GMSBC Back on Top Form

After a couple of frustrating weekends, Saturday saw a clutch of victories.

The senior boys and girls went to Nottingham, for some six lane racing over the 2000m course at Holme Pierpoint, while the majority of the club descended on Bristol for two  horse, multi round knockout racing over  1000m.

At Nottingham , the Year 11 Boys’ Eight were the first to compete: they won their heat comfortably. In their final, they established a fast time to half way, giving them options to consider in the second half. At 1000m they had three lengths of clear water between them and the team in second place. Moving into cruise mode they maintained their dominant lead through to the finish.

Next came the Junior 18 (sixth form) girls, whose last regatta at Wallingford, had not turned out so well. Solid training in the interim made them hopeful of a better result.  From the start of the final, the girls were clearly on better form and the first 500m passed with little between the crews. After that Bedford Modern and GMS started to move ahead of the field. With 500m left to go, BMS lead GMS by just over 1 length.  Holly Hammond at stroke, lead a blistering charge, building on each 100m which, slowly at first, started to eat away the deficit. With spectators and coaches screaming, the two crews crossed the line, no one was sure who had won. The photo later identified GMS as winner by 0.02 secs. Their time was some 14secs per 500m faster than three weeks earlier.

Later in the afternoon the Boys Eight, our Year 11s, strengthened by the addition of three sixth formers,  lined up against some of the top 1^st Eights  in the country: Shrewsbury, Eton , Radley  and King’s Chester. GMS knew they were up against a top class field with a significantly under aged crew, but the Eight were keen to test themselves against the best.  At 1000m GMS were in  4^th place  but only a length down on King’s Chester.  The boys pushed hard,  knowing they were actually doing an amazing job, and before long King’s Chester had slipped behind them: achieving third place at this level was a real achievement for the Eight.

Meanwhile at Bristol, the girls of Year 10 and 11 were racing in the morning and managing to win a round or two of their events.

The afternoon saw the Year 9s in action in Quad Sculls. Both the boys and the girls raced exceptionally well and won their respective events. The Girls Eight racing in an adult class also won.

Winning Crews

Alex Hardy, Ryan Argyll, Jake Cornwell, Josh Mckensie, Carl Smith, Jamie Jack Westfold, Olly E-B, Oli Peace, Lottie Hughes

Holly Hammond, Emily Paul, Leanna Beswick, Laura Cook

Lizzie Harper, Pippa Young, Olivia Lester, Alice Armes, Devon De Winter, Millie Watts, Millie Turner, Aurianne Jobaggy

Toby Lassen, Toby Holden, Toby B-F, Hugo, Thomas

Hope Smith, Lucy Peace, Rebecca Galbraith, Jessie Macauley, Flo Braybrooke