Tideway Scullers School

TSS/Tiffin J15 4x+

This weekend saw some outstanding performances at the National Rowing Championships, held at a rather windy and rainy National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.

This weekend saw some outstanding performances at the National Rowing Championships, held at a rather windy and rainy National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.

Club members contested seventeen finals and won medals in twelve events: five gold, three silver and four bronze.

The juniors started the action on Friday, until racing was abandoned due to bad weather. As a result of the disruption, the Saturday final of the J15 coxed quads was decided on the results of a time trial. Jonathan and Daniel, in a composite with Tiffin School, won gold. The boys also took silver in J15 doubles.

Sunday saw early success with twins Hayley and Rachael Kugele winning silver in the women’s under 23 doubles, a result which was quickly followed by gold medals in both the men’s and women’s quads. The men’s quad of Lucas Dalgleish, Graham Benton, James Dunley and Mike Hennessy, which two weeks ago reached the final at Henley, turned in a commanding performance, finishing more than sixteen seconds ahead of the second-placed crew. The women’s boat – Andrea Finn and Elaine Johnstone in a composite with Mortlake, Anglian and Alpha – also recorded a decisive victory. The morning ended with a bronze medal for Rich Hardy in the men’s pair, racing in a TSS/London composite.

James Dunley and Mike Hennessy scored a second gold medal, this time in the men’s double, while Andrea and Elaine won silver in the women’s doubles. Bronze medals went to Stan Livy, Jamie Pine, Ben Johnson and Andy Sage in the lightweight quad – a crew which also finished fourth in the final of lightweight fours – and Kaarin Scanlan took bronze in the women’s lightweight singles.

Probably the biggest surprise of the day came from the women’s lightweight quad, a crew that had been put together shortly before the regatta and hadn’t had too many outings … Belinda Davies, Kerrie Trembling, Rachael Kugele and Katy Smith were in the lead by 500 metres and never looked back, taking the gold medal four seconds clear of an established Mortlake crew.

Finally, the men’s eight – Pete Allen, Toby Arbeid, Graham Benton, Lucas Dalgleish, Toby Marshall, Gareth Sharpe, Will Suthers and Richard Twyman, coxed by Ali Williams – ended the day with a bronze medal in a very competitive final.

Following on from Nat Champs results, Trigger, Graham Benton and James Dunley have been selected to represent England at the Home International Regatta in Cork this weekend. They will be joined by Katy Smith and Tasha Reilly, who will both be racing for Wales.