Results

Ironbridge Regatta 

Report by Becky Maddison - 27 June 2010

Loughborogh Regatta and British Masters Championships 

Report by Becky Maddison -14 June 2010

Grosvenor Rowing Club had multiple successes in Nottingham this weekend, bringing back pots and medals from Loughborough regatta on Saturday and the British Rowing Masters on Sunday.

Held on consecutive days at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham, conditions were uncharacteristically glorious making for perfect racing over the 1000m course. First success of the weekend went to the men’s novice coxed four, comprising Chris Townsend, Toby Restorick, James Graves and Martin O’Connor and coxed by Gemma Welsh, which stormed to victory at Loughborough regatta ahead of 3 other crews to claim the first win of their rowing careers in style.

The following day was the British Rowing Masters and Grosvenor’s Veteran men came home with a clutch of medals, kicked off by a gold for the C Novice quad  comprising Stuart McCormick, Tim Howe, Shaun McCormick and Colin Morris. There was also gold for Iwan Jones in a photo finish in the C single scull, improving one place on his silver in the B category. There were also silvers for the E quad (Steve Walker, Jeremy Lush, John McMahon and Mike Allwood) and E IM3 double sculls (Mike Allwood & John McMahon) to cap off an impressive haul for the club.

Attention now turns to next weekend where the women will be racing at Women’s Henley while the men will be attending Marlow Regatta in their build up to Royal Henley at the beginning of July.

Shrewsbury Regatta and British Masters Championships 

Report by Becky Maddison -25 May 2010

Stourport Regatta 

Report by Grace Neal - 16 August 2009

The forecast showers never materialised in Stourport on Saturday, in fact the sun shone down on an eventful day's racing, we came home ladened with both virgin wins and a few more experienced!

I was first up (far too early) in the first heat of WIM3 singles, the opposition was a local girl with a very quick start who clearly had the advantage of home waters when I got a little too friendly with the bank after about 250m! After extracting myself from the bush I sprinted after her (losing all semblance of technique judging by the forearm pain when I finished), my fitness paying off I finished four lengths clear. The semi was against a sculler from Exeter who clearly had the strength to beat me, so technique it had to be - with no bush incidents (nearly a pleasure cruiser but that wasn't my fault?!) I pulled away steadily to book myself a place in the final. Last up a girl from Burton Leander and a fairly comfortable win, crossing the line just in time to see the following race crash into an eight crossing the river. Despite the speed of the collision and the resulting flying (literally) bow section no bones/heads/bodys were broken - although I believe the cox of the four involved was taken to hospital with shock....(if Bewdley are selling a secondhand boat in a few months you might want to check it hasn't been stuck back together just
behind bow!).

Tim Goldsborough won both IM2 and IM1 in straight finals against the same guy on the same side of the river. We suggested he change his race plan for the second one but the other guy clearly had the same thought and went off like a bat out of hell, so Tim put in a massive push to kill him off (and did judging by the guy's facial expressions) then sailed to victory - again. Luckily the pots are quite pretty!!

John McMahon had one of the closest races of the day in his semi, his opposition from Bradford-on-Avon was leading by feet coming through the bridge into the finish area where John made a small stearing adjustment before powering through the line.... did he get it? Verdict: Grosvenor by 3ft (no way - 3inches maybe!)... er no sorry Bradford by 3ft, confused? - We were and I think they were too! Well they put John through and the photographic evidence on my camera implied that was the right decision! In the final he met the guy's doubles partner and fortunately had a much more obvious win!

The dynamic duo of Alex and Caroline had been promoted up to IM1 (they're technically IM3) and came up against Trent, Alex was clearly out of her usual role - the one renowned for her calm and organisation nearly headed over to boat without setting up the blades and without a number - third time lucky they got there! The one piece done on the Dee in preparation for this turned out to be not quite enough, with the constant steering affecting their newly formed rhythm they lost to what turned out to be a well drilled opposition. The drama didn't stop there however - when approaching the landing stage the Trent duo got hit by an eight racing through the finish - blades on boats and I think bow in the eight took the worst of it - ouch!

