CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

Well, quite a Henley!

Many congratulations to the winning Wyfold four on the first HRR win for LRC in twelve years. I have to admit my heart rate was probably nearly as high as the crews’ in the final as it looked like the stroke side blades were about six inches from the booms. I needn’t have worried, impeccably steered! My voice has now nearly recovered from six days of cheering our crews on. I had the honour of watching from various vantage points, umpire’s launch, floating stand and livestream and I was struck by how well all the London crews rowed. That is a tribute to the coaching team and whole set up at the club.

Our Britannia four were very close, losing to the eventual winners in the semifinal by ¾ length. Thames went on to beat Molesey in the final by 3 and ¾ lengths so that shows just how close we were. Commiserations and I was proud to watch you.

The Wyfold win has prompted many older members from all over the world to email us offering congratulations, giving accounts of their own wins, one now sixty years ago. The memories remain and LRC’s reach is truly global.

And we won the clap outs for sheer volume and attendance! What a fantastic way to send our crews out and a great indicator of the spirit at the club. Whether you’re competing at squad level, Masters, minor regattas, Vogalonga or just paddling an octo from Putney to Henley, London Rowing Club’s a great place to be and the ‘vibe’ is good.

As the rowing year draws to a close I look forward to seeing you at the AGM on Sunday 16 July, 12.00 at the clubhouse. There will be a party afterwards for members, family and friends. As ever, we’re looking for volunteers to help run the club so please contact any club officers or group leads if you’d like to help.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

LRC AGM NOTICE

The Club’s AGM will be held in the Clubhouse at 12:00pm on Sunday 16th July.

Details of the agenda and Zoom access details have been circulated. Please contact Jessica Salter if you didn't receive this communication.

The AGM will coincide with the previously advertised Family & Friends Summer Sunday Series. The bar will be open and some food will be offered. This gives us an opportunity to celebrate what has been a very successful year for the Club. There is no dress code, but blazers and other Club regalia are encouraged. We hope there will be a definite blue and white theme and that it will be a very enjoyable social occasion.

Andrew Boyle
Hon. Secretary, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Congratulations to the members, coaches and supporters of London Rowing Club on this year’s Henley Royal Regatta win!

Edoardo Marshall, Zac Baxter, Tom Westbrook and George Cowley served up some exciting racing throughout the regatta and after causing me to age significantly with their steering in the final, they triumphed over Thames Rowing Club, much to the delight of the whole rowing community. The four lads received their medals and the Wyfold trophy from the Rt. Hon. Theresa May, MP and will be immortalised on the board of the Club and the regatta records.

My congratulations extend further than the winning crew to the whole Club as it has taken a herculean effort from all our members and supporters to place LRC back on a winning course.

Every member and every committee has contributed in some way to enabling these four men to achieve the highest possible rowing accolade. From the Property Sub-Committee installing a new kitchen and improving Resis (three of the crew are residents at the Club) to the Rowing Sub-Committee and the Finance Sub-Committee, planning and purchasing boats; to the generous members who donate money for boats and equipment like telemetry; to the coaching team who go above and beyond to foster talent and keep pushing the standard of rowing at London; just by being a member and proudly donning navy and white you are a contributor to the Club’s success.

Under one flag we triumph together, and our victories are amplified, shared and felt across the whole Club but, equally, we feel the disappointment of losing together, having a tough draw or a bad day. This was felt keenly by all with the narrow loss of the Brit coxed four who, once again, faced Thames but as the draw would have it, they fought the final on the Friday and were valiant in their attempt and the pride of the Club glowed even in their disappointment. Thank you and congratulations to everyone for a fantastic season.

Caps and Ties was back at HRR this year after a hiatus and despite the rain, it proved a Friday night success. Thank you to Mike Shasha for the use of his car parking spot, Andrew Boyle who magicked up some gazebos and to Vice Captain, Jenny Arthur and squad member Elinor George who kept the Pimms flowing. We managed to raise several hundred pounds for the Club and were able to toast the outstanding performance of the Wyfold four.

