1st July 1999

A streak through the Enclosure saves Teddies

The upsets were mostly reserved for the Princess Elizabeth at the 150th Henley Regatta today. Eton's summary dismissal by Abingdon on the first day was followed by the defeat of three more selected crews. St Edward's took the first selection scalp of the regatta when they removed Hampton. Half an hour before the race it looked as if the Oxford school would have to race with seven men because Rik Lancaster, the No 4 man, was stuck in a traffic jam on the Marlow Road. The 15 stone schoolboy jumped out of his father's car, ran across Fawley Meadows, gave a boatman a tenner to get him across the course, ran almost a mile through the enclosures in full rowing kit and reached the boat in time to paddle down to the start.

Hampton, fancied to reach the final after winning both the Schools Head and the National Schools title this season, led St Edward's to the three-quarters mile signal but lost the lead before the mile. Once St Edward's were ahead they ensured that they kept it that way.

In the bottom half of the draw two of the American selected crews fell, leaving St Joseph's from Philadelphia, who beat Canford with ease, the only selected crew left in the event. Tabor Academy were no match for St Peter's College of Australia, nor Kent for St Paul's.

Imperial College had a good day in the Temple. Their A crew took Durham University's B crew out and their B crew took Manchester University out. The bad news is that they meet in the next round, with Imperial B needing more than a good row to beat their A crew.

Cambridge University beat Hampton school. Trinity College Dublin also got both of their crews through. They are in the same half of the draw but are apart for another day. Harvard's freshmen retained their unbeaten record when they removed Bristol University. Oxford Brookes contributed to a successful day for their club by beating Univeristy of London.

The holder Jamie Koven of the US was led by London RC's Ian Watson in the Diamond Sculls, but not for long. Greg Searle, the winner in 1997, also survived the first round with ease, and Marcel Hacker of Magdeburg and Aquil Abdullah of Boston were hardly tested.

The selected crew UL Tyrian appealed to the umpire after losing by two thirds of a length to Llandaff in the Wyfold, but their objection that they touched blades while in their own water was not accepted. The other selections - Brock of Canada, Holme Pierrepont and Neptune of Ireland, all progressed.

Steve Tucker and Conal Groom, the American lightweights, and Ian McGowan and Nick Peterson, the heavies from the Augusta Sculling Center, were successful in the opening round of the Double Sculls. So were Peter Haining and his Hungarian partner Lazlo Szogi, and the French world lightweight champions, J-B Dupy and J-C Bette.

Worcester RC and London RC posted a dead heat in the Britannia after a terrific race in which the lead changed about, but never opened to more than a canvas. In the re-row London took an early lead, but Worcester stepped on it hard before Fawley, and came through to win by one and a half lengths.

In the Thames Cup Crabtree, the Cambridge old lags club, won against Nottingham Boat Club B, Furnivall took out the Yorkshire club Black Sheep, the Germans from Hamburg Germania beat Rob Roy of Cambridge. Molesey, a selected crew, beat Garda Siochana in an excellent race, and the other three selections all went through. Sydney RC removed Molesey B, Oberhausen of Germany beat Upper Thames's old lags, and London RC A were let off lightly by their B crew.

The selections in the Visitors' - Oxford Brookes A, Oxford University, Imperial College and Durham University - were all successful. Brookes A took University of London out, and the Brookes B crew just beat Aegir of Holland in a close race, the verdict being two thirds of a length.

The British team sculler Alison Mowbray beat the Australian Christine Gosling in the Princess Royal, and Frances Houghton also won her first round.

Tomorrow the Ladies' Plate starts with two tasty quarter finals between the unbeaten American champions from Berkeley and London Rowing Club's lightweights supplemented by two Germans from Mainz, and between Germany's under-23 eight and a combined Cambridge and Queen's Tower crew. The Queen Mother for quads also starts tomorrow.

© Copyright Chris Dodd, 1999.