Welcome to the Sherriff Club

Welcome! This site is designed and maintained by the parents on the Sherriff Club committee. Items of general interest and recent results will be on this page. For news about crews, times, voice mail updates etc. please see the squad notices page. If you wish to add any news please contact us.

The Tide is High ...

Red boards at Teddington Lock

...well, not exactly the tide, but the river at any rate. Those of you who have passed by in recent days will have seen the river is both high and fast, limiting the extent to which crews are allowed on the water by their coaches. You can find out about the current on this page

http://riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

which shows the river conditions at all locks along the Thames. Obviously the one relevant to us is the stretch from Molesey to Teddington, but looking at the others will give you some idea of whether the stream is growing stronger or weaker. (Note that there is also a link on the links page of this site).

When Red Boards are up, senior and J15 crews will only be allowed out in certain conditions, (depending on the water speed etc.)and only part of the reach, and then only in coxed boats. No J14 crews will be allowed out on Red Boards.

When Yellow Boards are up the position is more flexible, in part depending whether the stream is decreasing or not, and on coaches assessment of river conditions on our stretch. Senior crews would be allowed out on Yellow Boards, again in larger boats. Junior crews, if allowed out at all, will certainly be in Eights, Octuples or coxed quads/fours.

Whatever the river conditions, training will go ahead, so all rowers (and their parents) should always assume that training is on and rowers MUST check the noticeboard in school to find out arrangements. Rowers should therefore come equipped for both land and water sessions - and don't assume that land-based sessions will be dryer: running in the rain (and mud) is always a possibility, so rowers should always make sure to bring training shoes as well as their rowing or training kit.

Video of J15 Boys at the Schools Head of the River

Thanks to Mr Williams for this fine video of the J15s powering by on their way to second place at the Schools Head of the River.

As Heads Come to an End, Great Expectations for Regatta Season

The Head Season came to an end in a rush over the weekend, with three big events - the Head of the River Race (HORR), the Sculling Head and Schools’ Head - all sandwiched into four days. The result for KGS crews were mixed, as ever, but with signs of some promise for the Regatta season which begins after Easter.

Schools’ Head Results 2012

Crew	Position	Time	Category Winner	Category Winner time as % of KGS time
1st VIII	12/14 (29th overall)	17:50	Abingdon	94.7
2nd VIII	7/20 (33rd overall)	17:51	Abingdon	97.4
J15 Boys A	2/19 (7th= for all J15s)	18:37	Borlase	99.4
Girls Champ 8	8/16	19:59	LEH	95.2
Girls Quad	8/17	20:01	Latymer Upper	96.9
J15 Boys B	14/21	20:24	St Paul’s	91.3
Girls J15	9/12	21:06	Headington	94.1

The Table shows the results for the seven KGS crews at Schools’ Head. Performance of the day was the J15 Boys First Eight, which lived up to advance billing with a second place in the J15 First Eights category - although, coming 7th equal in the overall J15 standings shows there is still room for improvement. The J15 Second Eight showed great poise in the race, and battled hard to the end, coming a very creditable 14th in a highly competitive category.


The J15 Boys Eight: Performance of the Day

We can rate our crews' performances by how close they were to the winning times in their category - see the end column in the table - and on that basis, the 2nd Eight were next best on the day, who maybe exceeded expectations in coming 7th in their category (and 33rd overall - the best in recent years), but also in losing to the First Eight by just one second. That was something of a surprise, since the First Eight had won by 45 seconds at Kingston Head, and by 24 seconds as recently as the Head of the River Race last Saturday.


The Senior Second Eight

The two senior girls crews also performed well, both scoring eighth place in category, but with the girls in the Quad taking the laurels by virtue of coming closer to the winning time. The J15 girls, unfortunately, couldn’t quite match their senior counterparts, with a slightly off-form showing that dropped them to 9th on the day - but they’re made of stern stuff and will undoubtedly bounce back after Easter.


Supporters and Go KGS Banner on Hammersmith Bridge

We expect to see the J14s climb up the rankings after Easter as well, after a difficult - but exciting and highly enjoyable - day in the winds of Dorney. A coach load of J14s made the journey, with six matched crews taking part - two boys’ Octs and a Quad, and a girls’ Oct and two Quads. As usual, the KGS crews found the competition challenging, perhaps more so this year than in previous years because of the slightly restricted rowing time. But they’re moving rapidly up the learning curve and should see better results in their next outing at Thames Ditton Regatta (May 12th).

Well done to all the rowers, and good luck at Easter camps.

Crews Tune-Up for School’s Head


Girls J15 eight

A diverse group of KGS crews took part in the Kingston Head, in fine conditions, on Saturday 10th March, preparing for the rather bigger test of School’s Head in a week’s time. Some rowers raced the 5.2km course twice, racing in both the morning and afternoon divisions. Results were solid, for the most part, with some encouraging performances.


J15 Boys Coxed Four

Sharing the laurels for best performance on the day were the J15 Boys Four, the J15 girls Eight (rowing in the Novice category) and the Women’s J18 Eight.

• The WJ18 girls came first in a category of 1, but their performance can be set against the times of Women’s IM3 Eights, and on that basis they would have come in 6th, about a minute and a half off the lead - not bad for a mixed crew of J16s and 17s.
• The J15 boys four came second (of 6) in their category - to Emanuel - but will have been annoyed not to take the crown which they might have expected.
• The J15 girls came fourth out of 14 in Novice Eights, just behind two university crews and a strong Walbrook crew, but finishing strongly only 20 seconds off the winners, St John’s Cambridge.

Some of the girls in the afternoon WJ18 eight had rowed in the coxed Four in the morning, which did well, coming 2nd by just over 30 seconds. The J18 girls Quad also had a strong showing, coming 3rd in a good time, although they’ll be disappointed at the 40 second gap behind the first two crews (Canford and Latymer Upper).

The first and second eights have seen some changes in crew composition in recent weeks, and were missing a couple of strong rowers, but acquitted themselves well against some very tough opposition. Hampton showed, again, that they’ll be the school to beat this year, coming home as first school crew with a 20 second gap over Eton, who themselves were well ahead of the third placed school. The First Eight were the 10th school crew home, about a minute behind Hampton, but if they can find twenty seconds before School’s Head they’ll jump several places. The same is true of the Second Eight, who were 16th school crew home, only 45 seconds behind the First Eight, beating KCS, Abingdon and Bryanston crews in the process.

The J15 boys morning crews seemed to struggle a little over the distance, in times that were perhaps a little slower than anticipated, but in both the Eight and the Quad they managed to take some scalps, and beating some Hampton, Eton and KCS crews in particular will have given them some satisfaction.

Thanks to Andrew Sim for photos of all crews (and of Cled rowing at 7 in Thames RC’s 3rd Eight in the afternoon session), available here: ( http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing; password: sherriff)) http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username “rowing”, password “sherriff”).

Next up: Men’s Head (Saturday 17th - first and second Eights); Sculling Head (Monday 19th - mainly 3rd Formers), Schools’ Head (Tuesday 20th - 4th Form and above)

Girls 69th in Women's Head of the River - Best in 10 Years

Congratulations to the girls VIII which came 69th in the Women's Head of the River race on the Tideway on Saturday, the best placing by a KGS crew since 2004, and setting a tough standard for the boys to beat at Men's Head in two weeks time.

The crew - six from Lower 6th, and two from the 5th form - posted a time of 22:03, coming 8th in their category (which was won by Headington) and beating a number of rivals along the way - including Molesey, St George's and Tideway Scullers. The result represents a big improvement on last year - nearly 50 places higher, and in a time much closer to the category winners. Although they still have some way to go to match the 2004 crew (which placed 60th overall, and second in category), they did surpass them in one respect, coming closer in time to the overall winners. Nevertheless, if the girls keep on improving at the rate they have done in the past twelve months, who knows how much higher they might go next year.

