongest ever entry at Women’s Henley for Agecroft RC. We entered 2 Lightweight pairs an 8 and a coxed 4. The 8 and the 4 had to take part in a time trail on Friday morning to reduce the numbers in each category to 32. This gave the crews a chance to test out the course without the pressure of a side by side race. Both boats qualified with no problems and prepared for their first races on Friday afternoon. The Lightweights first races were on Saturday.
Intermediate 8+
After a turbulent time of crew selection and injury the Intermediate 8 proved their worth at Henley this year.
The crew achieved the 1st hurdle of qualifying against 38 other strong crews. The time trial went well without any hitches rating a solid 35 and a perfectly steered course from Andrea.
Then the draw came out we were up against UCL. At least we could laugh at stern pair as we boated with blades on the wrong sides!!! We swallowed our nerves on the start line and held them from the beginning. We started well and soon found ourselves pulling away and cruising along at 35. We sat in front for the whole race with excellent calls and pushes to maintain the distance. We won by a comfortable 3 lengths.
Going through to race on Saturday was more than we could have hoped for but we knew it would be a tough race against Reading. Friday night saw lots of pasta, rest and early nights ready for battle on Saturday.
On Saturday morning nerves were running high in camp Agecroft but a bit of Nelly Furtardo soon brought out the GRR in us. We boated knowing this would have to be the race of our lives as Reading would expect an easy win. From the start the determination in Andrea's voice pushed us well with a longer start than usual we stayed with them and didn't let them achieve clear water easily. Throughout the race we never gave up and never let Reading settle. For the finish a kitchen sink call was given and the crew picked it up and gave it everything they had left. We lost to Reading in one of the fastest race times in our round.
Our crew came off the water happy and even coach Hazel had a smile on her face. Without her we wouldn't have made it so far and we showed the south what true northern spirit is. GGGRRRR!!!
Intermediate 4+
The coxed 4 entered HWR having only been together for 6 weeks and only having raced at Metropolitan but we did win S3 and came second to Osiris at S2.
The crew was made up of Rosy and Hannah who were part of the 4 that got to the semi finals in 2005 and Alice and Jackie who are part of the World Class Start Programme based at Agecroft and of course 11 year old Harriet, who has inherited her mothers competitive edge and is our secret weapon!
An expert team of timekeepers at the time trial (thanks Andy, Mike and Lynne) gave us a rough idea who was going quickly and who might prove the biggest threat. It was obvious that some seeding had taken place with ourselves, Southampton Uni, Upper Thames and Molesey being given a opportunity to meet in the semi finals, surprisingly Osiris where not among that 4.
If everything went to plan for us (and Osiris) we would meet each other in the quarter finals, this was the only crew to have beaten us before HWR.
Our first two rounds where quite straight forward giving us a great opportunity to race the course without too much pressure and giving Harriet a chance to get the steering and calls 100%.
Quarter Final Sat 6pm it was still incredibly hot as we paddled to the start. The crew was amazingly calm and collected as we waited to be called to attach to the stake boat. The Osiris cox was doing a great job of winding her crew up loudly so we could all hear they were going to take us in the 2nd 500. Harriet, meanwhile, was humming the theme tune to the song she had made up “4 girls and a cox”.
Once attached to the stake boat, all we had to do was stick to and trust the race plan. It was a perfect start for us which meant we could see the Osiris crew at the end of the Island and could hear when they were going to push, which they did ,and came back almost level with us. As we raced past the boating area Harriet gave the call which started the wind for home, we stuck to our plan and we won by half a length. This was a massive race for us, a huge achievement for the crew, and hardest race of our lives and our ticket into the Semi finals, Alice’s lunch reappeared at the end of the race which was surely a sign of how hard the crew was pushed.
Semi Final Sun 11.55am Upper Thames were the next crew that stood between us and a place in the final , a crew on home water was not going to be easy. This is exactly what their cox was telling them as we lined up at the start! Having had a hard race the day before had given us all a massive confidence boost and this was a great race for us we crossed the finish line ¾ of a length ahead breaking a 10 year course record!