Last but certainly not least the Novice men... no real drama here just a well executed plan - the sun shone down on them as they cruised to victory over Stourport looking stronger, neater and definitely more senior. A well deserved win! We'll look forward to many more like it! Hope you like your first pots and the photos!

Veterans Henley – Women’s Veteran Squad

Report by Rachel Jones - 31 July 2009

It was with some trepidation that the women’s squad headed to Henley for the Veterans Regatta.  We were aiming to improve upon our performance at National Vet Champs, and had entered two Vet B crews – an eight (Su, Dawn, Liz, Gilly, Rachel, Fi, Janet and Karen) and a four (Rachel, Fi, Janet and Karen).  When we got the draw through we saw that the competition was going to be tough, especially in the eight, where there was a crew stacked full of ex-internationals waiting for us if we got to the final.

On the Friday the eight raced in the first round.  Following some drama over the cox we got a super-sub (thanks Steve W) and made our way to the start.  The conditions were mild, and there was only a light head wind.  We were racing Reading, a crew that we had not met before, and so had to put our faith in the training that we had completed, and our new improved start.  We were confident and strong off the start and pulled away from them, and sat on a lead of about three lengths.  It was a strong, reassuring start to the weekend, and amazing to have so many people cheering for us.

The next day dawned early as we were due to meet by the boat at 7.45 for the next round of the eight.  By now we had super-cox Sarah A and were confident that the training and the coaching were paying dividends.  We were facing Marlow, who we had beaten by about 10 seconds at the Head, but were not sure how far we had moved on in comparison to them.  Again we had a strong start and inched our way out to a commanding lead, and eventually won by 2 lengths. 

The next up was the four against a Nottingham crew who we had seen comprehensively beat their opposition the day before.  We had not raced them previously, so again this was a step into the unknown.  We had a strong start, and the training and lighter boat really paid off and we ended up keeping with them, and again our faster cruising pace showed and we had a 3 length win.

As a squad we were delighted – it was a really strong result – we had competed in two events and made the final in both – a real achievement, especially considering that we were the only non-composite crew left in either competition.

The first final was the eight, and the weather had turned, resulting in a strong head wind and occasional rain.  We were up against a very strong crew which included 6 ex-internationals and Olympic medallists, but we were determined to give it the best that we could and try and stage an upset.  We stayed level off the start, but after the first 200 metres they were ¾ length up.  Through excellent coxing and sheer guts we held on for the next 500 metres, not letting them get away, but in the end their talent and experience showed and they won by two lengths.  We were disappointed, but had at least made them work for it, and felt that we had done ourselves and the club proud.

Our last race was the final of the four.  We were racing a London based composite, Barnes Bridge, again who we had not raced before, but we had got a much faster time than them in the semis.  We went up to the start, the rain getting worse, and the tension was palpable in the boat – we all felt that this was ours if we rowed hard, and knew that we would really have to hurt but could get it and all really wanted it. 

We lined up on the start, and the umpire shouted and we were off.  We had a good start and Sarah took control, holding the rate high, and ensuring that we went into our rhythm and strong cruising pace level with them.  Two hundred metres in we were still level and playing a game of brinksmanship – it would be the stronger crew mentally and physically which would edge ahead and win.  Sarah called for a push designed to kill off opponents as practiced, and the next call was that we were ahead – only 4 cms, but apparently ahead…  Sarah then took control, as we built upon this, getting into a strong focussed rhythm and pushing the advantage out further.  We could hear the most amazing support from the bank – people who had stayed to cheer for us despite the rain and the cold, and this helped so much…  We got to half way and were a length ahead, and again Sarah called for a push, this worked and we started to open up clear water, and we were into the last 100m taking it home, again building away to a 2 length victory – we were Henley Champions, and in receipt of the most amazing medals…