Pictures available from Andrew Sim ( http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing; password: sherriff)). Scroll to the end of Andrew's pictures to see an impressive clash of blades between City of Cambridge and Bristol Auriel. Then, if you're still in the mood to see some impressive crabs and clashes, check out this excellent slideshow from Ian Weir Photography: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zjw8dB8uvk

Rowers Cashing In : £2840 and Counting


It all started with Toby Smith’s 50K challenge last September, when he raised £1,300 for Sands, the neonatal and stillbirth death charity. Since then even more KGS rowers have been doing their fundraising best.

Joao Harrison raised £140 for the Boathouse extension with the bright idea of selling candy floss at the Christmas pudding races. And since the New Year the rowers, co-ordinated mainly by Ella Barnard and the J17 girls, have held two Friday cake sales, raising another £400 for the Boathouse.

Not to be outdone, Issy Johnson and Sophie Crocker helped co-ordinate over 70 participants - teachers and pupils - to row the length of the Thames on a massive 346K Ergo Challenge, raising over £1,000 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. You can congratulate them by heading over to their JustGiving page (http://www.justgiving.com/KGS-Thames-Rowing-Challenge) and adding a little bit to the pot.

Well done to all our hard-working and public-spirited rowers: if, in the coming months, they perform as well on the water as they have in fundraising, we should be in for a bumper year

Senior Eights Show Promise at Reading University Head

With the crews for School's Head are beginning to finalise, the boys' First and Second Eights were put through their paces at Reading University Head on Saturday (pictures, thanks to Andrew Sim, are available here: http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username rowing, password sherriff)). The Head is seen by most schools as an essential tune-up for Schools' Head, and most of the big schools were represented in depth. The First Eight came a very creditable 20th overall, 9th among school crews, beating a number of big name schools, Universities and Clubs in the process. While the boys were 43 seconds behind winners Hampton, they were only 26 seconds behind second-placed Eton, and if they can find a few seconds in the next few weeks they should be able to jump several places.

The Second Eight - largely composed of J16s - also had a very creditable outing, coming in 42nd, just 34 seconds behind the Firsts, beating a number of good First Eights in the process, and all but one second Eight. Overall their performance was broadly in line with last year's Second Eight - a very good crew - which should give them some confidence in the weeks ahead.

Victory for the Senior Girls quad and second place for the J15 boys at Hammersmith Women's and Juniors' Head

Congratulations to the J15 boys eight who came 2nd in a their category at Hammersmith Women's and Junior's Head losing by just 8 seconds to one of Bedford Modern's Eights but beating both the Hampton boats. Overall the crew came joint 23rd out of the 90 crews who completed the course.


The J158+ at Barnes Bridge

Performance of the day however goes to the girls J18 Quad, who won their category, beating a very good Tideway Scullers crew by over 9 seconds, and getting revenge for a defeat at Kingston Head.

For full results click here.

Hampton Head: A Tale of Two Divisions


The Senior 'B' Eight: Performance of the Day

Overnight ice brought KGS participation in the First Division of Hampton Head to a very unsatisfactory conclusion, much to the disappointment of many expectant J14s and their parents. The ice that brought Molesey Lock to a standstill (see Andrew Sim's pictures below), prevented the KGS crews from paddling up to the start on time. Crews participating in the 2nd Division in the afternoon were able to trailer their boats up, and so at least 60 or so rowers were able to demonstrate their skill and power, taking a number of impressive scalps along the way.

The Senior Boys' 'A' VIII, having been frustrated by the cancellation of the Head of the Nene in Peterborough, settled for a time-only berth at Hampton and lost out to the eventual winners (BMS) by only twenty seconds, coming 7th of 15 in their category. Meanwhile, the 'B' VIII, half of whom are J16s, came in only 15 seconds slower, enough to put them in second place (to Hampton) in the Second VIII category (beating crews from BMS and others) and earning them the laurels as our "Performance of the Day".

The Senior 'A' Eight Dealing with a Log-istical Problem

A strong showing from the Senior Girls Eight

The senior girls' VIII, also comprising a good number of J16s did very well to come 5th in their category, in a time just 30 seconds off the winners (LEH). But they were being hotly pursued by the senior girls' Quad (Rachel, Ella, Fenella and Caroline) and only just managed to hold them off.

Three J15 VIIIs acquitted themselves well on the day, with the boys' crew "Pinky" recording the third fastest time of the day for a KGS crew, just over 30 seconds behind the Senior 'B' VIII. It was enough to bring them 4th place in a very competitive category - the best placing for several years - and to beat a number of strong rowing schools, including BMS, Hampton, Eton and others. The other Boys' VIII ("The Brain") were around a minute slower, coming 8th in their category. The J15 girls, having done well last week, came up against tougher opposition this week - from Headington, Marlow and others - but still managed to come 6th in a strong category, with grounds for optimism that they'll make up the time difference on some of the crews above in the weeks before Schools' Head.

Pictures of all the crews by Andrew Sim can be found on http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing; password: sherriff).

An Apology: For those of you attending the Head in the afternoon, apologies that the promised Sherriff Club Marquee failed to materialise. As we didn't need to be there for the Morning Session, we opted not to set it out just for the hour or so in the afternoon. But at least your rowers got to enjoy the cakes we had prepared……

Ice at Molesey Lock in Pictures

Ice upstream of Molesey Lock ....

... and the icebreaker

With temperatures at -5 degrees this morning (4th Feb) it took an Environmebt Agency Boat to break the ice which had accumulated just upstream of Molesey Lock. Andrew Sim was on the spot. To see his photos log on to his mobile me site: http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing; password: sherriff).

SAT 4th FEB 10:10: KGS CREWS WILL BE RACING IN DIV 2 HAMPTON HEAD BUT PLEASE BE ALERT FOR MESSASGES ABOUT BOATING AND DRESS VERY VERY WARMLY. PARENTS: THERE WILL NOT BE A GAZEBO NOW BUT WE WILL CONGREGATE NEAR THE FINISH

Hampton Head DIV 2 is ON ... but please dress very warmly. SEE NEW MESSAGE ABOVE

We have had an email from Colin Greenway, Head of Rowing at Hampton School to confirm that Hampton Head is on despite the cold weather. However please take note of his threat ...

Please drum home the message to your rowers that they must be appropriately dress for the paddle-up to the start for racing. If any Marshal sees any bare skin (and not the grizzly kind) on any rower they will be pulled out from the race. Hats and pogies are strongly recommended.

... and dress appropriately.

Parents and supporters - it would be great to see you at the Sherriff Club gazebo which will be 100 metres or so before the Finish on the Surrey (Molesey) side of the river.

Promising Results from First Tideway Head of the Year

J15 girls looking slick in their visors

Senior boys overtaking Emanuel

About 50 KGS rowers made the trip up to Chiswick last Saturday to take part in the Quintin Head - the first big Tideway event of the year. Usually Quintin is restricted to 100 boats, but this year, with permission to close the river, the numbers had swelled to 150, ensuring good competition in all categories. KGSBC sent up four boys' VIIIs and two girls' VIIIs, and the results were quite promising. Some very good pictures are available on Andrew Sim's mobile me site: http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing; password: sherriff)

The senior boys came 4th and 5th respectively (out of 9) in the J18 category, losing out to two Hampton boats, and KCS. But the boys were rowing in matched eights (with one or two of the stronger rowers sitting this one out) and they can take confidence from beating St Paul's and a pair of Reading Blue Coat crews. The senior girls came second of two in the WJ18 category, losing to St George's by under half a minute (just 3%), which is encouraging, since there were so many J16s in the crew.

