Our Juniors brought home yet another record haul: three medals, more than anyone can remember in recent years. Across the whole regatta there was a fierce cross-head wind making their performance in time trials and heats crucial, as the organisers placed the fastest crews in the more sheltered lanes 1 and 2 for the semis and finals. This meant stepping up each and every time they raced – and there were some very exciting performances by our Wallingford crews! Our WJ16 8+ of Elin Bahadori, Lily Clayton, Lucy Mead, Phoebe Downs, Martha Hudson, Annie Collins, Zara Richardson, Tabby Gauden and cox Katie Mellers made a massive statement by winning gold. This event has been dominated by the top private school programmes over the past two decades. For a small, community club such as ours to win this is an immense achievement, thanks to the inspiring leadership of our Directors of Junior Rowing Katie Greves and Andy Green. Five of these girls are now back-to-back National Schools Champions, having won the WJ15 4+ last year.
This year’s WJ15 4+ brought home a bronze medal in a particularly tough field, meaning that no fewer than 7 of our WJ15s won a medal, as 3 of the 8+ are also WJ15. The crew of Elsie Warner, Daisy Coleman, Lauren Fiddy, Charlotte Hermsen and cox Nell Peters is all the more remarkable because Daisy only started rowing this year, and Lauren came to us from Reading in January where she had hardly picked up a sweep blade.
I don’t think Wallingford has ever won a medal in the J14 age category – there are too many schools and clubs who start their Juniors a year earlier, meaning we are playing catch-up. Well, we have now! Our very talented boys, coached by ex-WRC Junior Henry White, won bronze in J14 4x+. Well done to Lewis Strange, Arthur Liddy, Will Andrews, Tom Fanstone and cox Seth Bissell, and congratulations to the 9 other J14s who made the C final in the octo. What an exciting year group!
Wallingford Rowing Club 