Issue 99 - June 1997

Delightful Di Luzio

James Di Luzio (Mortlake Anglian RC) led the way with three first places and a second place at
Munich International Junior Regatta on May 10/11.

Di Luzio was Britain's most successful junior in an encouraging weekend for chief coach Mark Banks's junior squad, who were competing against 17 other countries. He won the single sculls on both days and joined Matthew Wells (Queen Elizabeth High School) for a silver in the double on the Saturday, followed by a narrow victory over France on Sunday.

It was a good weekend for boy's scullers, with the quad, stroked by Matthew Baker (Leander), winning on Saturday, but finding themselves outgunned into third place on Sunday. It was still a creditable result.

Britain's leading girls, Isabel Walker (George Watson's College) and Frances Houghton (King's Canterbury) won the coxless pairs on Saturday, but were beaten into third place by an exceptional Polish crew on Sunday. Earlier in the day, they had won the coxless four, with Pirie and Stewart powering away to a length from Romania in the last 250 metres. The boy's coxless four stroked by Harvey Goodall (Radley) led Germany for 1500m in Saturday's final, finishing a creditable second and showing some real style in their performance.

In a fitting finale to an excellent regatta, the boys' eight, stroked by Edward Russell of Abingdon and after just two outings together, came through to snatch third place in a well judged sprint for the line in the eight-boat final.

Said Mark Banks, 'We have an excellent coaching team and it is encouraging to see composite crews with little time together performing well. The progress in boys' sculling is especially impressive.'

© Copyright REGATTA, 1997.