Sunday 3 July
Double Sculls Challenge Cup
When Leander captain Mark Hunter and his sculling partner James Lindsay-Fynn lined up alongside the Dutch Snijder brothers in the final of the Double Sculls it was another case of heavyweight v. lightweight - only at Henley can the different weights go head-to-head at this level of rowing. But the blustery winds of the last few days had settled, albeit briefly, and once the GB lightweight double got in front there was no stopping them. They led by a length at the Barrier, looking crisp, while the Snijders were already looking ragged and never got their rate up to make a significant challenge on Leander and London, who took an easy verdict on the line, in a time of 7 mins 26 secs.
Stewards Challenge Cup
The GB coxless four, with Leander's Steve Williams and Alex Partridge on board, went into their final with two World Cup wins to their credit so far this season, and their race with the new Canadian four, rowing as Victoria City, was an eagerly-awaited curtain raiser to next week's Rotsee regatta in Lucerne. Both crews went off at 48 and both received warnings for their steering but the GB four eased ahead and had clear water past Fawley where the Canadians struck the booms. The race was over, as Leander and Oxford University quickly took a five length lead and the Canadians limped home astern.
Britannia Challenge Cup
The same Leander four that lost a close final last year lined up alongside Thames RC for their second successive final, but this time it was Leander who got their nose in front and stayed there for the whole course. The heavier crew by more than a stone a man they had a length lead at the Barrier, where they grew more confident, kept their heads up and rowed away from Thames, who struggled to maintain their pace. Passing Remenham Club the margin was five lengths, and the verdict on the line was 'Easily' to give Leander their first win in the Britannia since 1989.
Remenham Challenge Cup
The Leander/Durham University composite had a good start and took a half length lead at the quarter mile, but then Thames settled and challenged hard, and wth both crews rating 35 it was Thames who narrowed the Leander lead to just one foot at the 3/4 Mile. The crews stayed virtually level to the Progress Board where Thames drew ahead to win by 3/4 length.
Ladies Challenge Plate
Based largely on the winning Goldie crew from this year's Boat Race the Cambridge University crew was always going to be a tough nut to crack, and so it proved. Leander went of the start rating 48 against Cambridge at 40, but by the quarter mile both crews were at 38 and Cambrige were 1/4 length ahead. From the Barrier to Fawley Leander made a series of challenges but Cambridge had consolidated their position and held off Leander by 1 3/4 lengths on the line.
Grand Challenge Cup
The final of the Grand was a battle between the national eights of Germany (rowing as Dortmund) and Great Britain (entered as Oxford Brookes and Molesey). The GB eight, with Leander's Tom Stallard and Rick Egington on board, pressed Dortmund all the way, and although the Germans led by 3/4 length from Fawley to the Enclosures the GB challenge narrowed this to 2/3 length on the line.
Queen Mother Challenge Cup
The GB quad, stroked by Leander's Matt Langridge, have so far proved themselves the best quad ever boated by Britain but Poland, with a long pedigree in this boat class, were looking to deny them the trophy on their home water. The Poles led off the start and took a one length lead at the Barrier - the GB quad closed the gap slightly at Fawley but Poland worked hard to fight off repeated challenges and took a 3/4 length verdict at the Finish.
Saturday 2 July
Britannia Challenge Cup
The Leander four which has dominated the opposition all season repeated their performance against Aberdeen, drawing away until they were three lengths ahead at Fawley. The race was all but over as Leander dropped their rate yet maintained their advantage, taking a 3 3/4 verdict on the line
Wyfold Challenge Cup
The Star and Arrow four were giving away two stone a man to the Army, who were expected to get away early and dominate the race. But the Leander-based four had other ideas and never let the Army off the hook, trailing by just 2/3 length at the Barrier and still maintaining the overlap at the Mile. Star and Arrow challenged repeatedly but the Army held them off, finishing just one length up in a time of 7mins 10 secs.
Men's Quadruple Sculls
The Northwich/Dart Totnes GB junior squad composite which Leander faced in their semifinal had chosen to enter the Men's Quads rather than the Fawley, simply for the better race experience. But despite the 250 mile distance separating their constituent clubs the GB juniors were a well-schooled unit which rapidly developed a one length lead at the quarter mile, which had increased to almost two lengths at Fawley. Ian Lawson raised the Leander rate to 38 up the Enclosures, against the GB juniors at 33, but it wasn't enough - Leander crossed the line a length down, the winner's time 7mins 14secs.
