Hosts shine at Maidenhead Regatta

The wet and windy weather on Saturday did not deter competitors at Maidenhead Regatta but fewer supporters turned up to watch some excellent racing at Dorney Lake.

At this stage of the season crews and scullers are keen to race over shorter distances.

This makes the 500-metre sprint course at Dorney Lake so popular where 160 crews and scullers competed in 50 events in the seven-hour programme.

Despite the unfavourable conditions the programme of 102 races was completed close to the scheduled time.

The Wilkinson Sword Trophy for the most successful club went to Maidenhead with 13 wins, and the £250 cash prize went to Eton Excelsior with 10 wins.

The top event for senior three eights was won by Sons of the Thames from Hammersmith who beat Oxford Academicals.

Senior four eights was another straight final where Parr’s Priory from Hammersmith beat their neighbours HSBC by a quarter of a length.

One length was also the verdict in the final of the women’s senior four eights where Parr’s Priory won a hard fought race by a third of a length.

The verdict was even closer in the mixed eights where Maidenhead beat Oxford Brookes University by three feet.

The senior four coxed fours, always a popular event, attracted an entry of six crews.

In the final Eton Excelsior raced neck and neck with Parr’s Priory winning by four feet.

There were four crews in the novice event where Eton Excelsior dead heated with HSBC. In a re-row the Eton crew won by three feet.

Maidenhead women’s four beat Oxford Academicals by a three-quarter length to face Parr’s Priory in the final where they came home winners by two and a half lengths.

In the women’s novice fours Mortlake Anglia and Alpha beat Eton Excelsior by a three-quarter length to face Walbrook in the final where the Mortlake crew came home winners.

In the senior three quadruple sculls Marlow came home winners over Bewl Bridge with an easy verdict.

In the women’s event Maidenhead beat Guildford in the final by three lengths.

Eton Excelsior beat one Oxford Brookes crew to reach the final but then lost to another Oxford Brookes crew by the narrow margin of three feet in the final of the mixed quadruple sculls.

In the veteran quadruple sculls Eton Excelsior beat Bewl Bridge in the B/C (36/45) event, Twickenham beat Bewl Bridge in the E/F (55/60) event, Marlow beat Maidenhead in the C (Over 43) event and Maidenhead beat Marlow by only half a length in the Over 50 event.

In the women’s veteran quadruple sculls final Weybridge came home two and a half lengths ahead of Maidenhead.

The women’s junior under 14 coxed quadruple sculls event was won by Maidenhead who beat Guildford by five lengths.

In the women’s junior under 15 event it was an all Maidenhead final.

An Abingdon/Marlow composite crew beat an Abingdon crew by one length in the final of senior one coxless pairs. In the senior three pairs Eton Excelsior easily beat Maidenhead.

Senior 2 double sculls was won by Marlow who came home well ahead of Eton Excelsior. In the women’s novice double sculls with seven entries Hendry’s crew from Maidenhead raced neck and neck with Walbrook in the final but lost by just half a length.

In the mixed double sculls events five crews contested the senior 1 event where Phil Clapp’s crew beat the composite Maidenhead/Reading Blue Coat School crew by two lengths in the final.

Four crews contested the veteran B/C event where Eton Excelsior lost by just half a length to Upper Thames. Abingdon beat Bewl Bridge in the final of the veteran E/F event.

In the women’s veteran C/D double sculls Maidenhead could not hold Eton Excelsior who won by three and a half lengths. Wycliffe College from Gloucester were far too strong for the Maidenhead/Claires Court School composite in the final of the junior 14 event. In double sculls Maidenhead won the junior 16 event.

Five crews contested the women’s junior 15 event but the Bevan crew came home four lengths ahead in the final to continue their successful season.

David Jones of Maidenhead won the men’s senior 2 event. In single sculls Jack Beaumont of Maidenhead continued his successful season by winning the junior 14 event.