SUCCESS FOR SINCLAIR AT HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
posted by Roy Sinclair - 6 Jul 2011, 12:06 a.m.
In fine weather conditions last Sunday at Henley Royal Regatta, Inverness club
oarsman Alan Sinclair from Belmaduthy in Ross-shire and his crewmates Jack
Hockley, Nick Middleton and John Collins representing Leander Club won the
final of the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup for quadruple sculls crews by one
length in a new record time of 6 minutes 30 seconds against a crew from The
Tideway Scullers School - Alan accepted his trophy and medal resplendent in
his striking Inverness Rowing Club blazer. In the first round of this event,
Alan and his crewmates beat Reading University by 2¾ lengths, Bexhill
Amateur Rowing Club and Eastbourne Rowing Club by 2½ lengths in the
quarter-final and their clubmates in the Leander Club 'B' crew by
one length in the semi-final.
Other Scottish crews are also involved at this year's Royal Regatta.
On Thursday, a fine performance by Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club's
junior quadruple sculls crew of brothers Jack and Harry Leask with Keiran
Brown and Chris Yuile saw them overcoming a crew from Canottierri Sebino
Lovere from Italy in the Fawley Challenge cup to win well by 1¾
lengths.
In their quarter final on Friday, despite putting in a strong challenge all
the way down the course they missed out on another win by 1¾ lengths to
a
crew from Malvern Preparatory School, U.S.A.
Also on Thursday, Colin Wallace and Scott Purdie of Aberdeen Boat Club raced
well in the Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup for coxless pairs
against W.J. Lockwood and W.D.B. Buckland representing the Australian
Institute of Sport but despite taking an early lead were overtaken, to
eventually go down to an "easily" verdict.
Other Scots racing in composite crews performed extremely well at Henley.
Former pupils from George Watsons College, Murray Wilkojc and Sean Dixon,
raced in the composite Newcastle University and Marino Billi, Italy crew which
convincingly won it's quarter final of the Visitors Challenge Cup for
coxless fours against a crew representing Leander Club but were subsequently
beaten by one length in the semi-final by a composite crew representing
National University of Ireland,Galway and Gráinne Mhaol Boat Club,
Ireland. Another George Watsons FP Michael Walker was a member of the Durham
University eight which raced in the Temple Challenge Cup which narrowly lost
out by 2/3rds of a length to the eight representing Harvard University, U.S.A.
Another George Watsons College FP Andy Holmes from Lochwinnoch and now
studying in the U.S.A. was in the Harvard University eight which won their
Ladies Challenge Plate race on Friday by three quarters of a length against
Penn Athletic Club and Rowing Association. In their semi-final on Saturday,
they lost out by the closest margin of 1/3rd of a length in an extremely close
race with a crew representing Leander Club. Callum McBrierty, also a George
Watsons College FP now with Durham University, was in the crew which was
beaten by just over one length in the semi-final of the Prince Albert
Challenge Cup for coxed fours by Oxford Brookes University.
Polly Swann and Lindsey Maguire from Edinburgh were members of the Leander
Club and Gloucester Rowing Club composite crew which won their first eights
race in the Remenham Challenge Cup by an 'easily' verdict against
Thames Rowing Club. In their semi-final race against another composite crew
representing Oxford Brookes University and Molesey Boat Club they recorded a
fine 3 lengths win and although putting up an excellent performance in the
final, were unable to catch the U.S.A. national eight from Princeton Training
Center who eventually emerged as winners by 1¾ lengths. Another Scot
competing in the Remenham Challenge Cup was Ellie Dorman who stroked the Vesta
Rowing Club's eight on Friday in an exciting race against a Leander
Club/Reading University composite crew eventually losing out but just over one
length at the finish.
Recent member of Glasgow Rowing Club, Sam Scrimgeour, was a member of the
composite crew representing Imperial College London and Tees Rowing Club
racing in the Ladies Challenge Plate for eights which performed well on Friday
in their tussle with a German eight from Berliner Ruderclub and Olympische
Ruder Club Rostock but just failed to overcome their opposition who later went
on to win the final of this event.
Also competing at Henley were Gavin Murty of Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club
and his Under 23 lightweight double sculls partner James Coombes from Hereford
Rowing Club who were narrowly beaten by S.Z. Frycke-Cunningham and M.A. Nucci
(Malta Boat Club, U.S.A.) on Wednesday in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup.
Karen Bennett also of Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club, raced in the Oxford
Brookes University/Moseley Boat Club Under 23 crew which lost out by three
lengths to the senior GB Squad in the semi-finals of the Remenham Challenge
Cup on Saturday which followed their fine two and a half lengths win over
Thames Rowing Club/Vesta Rowing Club composite crew the previous day .