As is our way, less than a week after the Wyfold win, LRC boats were back at Henley ready to race Henley Masters and off to The Docks for England Rowing Team trials. The squad have some time off and there is a summer timetable for coaching across the groups. I hope this year’s win will inspire lots of our members to get out on the water and enjoy the warm weather.

Thursday ‘fight nights’ will return in August for mixed battle paddling and the monthly Sunday series continue, with the bar and balcony open for all to enjoy the social side of the Club.

The AGM will be held this Sunday at 12:00 noon and after reports and elections, we will continue to celebrate this year’s HRR win - see you there!

Bang the Drum!

Elizabeth Cottrell
Captain, London Rowing Club

LRC’S WYFOLD WINS

This was London’s 24th win of the Wyfold Challenge Cup, and our successes have spread right across the Club’s 167 years. Much of the information that follows is in the Club history, Water Boiling Aft, published in 2006, but members may like to be reminded of the details.

The first win was in 1856, when the Club was less than a month old (Henley rules obliged it to row as Argonaut Club). The crew included Casamajor (whose sculling boat hangs in the Long Room), H H Playford and Nottidge, all leading founder members. It also had a cox (the Wyfold Challenge Cup was a coxed event until 1873). For good measure, the crew also entered and won the Stewards’, Casamajor and Nottidge won the Silver Goblets and Casamajor the Diamonds. Not a bad start in the inaugural year.

Subsequent wins were as follows:
1860, 1862, 1879 (a win over Thames by ‘many lengths’), 1880, 1889 (again beat Thames), 1895, 1905, 1906: the crew included our first Olympic Games medal winner, J R K Fenning. Another win over Thames. 1914: the crew included the Captain, H Lumb, and T McK Hughes, both of whom were amongst the 50 members who died in the First World War. 1926.

The 1930s were particularly successful: 1930, 1932, 1933, and a hat trick in 1936, 1937 and 1938 (John Pinches, owner of the eponymous family medal manufacturing firm, was in two of these three crews).

1969: this was the Club’s first fours win after World War II, the crew being Topolski, Cooper, Harrison and Blackwall. 1976: Bond, McNuff, Beattie and Cross. 1990: Strange, Howe, R M W Williams and Forbes. 1993: M C H Williams, Sinclair, R M W Williams and our esteemed Club Chairman, Bill Baker.

In this century: 2004: Watkin (Captain that year), McKenzie, and Evans and the 2005 Captain, O’Malley; 2011: Dunley, Cawthorne, Aldred and Espin. And now 2023.

An updated honours board of all the Wyfold wins is shown below. It will be put up in the Long Room shortly.

Julian Ebsworth
Archivist and Historian, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

IRREGULARS REPORT

We are so grateful to Andrew Boyle and family members for getting our skiff, Tubby Bryant, to Henley in good time for the Regatta.

Wonderful Irregular Ladies Chris Stutt, Sharon Rowntree, Diana Bartley and Tricia Carré setting out to watch the racing at Henley from Sea Scouts with Philip Carré.

She was enjoyed by many members of the Club during the week and was then rowed back to Marlow on the Monday by Diana Bartley, Hugh Samuel, Luis Orozco and Anna.

Hopefully, her presence on the boom, flags flying and bunting flapping in the wind, together with an abundance of LRC Blazers in the Stewards’ Enclosure (more so than previous years?) helped raise the LRC profile. Certainly, it was reflected on the water in what was a wonderful week.

So well done all the crews that participated and we wish you all a well-deserved break.

Eddie Markes

BRITISH ROWING MASTERS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS, A ROUND UP

Over the weekend of the 10th and 11th June, 22 LRC masters headed up to Nottingham for the 2023 British Rowing Masters Championships. The regatta is staged over two days, offering championship sculling events on Saturday and sweep events on Sunday. On the reverse of those days, non-championship events are also offered, allowing competitors to race multiple times against different competition across the weekend, all over a 1k course.

