Author: Howard Marsh

Friday – Club Singles

Magnificent performances from Lizzie Webster and Teddy Sherman – on holiday from University – saw Leicester claim the singles sculls trophies for both women and men.

Lizzie

A good start in her 8AM time trial gave her the 2nd fastest time.
In her semi-final, her and her close rival and friend Jen Titterington from Newark, were neck and neck, well clear of 3rd place, for 1900m, before Lizzie put the afterburners on and shot clear to claim the win.
In the final, Lizzie went out quickly and established a length lead over the Newark sculler. Showing great poise and skill, Lizzie controlled the race, just staying a length up, cruising to the win, by just over 1.5 seconds at the line.

Teddy

His time trial was just after Lizzies and he flew down the course, posting the quickest time by 4 seconds.
Teddy’s semi final was a well controlled affair. After being slightly down at the 500 mark, Teddy kept his nerve and steadily sculled out in front to win by over 6 seconds.
Getting away to a solid start in the final, Teddy was in 3rd place at halfway, nearly 4 seconds off the leader. Steadily upping the pace and going from a long way out, Teddy started to put the squeeze on the scullers in front. Still 2.5 seconds down with 500 to go, he upped the rate again, getting closer and closer to the leader Jamie Coombes – a former GB U23 World Championship Lightweight sculler – who dug in and threw everything at it. Teddy was, however, making progress, and a final rating push saw him crack his opponent from Hereford, to win by over 4 seconds.

Saturday – W J18 Singles

Eleanor

I think it’s fair to say that Eleanor has not had the best of times in her single competing at the bigger regattas. In her time trial she really showed what she can do and flew down the course, finishing a brilliant 7th.
The semi final was always going to be a tough race, and Eleanor dug in and raced very well, but couldn’t quite get in the top 3 to claim an A final spot.
Eleanor really backed up the maturity she’d shown in her previous 2 races in the final. Always being in a tight 2nd place, she competed magnificently and managed to negative split her 2k race. Being under pressure from Newark, Eleanor pushed hard to the line, holder her length and rhythm really well, eventually finishing over a length clear of 3rd place.

Sunday – W Club Doubles

Lizzie & Eleanor

Lizzie and Eleanor, although they haven’t been out in the double since their Henley Women’s Regatta win, started the ball rolling in excellent fashion, storming to a 5 second win in their time trial.
In their semi final, the closest rivals on paper were the double from Warwick. A fast start from Lizzie and Eleanor, gave them a length lead after just 250m. Sculling with great poise and feel for the boat, they crept slightly more ahead and eventually winning comfortably by nearly 4 seconds.
On to the final. Demonstrating their fast starting, Lizzie and Eleanor once agin shot into the lead. The PDA crew from Nottingham were not going to let them have it all their own way though and were working hard, trying to apply pressure. From the bank, it looked like who would crack first; could Nottingham push on more, would Leicester hold them off. There was no doubt! Lizzie and Eleanor, showing a coolness under pressure and with great determination and focus, always had the upper hand and kept the lead through the to the finish line.

This rounded of a magnificent year for the girls’ Aspiration 2x champions at Henley Women’s Regatta and now British Rowing Club Championships, Club 2x champions! What a year!

For international standard women single scullers.
There was never any surprise that Lauren Henry would be entered or that she would pre-qualify. After setting the world of rowing alight with her incredible winning margins and her record times, HRR looked like just another stepping stone to be navigated. However, for Lizzie Webster, fresh from winning the Rosie Mayglothling Trophy for Aspirational Double Sculls at Henley Women’s Regatta, it was going to be a tough challenge.

Qualification

The first step for Lizzie was to qualify. 17 athletes entered, only 12 to compete and in the qualification round, she’d need to be in the top 4.

In very challenging conditions, with a strong head wind blowing straight up the course, Lizzie sculled bravely and showed great determination. Her coach Howard Marsh said to her as she boated, “it’s not going to feel great out there, but you will go fast, just keep working all the way!”
Jubilation for Lizzie she had qualified. Now on to the first round, on Thursday.

