Inside Lines

Henley Royal Regatta - Daily Press Office Briefing Notes
Telephone: 01491 572153 ext 232 : email: press@hrr.co.uk

Staff on duty this year are:
 
Press Assistants: Hannah Fothergill, Madeleine Treharne-Jones, Liz Wray, Tash Carpenter
Press Officer: Caroline Searle

Round-up Press Release

Finals day at Henley Royal Regatta, an event which started on Wednesday and has featured more than 1600 rowers from 18 nations in 301 crews, produced some fine races despite early blustery conditions and sometimes torrential rain.
 
Henley¹s Blue Riband event, the Grand Challenge Cup for men¹s eights, was won by Victoria City R.C. & Kingston R.C. of Canada against the University of Southern California, USA, in a time of 6:29. The Californian crew, including six members of the Estonian national eight, had a half-length lead at the mile marker but were subsequently overhauled and beaten by two lengths.

South African Ramon di Clemente successfully defended his Silver Goblets & Nickalls¹ Challenge Cup (men¹s pair) title but victory this time came with a new partner, Shaun Keeling. The duo now head for Beijing and this summer¹s Olympic Games.
 
Earlier an all-American affair opened the programme of Finals when Wes Piermarini and Elliot Hovey reinforced the result of the recent US Olympic trials by once more defeating brothers Thomas and Peter Graves in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup. The winning time was 7:35 and by a distance of one and a quarter lengths.
 
Estonia provided a Queen Mother Challenge Cup (men¹s quadruple sculls) winner for the first time at Henley when R.C. Viljandi & R. C. Narva Energia built on a good start to keep their race well in hand over California Rowing Club in which Piermarini and Hovey were contesting their second Final of the day.
 
Amongst the British winners, in a time of 7:53, were British Olympian Ian Lawson in the Diamond Challenge Sculls and members of the GB women's lightweight squad, racing in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup for women's elite quadruple sculls as a Wallingford RC & Reading University composite. They won in style, dominating their race against the Upper Thames crew. The win returns the trophy to British hands for the first time since 2004.
 
Conversely the GB men¹s lightweight quadruple sculls, racing here as Leander Club & London R.C., were beaten in a tight tussle with California Rowing Club in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup.
 
Two composite British entries fought out the Remenham Challenge Cup for elite women¹s eights with the Leander & Wallingford clubs composite winning by three lengths in 7:31 from a Leander & Furnivall composite. The winners form the potential GB women¹s eight for this year¹s European Championships.
 
British clubs enjoyed some success in the club events. Molesey B.C. beat Ortner Boat Club to win the Britannia Challenge Cup for coxed fours. The Ortner crew, which contained four rowers from the ARA¹s successful World
Class Start scheme, struggled to match the experience of the London-based club.
 
The Wyfold Challenge Cup for club fours was won by Tyne Rowing Club,
stroked by 2007 Junior World Champion Kieran Emery. They held off London Rowing Club to record the club¹s first Henley win since 1984.
 
National Indoor Rowing Champion Graham Benton had hoped to add an outdoor title to his indoor successes but Leander Club spoilt the script by winning the Thames Challenge Cup for club eights over The Tideway Scullers¹ School in 6:47.
 
An early clash in neutral water during the Visitors¹ Challenge Cup between
Imperial College & Kingston R.C. produced damage to both boats and the race was, therefore, restarted two hours later and was won by the Imperial & Kingston composite featuring Kieran West, 2000 Sydney Olympic Games gold medallist.
 
The Canadian crew from the University of Western Ontario beat Trinity College, Hartford, USA, in the Temple Challenge Cup for University eights whilst Newcastle University won the Prince Albert Challenge Cup for student coxed fours ­ the University¹s first Henley title in that event.
 
The Thames Challenge Cup, for club eights produced one of the closest races of the day and was won by Leander Club over The Tideway Scullers¹ School with the verdict being a canvas. Leander Club also won the Ladies¹
Challenge Plate with a tightly drilled crew proving too much for Dutch opposition.
 
Ireland picked up its first Henley title since the 1970s when Caroline Ryan took an early lead in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup over GB squad member Matilda Pauls and was then never troubled.
 
Cambridge University¹s crew out-powered Greek opposition to take the Stewards¹ Challenge Cup for elite men¹s fours. The Cambridge crew featured four of this year¹s Blue Boat who recently raced as a second GB four at the World Cup in Poznan.
 
Canada¹s Shawnigan Lake School took the title in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, for junior men¹s eights, emerging from a very evenly-matched contest with Eton College.
 