A big question in the run up to this year’s regatta was the inclusion of the non-championship events altogether. After all, given this is a national championship event, what purpose are the non-championship races serving? So before getting into the summary of LRC’s races, I’d like to take a bit of your time to give my 2 pence on the inclusion of the non-champ events… LRC masters rower Charlie Pryor put it excellently, saying that “at this level we are here for the pure enjoyment of the sport and the thrill of racing side-by-side, not because we’re being made to attend or feel we must compete to a certain standard”. To me, the inclusion of the non-championship events speaks to exactly what Charlie is saying. They cater to the spirit of masters rowing by allowing oarsmen and women more opportunities to get the buzz of a race, and line up against clubs they may never otherwise encounter in the usual Tideway bubble. So, long may they continue.

Now, on to LRC’s performance…

On Saturday morning we were pleasantly greeted with brilliant sunshine, warmth, and a gentle cross tail wind. Nothing to be seen atall of the famous Holme Pierrepoint wind, so all the usual jokes about the planned site for an airport were put back in the box for the weekend. LRC had three championship crews racing, and one composite with Medway Towns RCs. The first on the course was the mixed C2x, containing Jess Eddie and Akos Forczek, who got us off to a flying start by taking the silver medal behind a Wimbleball crew with a familiar face on board.

Next was the C2x of James Brooks and Simon Cottle who ultimately placed 4th in the semi and missed out on a spot in the final. Then came the C4x containing Evan Grace, Richard Benton, Matous Michnevic and Paul Mascaro. The boys had an excellent run down the course and claimed the bronze medal, just 2.7” behind the winners, a composite from Cambridge City and Rob Roy. The sculling was capped off by Mr Theed, winning a silver medal in the D4x composite crew with Medway Towns RC. It’s fair to say that the C/D age bands are the peak of the bell curve of performance in masters rowing, and all LRC crews faced very strong competition. The return of two silvers and a bronze, a fine start to LRC’s championship tally.

C4x: left to right, Matous Michnevic, Paul Mascaro, Richard Benton and Evan Grace.

In the non-championship sweep events on Saturday, LRC had an excellent return. Clearly inspired by our senior squad winning both the 4- and 4+ at the Met a week earlier, the LRC masters (not wanting to be outdone), won gold in both the A-C and D-F 4-, as well as the A-C 4+. The D-F 4+, who doubled up in the 4-, also bagged the silver.

NC D-F 4-: Charlie Pryor, Colin Christie, Tim Leppard and Marvin Barth.

Winners of the NC A-C 4+ and D-F 4- showing off their new medals. Left to right: Tim Leppard, Marvin Barth, Colin Christie, Charlie Pryor, Rob Williams, Matt Piechowicz, Jason Bowyer, Nick Musson and Lois Overvoorde.

On to Sunday, and the turn of the championship events for sweepers. LRC had a B2-, B4- and C8+ entered, as well as a non-champ composite 2x with Auriol Kensington. The C8+ was the first down the track, taking a clear water lead over the competition and holding that to the end to give LRC its first championship win of the regatta. They were shortly followed by James Young and Tom Killick in the B2- just a few minutes later. The jaw dropping sprint finish would see the LRC crew take the bronze. The last championship event of the regatta for LRC would be the B4- who gave the crowds a very exciting race, rowing through the field to get themselves into a sprint finish for the gold medal. Sadly it wasn’t to be, and the boys took the silver, ½ a length back from the winners.

C8+: Left to right, Julie Hogg, Rob Williams, Chris Leonard, Will Randall, Jason Bowyer, Paul Mascaro, Richard Benton, Evan Grace, James Sexton-Barrow.

B4-: Left to right, Rob Williams, Jason Bowyer, Will Randall and James Sexton-Barrow.

The last race of the regatta for LRC was Zena Howard, racing in the non-champ women’s D-F 2x with her crewmate from AK, Diana Sargent. The duo finished 5th in their final.

Already plans are being hatched for the 2023 British Rowing Masters Championships, with one eye on taking home the £1,000 Victor Ludorum prize. As one of the largest clubs in the UK we have the numbers to do it. So I encourage every member (over the age of 27) to get involved next year. The championships are an incredibly fun event and offers loads of opportunities for exciting racing. And the inclusion of mixed events just gives even more chances to get out and have a blast down the 1k course.

Finally, the whole racing masters group would like to say a massive thank you to Adam Randall, who drove the trailer to and from Nottingham. Thank you Adam, your efforts are truly invaluable.

