| Date | 17 June 1938 |
|---|---|
| Source | Unknown |
| Reference | EE01-0162 |
| Volume | Eton Excelsior Rowing Club, Volume 1 |
| Collection | Eton Excelsior |
Transcript
A Fine Start to the Season
Winners of Grand Challenge Cup for Thames Eights
On Saturday Eton Excelsior Rowing Club made its first appearance this season in open regattas and followed up the successes of last year by winning the Grand Challenge Cup for Thames Cup Eights at Reading Amateur Regatta.
In Eight crews entered for this event. their first heat Eton Excelsior met Quintin B.C. who won the Thames Cup Eights at Richmond the previous week. They proved no match for the Excelsior eight who went right away from the start, were two lengths ahead after two minutes and won with ease in 5 min 9 secs. In the semi-final Thames R.C. were beaten in the same manner, by three lengths, and in the same time which was the fastest recorded during the day.
The final produced a great race between Lensbury R.C. and Excelsior. Lensbury went off at a very high rate which they maintained all the way, but Excelsior had a length’s lead at half-way and, resisting great efforts by Lensbury, won by 1¼ lengths in 5 mins. 10 secs.
Mr. H. O. C. Boret is coaching the crew again this season and Saturday’s performance proves the soundness of his method and style. He has produced a crew which will be difficult to defeat and which must now be regarded as one of our chief defenders of the Thames Cup at Henley.
Since last season changes have been made in the crew, J. C. Fox, J. B. Frampton and R. J. Derry rowing in the places of H. С. Gough and E. and P. Watson, and the boat has been rigged differently.
Mr. H. O. C. Boret, who has taken such a keen interest in the Club, favours a combination of a fixed and swivel rowlock and is confident of even greater success during the season.
H. C. Gough and E. Watson who were in the crew last year have left the district and P. Watson is unable to row owing to a forthcoming examination. With the Club forging ahead as it has and is doing, membership has received a welcome fillip and and prospects for the season are exceedingly good.
A Junior Four was also sent to Reading and after a hard and plucky race were beaten by Marlow R.C. by 6 ft. As the crew and coxswain were all new members this season the result was very creditable and encouraging.
The crews were as follows:
Thames Eight Cup; R. J. [handwritten correction to read “H”] Derry (bow); D. S. Harrison, N. J. W. Nicholls, D. A. Bond, J. C. Fox, J. B. Frampton, R. J. Cork, A. G. Blake (stroke), B. J. Cork (cox).
Junior Fours; W. Fraser (bow), T. G. Hill, G. C. Morgan, J. Lawson (stroke), L. T. Jones (cox).
Images