After a tough weekend of racing that included the first dead-heat decision since 2001, Peterborough City R.C. & Nottingham R.C. won the Fawley Challenge Cup for junior quadruple sculls. They beat Marlow R.C. 'A¹ in the final.
 
 
Full results in order of racing:
 
Double Sculls Challenge Cup:
 
W.D. Piermarini & E.M Hovey, California Rowing Club USA beat P.F. Graves & T.H. Graves, Bantam Boat Club USA. Time: 7:35.
 
Britannia Challenge Cup:
 
Molesey B.C. beat Ortner B.C. Time: 7:26
 
Princess Grace Challenge Cup
 
Wallingford R.C. & Reading University beat Upper Thames R.C. Time: 7:53
 
Temple Challenge Cup
 
University of Western Ontario, Canada, beat Trinity College, Hartford, USA.
Time: 6:42
 
Silver Goblets & Nickalls¹
 
S.B. Keeling & R.P.Di Clemente, RSA, beat O.L.E. Ruckbrodt & F. Otto,
Germany. Time: 7:47
 
Wyfold Challenge Cup
 
Tyne R.C. beat London R.C. Time: 7:26
 
Prince Albert Challenge Cup
 
Newcastle University beat University of West of England. Time: 7:39
 
Thames Challenge Cup
 
Leander Club beat The Tideway Scullers¹ School. Time: 6:47
 
Visitors¹ Challenge Cup
 
Imperial College & Kingston R.C. beat Martyrs B.C. & Christ Church, Oxford. Time: 7:08
 
The Grand Challenge Cup
 
Victoria City R.C. & Kingston R.C., Canada, beat University of Southern
California, USA. Time: 6:29
 
The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup
 
California Rowing Club, USA, beat Leander Club & London R.C. Time: 6:52
 
The Ladies¹ Challenge Plate
 
Leander Club beat R.S.V Univ. Okeanos & D.S.R. Laga, Netherlands. Time: 6:36
 
The Princess Royal Challenge Cup
 
Caroline Ryan, Ireland, beat Matilda Pauls Time: 9:18
 
The Stewards¹ Challenge Cup
 
Cambridge University beat O.E.A & N.A.V. & N.C Thessaloniki, Greece. Time: 7:09
 
Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup
 
Shawnigan Lake School, Canada, beat Eton College. Time: 6:48
 
Queen Mother Challenge Cup
 
R.C. Viljandi & R.C. Narva Energia, Estonia, beat California Rowing Club,
USA. Time: 6:47
 
Remenham Challenge Cup
 
Leander Club & Wallingford R.C. beat Furnivall ScC & Leander Club. Time:
7:31
 
Diamonds Challenge Sculls
 
I.J. Lawson beat S.M. Jacob, Ireland. Time: 8:10
 
Fawley Challenge Cup
 
Peterborough City R.C. & Nottingham R.C beat Marlow R.C. Time: 7:10
 
For more information please contact: The Henley Royal Regatta press office via Caroline Searle on (07831) 755351
 

Sunday 6 July 2008

Welcome
 
Welcome to the final day of racing at the 2008 Henley Royal Regatta. From more than 1,600 entrants only 196 rowers and coxes in 38 crews now remain to race in 19 finals. The afternoon’s racing will have an international flavour with crews in action from the USA, South Africa, Greece, Ireland, Canada, Germany and Holland as well as Great Britain.
 
Racing starts at 12 noon and runs until 5.30pm.
 

Events
 
The Grand Challenge Cup: This event for men’s eights will be an all-North American affair with The University of Southern California facing Victoria City R.C. & Kingston R.C. of Canada. The Canadians came through a dramatic semi-final yesterday when they beat Leander Club of Great Britain by just a canvas.
 
The Stewards’ Challenge Cup: Cambridge University’s men’s four in this race features the middle four of this year’s Boat Race Blue Boat, including the new President Henry Pelly who take up his tenure today.
 
Queen Mother Challenge Cup: The Estonian quadruple scull, competing as Rowing Club Pärnu, was eighth in the World Championships in Munich last year. Their opponents from California Rowing Club include the two scullers representing the U.S.A. in the double sculls at the Beijing Olympic Games. The California Rowing Club is the first West Coast-based training centre for US oarsmen aspiring to row at World and Olympic levels - the equivalent to the Princeton version on the East coast.
 
Silver Goblets & Nickalls’: Former lightweight world champions Ole Ruckbrodt and Felix Otto take on Beijing-bound South Africans Ramon Di Clementé and Shaun Keeling in this final. Di Clementé, an Olympic bronze medallist and former world championships medallist with Donovan Cech, is in a new partnership this year with Shaun Keeling.
 
