| Date | August 1937 |
|---|---|
| Source | The Times |
| Reference | EE01-0200 |
| Volume | Eton Excelsior Rowing Club, Volume 1 |
| Collection | Eton Excelsior |
Transcript
Maidenhead Amateur Regatta
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Held in some of the best weather of the season Maidenhead Amateur Regatta, which was held on Saturday, was a great success. Racing takes place over an upstream course of about five furlongs, and while the conditions were ideal from the spectators’ point of view they were not from the oarsman’s, for he had to contend with a fairly strong stream and also a head wind.
There was an excellent entry for the three races for eights and they provided much interesting rowing. Perhaps the most popular win at the regatta was that gained by Bryanston School in the Junior Eights. The school’s first eight took part in the Thames Cup Eights, but they failed in the semi-final. The juniors, although having to row three times to win, did this with great credit. They were fortunate in their first heat, as one of the Maidenhead crew, their opponents, had the bad luck to lose a wheel off his slide in the very early stages of the race, and Bryanston paddled home alone. In the semi-final Bryanston won a great race against Anglian by three feet, and they also had another hard race against Kensington in the final. There was very little in it at the top of the enclosure, but then the tideway club had a bad lurch and the schoolboys held on well to win by three-quarters of a length. As several of the boys are only 14 years old their success against older opponents is very creditable.
ETON EXCELSIOR WIN AGAIN
As was generally expected after their victory at Staines the previous Saturday, Eton Excelsior again won the Thames Cup Eights, and as this was their fifth victory in races for eights this season this surely must be a record summer for this old up-river club. They were in the hardest half of the draw on Saturday, and were given good races by Marlow (whom they beat by half a length) and Kensington (whom they beat by a canvas), but they finished three-lengths ahead of Thames. In the final they had to meet Quintin, who had beaten Reading (by a length) and Bryanston School (also by a length) in their heats. It was a great struggle, the crews being level over the first part of the course, but along the enclosure Quintin steered rather wide and Eton Excelsior went ahead to win by a quarter of a length.
Eton Excelsior also won the Junior Fours by means of victories over Marlow and Clarence House, and so had a very good day.
The Henley Rowing Club made no mistake this time, when they won their way through to the final of the Junior-Senior Eights by means of a victory over Thames. They had to meet Vesta, who had disposed of Lensbury and London, and although Vesta held them over the first part of the course, Henley then drew away to gain a comfortable victory.
Mortlake followed up their victory at Staines by gaining another in the Senior Fours, in which they defeated the up-river clubs Maidenhead and Reading.
The final of the Junior-Senior Fours was an “all Banks” affair, Barclays Bank having to meet the National Provincial Bank. The former’s victory was rather surprising, for they twice fouled the buoys marking out the course, but on getting clear they rowed their opponents down.
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