Remenham Challenge Cup
Leander, making their first appearance in this event for women's eights as a composite with Durham University, established a one length lead ahead of RC Ukraine at the quarter mile, and from that point looked more solid and consistent than their performance yesterday against Thames B. The young Ukrainians, based around the coxless four which placed fourth at last year's Under-23 championships in Poznan, could never get on terms with Leander/Durham who increased their lead to 3 3/4 lengths at the Finish.
Double Sculls Challenge Cup
Another confident race by the GB lightweight double against Richard Woods and Steven Pollard of Gloucester saw them draw quickly into the lead and at Fawley the margin was six lengths. Hunter and Lindsay-Fynn were then able to drop the rate from 35 to 28 across the line, where they took an 'easily' verdict in 7mins 55secs.
Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup
Josh West and Kieran West knew they had a tough battle on their hands against Ramon di Clemente and Donovan Cech, bronze medallists last year in Athens, and so it proved. Both crews were warned for their steering up the Island, but the South Africans looked composed and dominant as Josh and Kieran hung on some two lengths adrift. Di Clemente and Cech crossed the line 2 1/2 lengths up to claim their place in tomorrow's final.
Ladies Challenge Plate
It was the old story of a good heavyweight crew beating a good lightweight crew as Leander, looking to become the first club for 25 years to retain the trophy, moved into a one length lead ahead of the Irish development squad. The stroke rate from the two crews was evenly matched all the way up the course but it was the Leander eight which prevailed, leading the way across the line by two lengths in 6mins 31 secs.
Grand Challenge Cup
The Oxford Brookes/Molesey composite, with Leander's Rick Egington and Tom Stallard on board, had a fast start going off at 48 strokes a minute, but the Czechs pressed them hard and the GB eight only had clear water at the Mile. The Czechs then spurted but had left it all too late as Brookes/Molesey went on to win by 3/4 length.
Queen Mother Challenge Cup
The Tideway Scullers/Leander composite, with Matt Langridge in the stroke seat, had already established themselves as the best GB squad in recent years, and it showed in their performance against Victoria City, the quad scull which forms part of Mike Spracklen's group in the Canadian squad. Both crews were warned for their steeering up the Island but Leander/TSS pulled ahad and never looked threatened, finshing three lengths ahead in 6mins 46 secs.
Stewards Challenge Cup
The Czech opposition never really troubled the GB coxless four with Steve Williams and Alex Partridge on board, as they quickly established a two length lead which they had lengthened out to four lengths at the Mile. The Leander/OUBC four eased up towards the line, crossing at 26 by a verdict of 3 1/2 lengths.
Friday 1 July
Double Sculls Challenge Cup
Leander captain Mark Hunter and his partner James Lindsay-Fynn were never fazed by the gusty headwind which usually spells trouble for lightweight crews. They took a length lead at the first signal against Paul Turner and Craig Morgan of Grosvenor and Hollingworth Lake, a margin which had moved out to 3 1/2 lengths at Fawley. With both doubles at 32 the Leander/London composite went on to win in 7mins 51 secs.
Wyfold Challenge Cup
The Star and Arrow four won their third round heat by default when York City clashed off the start and were subsequently disqualified less than a minute into the race. Yorks steering had already given the Stewards cause for concern earlier in the regatta - on Wednesday evening they almost collided with the umpire's launch while doing a practice start and then struck a pile which marked off the safety zone below the island!
Double Sculls Challenge Cup
Leander suffered their first casualty of this year's Henley when Nick Wakefield and Matt Beechey went out of the Double Sculls at the hands of Alwin and Ivo Snijders of ASR Nereus. The Dutchmen established a three quarter length lead at the Barrier but Wakefield and Beechey came back and reduced the margin to just two feet at the three quarter mile signal, before the heavier Snijder brothers pushed ahead to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Britannia Challenge Cup
After their rest day yesterday the Leander four were in fine form for their second round heat against UTS Habersfield of Australia. Leander had the early speed with a half length lead at the quarter mile, and although the Australians remained very solid the Leander lead at each signal gradually increased to four lengths at the Mile. At this point Leander eased up the pressure and dropped their rate to 27 at the line to take the race by a verdict of 2 3/4 lengths.