Double Sculls Challenge Cup: The Graves brothers (Peter and Thomas) of the USA were second in the US Olympic trials in this boat class earlier this year. They were beaten in those trials by Wes Piermarini and Elliot and, therefore, have a chance of revenge today.
 
Diamond Challenge Sculls: Last year’s "Diamond’s" winner and Olympic-selected single sculler Alan Campbell, who has not gone on the GB’s pre-Beijing training camp because he is recovering from an infection, visited the Regatta yesterday to watch the semi-finals and cheer former GB team-mate Ian Lawson on to victory. Lawson’s opponent today is Sean Jacobs of Ireland who put out GB Youth Olympic gold medallist Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell en route to the final.
 
The Remenham Challenge Cup: Leander Club & Wallingford R.C.’s composite in today’s final includes Baz Moffat, senior World Championships bronze medallist in 2007, and Heather Stanning, a world U23 women’s pair gold medallist last year who is now at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Their opponents, Furnivall Sc.C. & Leander Club, feature several former Oxford and Cambridge women’s Boat Race Blues.
 
Princess Grace Challenge Cup: The GB Lightweight women’s quadruple sculls were comfortable winners over Dutch opposition yesterday to reach this final. They take on an Upper Thames quadruple sculls crew which includes Antonia van Deventer, a recent GB squad member, who has featured in national campaigns to promote Rowing for Health.
 
Princess Royal Challenge Cup: Last year’s World Championships lightweight quadruple scull medallist Matilda Pauls reached this final by beating former GB sculler Jo Hammond, who now sculls for Belgium at world cup level, in the semi-finals. Pauls’ opponent is Caroline Ryan of Ireland therefore creating a Henley Royal “first” with Ireland reaching both single sculls finals here.
 
Prince Albert Challenge Cup: The University of the West of England have reached their first Henley Final in history. This year’s crew is coached by 1976 Olympic silver medallist and now Henley Steward, Fred Smallbone.

And finally….
 
Dead Heat
 
The Regatta featured a dead heat for the first time since 2001 yesterday in the Fawley Challenge Cup quarter-final between Peterborough City R.C. & Nottingham R.C. and Sir William Borlase’s & Leander Club. The re-row was won by the former who then went on to win their third race of the day, the semi-final against Malvern Preparatory School of the USA. How exhausted they must have been!
 
 
Row-overs
 
During the lunch interval there will be a row past by a number of University of London crews celebrating past wins at the Regatta. The line up includes the winners of the 1968 Grand, who represented GB at the Mexico Olympics that year. Their coach, Alan Watson, passed away in 2007. They will be accompanied by three crews who won in 1983.
 
In the Tea Interval there will be row-overs by two Kingston crews to mark the 150th anniversary of the club. They will boat an eight, containing many previous Kingston winners and a junior quadruple scull.
 
Russian visitors
 
Visiting the regatta today is the son of late Russian oarsman Evgeniy Sirotinski, who won the Stewards’ Challenge Cup in 1954 and 1955 rowing as Club Krylia Sovetov, USSR. Evgeniy’s crew dispatched many well-known British rowers during their successful campaigns including, in 1954, a certain Geoffrey Page (rowing for Thames R.C.) and J.M. Beresford, who was in the beaten RAF crew in the final. The Leander Club crew, beaten by the Russians in 1955, contained current Henley Steward, Christopher Davidge.
 
Changing guards
 
The Colwick Park lifeguards who provide the safety cover for the Regatta always look very smart in their matching t-shirts. However, members of the press walking to and from the Press Box have noticed that this dedication to sartorial co-ordination frequently involves them changing their outfits more times than the Chairman changes his blazer! It turns out that whenever one of the lifeguards gets his top wet or dirty, they all change to match!
 

Press Notices
 
BARJ AGM
 
Members of the British Association of Rowing Journalists are reminded that the Annual General Meeting will be held at 11am on the Press box.
 
Prizegiving
 
Accredited photographers who wish to take photos of the Regatta prizegiving, should meet at the entrance to the press office by 5.40pm, from where they will be escorted into the Stewards’ Enclosure.
 
The press office at the Regatta can be contacted on: 01491 572153 ext 232.
 

Saturday 5 July 2008

Welcome
 
Welcome to day four of the 169th Henley Royal Regatta. It is semi-finals day today with some great races in store. Crews in the Grand Challenge Cup for elite eights and in the Stewards’ Challenge Cup, featuring elite men’s fours, open their accounts. Crews in the Fawley Challenge Cup for junior men’s quadruple sculls will race both quarter-finals and semi-finals today.
 