It has to be said that this was not just a victory for the four; it is a reflection on the amazing coaching that we had in the run-up – thank you to Chris and Bruce (we do appreciate that it is slightly like trying to herd cats getting us organised), the squad as a whole who have all worked for this, and also the most amazing reading of a race and coxing...  All in all a very successful weekend…

Henley Royal Regatta

Report by Sarah Armstrong - 3 July 2009

Having pre-qualified for the Thames Cup the Senior Men were unlucky to face one of the strongest contenders in the whole event - Molesey A - on day one. Our GRC crew formed 4 weeks ago and have been going from strength to strength since their first race at Marlow Regatta. However the Molesey crew (weighing in at an average of 15 stone 1)  proved too quick and beat GRC by 2 and a quarter lengths. In doing so Molesey set the fastest time for the Thames this year. Talking with the Molesey crew afterwards it was clear that they had a good row and we wish them the very best for the rest of the Regatta. Update - Molesey have beaten Commercial of Ireland and have secured their place in the semi-final tomorrow (Sat).

Henley Women's Regatta

Report by Grace Neal - 21 June 2009

The most agonisingly nervous moment of Henley Women's Regatta is sitting in the Barn Bar on Friday after the qualifying race waiting for
'Grosvenor' in the list of those qualified being read out, especially if you suddenly forget the alphabet! However, it didn't last long, the draw
was up and we were racing City of Oxford B in the first round on Saturday morning.

We were beaten by a number of City of Oxford crews at met but we'd made some big step changes since then and knew we were rowing better, harder
and going considerably faster so we were ready to show what we could do. The build up of nerves and excitement sent us flying off the start at a
slightly manic rate 45, with a length lead at the end of the island we still didn't settle and pushed out the first half of the race at about 38,
with a considerable advantage at the 750m point the rate began to drop and we finished the course without adding any pushes with a verdict of 4
lengths and a time of 5min47sec. A quick comparison with the other heats showed us we were on a par with the fastest but none of them had really
been tested either.

Next up Staines, a bit more confident we could relax a little, the race followed a similar pattern to the previous - up by the end of the island,
kill them off before half way then relax. This time however we did it better! Our fantastic bank support reliably informed us we were described
as 'long and smooth' by the commentary but we're not convinced they were looking at us, we took the 3.5 lengths in 5.44 though!

Since we'd booked the table anyway we headed out to Zizzi's for dinner where a proclaimed 'lack of gas' meant pizza was THE option, the crew
decided Alex needed to eat properly (i.e. not salad), as Natalie put it 'it won't make an ounce of difference!' so pizza was enjoyed by all. Unlike
last year however we were unable to enjoy a few bottles of wine with it and it was early to bed to ensure we were at our best for the following
days racing....

Sunday morning dawned bright and breezy, but what had started as a head wind on Friday, cross head on Saturday was now more of a cross tail, so
crews were posting some quicker times. Once again we were facing City of Oxford, this time however it was their A crew. They'd posted a time 3
seconds quicker in the quarters but they'd been pushed a little harder so we knew it was going to be a good race. Which it was, however not one with
the verdict we'd have liked! They'd been working on their start and we were level at the end of the island, unfortunately we got caught by some
big wash and they started moving away. By the 500m they had a length lead. We pushed on and found a nice rhythm but through middle of the race the
boat pace was roughly equal and they maintained, we went early for the finish, pushing the rate back up to 38 and looked to be gaining but they
put everything in and crossed the line 1 and 1/4 lengths ahead...

An end to this year's Henley hopes but plenty of plans for the summer, including some fundraising (when you get told by an umpire you need a new
boat it's time to do something). Thank you to everyone who has been part of the squad this year and those who helped us out with coxing etc. A
massive thank you to our two supporters, Gill and Vicky who despite knowing nothing about rowing (now they know a lot more) did a stirling job
of collecting shoes, shouting and waving pompoms. Thank you to Chester Uni and their support for all the cheers and also the Royals contingent. Most
of all from all four of us I'd like to say thank you very much to Alex for coxing, coaching, towing and generally looking after us, without you we'd
never get anywhere!