The Final Sun 3.20pm We were up against Southampton University, they came second to us at Met in S3 but we came second to Osiris in S2 at Met, so anything could happen! The wind had picked up significantly which made lining up on the stake boat more difficult. We didn’t have the best start, Alice missed the first stroke which meant the boat swung towards the booms, a quick call from Harriet to ease off on bow side enabled her to get the boat straight but this meant we were still level at the end of the Island. Our 500m push gave us the lead and we never looked back, we could hear the cheering from the crowd as we approached the finish line but it seemed to take for ever to get there. It wasn’t our best race but it was enough! Southampton has proved to be a great crew to race and I hope we meet them again at the Nationals.
It was a very emotional row back to the landing stage, the support from the club and others was fantastic. I can’t thank everyone enough. We are now the proud owners of Henley Medals and hold the course record for Intermediate coxed 4’s. It is a dream come true and all the hard work and commitment over the years has finally paid off.
Since being back home we have found out that Harriet is the youngest ever Henley Medal Winner. On the bank Harriet is an 11 year old girl, once she is in the boat she is a competitive adult very instinctive but calm and collected at the same time. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to have been coxing us during this race.
We are now training in the 4+ for the National Championships being held in Strathclyde in July where we hope to continue the same success and bring home a medal.
The Women’s squad has gone from strength to strength since the new boat house was built in 2004 at Salford Quays. This year has been the strongest ever entry at Women’s Henley for Agecroft, with every crew qualifying and wining at least one race. Many hours of training have been put in for this event by all the athletes, we have a fantastic squad of rowers at the moment and I hope we can improve upon these successes next season. A big thank you has to go to the coaches Steve Hitchen, Hazel Warburton and Hamish Burrell, without there support none of this would have been possible!
Hannah Whitton
Women’s Captain
Northwich 2006
After months of preparation Agecroft women’s intermediate eight rocked up to Northwich. It was our first set of regatta races and an excellent base for testing whether or not the months of ergs, outings, weights, circuits, blood, sweat and tears was about to pay off.
We had entered S2, 3 and 4 to gain as much racing experience as possible. Our first race was S2 against Northwich. We had a confident row up to the start and the whole crew was in high spirits. Race excitement and nerves kicked in as we lined up at the start. Hearts racing and blades buried we waited for the call to go. It was a tense start as we fell behind in the first set of draw strokes but as the boat speed picked up in the wind and leg drive we soon began to push through the Northwich crew. With renewed confidence and the boat setting to a good steady rate and rhythm we pushed on to clear water. Following the race plan we stayed strong and concentrated on rowing with the girl in front. We crossed the finish line with two lengths in between.
It was a fantastic boost for the crew to win a S2 race. After a short break in the shade and a top up on water we headed back down for our S4 race against Trafford. After an eventful row up to the start and some inventive use of gaffer tape we lined up at the start for a second time and waited. Once again we were down off the start but we stuck to the race plan, sat up and powered on to stride past the Trafford crew. We settled into our best rhythm of the day and used the solid platform to do some power pushes. We crossed the line several lengths in front of the Trafford crew.
It was back up to the trailer for water, chocolate and shade before heading back down to the boat for our final race of the day. We felt tired but confident going into our final race. Once again we fell behind in the first few strokes but the adrenalin kicked in and we strode out to a steady rate. The race was a little rocky but we pushed on and powered down to gain clear water. The tiredness from the previous two races kicked in with 500 metres to go. Northwich pushed on to us but we pushed back and put in a big 20 to hold our ground, crossing the line with clear water.
It was a fantastic day for the crew and excellent prep for the ever-approaching women’s Henley. Thanks go to: Sarah, who kindly agreed to Cox us; Northwich, who arranged the regatta; Stuart, who towed the trailer; the girls who gave us such fantastic races; the lads and girls who came to support us; and Hazel, who gave her time to coach and urge us on and made sure we were all wearing our hats!
The Head Of The River 2006
This left the Men's Head of the River with both eights approching it with some confidence of good results. The first eight, having only lost to two Cambridge crews previously, were on a high and as well prepared as they could be, The second eight were boosted by their race the previous week and both crews were ready and up for it on the day. The second eight rowed really well and came 74th overall which is the best result for our second eight in about 10 years. With the exception of Henley II (who beat their first crew), our guys beat all the other club second eights and quite a few first crews. A big improvement since failing to even get to Trent to race!
