York men’s Boat Club qualify for prestigious Royal Regatta finals
The University of York Boat club Senior Men’s 1st VIII qualified for the highly esteemed Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in eight years last Friday.
After a disappointing season which included the head coach leaving over Easter and a far from satisfactory Roses result, the VIII travelled down to Henley-on-Thames to compete against student crews from all over the country as well as the US and Europe. Fifty crews raced down the 2,112-meter course with the hope of making it through to the internationally renowned regatta that commences Wednesday Week 10. Each crew had their time recorded over the course, with the fastest sixteen qualifying.
Henley Royal Regatta was first held in 1839 and is held annually. The regatta works on a knock-out basis, with the winning crew progressing to the following day. With the event going on for five days, the final is not held until the Sunday. The Student VIII’s event, known as the Temple Challenge Cup, is one of nineteen separate competitions held over the five days. Others include the Stewards & Grand Cups, which witness top international crews, namely the Great Britain VIII & coxless IV, the likes of which ex-Olympic oarsmen Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent previously rowed in.
Overall there are thirty-two places for University crews in the Temple Cup. Sixteen crews pre-qualified for the event due to good results over the course of the season at other regattas. These included the likes of Oxford Brookes and Loughborough, as well as numerous crews from the US, Ireland and Holland.
Unlike most University crews, York’s is predominantly made up of those who learnt to row outside of school, three of which did so at the University itself, with the cox having only got in a boat for the first time last October. The experience within the crew is also widely varied, ranging from competing at the Junior World championships, to rowing at Cambridge University.
Men’s Captain Peter Nicholson who rows at five in the VIII, said; “With a season that has left a lot to be desired, qualifying for Henley has made nine months of solid training and constant fitness worthwhile. All nine of us went out there with a lot to prove, not only to ourselves, but to other clubs and University’s, many of whom have written us off in the past as a walkover.” In fact, York beat crews from Leeds, Cardiff, Reading, Bath, Manchester and most importantly Lancaster, to make the last sixteen. Nicholson went on to mention that although York’s success is to a large extent down to the crews unparalleled commitment to training seven days a week, without which it would not have been possible had it not been for the “help and dedication of our new coach Helena, as well as the generous funding of a new 1st VIII by the alumni last year”.
The race started with a strong wind led by Chris Owen who strokes the VIII; “The adrenaline was pumping & when I took the rating up to 42 strokes [per minute] off the start I could feel the whole crew respond behind me as one.”
The cox, Claire Barnes, has no problem with taking on the challenge of controlling eight men; “I may be smaller”, she says, “but they do what they’re told, when they’re told to do it. If they don’t react to my calls together we’ll not only be slower, but they’ll also have to deal with me after.”
York were strongly supported down the course by family, friends and even some old blades. Graduates, Dr. Rich Skinner and Dr. Angus Alisson were there having qualified for the Goblet’s Cup and racing in a pair. Likewise old blade and ex-captain, Andy Jason who now rows for Bristol’s 1st VIII, was also cheering on the crew, and will be hoping to meet them on the rowing course next week.
Qualifying for Henley Royal Regatta for the first time since 1998 marks a long a waited return to form of the Boat Club.
The crew are now among the top thirty-two student eights in the country, not forgetting the four foreign crews also in the event. Come Wednesday 28th June the VIII will line up on the start for the second time, but this time alongside Trinity College from Dublin, not only with the hope of competing at the highly esteemed event, but also making it through to the second round on Thursday and possibly even beyond that to the final on saturday.
By James Padmore
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