National Veterans Regatta

Report by Rachel Jones - 16 June 2009

It was a bright sunny day when the veteran women set off for Nottingham, looking to build on a successful winters racing and add to the medal haul.  We had looked at the draw and knew that we had some really tough racing ahead of us - particularly in the eight and the double. 

First up was the Vet B open four.  To everyone’s surprise (not least their own) they were up on the start and their built on this and through an assured row went on to win by a couple of lengths.  The crew were really happy with the win, and the amazing support they received from the bank.   One spectator was overheard saying “how do they do it whilst looking so gorgeous?”

The next crew to race was the eight.  This was always going to be a tough race with a couple of ringers eights entered, stacked with a large number of ex-Internationals.  Unfortunately the eight “ate wake” and finished fifth - the only time that we passed Northwich was on the motorway on the way home.   Again there was amazing support from the bank.

The last race of the day was the double, in an incredibly hard race.  The double battled hard into a strong tailwind, but the impact of the earlier races took its toll and they finished fifth, and looked really tidy.  Comments included “they look so young for veterans - didn’t they know that Nat Schools was a couple of weeks ago…”

All in all a mixed result for the squad.  The positives include the performance of the four, the potential shown within the eight and the double (definitely highlighting areas to build upon for Vet Henley and Iron Bridge) and the amazing support we received from both within the squad and all the others who were there…  The negatives were the amount that we need to move on to be competitive at the next couple of regattas, the need for more silverware and the truly atrocious singing within Liz‘s car…  Most of us got a good tan and no frostbite though which is truly remarkable for Nottingham

Veteran tip of the week - bonding through car dancing/karaoke can help you row better as a crew

Report by Janet Vorberg - 16 June 2009

A rather sunny, hot day saw the veteran women and men racing at the National Veterans Competition held each year at Holme Pierrpoint in
Nottingham. Its not often you get much in the way of veteran competition in local regattas and so often the veterans, particularly the women, end
up racing much younger women in the senior categories. Therefore it makes a nice change to be racing like for like! I have heard it called the
olympics for crumblies!!

Its also not that often that we get to race at multi lane events. Makes it all so much more exciting don't you think?

Well, back to the day itself........ Fantastic weather and for Holme Pierrpoint the water was actually flat! I dont think that happens very
often! We all arrived in good time for our afternoon races. Well ours were afternoon, the men unfortunately had an 8.30am race! Luckily for them
steve Walker had taken the trailer the previous day so no panic on the morning leaving at crack of dawn and then a rush to get boats ready in
time! (Thanks for towing Steve!) The first race for the women was the vet B coxed 4s. They weren't sure how it would fare against other crews as
this is a newly formed crew. They  havent really managed to have that many outings in it as of yet due to life getting in the way of our training! So
it was an unknown!

They had a relaxed row up to the start, no major worries. Did a few half slide up twos and this i believe gave them all a boost, as the boat
felt good. Then a practice start....again, a little boost as it just felt solid! Warm up over and into race lanes. Bit of sizing up of the
opposition before they had to get attached to the stake boat........ ready.....then off!
Not a fantastic start, but good enough,  (really need to work on this!) They edged ahead almost immediately! Karen at stroke set up a
really good pace and they pushed away from the opposition inch by inch. Cox, Camilla, steered  a good course and called what they needed to hear
as they tried to break completely free from the pack. About 500m in, I think we all believed the race was theirs, well failing any disaster it
was! They could hear their squad mates cheering them on down the course! Brilliant shouting ladies and gents! Thank you very much it did help! At
250m to go we had agreed Camilla should get us to up the rate in 2s. However at this point they had clear water and there was probably no need
to up the rate. Janet was praying at that point that we wouldnt be! Then to her dismay, the call came.......liud and clear..... UP 2! Then the
response.... karen went! Then another......UP 2! Janet's head was saying NO! But with no choice but to go with stroke all their weary bodies responded yet again with every last
bit of energy they had! Then heaven and euphoria as they heard that ever welcome sound, the finishing buzzer or bell and it sounded for them
first, the winners!