For the first eight, the race srarted well and went to plan to Hammersmith Bridge, cruising nicely at 34 and ready to push on to Putney. Then disaster struck! University of London II, the crew in front, started to impede them round from St Pauls. They ignored repeated warnings from the Umpires and just after the Bridge, their cox decided to do her best to ruin another crews chances and turned into our path! our bow's oar hit their stern and then he crabbed, resulting in a complete stop. The rigger and gate was damaged but, worse still, we found out later that Matt had a suspected broken rib. Alhough the crew resumed, the same speed and rate were not there. Matt also was in some pain. We ended up 42nd and lost out to Royal Chester in the Jackson Trophy. Although UL were correctly disqualified, this was no consolation to our crew. A whole Winter's work undone thanks to a selfish piece of coxing. The pictures on Big Blade show she only had to ease over a little to the right and we were past. The official splits to Hammersmith show how well we might have done if we had been allowed to finish properly.
Click on the Results link for details.
North of England Head 2006
This was our best set of results of the winter with 3 wins and the second eight having a great race with Shrewsbury, the schools Head winners. The Womens first eight were the fastest womens crew in the morning division and the Womens Sen 4 crew won well. In the afternoon division, the men were fastest overall and the second eight was fourth overall. The sen 4 eight raced as well.
S4 stroke man's Comments:
The S4 eight had a decent start to the race, chasing Derby all the way, before making a move to overtake on the final bend when disaster struck, and the four man caught a crab. This resulted in them nearly swinging into Kings Chester School, whom we were managing to hold off after seeing them gain throughout the race, but Kings seized the opportunity and passed on the inside of the bend, forcing us back to the outside, and crushing any chance we had of passing Derby. Demoralized the 8 tried to maintain some composure and pushed on to the finish. To rub salt into the wound Liverpool Uni had beaten us yet again, but this time by a greater 20 seconds.
Click on the Results link for details.
Hammersmith Head 2006
The mens first eight spent the weekend on the Tideway, working with Billy Mason which was very productive for them (Thanks again, Bill). They then raced a little tired at Hammersmuth and were delighted to win overall, beating Henley, London, Worcester and Thames, amongst others.
Womens Head Of The River 2006
Two crews raced here and both came back disappointed. The Womens first crew caught the crew in front who wouldnt move out of the road and this resulted in a clash which slowed the girls down considerably. Thanks to Oxford University Lightweights who selfishly ignored the rules. Our girls ended up a disappointing 32nd behind some crews they had beaten at other Heads. The sen 4 girls managed to come 233rd but enjoyed their first race in London.
Click on the Results link for details.
Runcorn Head 2006
Two crews entered Runcorn and both did well: The Mens second eight managed to get there on time and won overall from Northwich and Grosvenor. The third eight racing at Sen 4 came 2nd in the morning division to Liverpool Uni who won the Sen 4 pennant. Both beat the Sen 3 winners.
S4 stroke man's Comments:
The morning of Runcorn head saw sub zero temperatures, and a layer of snow on the ground greeted the arrival of the third eight at Runcorn, and it was to many a curse and numb fingers that the boats were rigged! However this soon cleared to near perfect rowing conditions in the morning, with glorious sun, close to zero wind, and still some bite in the air seeing the start of the race.
We pushed off well from the start, with Andrea the cox taking the best line on every bend and pushing us hard all the way. Despite her best efforts though we were unable to shake off Liverpool Uni S4, who dogged us all the way, determined to hunt us down, which, at the end, they succeeded in doing. We managed to hold them off for most of the race, but their determination got the better of us at the end, and they gained considerably in the final straight. Well rowed guys, but we’ll have you next time! Although coming second, we still managed to beat all other S3 crews.
Click on the Results link for details.
Trent Head 2006
The Club had 4 crews due to race at an eventful Trent in windy February. The Mens First eight performed well, starting 2nd. They pulled away from Worcester but couldnt quite hold off the challenge of Goldie who started 4th and caught us almost on the line. However, Third overall and ahead of some good crews was an excellent result. The second eight were unable to get to Trent on time! So did not race.
The Womens First eight, who had high hopes of emulating the mens first eight were racing well until, just in front of the boathouses, the Northwich crew they were just overtaking had a medical emergency and headed straight for the landing stage, resulting in an Emergency Stop from our girls. Although we restarted, the impetus had been lost. The Womens Novice crew performed well but found the opposition quite hot.
Click on the Results link for details.