Racing starts at 10.00am and runs until 6.50pm with 39 races planned.
 

Events
 
Grand Challenge Cup: This is the premier eights event at the Regatta with four good entries this year. Leander Club has entered in its own right for the first time since 1953 rather than as part of a national crew. Whilst the current crew, which races the Canadian national U23 eight today, features GB squad members Toby Garbett and Marcus Bateman, the presence of the 1953 crew can still be felt. Three of them are current Henley Stewards: Sir Adrian Cadbury; Bill Windham and Christopher Davidge.
 
In the second semi-final a composite crew from Denmark will race a crew from the University of Southern California, U.S.A. The American university crew contains six members of the Estonian national eight that just failed to gain Olympic qualification in Poznan, as well as the club captain Adam Fish who, at a mere 12 stone, is by far the lightest man in the crew.
 
Stewards’ Challenge Cup: In The Stewards’ Challenge Cup, Cambridge University race a composite from Molesey B.C. & Reading University, while the Greek four, from Volos & N.C. Thessaloniki, get a bye into Sunday’s final. The Cambridge University four were all members of this year’s Boat Race crew and raced as GBR II at the World Cup in Poznan.
 
Remenham Challenge Cup: Former Oxford Blue Boat crewmates Emma Windham and Rose Bosnall will go head to head in the Remenham Challenge Cup today. Windham, tipped for a place in GB’s eight at the European championships later in the year, races in the the Furnivall Sc.C & Leander Club composite, while Bosnall takes up a place in the bow seat of the Osiris Eight. The Osiris Eight contains eight of the nine 2008 Dark Blue Boat Race winners. In a touch of Varsity cooperation Furnivall also field the Light Blues’ Louise Hopper.
 
Double Sculls Challenge Cup: Whilst his older brother Mark is away on a GB Olympic training camp, Ross Hunter is keeping the family’s flag flying at the Regatta by teaming up with former Olympian Ian Lawson for Leander Club.
 
Wyfold Challenge Cup: Thames R.C. will face Henley R.C. today. Thames lost out to Henley by just one second on the final day of the Ghent International Regatta earlier this year, so this could be a close race.
 
Prince of Wales Challenge Cup: Cardiff University & Cardiff City R.C. were involved in the first photo-finish of this year’s Regatta yesterday when they beat Leander Club & Henley R.C. by just one foot. Today they race California R.C., USA.
 
Row pasts: Two crews will row over the course during the Saturday tea interval, to commemorate 20 years since they won at the Regatta. Tideway Scullers’ School won the Thames Cup for their first and only time in 1988 – although the club’s members will be hoping that their Thames Challenge Cup eight will bring them a step closer to regaining the trophy when they race K.R.S. Gent 1883 today. The other crew “rowing over” is the Hampton School eight that won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in the same year.
 

Commentator’s Nightmare
 
The Henley commentators are normally very careful to ensure that they pronounce competitors’ names and clubs as accurately as possible. That’s not as easy as it might sound in the cases of “Algemene Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereniging Skoll” and “Delftsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Proteus-Eretes”.
 

And finally….
 
A weighty matter
 
Speculation continues to surround the true weight of former GB International Peter Wells, alleged to be over 18st. He sculled this week in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup, much to the consternation of many at his somewhat “changed” figure. Inside Lines can reveal, though, that there is reason behind his recent weight gain. He’s taken up the Olympic Winter Games sport of bobsleigh and is part of a GB development squad.
 
Have you got our coach?
 
No but we can do a nice line in sofas. That’s the answer the press office received when trying to ring rowing coach Volker Nolte’s mobile phone number. It went through to a furniture store in Western Ontario, Canada. Small wonder they didn’t know that Volker’s crew are through to today’s racing.
 
Fire-fighting rowers
 
Youth Olympic gold medallist Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell was in action on and off the water yesterday. Having knocked out a selected rower in the Diamond Challenge Sculls, he took on a waste-bin fire in the male changing tent with a bit of help from 1992 Olympic gold medallist Greg Searle before the professionals arrived to sort it out.

The press office at the Regatta can be contacted on: 01491 572153 ext 232.
 

 
Friday 4 July 2008

Welcome
 
Welcome to day three of the 169th Henley Royal Regatta. Today is generally quarter-finals day. It is also the day during which the women enter the fray for the first time in the Remenham, Princess Royal and Princess Grace Challenge Cups. The GB lightweight women’s quadruple scull will contest the latter.
 