Encouraging results, too, from the J15 boys matched Eights - in the first place just because there are more than enough boys to fill the two boats, but also because they performed to a very creditable standard, coming 4th and 9th (of 10), and being within striking distance of most of the crews above them (although not the St Paul's top boat, which gave a very strong showing).

Performance of the day on the water, however, goes to the J15 girls, who came 2nd in their category, just 10 seconds off the winers, despite rowing in a boat that was slowly sinking. They've leapt to the top of the Sherriff Club's rankings of possible medallists this year - just so long as they work on their boat rigging skills in the meantime! [RW]

KGSBC flag will be flying in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant, Sunday 3rd June



Skalavagr, the boat owned by two former Sherriff Club Chairmen, Neil Christie and Peter Hartman, will be one of the thousand boats taking part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd June. It will the largest flotilla in modern times on the river with rowing boats, working boats and pleasure vessels of all shapes and sizes beautifully dressed with streamers and Union Jacks, stretching for an estimated twelve and a half miles. Three boats applied for every place on the river so they did well to be selected. The boat will be flying the KGSBC flag as it did last year in the Great River Race when it raced the 21 miles from London Docklands to Ham (see picture above). Click here to read more detail in the press release.

Photos from Push the Boat out - and the Boathouse Exhibition

Two great reminders of the Push the Boat Out evening at Pembroke Lodge are now available. Photos from the evening can be found here, while a potted version of the excellent exhibition about the history of the boathouse can be found on the new boathouse history page. Many thanks to Mrs Marianne Bradnock, the school archivist, for researching and preparing the exhibition.

Knowing Rowing Competition

The River and Rowing Museum at Henley have an initiative underway, Knowing Rowing, to excite and inspire junior rowers about the history, heritage ethos and values of the sport.

The Museum has recently launched a competition which young rowers from schools and clubs can enter by submitting a short film about something or someone from their club that inspires them. Entries are open until 17th Feb, and full details are shown in the poster (click on it to enlarge it).

Pushing the Boat Out….with Style

Thanks to everyone - over 160 of you - who came along to our grand "Push the Boat Out" event last Friday. Special thanks to those who donated such valuable and desirable auction and raffle prizes, and to Ali Smith, of the Sherriff Club Committee, who so expertly co-ordinated every aspect of the auction process.

As everyone who was there will know, the evening was a great success, and we're very grateful to Daniel Hearsum, who let us use Pembroke Lodge (a fantastic venue), and his staff (so well led by Adrian Vagg) for their wonderful catering and efficient service. Thanks, too, to the wonderful band ‘The Dazzlers’ who kept us dancing until throwing out time; to the KGS staff (especially Elaine Gawn and Jennifer Garner) who ran the event so smoothly on the night; and to Marianne Bradnock, the archivist, for her fascinating Boathouse display (which we'll shortly be posting on the website).

In the event, we not only had a great evening, but raised a terrific amount of money - most likely over £13,000 by the time al the receipts are in. Well over half of that came from your generosity in the auction, and those of you yet to claim your auction prizes should contact Elaine Gawn to arrange payment. The raffle was also a great success,but not all of the prizes were claimed before the evening ended. Click here for a list of the remaining prizes and if you have a winning ticket, please get in touch with Elaine to discuss pick-up.

We certainly Pushed the Boat Out in style, and got the year off to a terrific start. Thanks to all of the rowing families who helped get us half-way to our Boathouse target, and here's hoping that raising the next £35,000 will be just as much fun!

Fabulous Opportunities for 2012 in the Promises Auction

Just two days to go now until the Push the Boat out dinner dance at Pembroke Lodge.

If you've not yet bought your tickets for Friday's black-tie dinner-dance in aid of the Boathouse Extension, you now have one last chance, since a few tickets have just become available. Priced at £60 each, they can be obtained from Elaine Gawn in the school's Development Office

As well as dinner and dancing, there will be an auction of some fabulous prizes, generously donated by rowing families and supporters of the Boathouse, including tickets for Wimbledon, Lords and Henley, a variety of holiday accommodation, shopping trips, weekend spa breaks and a range of other treats. Click here or on the image of the first page of the catalogue and even if you are unable to come on Friday you can still make a bid on the auction lots in advance by contacting Elaine.

Last-Minute Christmas Shopping

Don't forget that you can buy those last minute Christmas gifts right here at the Sherriff Club, for we have a range of merchandise that rowers and their relatives would be delighted to see in their Christmas stockings.

New this year is a wonderful selection of Rowing Carols performed by the KGSBC Choir, featuring the girls and boys of the Senior Squad. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without such classics as O Coxless Quad, We 4 Scullers and Rig the Boats. For the linguists among you, we have songs in French, German and Latin to keep you amused. Priced at just £3 it's the perfect gift for doting parents and grandparents - just Email your orders to us at: .

Besides our Rowing Carols, there's the usual array of KGSBC goodies: click on the Merchandise tag on the left, and follow the instructions. In addition to the mugs (of which we now have very few left) and umbrellas, we have some very spiffy KGSBC mouse-mats and fridge magnets, should your rowers ever be confused about the Boat-Club to which they belong.

If you are ordering goods, please do so soon to allow us the opportunity to deliver to you in time for Christmas!

As a public service, we should perhaps also mention that there are great rowing gifts to be had from Godfrey Sports: www.godfrey.co.uk and Rock The Boat: www.rock-the-boat.co.uk.

Steady as She Goes

The Boat Club was out in force at Hampton Head, with over 60 competitors spread between the two Divisions. Results for the most part were steady, although with one or two highlights over the day. Starting with the J15s, the boys were again able to turn out in numbers, fielding 4 coxed Quads in the busiest event of the day. The top performers were around 40 seconds behind the winners, with two of the other 3 crews coming in fairly swiftly behind. On the girls side, the top quad was around 33 seconds adrift of the two winning Marlow crews, with the second quad a similar distance behind.

The senior girls were out in singles and pairs. Among the singles, Alice Lampe was first J16 girls home, beating Lydia Davis by just 9 seconds; Rachel Cook won bragging rights among the J18s with a 15 second lead over Fenella Ross, her nearest rival. Sarah Bridge and Kathryn Bevan came first among the J17KGS girls pairs, shading their Boat Club rivals by just 4 seconds.

Among the senior boys, the performance of the day, although marred by misfortune, came from the pair of Toby Smith and James Stuart, who came 5th in their category (20 seconds off the winner), but only after being driven into the bank and subsequently hampered by another KGS crew (Kris and Joao) whose steering had unfortunately broken. Alex Browning did well in J16 singles, coming in just 38 seconds behind the winner, the smallest margin of any KGS singled on the day. And a mention, too, to the J18 pair of Tom Hoskin and Allie Toyn, who came in 6th place overall (behind a clutch of Eton and Hampton crews) but with the satisfaction of having come first of the 5 KGS pairs on the day, a result which will no doubt keep them warm through the cold training that lies ahead before their trip to GB trials in February.

Sherriff Night 2011


Tim, Phil and Cled in their launches

Playing to a sold-out crowd, about 80 rowers took to the stage this year in the Sherriff Club’s annual tribute to R C Sherriff. The theme running throughout the show this year was the rowing musical “Blades”, a tale of love across the sporting divide, with Lawrence Peirson as a very English rower, Sophie Kenneally as an equally American hockey player (with a very authentic accent), and Patrick Beeley in a starring comic turn as the voluptuous Patty. The music came from “Grease”, but with the lyrics tortured to fit rowing themes, producing classics such as “Winter Rowing”, “Ergo” and “Hopelessly Devoted to Crew”. The musical was produced and directed by Hannah Marsters and Ali Middleton who also wrote and performed (with Sophie Crocker) a hilarious parody of the school’s rowing coaches (see picture)

This year’s featured Sherriff drama was the 1948 movie “Odd Man Out”, a tale of an injured terrorist on the run in a menacing city. The four extracts were compellingly presented by actors from the 4th and 5th form rowing squads, and provided a reminder of the versatility of Sherriff’s screenwriting work.