Peterborough Head 2006
Saturday, 4th Feb saw the top crews going to Peterborough for their Head - one of the largest in the Country after Tideway, Trent and Chester. Ten men had raced their last year for the first time and having won overall were looking forward to starting first and not having to avoid slower crews (as last year). The second eight had come 12th last year and should also have had a high starting position but unfortunately, due to a mistake by the organisers, they had to start behind some novice crews and not up with the faster crews. The Womens crew were racing there for the first time against some quality opposition including renewing last year's rivallry with York City ladies.
Weather conditions were perfect for Head racing - light wind, no stream (its against the stream) and flat calm. En route to Peterborough, there was a bit of excitement with the M6 being closed at Stoke but a hasty rerouting via A50, M1 and Leicester (despite an unscheduled wrong turning into a housing estate) meant the trailer was there in time for the warm up outing which went pretty well.
The women's eight starting well down the order and 2 places behind York City started strongly in their new ERB boat and soon passed the crew in front. Harriet their 12 year old slave driver (sorry i meant cox) had to steer a mean course to get past various slower moving crews. At halfway, the girls slipped past York and chased after AK and 99s. However, behind them a strong looking Imperial crew was slowly closing on them. In the end, the girls came 2nd to Imperial (20secs behind) and edged out AK and 99s. The girls were pleased with their first race in this new combination and now look forward to Trent and the Womens Head with some confidance.
The Mens second eight were racing Sen 3 and despite starting lower down stated well and aggressively and soon started passing crews. They caught up with Derby just after halfway but couldn't find that extra speed to get past and found the wash on the last straight a bit unsettling and came 11th overall and second in sen 3 by only 2 secs to a high starting crew (Jesus College). It definitely is an advantage to start near the front at Peterborough as there is less wash and less overtaking involved. Maybe if we had had our correct starting position from last year or if we had managed to get past Derby, we might have won. However, the second eight were pleased with their row and when the crew is strengthened next weekend, they hope to gain a little more speed.
The first eight had no worries about wash or overtaking as they were starting off first and had a completely clear run all the way. Their opponents included Star (with 2 Olympians on board), Abingdon School, Notts County and Imperial College's top student crew. The last 2 were starting further down the order and could have had a few problems with wash etc. Right from the start, things went well. Hitting a solid 33 all the way, we soon eased away from Star behind (with the two Olympians on board) and maintained a solid row all the way down the long straights, crossing the line a minute ahead of Star and 1.40 ahead of Abingdon in the fast time of 14.07 - *a new course record!* We didnt know how NCRA and IC had performed and both had clearly passed a few crews on the way down. NCRA in particular seemed to have caught a bit of a log jam towards the finish. We had to wait till the official results at 5pm which confirmed we were fastest overall in a new course record, beating IC by 12 and Star by 30 secs. County only came 5th.
Full results on http://www.peterboroughcityrowing.co.uk
AGECROFT ROWING TRIATHLON 2006
The Agecroft Rowing Triathlon of Sunday the 22nd of January 2006 was a great success, click HERE for the results (in Microsoft excel format).
Santa Claus Pub Crawl 2005
Here is a low quality version of the Official Santa Claus Pub Crawl print taken by Mike Ho Ho Ho Swallow who will be producing a large print and putting it up at the club. Prints will be sold for between £10-£25 depending on size and demand. Half the cash made will be donated to the Rainbow Foundation and the other half to the rowing club's funds.
If you are interested then please email to let him know.
AGECROFT SMALL BOATS HEAD 2005
The RESULTS of the head race on Saturday the 26th of November are now available here (And posted just 35 minutes after completion!).
FOURS HEAD 2005
We had a good day out at the Fours Head with 6 crews racing (we had 7 entries but one fell apart due to late illnesses).
Results were mixed but overall quite good. Best results were 41st (Sen 2 4x of Robbie/Robin/Yuri/Rich) and 67th (Sen 2 4- of Ben S/Jon/Tim/Simon) but they had the boost of using the latest new Empacher (4-/x). The lightweight four came 106th (Sen 1 4- of Matt V/James/Alex/Mark G) which was ok considering steering changes and Alex's recent knee injury - and the other quad (Nick/Mike/Ed/Ali) were 114th.
The two coxed fours (Pat/Matt G/Mark P/Justin/Val and Ben /Chris/Tom D/Rob/Claire) were a little disappointed with 136th and 173 respectively but apparently, despite averaging 85kgs and 6'5", both crews were delayed by pint sized school crews refusing to move over (allegedly) and the stream being particularly narrow just when they were racing! This is all part of Tideway jousting.
