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Bedford Small Boats Head
Bedford, 12th April 2009

It was a day to remember for the University of Kent Rowing Club as two crews went back to Canterbury with winners tankards, and no fewer than fourteen Kent rowers made their competitive debut for the club. The club sent out eight Coxed Four crews, a Pair and a Single Scull to race the 2km Head on the River Ouse in Bedford hopeful of following up the club’s success at Medway.

The winning Men’s Coxed Four from Medway of Dave Lim, James Cooper, Ben Rowan and Rich Franklin, coxed by Jen Fisher, were unable to match their success in the Novice Coxed Four category. Despite James rowing through a wrist injury, they still recorded a good time of 7:45. Later on in the day, the crew raced again in the Intermediate 3 category, with Dave Weildon replacing the injured Cooper. They fared slightly better, recording a time of 7:43.

Also competing in the Novice Coxed Four categories were all three of the club’s Development crews, all competing in their first race for the club. First up were the Four of Rich Hamlyn, Tom Davies, Konur Alp and Ash Roberts, coxed by super-cox Jen Fisher who recorded a very good time of 7:51. They won the battle of the Development crews, with the Four or Dave Weildon, James Stokes, Stephen Prosser and Josh Blackledge, coxed Cat Pateman, finishing fourteen seconds behind with a time of 8:05. The final Development crew was the mixed crew of Matt Stephenson, Mark Humphreys, Sarah Webley and Abi Harkin, coxed by Luke Hawker. With no mixed category, this crew of two men and two women were made race in the Men’s Coxed Four, and got an admirable time of 8:35, actually beating four other Men’s crews!

There was high drama early on in the day as one of the car carrying five rowers from the Women’s First Four and the Men’s Second Four got lost on the way to Bedford. At one point the car was roaming the streets of North London, ending up in a place called Ponders End! The lost car meant both of the crews missed their respective races just before midday. Thankfully, club Chairman Amy Hills was able to charm event organizers to allow the crews to compete later on in the day.

Amy herself had a race to win, and despite a strong time of 8:51 in her Intermediate 3 Women’s Single Scull category, she had to settle for fourth place from the field of seventeen. Amy stepped up again to compete in the Intermediate 2 race, and her time of 8:55 gave her another fourth place finish, this time from a field of six.

There was agony for the Women’s Pair of Judith Phieler and Maddy O’Shaugnessy Hunter, who finished second in their Novice Coxless Pair race with a time of 8:47. A collision with another crew in the closing stages of the race proved costly, as they missed out victory by a single second.

There was also frustration for the Men’s First Four of Steve Cooper, Miles Halahan, Sam Webb and Jamie Edwards, coxed by Cat Pateman, who, competing at Intermediate 3 and Intermediate 2 categories, posted very strong times, but were unable breach the top positions. A time of 7:19 in the Intermediate 3 Coxed Four category was enough for eighth spot from twenty, and a time of 7:21 in the Intermediate 2 Coxed Four category achieved a seventh spot from a field of eleven.

The success stories of the day came from the Men’s Second crew of Sam Cackett, Nick Paterson, Sam Cumming and Christian Wren, coxed by Luke Hawker, and the Women’s First crew of Judith Phieler, Emily Iles, Lucy Archer and Briony Rose, coxed by Carmelia Paramasivan, who both won their respective categories, despite both crews missing their original races!

The panic from early on the day didn’t put off the men, as their time of 7:14 was enough to secure equal first in the Men’s Novice Coxed four category. What makes this even more of an achievement was the fact they beat the largest field of any category all day, competing against twenty eight other crews! As this race delayed from earlier, it meant the guys were immediately back on the water to compete in the Intermediate 3 Coxed Four category, where the men battled through the exhaustion of the previous race to achieve a time of 7:24 and a ninth place from twenty.

It was no Ponders End for the women either as they destroyed the field of eighteen, winning their Women’s Novice Coxed Four race by eight seconds with a time of 8:12. It was a great achievement for the girls, with Emily, Lucy and Briony following up their Boston victory, and Judith racing in her second race of the day after previously racing in the Pair. Congratulations to the girls and the guys!

The club now moves onto the grueling Easter training camp with hopes high of success at BUCS.
To view the full results of the days racing, click here.

Christian Wren