A further highlight of the evening was the tribute to Mr Smalman-Smith and his wife as they depart to row the Atlantic (see picture). To the tune of “Greased Lightning”, the entire cast (and some of the audience) offered a rousing send-off with the song “Go DiDi” (the name of their boat), and a recording has gone with them on their Ipod to remind them of the warmth of the Boat Club’s good wishes.

Crews Suffer Umpires' Wrath at Wallingford

Two matched senior 8s, and two matched J15 boys 8s made the long trip to Wallingford for the 4s and 8s Head on Sunday. This was the first time KGS has taken two J15 crews, which is an indication of the squad's strength in numbers.

Credit goes to the coaches of the senior boys, whose matching skills produced a time difference of just 4 seconds (in a 15 minute race), at least part of which can be explained by a penalty imposed on the slower of the two crews. The winning school (Shrewsbury) won in an impressive time, but the KGS crews performed solidly in holding second-placed Hampton to a lead of around thirty seconds.

The J15 8s were slightly further behind the winners in their category, the faster of the two crews coming in more than 2 minutes adrift, with the slower crew a further two minutes behind (partly due to a penalty incurred for impeding - albeit accidentally - a passing crew). Great credit goes to the two substitutes who stepped in at just a day's notice - Nick and Flo - after a bout of illness struck the squad on Friday. If the J15s stick to their demanding training schedule, the time gap to the other crews will surely narrow quickly.

For more photos by Andrew Sim see his gallery (username: rowing, password: sherriff).

Video of KGS crews at Kingston Head

Click here to see video footage by Ian McGregor of many of the crews just before Kingston Bridge at the KIngston Head.

Reporting from a Ditch, Far, Far Away..........

In case you were ever worried about your child being seduced by the glamour of rowing, GB rowing have the perfect antidote: the early ID sculling trial. Five Kilometres along the river Witham (really resembling nothing so much as a giant drainage ditch in the Lincolnshire fens) on a November morning will cure them of any romantic notions.

Three of KGSBC's finest took up the challenge this year, and came away with some very creditable results. Chris Sim (U6) and Ali Toyn (L6) came in around 80th in a field of 150, Ali just a few seconds ahead, with both boys around 6% (1 minute 20 seconds) off the winner's time. But performance of the day came from Tom Hoskin (U6), who came in 26th place, just 50 seconds adrift - the best performance by a KGS sculler in the trials in recent years.

Next stage in the process is hitting a few ergo marks before the Long Distance trials (back to chilly Boston again!) in February. Good luck to all three on the next stage of their journey.

Kingston Small Boats Head

The winning WJ16 quad: Emily, Lydia, Alice, Emily approaching Ravens Ait

The fastest of the J15 boys quads: James, Keogh, Harry, Hal

We had the biggest turnout of KGS boats so far this year at the Kingston Head on November 19th, the only groups lacking being the 3rd Formers (too soon) and the senior boys (some of whom were at the GB long-distance trials - see below). Highlights of the day were the two winning girls crews: the J15 coxed quad in the morning session (winning handily over two other crews, including the other KGS quad) and the J16 coxless quad which won by a whopping 52 seconds over the second placed KRC crew.

The winning WJ15 quad: Chloe, Tabby, Jo,Gemma

... and the WJ16 girls again

Other notable results of the day were the J16 boys coxless IV which beat one Hampton crew, in coming just 10 seconds behind Hampton’s top boat. In the afternoon session the J16 coxed IV also came second, but a little bit further behind the Dulwich crew which one. SEnior girls also performed well on the day, renewing their long-standing rivalry with Kingston RC. One of the girl’s quads lost out by just 5 seconds to KRC, with the other quad coming 3rd of the 6th entrants, beating another KRC crew in the process.

The J15 boys, out in four matched quads, were some way adrift of the winners (a very fast St Paul’s crew), but the boys are beginning to show good power and technique, and the squad remains large and enthusiastic.

For more excellent photos by Andrew Sim see his gallery (username: rowing, password: sherriff). For a video, (for which thanks to Ian McGregor), of many of the crews just before Kingston Bridge see this page.

Boathouse Extension Plans

The plans for the Boathouse Extension have been circulating for a few weeks now, and the School has been examining a range of possible amendments. We've shown the plans at the AGM, and most recently at the Sherriff Night last Saturday, but this is the first chance we've had to put them up on the Website. If you click on the box marked Boathouse Plans on the left hand side of this page you'll find a number of 3D representations of how the Boathouse might look when the building works are complete (along with two photos to remind you of how it looks now).

In the meantime, the Sherriff Club is still on the hook for £70,000, although we took a nice step in the right direction with a very successful Sherriff Night last Saturday, which is likely to have raised the best part of £2,000. A Report will be posted here soon, but until then, huge thanks to everyone who organised, participated in and attended the event.!

The Atlantic Challenge

The departure of Richard Smalman-Smith and his wife Helena on their extended Atlantic rowing voyage - taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challeng - is rapidly approaching. The Sherriff Club was delighted to have the chance to bid them bon voyage with a musical tribute at the Sherriff Night last Saturday, and the song "Go DiDi" was sung with gusto by the rowers who also cheered heartily as the Smalman-Smiths were presented with their KGSBC sun-hats and industrial quantities of suntan lotion.

Their race is scheduled to start on Sunday 4th December just outside the harbour of San Sebastian de La Gomera, a small island just west of Tenerife. The finish is just outside Port St Charles, Barbados, some 2,549 nautical miles away - although Richard and Helena's route will likely take them an extra 1,000 nautical miles as they head south to try to pick up some trade winds. They note that 2-person crews take anything from 40 to 90 days to complete the journey, and that the record for married couples (which they think they may find difficult to beat) is 53 days. In other words, they're starting at the beginning of December, and will be rowing pretty well continuously until the beginning of February.

We've posted a new button on the left hand side of this page which you can use to go to their blog (which they'll be maintaining as they travel), and a variety of sites about the race, and about their progress (you'll be able to track exactly where they are by using the main Challenge website:www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com). It also has the words of GoDiDi for those who are interested. Please take a moment to go to the Tiger Team website ( www.atlanticdouble.net) and drop some coins in their virtual collection box.

The Sherriff Club sends its heartiest good wishes to them both for a safe and speedy (...in relative terms....) voyage.

J14 Half Term Training

Please see the squad page.

We’re Going to Need A Bigger Boathouse………..

That’s been the view of the parents and the coaches over the past year or two as the number of rowers at KGS has grown rapidly - from around 90 in 2008 to 150 now.

Well, at the AGM of the Sherriff Club last Friday the Head announced the school’s intention to extend the upstairs section of the Boathouse, in a project which may cost around £240,000. The Sherriff Club has agreed to raise around £70,000 of that, and while our previous fundraising efforts (including the last Sponsored Row) means that we are already almost half way to that target, there is obviously still some way to go.

We’re preparing an exciting - and profitable programme of events for the year ahead, starting in just a few weeks. Here are the most immediate:

Saturday 12th November: 4th Annual Sheriff Night: this is coming up soon, and is a great night’s entertainment, featuring the rowers acting excerpts from the plays and movies of R C Sherriff, and singing a collection of popular songs with a rowing twist (this year drawn largely from Grease). We’ll also have the detailed Boathouse plans to hand. Tickets (priced £15 for adults (£25 a pair) and £5 for non-participating children, including a delicious buffet supper) are available from the Sherriff Club: or use the form on the tickets page of this website. Please order as soon as possible, because the event usually sells out.

