HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA

BOSTON, USA

22-23 OCTOBER 2005

24 October: The Leander eight kicked off their weekend in the States with a win in Friday's 350m Invitation Sprint, but slipped off the pace to finish in fifth place in Sunday's main event.

Competing for the Virgin Atlantic Airways trophy as a curtain raiser to the weekend's activity, Leander lined up alongside CUBC, who were defending their title in the Head of the Charles, as well as the American opposition from Harvard and North Eastern University. Leander completed the 350m course just a shade under 1' 10", with second placed North Eastern just 0.75 sec astern. Cambridge were another second behind in third position, and Harvard fourth.

The main programme started well for Leander when Debbie Flood finished a close second behind Michelle Guerette of the USA in the championship singles. It wasn't the first time the two scullers had met in competition - at the Athens Olympics Guerette was in the US quad that finished in fifth place behind the Great Britain crew in which Debbie won a silver medal. This year the American took the bronze medal in women's singles at the world championships in Japan.

In the men's eights Leander started in eighth place and rapidly overhauled the slower crews around them, reaching the first timing pont at Riverside in the fastest time of the day. But the crews at the head of the field were moving even faster and it was the home crew from Princeton who won the trophy with a time more than four seconds ahead of the defending title-holders from CUBC. The Dutch national squad were third, ahead of Berkeley USA and fifth-placed Leander.

Championship women's singles:

Debbie Flood

Championship men's eight:

Bow: Josh West
2: Tom Stallard
3: James Orme
4: Matt Langridge
5: Peter Reed
6: Rick Egington
7: Alex Partridge
Stroke: Steve Williams

16 October: A Leander eight packed with world and Olympic medallists will this weekend compete in the prestigious Head of the Charles, the biggest Head race on the North American continent. Leander are entered in the final event of the regatta, the championship eights, which gets under way at 1541hrs local time on Sunday, when Olympic and world champion Steve Williams will stroke a crew which also includes his team-mates Pete Reed and Alex Partridge from the gold medal GB men's four.

Cambridge University Boat Club won the event last year after the USA national eight crashed into the Eliot Bridge - CUBC will lead off the event as the US have opted out of this year's competition. Behind CUBC will be the Netherlands, who are followed by a clutch of American university eights, including Princeton, Berkeley and Yale. Behind Leander are the Germans from Rudergesellchaft Wiking e.V., Berlin, and also the Italian national eight, unchanged from Gifu, who are entered as Circolo Canottieri Aniene.

Steering the 3-mile upstream course is a challenge in itself, as the tortuous bends and five narrow bridges can test even the most seasoned cox. This is just one reason why Leander have opted to use a US-based cox on the day but others, less experienced on the Charles River course, may be making use of the Coxes' Clinic being presented this weekend by Yaz Farooq, world champion and 8-times US National Team cox. Details of the clinic and all other race information can be found on the official regatta website here.

ENDS