Remenham Challenge Cup
The Leander/Durham University composite drew the Berkshire station against Thames B in the first round and went off at 41 against Thames at 40. Leander were half a length up at the quarter mile and then began to consolidate the pressure, increasing the margin at each successive signal. The margin was just over a length at Fawley but Leander/Durham were always a pip higher and crossed the line by an official verdict of 2 1/4 lengths.
Men's Quadruple Sculls
Matching each other stroke for stroke to the top of the Island Leander sculled smoothly into the lead from the Start against Northwich RC, building a confident margin that enabled them to finish the race with ease. Leander won by 1 3/4 lengths in a tme of 7mins 8 secs.
Silver Goblets and Nickalls' Challenge Cup
Josh and Kieran West went off at 44 against McGrail and Smith of London RC at 40, but the power of the GB international pair took them clear after just ten strokes. The London pair could never come back from the five length deficit at the quarter mile as Josh and Kieran lowered the rate to 27 and took the race by an easy verdict.
Ladies Plate
The Leander eight that is seeking to retain the trophy for the first time in 25 years (when Yale were the last club to achieve this feat) established an early lead against the first Swedish crew ever to enter the Ladies Plate. Stockholm were no match for Leander who led by more than two lengths at the Barrier, where they began to lower the rate and maintain the same margin. Leander were rating 29 at the Finish where they were three lengths up on Stockholm in a time of 6mins 49secs.
Thursday 30 June
Double Sculls Challenge Cup
Club captain Mark Hunter and his sculling partner James Lindsay-Fynn lined up on the start as favourites to win their heat against Cameron Fraser and Ed Slater from Trinity College, Hartford, USA. The earlier heavy rain had eased as the GB lightweight internationals struck the higher rate off the start to take a 1 1/2 length lead ahead of the slightly heavier Americans at the quarter mile. Hunter and Lindsay-Fynn have swapped places in the boat since the Munich round of the World Cup, so it was the Irishman who determined the higher rate of striking throughout the race as they moved steadily away from the Americans, leading by six lengths at Remenham and taking an easy verdict at the finish.
Wyfold Challenge Cup
The Star and Arrow lightweight four made it two in a row when they won their second round heat against Nottingham Boat Club. Star and Arrow finished the first minute at 42 and had a 1 1/2 length lead at the quarter mile before reaching the Barrier two lengths up in a time of 2mins 7secs. Even the official race recorder described them as powering their way to the Barrier, and indeed they did, before cruising home to take a 2 3/4 length verdict in 7mins 45secs.
Silver Goblets and Nickalls' Challenge Cup
Josh West and his partner Kieran West (no relation) of University of London were untroubled in their heat against Stephen Miles and Stewart Bates of Nottingham and Union. Josh and Kieran, the current GB international pair and the heavier crew by more than four stone per man, had already established a two length lead by the quarter mile, and their lead was 4 1/2 lengths at Fawley. Over the second half of the race they were able to take the rate down to a leisurely 27, but maintained an easy verdict at the line, which they reached in 8mins 3secs.
Men's Quadruple Sculls
The Leander quad faced a tough first quarter mile against Royal Chester, but then began to consolidate as Chester paid the price for their higher stroke rate off the start. The crews were level at the quarter mile before Leander at 37 moved away from Chester at 40, and were a length ahead at the Barrier. At Fawley the Leander lead was 2 1/2 lengths but the gap opened up even further past the enclosures and the verdict on the line was 4 lengths.
Wednesday 29 June
Britannia Challenge Cup
Leander were drawn on the Bucks station against Star Club of Bedford - the same crew they beat in the opening round of last year's regatta! Although Star had a lead of about a foot at the quarter mile Leander, who underrated Star all the way down the course, began to pull through. At Fawley they led by a length, and at Remenham Club the lead was two lengths. Leander were able to take the rate down to 31 approaching the line, which they crossed in 7 min 20 secs, official verdict 2 1/4 lengths.
Wyfold Challenge Cup
The relatively inexperienced juniors from Cincinnati, rowing on the Bucks station, never looked on terms with the smoother Star and Arrow crew, and the Americans' poor steering up the island almost caused a clash within the first quarter mile. By the time Cincinnati were back on station Star and Arrow had taken a five length lead and were able to take the rate right down over the second half of the course. Star and Arrow rated 23 over the line, winning by 3 3/4 lengths in 7mins 46 secs.