In addition we are working with the school to organise a wonderful black-tie event at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park. It will take place on Friday 13th January and will include a three-course meal with drinks, an auction of promises and a live band. It promises to be a great occasion, and we’re sure will prove as popular as the similar event held last year. We’ll be getting back in contact with you as soon as the details are finalised, but in the meantime, mark the date in your calendar.

And here are the two biggest fundraisers we currently have planned. Please keep the dates free in your diary, but watch out for more to come!

Saturday May 12th: Thames Ditton Regatta: This is our biggest regular fundraiser, and we usually have from 60-80 parent helpers during the course of the day. We are trying to find ways to generate more income this year, so we will likely need even more than our usual numbers. Come along if you can, and combine watching your rowers in action with a few enjoyable hours of riverside catering!

September 15th-16th: Sponsored Row: Over two days in September the Boathouse empties out as rowers, veterans and some hardy parents row the 80 miles from Oxford back to the KGS landing-stage. In 2008 we had 120 participants (including about 15 parents) and about 70 parent helpers, and we raised around £45,000, which was split equally between KGS and Cancer Research. This time we may have as many as 150 participants, so we’ll need an even bigger support crew. Keep the dates free, for this is the big one.

There will, of course, be plenty of other opportunities for you to help the rowers in the coming months, and as soon as we have finalised our programme of events we’ll post them here. In the meantime, there are two things you can do to help:

1. Offer Auction Items Our first big auction will be held at the Ball on the 13th January, but there will be other events throughout the year at which we could take advantage of your generosity. The kind of items which sell best are those which are generally hard to obtain: tickets to sporting events (Wimbledon, for example, rugby, or this year the Olympics); holiday weeks in attractive accommodation; services which are not usually available (including opportunities for internships, for example). But we would welcome any potentially valuable items - whether provided by you, or by grandparents, employers or contacts in other companies. If you have anything which you think we might be able to use in auctions, raffles and so on, then please contact us at this address:
   
   
2. Book your Sherriff Night tickets as soon as possible, to guarantee a great time, and to get the fundraising year off with a bang.

Ergo-monster Toby's not-Boston Marathon

When J16 rower Toby Smith was offered the opportunity to take part in the Boston Marathon – a 50km race down the River Witham from Lincoln to Boston – he enthusiastically signed up, not just for the physical challenge, but for the opportunity to raise money for a good cause.

Following the stillbirth of a close family friend’s baby, he decided to seek sponsors to help Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, setting up a JustGiving page for his family & friends to donate.

Unfortunately, owing to circumstances beyond his control, he was unable to complete the row; the Boston Marathon was cancelled at the 11th hour owing to excessive weed growth on the river. Undaunted by this setback he decided to complete the 50km distance regardless, but on an ergo machine. Instead of heading off to Lincolnshire for the weekend, he got up early last Sunday morning and headed for the gym.

Starting at 9:30, he rowed the first 10km at a blistering pace. After a couple of minutes’ break to take on more fuel he set off for the second 10km, still keeping up a fast pace. Each subsequent 10km took slightly longer, as did the stops in between, but he finally ‘crossed the finish line’ in 3hrs 38mins, plus stops; a time which may well have broken the official on-the-water J16.1x record of 4:09:34! His average 500m split for the entire 50km was an impressive 2mins 11sec! Toby’s page is still open for donations. You can find it at www.justgiving.com/Toby-Smith0

Congratulations Toby on a fantastic effort! [G. Lewis]

Invitation to Sherriff Club AGM : Friday 30th September, 7.30 for 8pm

The Head and the Committee of the Sherriff Club would like to invite rowing parents and supporters to the Sherriff Club Annual General Meeting, which will take place at the Pavilion, Ditton Field, on Friday 30th September, at 7.30 for 8pm.

There will be a short report on the Sherriff Club's activities and a chance to ask questions and air your views. As always, a buffet supper will be served free of charge, with wine, beer and soft drinks available as well. The evening serves as a good opportunity to meet with other rowing parents across the school, so at least you'll be able to recognize some of the other people you might meet on cold and windy riverbanks in the months ahead.

As ever at this time of year we are looking to replace some of our Committee members who have moved on as their children have left the school. The tasks of Committee members are not onerous (we meet about five times a year), and it is a great way to become more involved with the sport, and to meet with other parents.

Please click here for more detail and for information on how to rsvp.

Iain Mandale wins silver and bronze medal with GB team

Before ....

... and after

After selection for the GB Coupe Team at final rrials at the beginning of July, Iain spent two weeks training in the coxless four, initially at Hampton with the rest of the sweep team, where excellent progress was made on flat water. The team also made full use of HSBC's excellent facilities. The whole Coupe team then met at the GB Rowing training centre at Caversham for three days' training and time trials, where the crew appeared to be going well.

In Ottensheim, Austria, Iain came away with a silver medal on the first day behind a fast Spanish four and the bronze on the second day behind Spain and Ireland. The standard was very high indeed and this was a great achievement by Iain in the team's top sweep crew. He deserves our congratulations on another great effort in GB colours!

Thanks are due to the staff at Hampton for allowing the crew to use their boathouse and Westminster School BC for the use of their excellent Empacher. [Mr Williams]

Autumn Rowing to hit the ground running!

Please note that all rowers returning in September should have their kit with them from the first day of term and expect training to start immediately. This may include an early ergo test!

Beginners Rowing Course: Photos and a big thank you to the 42 helpers

The Class of 2011

Exercises on land

There were a record number of learners, helpers and coaches at this year's highly succesful rowing course for beginners - the third time this course has been run. Photos by Andrew Sim on this link http://gallery.me.com/simandrew (username: rowing, password: sherriff) show how students began with exercises on land then progressed to rowing in octuples, quads and singles, with a chance, for some, to put capsize drill into practice.

Mr Smalman Smith would like to thank the helpers - all 42 of you from across all year groups - from the third to the "tenth"year (some rowers are so keen they come back even three years after they have left KGS!). Please click here to read his thank you and see the roll of honour.

A big thank you also to the coaches, especially Mr Smalman Smith and Miss Christie, who gave up part of their summer holiday to organise the event.

On the water ....

... and in the water

Girls J15 coxed quad reach the final of the National Championships

Another day at Nottingham, another day of weather! KGS WJ15.4x+ crew - Emily Lewis, Emily Piper, Alice Lampe, Lydia Davis & Annabel Ashley-Bach (cox) were beaten in the Final in blustery conditions.

Having been fortunate in the draw to avoid strong favourites Eton Excelsior & Henley, the KGS girls won their Eliminator fairly comfortably, posting the 3rd quickest time of the day, beating determined City of Bristol RC & York RC crews, steadily pushing away from their opponents after a very even start.

The other Eliminator saw crews from Eton Excelsior and Wallingford/City of Oxford post very quick times, pushing a very strong Henley into the Repechage.

Saturday dawned very wet, and although the rain had stopped in time for the Final, the headwind steadily increased throughout the afternoon, resulting in a very tough prospect for the lightweight KGS girls. The Eton Excelsior and the Wallingford/City of Oxford composite crews pulled into an early lead, leaving Henley, City of Bristol and KGS to fight it out for the bronze. With the two leading boats having established a clear one-two they would maintain to the finish, no more than a length separated the three boats chasing bronze at 1500m. However the strong headwind took its toll over the final quarter, with KGS eventually fading to cross the line in fifth position, despite finishing more than ten seconds quicker than they did in their Eliminator.

