Medals and More-Saturday

The busiest racing day was Saturday with Year 10 Boys’ Four, and two J18 Quads for both the boys and girls, and a championship Coxed Four.

The top Boys’ Quad was first off and came 6th in the time trial, which put them straight through to the A/B semifinals on Sunday morning.

Next came the girls, who had a good row coming in 12th putting them in a good position in the repacharge later in the day.

The Year 10 Boys’ Four were out to retain the Mariners Cup, which GMS won last year; they came 3rd in the time trial some 4 seconds off 1st, so definitely in with a medal chance but perhaps a tall order for Gold. Our “B” Quads both had good time trials coming 3rd (boys) and 4th ( girls).

The Coxed Four was our last time trial and they had a good race, coming 8th, just outside the A final. However, given this was effectively GMS’s third competing boat in a championship event, which had only formed a few weeks before, this was an impressive result. The eventual winners, Royal Shrewsbury School, surprisingly did not have an Eight and put their top crew into this event. Shrewsbury School won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, the main schools’ event at Henley Royal Regatta, not so long ago.

The afternoon side-by-side races started for GMS with the Championship Girls’ Quad in their repacharge, where they rowed a superb race, dominating the field and putting themselves in a good lane for the semis on Sunday.

Next came the Year 10 Boys’ Four. The wind had picked up a little as a head wind, so it was decided to lighten the gearing on the blades slightly. This potentially gives less speed out of the blocks but a better pace in the second half of the race. So, the boys were prepared for a slightly slower start knowing they were strong in the last 500m. With the girls having won
Gold the day before and history to be maintained from last year, they would have to overcome a four-second speed difference.

The boys had a clean start but the lighter gearing, or possibly their desire to pace themselves, made them a little slower than their main rivals. In fact, with 250m gone they were in last place, which they had improved to 5th place by 500m, but already over a length behind surprise leaders Leeds Rowing Club. GMS maintained a slightly faster pace than the other crews in front over the next 500m and going into the 1000m mark had a big push. I haven’t yet mentioned that the Great Marlow Supporters Tent was placed right on the halfway mark, so spurred on by a wave of cheers and screams of encouragement by halfway they had moved into fourth place and reduced the lead of third-placed Wallingford from 2.8 seconds to just over 1 second. BUT still a length and a half behind leaders Leeds.

Clearly, seeing the crew moving up on the boats ahead many “younger” Great Marlow Supporters pursued the race cheering the boys on. The early pace of Leeds RC began to tell and they started to slow, so by 1500m, GMS was still in 4th place, but the margins had come down considerably. Less than 0.5 seconds covered Silver to 4th positions, with Leeds now only half a length up.

As I mentioned, the boys have always been strong finishers, so Mr Murison had high hopes, still, this became a nail-biting last 500m. Backing themselves, the GMS crew raised the rate and went for home: the opposition couldn’t hold them off. Just before 250m, they took the lead. Norwich School pushed hard to stay with them but the GMS boys had a canvass advantage and were not giving anything up.

They won the second Gold of the Regatta. It was the first time GMS had retained a trophy from the previous year. Well done Year 10s – Girls and Boys!

The link below you need to watch the last bit of the previous race before you get on to ours, but still a good tale. watch race

Our three remaining races were right at the end of the day, with a chance for two more medals.

First off was the Girls’ 2nd Quad. By now the crosswind had made the lanes unfair, so the fastest qualifiers had the more sheltered lane. The GMS Quad, coming 4th in the time trial had to overcome a 3.5 second deficit and be in a harder lane to achieve a medal. They had a flying start and at stroke Jess Rhodes set a fierce pace. At 500m they had ¾ length on their rivals Yarm and had increased this to over a length at halfway. This aggressive racing cost them in fatigue but they knew they had done what they had to, to have a chance of a medal. The adverse lane conditions and the demanding first half took
its toll and Yarm started relentlessly to crawl back at them and by 1500m a GMS open water lead was down to under a second. Digging deeper than they have ever done and determined not to give up the medal they so longed for, the girls found a new pace, not only holding off the Yarm charge but opening their lead back out to nearly a length to take Bronze.

This was the first time we have won a medal in a “2nd Boat” event at National Schools, highlighting the depth to which the club is growing. For this crew, it was also their first medal: a real highlight of the regatta.

The Boys’ Quad had a 2-second deficit between each of the fastest three then a subsequent 8 seconds to the next qualifier, it seemed unlikely that the orders would change much in the race. The race went very much to form, and the boys did well and looked very smooth as they took the Bronze medal.

This was the second time we have won a medal in a “2nd Boat” event at National Schools.

Last of all came our Championship Coxed Four and as per the Boys’ Quad, they rowed well but were unable to change their result from the time trial making them 8th overall.