Next up was the women's vet B eight. Again we were unsure of how we would do. we didnt think we could get gold as there were 2 good composite crews
entered. One of which we knew would likely win with some well known names from the rowing world in it. 'Ringer crew' I think they call it! in the
next lane to us was Northwich! We wanted to beat them after they went through us in last few strokes of shrewsbury regatta after we led for much
of the race! We didnt have a great start.....again......something we need to work on we think! But we were in the pack! The composite crew in lane 1
next to us pulled away more or less straight away. Northwich stayed with us! Everyone in the crew gave as much as they could, repsonding to calls
made by our cox, Camilla, but sadly as we reached the 250m mark we just couldnt respond to the other crews shiftng up a gear. All the other crews
started to pull away from us and we unfortuantely crossed the line in last place.

So, start and finish is what we need to work on! again we thank the supporters shouting from the bank! You did us proud! We have a good crew,
we just didnt row our best on the day! We have a few weeks until Henley to work on our areas of weakness. Im sure we can do it! Go Grosvenor vets!

The final race of the day for the 'old bags' as we are more commonly known, was the cool duo of dawn and Sue sculling in WVB 2x. Mistakenly
entered into this age category on account they look so young! They should have been vet C. They went off the start well and were well placed. then
at 500m in disaster struck! An abstinence from alcohol the previous night in the belief it would help them to victory, robbed them of power to their
legs!!! as the race progressed,  our girls sadly dropped back until they were eventually at the back of the pack, crossing the line exhasuted and
disappointed! In reality it was probably the lactate build up in the legs form the earlier eights race that put paid to a great performance from
this duo. We know they were good enough and will have worked as hard as they could throughout the whole race and that in the words of
Arnie........They will be back!!!

Metropolitan Regatta

Report by Grace Neal - 31 May 2009

With the temperature soaring Metropolitan regatta was hot start to the senior squad's racing! Rick and Claire provided some much appreciated
shade and a stiff breeze made temperature regulation easier but didn't help us when it came to racing!

For the senior men fourth was the position of the weekend, the verdict in four out of their six races. On Saturday the men's eight missed out on
qualifying for the final of IM1 by just 1 second with a time that would have seen them win the other heat. Likewise the coxless four where in a
tightly fought battle coming into the final 250m, unfortunately the lack of time together showed through as Staines and Tyne went for the line and
squeezed home ahead.

With less crews racing Sunday both the eight and the four raced in straight finals. The four added another fourth position to the tally in a
close race with Galway University and Thames, a slightly weaker eight had a good row but finished 6th in IM1 eights final.

For the senior women racing in IM2 and IM1 we quickly found the standard was very high! A slight error of judgement in the first race (IM2) saw us
geared too heavy to cope with the stonking headwind so after a fantastic start which saw us leading the pack at the 500m mark we were unable to
maintain the rate and gradually fell back. So like the men a fourth place finish and out of the qualifying slots for the final. A straight final in
IM1 saw us up against some seriously fast crews, gearing issues fixed so no excuses - we didn't row our best, a dodgy start after the wind blew us
right round, but we didn't recover it - lessons to be learned for the following day!

Sunday, we raced the same fast crews! More focus in the boat resulted in a much better row, but we lost it a bit in the middle 500m, when the leaders
pulled away - another 4th place finish! In IM1 we pushed out that middle 1k and produced our best row of the regatta, finally getting the better of
one of the york crews we qualified for the final. 

A big thank you Iwan and Tim for towing boats down there- much appreciated!