James Sexton-Barrow

HENLEY MASTERS REGATTA REPORT

LRC was well represented at Henley Masters last weekend, with 3 millennials crews, a MasD8+ composite and a W.MasF2x composite.

The first millennials crew to race was a MasD4-, stretching any demographer’s definition of Millennialism at the very upper end of the D age bracket, almost MasE. However, due to an administrative oversight the crew had been entered with the young guns in MasC category. The crew put in a strong row but it was not enough to overcome the youth of the opposing Agecroft crew, who would go on to win the final on Saturday.

The MasC4x looked strong in the first round, beating Marlow by 1.5L. In the second round, the crew came up against the Peterborough crew that they had also raced at British Masters in Nottingham a few weeks earlier. Unfortunately, the result was the same, with a second half charge from LRC not quite enough to close the gap; Peterborough went on to win the final later in the day.

The MasB8+ beat Lea RC comfortably in the quarter finals to face Crabtree in the semi-finals. Crabtree had several Olympians on board - including some from the Tokyo Olympiad! - but we held them to half a length along the course and a final verdict of 3/4L after a great race.

The MasD8 composite faced a strong crew from Rob Roy Boat Club, losing by 1.75L.

The WMasF2x composite was beaten by a crew from Exeter-Cappoquin RC.

C4x (right to left) Richard Benton, Paul Mascaro, James Robinson, Matous Michnevic.

B8+ (left to right): James Sexton Barrow, Will Randall, Nick Musson, Michael Cannon, Alice Sewell, Matthew Piechowicz, James Brooks, Jason Bowyer, Rob Williams.

D4 - (racing as C) (*pictured) Tim Leppard*, Colin Christie, Charlie Pryor*, Marvin Barth.

W.MasF2x composite with AK: Zena (S), Diana (B)

Will Randall

NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:

Nichola Hawes-Fairley
Silvana Schlogl
Jeremy Spratley

We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.

We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who you think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

There is information on becoming a member on our website: https://www.londonrc.org.uk/membership-enquiries or you can contact the Club’s Membership Secretary, Jessica Salter, whose email address is: membership@londonrc.org .uk

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

CLUB SUPPER

The Club Supper will be taking place on Thursday, 27th July.

All LRC members are encouraged to attend and may bring a guest. The bar will be open from 7:00pm for those attending the supper. Dinner will be served at 8:00pm enabling those that wish to row beforehand to do so.

Tickets are £28 per person via myClubhouse.

Please send any dietary requirements to events@londonrc.org.uk

Kate MacDonald
LRC, Business Development Manager

AN OCTUPLE ODYSSEY: PUTNEY TO HENLEY, 23-25 JUNE 2023

‘I thought it might be fun to give some of our “mature” single scullers the chance to row in a crew,’ said Richard Metcalf on his brainwave to put together an octuple to scull from Putney to Henley. Welcome to rowing’s answer to herding lions.

After a flurry of emails debating logistics, tidal flows, train timetables, seating capacity in various marques of car, lock-keepers' lunch hours, luggage-handling, inboard:outboard ratios and diary clashes with wives' birthdays, the tide had turned on 23 June at Putney when an octuple-rigged Wintech pushed off and sculled upriver into a warm breeze, powered by a star-studded crew of Miles Preston (bow), Richard Metcalf, Ed Fawssett, Rory Ross, Alexei Gaylard, Chris Rumboll, Peter Halford and Bill Baker (stroke), steered by Martin Kennedy. First stop: Molesey Boat Club.

Our passage through Richmond Half Tide Lock, the first of eighteen locks, was inauspicious: demanded payment before he would let us through, the lockkeeper lowered a shrimping net containing an electronic card reader. Fortunately, this was the only lock where payment was required. Throughout all seventeen subsequent locks, Martin did a splendid job handling the spectrum of lock-keeper sociopathy.

Passing Thames Ditton, what seemed distant pink buoys and floating debris resolved themselves into families of wild swimmers, a recurrent theme. Fortunately we never had to ‘brake test’ the octuple. Paddling time to Molesey (26.431km): 2 hours, 24 minutes and 21 seconds.