Despite the girls’ disappointment, it was a great achievement for KGS; the only school crew to reach the Final. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their weekend, and were very grateful to Mr Smalman-Smith for giving them the opportunity to test themselves against the best crews in the country. [Geraint Lewis]

Iain Mandale to represent Great Britain at the Coupe de la Jeunesse

Iain Mandale has been selected to represent Great Britain again at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Linz, Austria. He narrowly missed selection for the World Championships, but has been placed in the top crew for the Coupe, the coxless four. He will be training with the rest of the sweep team at Hampton for the next couple of weeks, followed by three days at Caversham before leaving for Austria at the end of the month. Our congratulations go to him, together with best wishes for success at the regatta.

Help needed for Beginners Rowing Course : July 18th - 20th

Message from Mr Smalman Smith:

I would really appreciate as many “experienced” rowers (anyone who has done at least a term of rowing!) to help teach some beginners in the second week of the holidays. If your child is at home during these dates and could spare some time, please could you encourage him/her to contact me by e-mail or text. (See this document for details.

Kingston Regatta - July 9th and 10th

For details and message from Mr Smalman Smith please see the squad page or click here.

First VIII Heading Home

After a en enjoyable and productive stay at Henley, the First VIII were ushered home on Thursday by the boys of St Edwards, who beat them by 3/4 of a length in a compelling race. After sharing honours at Schools Head and Nat Schools, the race between the two crews was always likely to be close, and so it proved. Teddies, with the weight advantage (over a stone a man heavier), got the better start, and forged a lead of around a length by the halfway point. But the KGS boys proved themselves no pushovers, slowly increasing their stroke rate, which rose from 35 to 41 by the last 1/4 mile, enough to claw back some of the lead, but not quite enough: St Edward's eventually won in 6:35, the second fastest time of the day. [RW]

Click here for more photos from the race.

First VIII Through to Round of 16

Congratulations to the First VIII who won their first-round match at Henley today, against the seeded American crew from St Paul's, Concord. The boys took a half-length lead by the halfway point, before stretching out to a one-length win in 6:46, the fourth fastest time of the day. They now go on to face St Edward's, Oxford in tomorrow's match-up. For those of you keen to keep an eye on their progress, they race at 5:35, and the results will be posted very shortly thereafter on the Henley live results page here:www.hrr.co.uk/results [RW]

Busy Weekend for KGS crews in Peterborough, Nottingham, Egham and Henley

Whislt the 1st VIII took up residency in Henley to prepare for the Royal Regatta KGS was also racing in Peterborough, Nottingham and Egham:

Forty six of the J14's went up the A1 at the crack of dawn last Saturday to race at Peterborough Junior Regatta, one of the highlights of the J14 calendar. KGS performed well with the boys octuple, Sam K, Angus Nicholds, Tom Waters,Luca Colarusso, Max Salisbury, Lewis Wales, Keogh Armstrong, Dougie Carr, Harry McGregor, reaching the final in J14 "A" Octuple Sculls and beating local rivals Hampton along the way. Sadly the crew finished just outside the medals in 4th place but in the words of Coach Mr. Fenton the boys "rowed well and did a great job". Meanwhile the girls racing for the first time in an octuple were in the Girls "B" event. The girls reached the final and went on to win gold in convincing fashion. Congratulations to crew and coach Miss Sharp. The winning girls crew were Lucy Evers, Katherine Sealy, Tabby Backhouse, Fiona Steinitz, Joanne Davies, Flo Blake-Parsons, Dana Saba, Isobel Dodds, Elisheba Marshall. (See the news item below for a link to a video of their performance).

Meanwhile the J16 girls and boys were in Nottingham racing for the chance to row for GB in the GB v France match. Unfortunalty neither the boys or girls fours nor the girls quad managed to gain selection but some hard racing was undertaken and hopefully some lesson's learnt for the future.

The J15 boys along with Mary Lavis and Lara Aziz raced at Egham Regatta. Mary and Lara came up agaisnt Staines RC a crew that included a gold medallist from the Staines National Schools Regatta winning eight. As Coach Mr. SS said the girls "rowed with confidence and power" sadly, on this occasion the girls came up against a stronger boat and lost out to tough competition. The boys meanwhile raced in both "A" and "B" quads. Despite a storming finish the "A" quad lost narrowly to Windsor Boys who went on to win with ease leaving coach Mr. Liversage cursing "One foot. I mean a foot. I told them to push at the bend!" meanwhile the boys in the "B" quad, Oli Noble, Darius Montakab, San Robson, Joao Harrison with J14 Ben Cave stepping up to cox, won their event in style bringing more pots to the houses of KGS rowers!

The weekend also saw the draw for Henley Royal Regatta. This year KGS have drawn St. Pauls Concord USA, one of eight crews "selected" by the stewards for the event. Whilst this will be a tough race the crew have been moving well and have shown some real speed. The race is at 6.40pm on Wednesday 29th June so if you can come and give the boys a cheer please do. [PJS]

Video of J14 Girls Victory at Peterborough

Thanks to Ted Parsons, (father of Flo) for this excellent video of the WJ14 final at Peterborough. Feel the pain and share the joy!

Stop Press: Quads Just Edged in Qualifying

Commiserations to the two quads contesting Fawley Cup qualifiers in Henley this evening. In miserable conditions both crews rowed terrifically well to give themselves a fighting chance of qualification, but the depth of the field was just too great. Needing to get in the top 8 to make an appearance when regatta-style racing begins on Wednesday, the boys in the 'A' quad came 26th, just 10 seconds adrift of Westminster (the fastest non-qualifiers in 6:59); the "B" quad were 42nd, but just a further 9 seconds behind. Well done to both groups of boys for a admirable and determined display. [RW, 24th June 2011]

Sherriff Club Party: Henley; Saturday 2 July; 11:00 - 5:00 (drop in any time)

Now's the time we pay parents back for all their hard work during the year. Most of the Regattas are behind us (just Kingston, Molesey and Nat Champs ahead, so nothing much really.......!), exams are over, and it's time for parents and rowers alike to sample the atmosphere of Henley, at Sherriff Club expense. As usual, we have a couple of pitches right by Remenham Farm (about 1,000 metres along the course, if you're interested in the racing), and you'll be able to see us easily because we'll have the Marquees up. There's no charge, and no work expected, just turn up with your picnic and a determination to enjoy the sunshine.


The First VIII in their Henley finery, displaying their well-gotten gains. With luck and a fair wind they might still be racing on Saturday, and we can cheer them on

Many of the senior rowers are camping at Henley over the weekend (and if this applies to your rower you may want to come along for a while to see how things are going.....), and we've also invited OKs to turn up and enjoy our hospitality, so we're hoping for quite a crowd. For those of you who've never been, it's a great atmosphere, and very relaxed, with lots to see and do along the river. Parking is widely available (at a charge - the closer to the river, the more expensive it is: the closest to our site is the Hillside parking area, which costs about £25 a day, and can be booked in advance).

There's no dress code at our site, but most people opt for smart casual. No need for blazers and ties, but if you've got 'em, feel free to wear 'em.

If you are thinking of coming along, it would be great if you could drop us a line, so we can allow for catering. Just email Andrew Sim:

See you on July 2nd!

J15s Take Weekend Laurels

KGS rowers faced tough competition at their various events last weekend, meaning pots were hard to come by - but the J15 boys and girls saw to it that the Boat Club didn’t come away empty handed.

