J15 Achieve Opening Season Victory at Wallingford
By Patrick Moroney
On Sunday 5th May, the J15 squad travelled down to Dorney Lake for our first side by side open summer regatta of the season to compete over 2000m in the Co-op Funeralcare Trophy for J15 eights.
Being a smaller event though than what we had previously experienced at Dorney, there was no time trial with qualification for the final coming through three heats. The winner of each heat would qualify automatically for the final with the remaining crews in the six-lane final being decided based off the fastest times.
We were drawn In Heat A of the three heats where we faced competition from KGS B, Westminster, KCS Wimbledon B and St George’s Weybridge.
We were fast off the start but the race took a turn for the worse when faced with a strong headwind, the KCS crew got pushed off course so that our blades on bowside where clashing with those of KCS. We managed to stay composed though and pushed past the KCS crew to establish an early lead crossing the 500m line in a time of 1:40.96 but with Westminster and St Georges both only two seconds behind.
Nonetheless, we managed to consolidate our lead so that by the halfway mark we led by a length having broken past the whole of the field, bar Westminster. From there we managed to save energy bringing the stroke rate down by two pips (strokes per minute) to control the remainder of the race, withstanding a sprint from Westminster at the end to comfortably win by four seconds and go through to the final as the 2nd fastest qualifier, behind Windsor Boys.
Windsor Boys School were undoubtedly challenging opponents, having finished 2nd at last years National Schools Regarta, along with KCS A, who finished 3rd nationally at the rearranged Schools’ Head of the River (SCHOR) and Radley, who finished 4th at the same event.
However, we knew in the absence of reigning national champions St Paul’s that we would come into the race as favourites, having finished second at SCHOR.
We went to control the race from the start, pulling away from the rest of the field to lead crossing the 500m line in improved conditions in 1:35.19, 1.5 seconds ahead of Radley with the rest of the field within 5 seconds behind them.
We moved though seat by seat past Radley to establish clear water by halfway. The early chase would prove costly to Radley though, as by 1500m, Windsor Boys had overtaken them and were sprinting for the win but ultimately they could only just gain overlap by the end as we won by ¾ of a length to claim our first piece of silverware in regatta season.
We must as always thank those who helped organise the event and all the coaches who made it possible for us to compete. Also a congratulations to the 2nd VIII who won at Chiswick Regatta the day before.
We look forward to racing next at Poplar Regatta on Sunday 19th May, before National Schools regatta on 25th May.
