Success on the Water

Bill Mason’s last year as chief coach of Imperial College Boat Club ended with strong performances by the eight crews that competed at Henley Royal Regatta in July.

Four crews in total progressed to the semi-finals on the Saturday. In the Temple Challenge Cup, the 1st eight narrowly lost to their main rivals, Oxford Brookes by half a length. Both crews were pushed to the limit, so much so that Oxford Brookes were arguably too tired to beat Harvard in the final.

In the Grand Challenge Cup for eights, an Imperial College composite crew comprising rowers from the national squad went out to a German national crew in the semi-finals. In the Visitors Challenge Cup for coxless fours, the Imperial College A crew were beaten in a tight race against a composite crew from Oxford Brookes and Imperial College. It was later revealed that Imperial College’s 3-man, Tim Perkins was suffering from gastroenteritis during the competition. The composite crew containing Dan Marret and Dave Gillard of Imperial went on to win the event in a controversial final requiring a re-row when a flock of geese wandered on to the course.

Other crews of note included the second Temple Cup eight who lost a narrow race to a strong crew from Marist College, USA. Finally a pair from Imperial raced the South African world bronze medallists, worrying them off the start going out in a well publicised race.

Four members of the Temple Cup eight, George Whittaker, Hugh McKenzie, Ed Johnson and John Weale, went on to win silver in open coxed fours in the National Championships. This experienced crew raced with tenacity over the 2000m course, only being overpowered by the winning crew from Nottinghamshire County in the last 300m.

This ended a successful regatta season that saw various wins at the Metropolitan, Docklands and Reading regattas. Imperial also sent an eight to an invitational student regatta in Valenciennes, France, where they beat Dresden of Germany to win the final. Special note should go to the new members of the club who won novice coxed fours in convincing style at Putney Town regatta.

The women’s squad prevailed through a difficult year and produced strong performances from a small base. At Women’s Henley Regatta, Cathy Burgione, Kelly Cummins, Ali Elsey Helen Ellison, and cox Seb Pearce competed in the College coxed fours event. They raced with determination and skill against the much bigger, but younger, crew of Eden High School, Canada, but were unable to prevent them slowly edging out a 1 length lead by the finish line. Comfort was to be drawn from the fact that it was the closest any crew got to Eden in the event.

Imperial College was also well represented at the various international regattas during the summer months.

At the World Championships in Seville, Steve Trapmore, Luka Grubor and Kieran West from Imperial College, together with Tom Stallard of Cambridge University and cox Christian Cormack of Leander competed in the men’s coxed fours. They dominated the event, rowing to gold in the final in commanding fashion. This adds to their impressive Olympic gold they achieved in the British men’s eight in Sydney 2000. Imperial’s Dan Ouseley also rowed in the British men’s eight this year in Seville to come 6th place overall, a most respectable result considering their initially poor performances at the preceding World Cup regattas. James Haddow, who coxed the Temple Cup eight, went on to steer the British lightweight men’s eight and came 5th in the final.

Other international appearances included Angus Rivers, who rowed in the coxless four at this year’s under 23 regatta, the Nations Cup. Seb Pearce coxed the British men’s eight at the World University Championships. Ironically this was the Oxford Brookes crew who beat the 1st eight in the Temple Cup at Henley.

Marret and Gillard, along with their Oxford Brookes crewmates, represented England at the Commonwealth Regatta. More controversy was in store when they had to re-row for the bronze medal against former Queen’s Tower members John Langley and Tom Morgan. Once again, they won the re-row and achieved bronze, proving that fitness over 4000m is a more prudent tactic these days. Helen Ellison and John Weale rowed for Wales at the Commonwealths, with Ellison winning bronze in the women’s eight.

Simon Dennis, former member of the British Olympic gold medal men’s eight from Sydney 2000, has now taken over as the Boat Club’s new head coach. He inherits Bill Mason’s 24-year legacy of consistent success as a coach at the top of British rowing. It includes 17 wins at Henley Royal Regatta, 15 World Championship medals, and national chief coach for women at the Atlanta Olympic Games, and many who have been coached by Bill have risen through the ranks to enjoy successes in the national team. He will now work in a more supportive role as Director of Rowing at Imperial.

A dinner to celebrate Bill’s life and work at Imperial will take place on Saturday 30 November at the Hilton Olympia, London. Tickets are available from peter.holt@ic.ac.uk.