The winning girls, in the obligatory pot-holding picture

The J15 boys pulling ahead of Hampton

Starting with the most prestigious event of the weekend - Henley Women’s Regatta - the J16 Quad (Sarah B, Lara H, Rachel C and Ella B) pushed hard against Great Marlow, but were just shaded at the end. The J16 4+ (Sophie K, Izzy D, Ellie M and Fenella R, coxed by Hannah M) were unlucky to be drawn against a very powerful William Perkins crew in the first round, but rowed better and kept closer than subsequent competitors could.

Just 15 miles away, the senior boys were struggling against tough senior crews at Marlow International Regatta. Marlow is one of the Regattas taken into account by the Henley Royal Regatta (HRR) judges when choosing which crews have to pre-qualify, so the competition is always fierce - the more so for the First VIII who were rowing in the Senior category. In their heat they faced the powerhouses of Imperial and Upper Thames among other strong crews, but nevertheless had fought themselves into second place at 1,000 metres, only to fade disappointingly thereafter. In the Repechage they did well to win a difficult side-by-side battle against Thames RC.

Also at Marlow were the two Quads who’ll be entering the Fawley Cup at HRR. Like the First VIII they failed to qualify out of the Heats, but while the B Quad struggled in the Rep, the A Quad were rowing well in second place before unluckily catching a nasty crab.

On Sunday, most of the remainder of the Boatclub pitched up at Thames Valley Park Regatta just outside Reading. The J14 girls were there in force and showed very well, competing hard and enjoying themselves very much. The J15 girls, racing in a variety of boats - octs, quads and singles - came away with a win in the B Quad race (Arianna L, Eleanor, Mary and Ruby S, with Cox Jessie), a loss against the eventual winners (Henley, annoyingly) in WJ15 Octuples, and an excellent singles performance by Lydia D, who won her heat easily, and came a strong second in the final. The older girls, not to be outdone by the J15s, got a strong second place in double sculls, and a convincing win in J18 singles by Susie C. The other KGS win of the day was probably the pick of the bunch - and performance of the weekend - as one of the two J15 Quads (Sam R, Bertie L, Alex B and James S, coxed by Zoe F), having cruised easily through its heat, was able to beat both its Hampton competitors narrowly, in a thrilling final.

Plaudits at TVP also to Geraint Lewis and the band of willing parent helpers who kept the ravenous rowers supplied with food, drinks and shelter throughout a very long day.

More Rowing Coming Soon…………………………

Friday 24th: Henley Royal Regatta: Two KGS Quads take part in qualifying races for the Fawley Cup on Friday night. Their task is a big one: 16 crews are already pre-qualified, and they have to bag one of the 8 remaining places, against 59 other crews (many from overseas). Good luck to: Tom H, Chris S, Christoph A and Patrick B; and to Sam J, Freddie M, Sam R and James C.

Saturday 25th: Peterborough Regatta: Watch out for an Armada of J14 boats heading to Peterborough early on Saturday morning, as the Boathouse empties of its youngest members.

Saturday 25th: Bon Voyage: Those of you with sons who hope to make the First VIII one day might like to know that, for the first time, Paul Williams and the school’s First VIII, are heading down to Henley early, having rented a house there for the week to hone their preparations.

Sunday 26th: GB vs France Trials: Good luck to the J16 4+ (Callum, Tom J, Henry L, Ali(stair) T and Ali(son) M, who are heading to Nottingham to try for selection as a GB crew against France in a few weeks time. They came 5th at Nat Schools, and just three places better will earn them a spot.

Sunday 26th: Egham Regatta: After Saturday’s Peterborough Armada, this is more like a small flotilla, of mainly J15 boys and girls. Egham is another lovely Regatta, very close at hand, and with great parking. Nice to drive to, lovely to watch (very good burgers), with skiffing and punting races thrown in for good measure. Worth a visit. [RW]

For photos from Thames Valley see Andrew Sim's gallery http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing, password: sherriff). There may be some photos of KGS crews also at http://robbowker.photoshelter.com.

Rowers Disperse in Search of Success

Over the course of the weekend, almost every rower in the Boat Club will get their chance to pit their skills and strength against opponents of one form or another, but in very dispersed locations.

For those of you attending just one event, here's a round-up of the weekend's action:

The biggest event of the weekend is undoubtedly Henley Women's Regatta which will see the J16 girls out in the Quad and the IV which they rowed with distinction on the Sunday of Nat Schools. The girls are still in the middle of their GCSEs, but have still managed to keep up their training; if they are successful in Saturday's races, they'll go through to semi-finals and finals on Sunday, so parents should make sure they take their books with them just in case!

Also on Saturday, the First VIII will be rowing at Marlow International in the Senior VIIIs category, while the boys of the Second VIII will again be split into Quads in preparation for their attempts to qualify for Henley Royal Regatta in a couple of weeks time.

The competition facing the J14 boys in their private match with Tiffin on Saturday will, perhaps, be a little less exalted, but they'll compete no less fiercely than their senior counterparts.

On Sunday a significant portion of the Boat Club - J14 girls, J15 boys and girls, and some senior girls - will be headed to Reading for the Thames Valley Park Regatta. It's a Regatta with great sight lines, easy (if pricey) parking and pre-erected tents, but there is also scope to put up additional smaller tents, and anyone wishing to take the small marquee is welcome to do so. We have, in the past, supported the rowers at TVP by providing drinks and cakes, and any parents wishing to do so again should contact Andrew Sim ())to discuss logistics.

Don't forget to take lots of pictures - and remember to take your Sherriff Club umbrellas along as the weather forecast looks a little dicey.

Good luck to all the rowers this weekend. Full results posted here next week..........(RW)

J14 boys match vs Tiffin - Saturday 18th June

For details and message from Mr Fenton please see the squad page.

Senior Boys Have Mixed Success at Reading Amateur Regatta

The First and Second VIIIs travelled to Reading Amateur Regatta on Saturday 11th June, as part of their pre-Henley preparations. Reading is still a regatta where it is possible to get tough two lane side-by-side racing against top quality opposition and is a great place to get experience in the run up to Henley. It always has good, flat water and the bends make it a course where tactics, pushes and in-boat decision making are important. It's also great to get away from Dorney!


The 2nd VIII at Reading

Unfortunately, the Second VIII had a tough day, losing in the Novice VIII category to a very large, heavyweight (but skilled) crew from University College, Dublin. It was no surprise when the Dublin students won the event, but the Second VIII can take great heart from the fact that they rowed very well, and that a kinder draw would have certainly seen them through to the final.

After the Novice VIIIs event, the 2nd VIII boys split into smaller boats, effectively seat racing for places in the quads which will seek to represent the school in the Fawley Cup event at Henley. The A Quad (Tom, Chris, Christoph and James) were unfortunate to be drawn against a strong Henley crew, while the B Quad (Sam R, Freddy, Sam J and Patrick) did very well to hold Abingdon to just a length over 1500 metres in the semi-final.

The First VIII had a much better day, putting the disappointment of National Schools well behind them with a sparkling performance. By chance, all the other top school crews had entered different events, leaving KGS to battle it out against a number of good club crews in IM1. Curlew and the Lea stuck with the boys for only about two minutes, allowing the Eight to take the rate down and paddle in. It was good to see KGS rating a confident and effective 26 and the Lea at 35 in the closing stages of the semi final. The final was a different matter against a strong crew from Vesta RC. On the unfavoured Oxon station, racing round the outside of the bend, the VIII hung on and were level as the bend then swung in their favour. A big, and highly effective push gave KGS a lead of nearly a length and Vesta were never allowed back into the race.

This was a good win, their third of the season, and was a achieved with a combination of effective base pace rowing, coupled with committed pushes, good tactics and excellent steering and calls from cox Ross. There was also a very pretty 130 year old trophy and rather nice medals too. The win puts the crew up a status, so they will now be racing Senior Eights at Marlow, quite an achievement in itself (for an explanation of points and status, go here: http://www.britishrowing.org/points).