But, joking apart, all in all a good set of results - seemed to better than most regional clubs who were entered and compare with some of the more notable clubs like Thames, IC, UL and Brookes. However, its a long way to go!.
TRAFFORD HEAD 2005
As well as the 4s Head on Nov 12th Agecroft was competing at the Trafford RC head over their course of 3200m. It proved quite a successful day having won half of our races.
The stand out performances being the WN4+ who won their race when two of the crew have only been rowing a few weeks. It was also terrific to see the junior crews who attended competing so hard with Harriet winning the J12 sculls, very well done to them.
NORTHWICH AUTUMN HEAD 2005
Agecroft had another good day out at Northwich Head on Saturday with 7 wins as follows:
The Sen 2 4- was the fastest crew overall and the Sen 3 4+ winning time also included a small "coming together" with the crew in front. This resulted in the usual verbal banter (!) and unusually, a quick handshake between Stroke man Rob Brown and one of the other crew and then it was off to the finish! As always, the time lost by this has grown with each retelling but the guys were pleased to get a win!
The women continue to dominate locally and the WSen 2 and W Sen 3 crews rowed well to win their events.
Mens Sen 3 pair were the the fastest coxles pair of the day but this wasnt suprising as they were the only pair entered!
The Sen 2 4+ did not have the best of days with some illness induced changes resulting in a complete scratch crew racing. Having said that, they did beat the Sen 3 4+ mentioned above.
The Sen 4 4+ out of the new Development Squad won well and this augers well for that group through the Winter Heads. This also showed in both novice crews, who didn't win but were pleased with their row generally.
As always, the Head was well run with good food afterwards. Results did seem to take a long time to come out but appart fom that, a good day for all!
For the full list of results click here.
HOLLINGWORTH LAKE 2005
For the second year running, Agecroft have won the Victor Ludorum at the North of England Sprints yesterday. A record entry of 450 crews battled it out from 8am with races every 3' right through to 8pm. A fantastic day out in red hot weather, although a nasty cross wind during the day made racing a little tricky. We managed to hold off a late points surge from Tees in second place.many thanks to Hollingworth Lake and their generous sponsors.
Overall, we won 13 events and came second in nearly as many. Highlight of the day probably were our entries in J13 singles and doubles! - probably our first ever at that level and signifying Project Oarsome is working!Well done boys!
The other highlight was the success of the Novices and only a late crab whilst winning Novice VIIIs prevented a clean sweep of all (both men and women) novice events! Not bad for beginners, many of whom only started rowing late April!
We also won all the Senior fours (men and women again) and only defeats in Sen 1 and Open viiis to a well drilled Nottingham BC crew (off to World Vets?) upset the plans. At least we gained revenge in Open fours over them!
Special cogratulations to Jackie Moore who managed to lose her Novice status in sculling and rowing in the same day.
Well done everyone and a good start to winter training..........or an end to Summer fun!
WARRINGTON SPRINTS 2005
Agecroft entered three new novice crews for their first regatta at the thoroughly enjoyable Warrington Regatta this summer. The results where a combination of what was expected and one superb result for such inexperienced crews.
First to take part where the ladies novice four+ who after a nervous start drove home a clear qualifying win in their first ever race, much to their supporters delight.
The mens four+ however didn't fair so well and where well knocked out in their first round. However all involved thoroughly enjoyed the thrashing and will look forward to Hollingworth Lake in September to try improve upon their performance.
The ladies double had an unlucky start and didn't quite recover but put in an excellent effort and lost to worthy opponents.
The real action came in then from the ladies four+ whose confidence was growing rapidly as they proceeded to go on to win their next qualifier and put themselves in the final. Getting here was a real and exciting result but the final was a thriller. The girls had a very shaky start as the fatigue and nerves took their toll. Sheer guts, sweat and determination forced their bows back up in line with the opposition for a nail biting finish that both sides must have believed to have won. The judges found it too close to call and it was announced as a dead heat which would have to be repeated promptly. Both crews had to turn right around and do it all over again without even leaving their boats. Knowing that a win was now possible for both teams the pressure was serious as a point was almost within reach and it could not be closer between crews.
Sadly for Agecroft the final was not as close the second time around as the pressure and fatigue proved to be just that little bit too much and despite a good recovery the Agecroft crew were clearly beaten by Hollingworth Lake. Despite this it was a superb performance for such a novice crew and an exciting glimpse in to hopefully what it to come in future regattas!