The motivating factor of inter-Club competition added some extra ginger into the racing on the River Avon for the Bridgnorth Rowing Club rowers who competed in the Head of the River at Evesham on 29 November. Conditions were relatively benign so crews were able to concentrate on their rowing more than at Chester a few weeks before. The Club entered two Senior Two Fours and two Senior Four Fours, along with a Women's Senior Three Four, and Charlotte Jukes raced in her single scull at Women's Junior 16.
In the Senior Two category, the two fours competed closely (although in separate divisions) over the two and a half mile upstream course, with only seven seconds separating the two boats. The four comprising of Chris Thomas, Daryl Breakwell, Matt Walker, stroked by Patrick Brown and coxed by Dale Bunning, pipped the perhaps more experienced boat of Dale Bunning, Dr. Cropper, Simon Kett and Tim Grimsdale (Coxed by Daryl Breakwell). The winning four also carried home the trophy for being the fastest boat in their category- completing the course in a time of 17:43.
The other overall victor in her category was Charlotte Jukes who beat her opponent from Cheltenham Ladies College by a handsome sixteen seconds. Charlotte negotiated the complicated course, including some notorious 'S' bends which prove a challenge for the most accomplished coxless boats, with aplomb and was a deserved winner.
In the Senior Four event, the four with rowers John Allen, Phill Wood, Matthew Nobbs, and Patrick Brown (Coxed by Richard Mottram) beat their Bridgnorth opponents Richard Mottram, Martin Brown, Dr. Cropper, Matt Baker and coxed by Charlotte Jukes by a margin of twenty-four seconds in a time of 18:21. It is safe to say that no boat in any class or from any Club came close to the course record which was set by the Coxless pair of Sir Steve Redgrave and Matt Pincent with a time of 14:45 in the mid 1990s. No boat of any size has ever beaten this time.
The Women's Senior Three Four put in a terrific performance. This was the first time that Barbara Webb, Sarah Hocking, Rhiannon Jones and Lucy Armstrong had raced together yet they still managed to come a respectable fifth in their event. They were coxed by Paul Wallis and attained a time of 20:44. Ladies Captain Sue Goodwin was delighted with the row, stating that there would be even better things to come from this four in the future.
Evesham is the last of the so called small boats Head races, and Club Captain Dale Bunning is now in the process of splitting the senior oarsmen into the eights which will eventually compete in the London Head of the River Race in March, which represents the apex of the long distance rowing season.
