Autumn racing 2018

Thames crews have been racing around the world throughout the autumn with a series of excellent early-season results.

Pairs Head took place in early October in horrible wet and windy conditions. Thames had just a few crews racing but the results were good!

Congratulations to Till Andreesen and Carlos Cordal, who won the Masters C 2x Club pennant, finishing a solid 80th overall.

Suzi Perry and Alex Styles, racing as a Thames/Oxford Brookes composite in Women’s Championship 2x, were 89th overall and second in their category, and Kevin Watkiss and Andrew Seddon were third in Masters F 2x.

Sam Thornton and Luke Wertheim won the Open 2x Club Shield at the British Rowing Senior Championships in Nottingham. Ian Hurley and Alex Morris also competed, and finished third in the club category.

Meanwhile over in Boston on the same weekend, a number of Thames athletes and alumni were racing at Head of the Charles. Michael Guy and Till Andreesen both raced in Thames colours, competing in senior master 2x and 1x respectively and both acquitting themselves well.

Club member Harvey Worden won senior master 8+ in a new record time, racing for Molesey alongside Tom Solesbury who competed for Thames last season. In the same event Chris George, racing for Upper Thames, won the veteran category. Julie Dickson finished fourth in women’s masters 8+ for Cornell University alumni club BMA.

Connie Pidoux coxed Crabtree to third in men’s masters 4+, and Caroline Smith coxed an Auriol Kensington crew in men’s club 4+ as well as once again volunteering as a referee. Hannah Aldred coxed the Royal Navy and Marines in men’s club 8+.

Finally as October faded, Thames took the entire men’s squad, half the women and a couple of junior boats to the Upper Thames Autumn Head and had a successful day.

The men cleaned up in almost all their races. The 8s finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the morning and afternoon divisions, while the 4x and 4+ won both their races. The 4-s finished 1st and 2nd in Band 1 in both divisions, and 2nd in Band 2 in the morning.

The women, testing out crews, were 3rd in the morning and 2nd and 3rd in the afternoon in Band 1. The juniors raced in the afternoon, with both the men’s and women’s J18 4xs gaining useful experience.

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Meanwhile over in Boston on the same weekend, a number of Thames athletes and alumni were racing at Head of the Charles. Michael Guy and Till Andreesen both raced in Thames colours, competing in senior master 2x and 1x respectively and both acquitting themselves well.

Club member Harvey Worden won senior master 8+ in a new record time, racing for Molesey alongside Tom Solesbury who competed for Thames last season. In the same event Chris George, racing for Upper Thames, won the veteran category. Julie Dickson finished fourth in women’s masters 8+ for Cornell University alumni club BMA.

Connie Pidoux coxed Crabtree to third in men’s masters 4+, and Caroline Smith coxed an Auriol Kensington crew in men’s club 4+ as well as once again volunteering as a referee. Hannah Aldred coxed the Royal Navy and Marines in men’s club 8+.

Finally as October faded, Thames took the entire men’s squad, half the women and a couple of junior boats to the Upper Thames Autumn Head and had a successful day.

The men cleaned up in almost all their races. The 8s finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the morning and afternoon divisions, while the 4x and 4+ won both their races. The 4-s finished 1st and 2nd in Band 1 in both divisions, and 2nd in Band 2 in the morning.

The women, testing out crews, were 3rd in the morning and 2nd and 3rd in the afternoon in Band 1. The juniors raced in the afternoon, with both the men’s and women’s J18 4xs gaining useful experience.

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Meanwhile three Thames scullers competed in the unique mass-start Armada Cup in Switzerland. Jordan Cole-Hossain and Cat Buizza, competing in a field packed with world and Olympic medallists, were 12th and 13th respectively in the women’s category. Till Andreesen was 8th in the men’s masters ABC category.