Recent Cambridge Blue Boat cox Rebecca Dowbiggin will steer the Leander & Wallingford eight in the Remenham – a crew which contains three previous winners of the event.
 
Christ Church, Oxford & Martyrs B.C. (Old boys of St Edwards’ School) are racing in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate in a boat, fittingly, called London 1908 as it is 100 years since the rowing events of the 1908 Olympic Games were staged at Henley.
 
Racing starts at 8.30am and runs until 6.50pm with 64 races planned.
 

Events

Visitors’ Challenge Cup: Experts predict that Oxford Brookes against the Army could be one of the closest races tomorrow. The Brookes crew has two U23s and an ex-junior international on board.
 
Ladies’ Challenge Plate: The Downing College crew might have entered the Temple Challenge Cup this week had their graduation not clashed with the qualifiers. Instead they race in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate.
 
Columbia University field their heavyweight Varsity crew who made the Grand Finals of the IRA Championships last month. Ruderverein Osnabrucker includes Daniel Holert, who won World U23 silver in 2007 in Strathclyde, and ex-German International Daniel Tusch.
 
Henry Sheldon, President of the Oxford Lightweights, forms part of the Christ Church, Oxford & Martyrs Boat Club. Meanwhile Mainzer Ruder-Verein & Berliner constitute the German national lightweight eight who will be attending the World Championships for non-Olympic boat classes later this month.
 
Fawley Challenge Cup: Malvern, USA, may be the crew to watch in this event. They are undefeated this year and picked up gold medals for Varsity quadruple sculls in four major US championships this year. The Norwegian crew has two former world juniors.
 
Prince of Wales Challenge Cup: The competition hots up in this event today. The lightweight Riverside quad contains a junior international (Ben Ludlow) and two US lightweight squad rowers (Peter Morelli and Jeffery Forrester) and they race a Tess club crew whilst the Leander/London GB men’s lightweight quad race Newcastle University.
 
Diamond Challenge Cup: Former world junior champion Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell is through to the quarter-finals of this event after yesterday beating a selected opponent.
 
The Princess Grace Challenge Cup: A mainly British entry is topped by the current GB lightweight women’s quad racing as a Wallingford R.C./Reading University composite. Their main challenge may well come from the Mortlake / Rhwyfo Cymru quad. This crew contains Lorna Norris, a member of the GB lightweight quad who won bronze at the 2007 World Championships as well as Rebecca Rowe and Anna McNuff who were European bronze medallist in the eight in 2007. Anna is the daughter of 1980 Olympic medallist Ian McNuff.
 
Remenham Challenge Cup: Wallingford R.C. have representation in three of the crews competing for the Remenham Challenge Cup this year. As well as their own club eight, and the Leander/Wallingford composite, they also have an athlete in the Furnivall / Leander composite.
 
The Leander Club and Wallingford R.C. crew contains three athletes who have won the event before. Baz Moffat and Rachel Loveridge, won with Thames in 2005, while Joanna Cook was in the Thames/UL composite that won in 2004. They are coxed by Cambridge Blue Boat Cox Rebecca Dowbiggin.
 

Club Spotlight

Grosvenor R.C., a small club based in Chester, have made a splash here already this week. Three crews got through to yesterday’s racing – the first time in their history – including 12 of the 16 men in the senior squad. Their Wyfold Challenge Cup crew was also selected – another first for the club in any event – and their eight will race in the Thames Challenge Cup today.
 

And finally….
 
Birds in the Box
 
Swallows, it appears, have joined the broody moorhen (see Inside Lines of Wednesday 2 July) in the Judges Box, now dubbed The Aviary, since the Regatta began.
 
Birds’ Eye View
 
Dutch photographer Jaap Oopkes took to the skies today in a chopper to take aerial pictures of the Regatta in action. Only sellotape, he exclaimed as he recounted his somewhat hair-raising jaunt, saved him as he leant towards the open aircraft door to get the best shots. Allowing for hyperbole and the vagaries of translation we think he meant “gaffer tape”. Nice story, though, Jaap!
 
A Cage fighter
 
Rowing, it’s said, draws its participants from all walks of life. At this Regatta it should add “cage fighter” to the list of professions represented. That’s what Molesey “B” stroke, Nick Fitzgerald, once did before taking up the more gentle art of rowing.
 

The press office at the Regatta can be contacted on: 01491 572153 ext 232.
 

Thursday 3 July 2008

Site maintained by minebydesign.co.uk