First Round

As Lauren is one of the seeded athletes, she sat this round out and wouldn’t be in action until Friday.
Lizzie came up against the Canadian Shannon Kennedy, who won the international standard quad sculls event at last years HRR.
It was a brilliant experience for Lizzie who, although didn’t manage to win, found the whole experience incredible.
Lauren was drawn against the very experienced Lithuanian, who won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the single sculls.
After being side-by-side for the first 3 and a half minutes, Lauren steadily pulled away to take a commanding lead, eventually winning comfortably by 4 ¹/₂ lengths.

The Final – F.S. Nielsen, DEN v L.R. Henry – Princess Royal

Watch again by clicking the link above

In one-on-one match racing, it can be a huge advantage to have a quick start and try and get up on you opponents and try to boss the race, to take charge and dictate terms.
After Nielsen took an initial canvas lead out to Fawley, Lauren started to apply real pressure. Showing a real composure under pressure, maintaining her length in the water, her connection at the catch and all-round brilliant rhythm, Lauren started to pull away. It was a length at 4 minutes it was 2 lengths by 6 minutes. The second half of the race was all Lauren’s. Coming from behind, she took an incredible 7 seconds off the old course record.

An incredible win, underscoring her huge ability, and a tribute to the sheer hard work and determination she puts into the sport.

The Chairman’s Trophy – W4x

For Victoria Barker, Rhian Evans, Hazel Ward, and Lucy Cleaver – doing an excellent job of steering, just qualifying for Henley Women’s Regatta was an achievement etched in months of quiet determination. After previous years never quite happened for them, this crew worked tirelessly through the winter, building resilience and belief. Their qualification into the Chairman’s Trophy marked the culmination of that effort, a moment of quiet emotion for the squad.

Though they lost to Upper Thames by just 1½ lengths in the first round, the result never told the full story. For this crew, qualification itself was a gold medal moment, a hard-earned triumph that deserves immense pride.

Aspirational 2x – Duffy and Wadowska

Following internal seat racing for a seat in the quad, Kate Duffy and Nat Wadowska were the 2^nd Leicester boat for the Aspiration 2x. Their build-up was solid, marked by competitive races and steady progress. Henley was always going to be a tough ask in such a stacked field. They missed qualification, finishing mid-pack among non-qualifiers – but their campaign reflected grit and determination.

Aspirational 2x – Lizzie and Eleanor’s Gold Rush

Across a boiling weekend in Henley, Lizzie and Eleanor brought showed just how much they had developed as a crew.  Navigating five races in three days with metronomic pacing and remarkable maturity.

Friday’s Time Trial (11:05): Under brutal sun, they launched a clean and composed run. No one knew it yet, but they’d posted the fastest time – a strong omen for the knockout rounds.

Saturday (1716): First heat against the Aussie crew from King’s College and University of Queensland. Ice shirts and cooling tactics were essential, but they made light work of it, taking clear water by the end of the island and cruising to a 3-length win.  See you Sunday morning!

Sunday Morning (10:24): The quarter-final against Thames.  Potentially 3 races, conserving energy was essential, but always be prepared to race the full course.  Another clinical display, clear water by the end of the island, control from stroke to finish, and a 4 length victory.

Semi-Final (1312): Up against USR Triton of the Netherlands.  Lizzie and Eleanor had another excellent start and led early but had to dig deeper to hold off a tenacious challenge. They crossed the line 1¼ lengths ahead, earning a place in the final with the faster semi time.

Final (1615): KSRV Njord of the Netherlands awaited. Both crews blasted off the start line, neck and neck at the island. Inch by inch, Lizzie and Eleanor edged ahead into what was becoming a really strong headwind – half a length at Fawley, one length by halfway. With the water turning messy and every stroke tricky, Lizzie expertly lowered the rate a bit, while maintaining a really strong press through the stroke, backed resolutely by Eleanor, just 17, but rowing like a veteran. Into the final 250m, they held firm through the choppy water, crossing two lengths clear to take gold.