On Day Two (Tim Hanford for Ed Fawssett), we dodged canoeists, paddle boarders, more wild swimmers, cruisers and barges as we threaded our way towards Eton. An ‘Eyes right!’ from Martin as a particularly generous example of the local silhouette paddle-boarded past required several strokes for us to refocus. Never mind traffic on the Tideway, rowing clubs on the upper reaches suffer distractions too. Arriving at the tranquil fastness of Eton College on Saturday evening, we enjoyed the look of bewilderment on the face of Eton’s master in charge of rowing as our octuple drifted on to his pontoon: apparently the college boatman had omitted to forewarn him. Paddling time to Eton (30.155km): 3hours, 1 minute, 24 seconds.

On Day Three (Andrew Boyle for Tim Hanford), Martin had to upgrade and reboot his commentary on riparian real estate opportunities as we passed several striking examples of Mock-Robber Baronial PPE Contract Castellation set on sweeping lawns cascading down to the river in Bray, Maidenhead and Cookham. Superior 'gin palaces' bristled with radars and lifeboats. Pausing at Marlow, we arrived at Henley with sufficient energy to paddle the HRR course. Doubtless learning of LRC’s arrival, Leander had shut its bar for the evening. Paddling time to Henley (37.7km): 4 hours, 13 minutes, 49 seconds.

Our thanks to Molesey Boat Club, Staines Boat Club, Eton College, Marlow Rowing Club, Andrew Boyle’s sister (sandwiches), Jane Preston (luggage run), Miles Preston (drinks, The Angel) and Richard Metcalf.

Martin Kennedy, Bill Baker, Peter Halford, Chris Rumboll, Alexei Gaylard, Rory Ross, Andrew Boyle, Richard Metcalf and Miles Preston prepare to go afloat on the pontoon at Eton College Boat Club.

The crew push off from Eton College on the final leg to Henley.

The crew takes a break while waiting to enter Bray Lock.

Richard Metcalf cools off at Marlow Rowing Club where the crew prepared for the final paddle to Henley.

Rory Ross

MELBOURNE REUNION 2023

It is no secret that LRC's Thames Cup 2006 crew leap at any chance for a reunion. So it was that its stroke, Chris Goodwin from Kualar Lumpur (about to move to the Hague for work) and five-man, Rees Ward from New Zealand (currently living in Auckland), flew to Melbourne for a five-day catch-up with Melbourne-based seven-man Murray Keeble that even included a cameo appearance from Mark Watkin, former LRC Captain and Wyfolds 2004 crew at an AFL game (Carlton v Demons) at the MCG! Weirdly it was Rees's second only AFL game - the first of which was hosted by Murray and Thames Cup 2006 coach, Paul Reedy, back in the late 90s after Reedy coached the Aus Uni crew to a win over Rees' NZ University eight.

There was the obligatory Zoom call with the rest of the LRC Thames Cup 2006 crew to consider the other timezones of other crew members living in Texas and the UK. The remainder of the 5-day reunion for Murray, Chris and Rees included a trip to the Yarra Valley in NE Melbourne to sample the dairy delights there, some time in the city itself, a rowing excursion in pairs and singles out of Barwon Rowing Club down in Geelong, a weekend in SW Melbourne at Point Lonsdale & south coast beaches, as well as a 1.5km riptide swim, untold bakery visits, three ginneries (including Four Pillars), a winery (Jack Rabbit) and two breweries (including Little Creatures HQ).

From left to right: Mark Watkin, Chris Goodwin, Rees Ward & Murray Keeble at the MCG.

From left to right: Chris, Murray and Rees out for a row in Geelong at the Barwon Rowing Club.

Overall, it seems that the spirit of LRC is alive and well in both Australia and New Zealand, and this reunion left everyone wanting more gatherings in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.

Bang the LRC drum!

Rees Ward

HAPPY HENLEY

Over the course of Henley week, I saw a lot of lovely photos featuring the Club’s successful sortie to the races.

It is hard to précis them but I thought members might like this small selection.

Well done LRC. Onwards and upwards!

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address: safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.