Both sets of boys seem to be in fine fettle for the Henley Campaign over the coming weeks.

National Schools Regatta 2011: Weather Wins Again

It’s said that the site of the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepoint in Nottingham was originally planned as an airport, but that the prevailing conditions were too windy. Emerging from yet another wind-scarred Nat Schools, it’s clear that Britain’s airline passengers owe a debt of gratitude to the planners of the East Midlands; rowers, on the other hand, not so much. On the Saturday of the Event the umpires recognised that the cross-winds were sufficiently strong that crews emerging from the Processionals had to be allocated lanes in echelon (rather than the more normal chevron) pattern, while by Sunday the winds had grown even stronger, eliminating entirely the possibility of side-by-side racing, with medals determined purely by a shortened (1,000m) time-trial. Strong cross/head winds inevitably favour crews which emphasise strength over technique, and since the KGS crews are typically technically skilled, but lightweight, this was always going to be a challenging weekend.

Medal time for the J15 girls and their enthusiastic supporters

The Coxless IV celebrating with coach Paul Williams

So now that the caveat is over, there was still a lot to celebrate - principally the bronze medals brought home by the J15 girls VIII (Mary, Ariana, Alice, Beti, Emily P, Lydia, Greta, Eleanor, Annabel) and the boys of the Championship Coxless IV (Andrew, Ollie, Peter and Iain). The girls came storming through their heat in first place, although in a slower time than the three qualifiers from the other semi, so they had to press hard all the way to snatch a well deserved medal behind Staines (really a composite of SWPS with one Staines girl) and Henley in the final. The boys were rowing in the blue riband event of the Sunday, against most of the best junior rowers in the country and took a solid third with a smooth display of controlled power and determination. Two of the boys in the crew had won gold in the same category in their J16 year, but the field at this age is much deeper and more competitive, as can be seen from the fact that this is the first time KGS has medalled in the event since the 1990s.

The J15 boys coping well with choppy conditions

The Senior Girls Qualify for the Semi in Confident Style

We can also celebrate - while perhaps also offering some commiserations to - those crews who just missed out on medals, coming 4th in their events: the J15 girls IV(who won their semi but were edged out of a bronze by just a bowball, despite the heroics of a shocked Beti Garside stepping straight off the coach into the boat as a substitute for a sick Emily), the J15 Boys VIII (3rd in their Processional and 2nd overall in the semis, but again not quite strong enough to hold on in the final), and the J16 Girls VIII (who had also shown well in the semis, coming 2nd of the 7 crews in the event).

The J16 boys IV holding off Leicester RC

The J16 girls never give up

Three other crews deserve special mention. Looking at the quality of the big name competition, the school 2nd VIII were always going to have a difficult task to make the final, never mind medal; in the end, however, they were just 1.4 seconds off qualifying from their heat, but in a time which was 6th overall, suggesting that, if the draw had been slightly kinder, they would have had the chance to mix it up in the final with the big guns of Eton, Abingdon, Shrewsbury and the rest. A similar tale characterised the efforts of the First VIII, who were rowing in the Championship VIII category (the first time a KGS crew has challenged at this level - rather than the slightly less exalted First VIIIs event - since 1999) against all the big guns in the school rowing world. The boys just failed to make the Repechage for the final, but in a time that was fully 10 seconds quicker than the qualifiers from the second heat. The other crew that can consider itself a shade unlucky was the J16 Boys IV (Callum, Henry, Tom and Laurence, coxed by Allie), which had a tough outing in the Schools IV category on Saturday (against boys typically a year or two older), but rowed superbly in the Sunday time-trial in the appropriate age category, coming 5th and missing out on a medal by less than two seconds.

There were strong showings too, in difficult categories, for a number of other crews. The Senior Girls’ IV (Susie, Abbie, Elly, Becky and Megan) did very well to qualify out of the Processional in 11th place, only to face a very tough draw in the semi-final because of the wind. The boys in the Championship Quad (Patrick, Chris, Christoph and Tom) - facing boys a year older and much more experienced at sculling - did exceptionally well to come 18th, just 20 seconds off the medals. The J16 girls, rowing in their Sunday time-trials in a Quad ( Ella, Lara, Rachel and Sarah) and a IV (Caroline, Fenella, Pippa L and the two Sophies), came 10th and 14th in their categories respectively, also missing medal slots by just 20 seconds. The J15 boys quad (Toby, Sam, Alex and James, coxed by Zoe) also missed a medal by the same amount on the Sunday, doing well to come 18th against some very handy sculling schools.

And a special mention in dispatches, too, to our J16 girls double (Sophie C and Pippa B), and our J15 boys IV (Darius, Rufus, Louis and Kun Hee , and cox Ruby) who encountered some of the worst conditions on the course - driving wind and rain - as did our J17 sculler (James Claxton), who then also had to face the anxiety of an interminable timing delay.

The J14 girls checking out the course

The J14 boys in action

The performance of the J14 crews was also well worth celebrating. As usual the school was represented by two girls Quads and a boys Oct, and all three crews were not intimidated in the slightest by their surroundings, putting in very stylish and impressive performances. The ‘A’ Quad came 11th in their Processionals, but found the competition in the semis just too strong, bowing out in 4th; while the ‘B’ Quad also gave a good account of themselves, coming in just 20 seconds behind the other Quad, but unfortunately failing to qualify. The boys’ Octuple looked very smooth as they came through their Processional in 14th place, just 4 seconds off qualification, but in the process taking some big scalps - including BMS and Radley - as well as local rivals Tiffin.

Finally, before leaving Nat Schools behind for another year, a huge vote of thanks to the coaches for their fantastic organisational and logistical skills, and for their endless patience throughout what was at times a very difficult weekend; and to Andrew Sim and his team of parent helpers whose tent city and provision of food and drink to rowers and parents alike were a match for any along the course. The weather may have prevented the results being as good as we might have hoped, but it couldn’t dampen the Boathouse spirit.

Next up - holidays, exams, and then a host of Regattas, culminating in the two Henleys and Nat Champs. Lots more rowing to come…………[Roland Wales].

Please note that Andrew Sim's excellent and detailed photos can be found on this gallery http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing, password: sherriff)

Sea Fever

The girls of the KGSBC will be a little short of inspiration over Christmas, with the absence of their intrepid Head of Girls' Rowing on an extended Atlantic trip - taking part, together with his wife Helena, in the 2011 Atlantic Rowing Race www.woodvale-challenge.com.

The race is scheduled to start on Sunday 4th December just outside the harbour of San Sebastian de La Gomera, a small island just west of Tenerife. The finish is just outside Port St Charles, Barbados, some 2,549 nautical miles away - although Richard and Helena's route will likely take them an extra 1,000 nautical miles as they head south to try to pick up some trade winds. They note that 2-person crews take anything from 40 to 90 days to complete the journey, and that the record for married couples (which they think they may find difficult to beat) is 53 days. In other words, they're starting at the beginning of December, and will be rowing pretty well continuously until the beginning of February.

The pair are rowing under their own "Tiger Team" banner - and you can see lots more details of the event and their preparations on their website here www.atlanticdouble.net/index.html. They're currently hard at work on fitting out their boat (which is already a veteran of one Atlantic crossing), as can be seen from the picture of Mr Smalman-Smith tentatively prodding at a hatch-cover. Thanks to the kindness of Peter Hartman (ex KGS parent and stalwart of the KGS Vets BC), who offered them an indoor space over the winter to complete their refitting, the boat is now completely repainted and almost ready to face the outdoors once more.

With only around 6 months to go before the boat has to be shipped out ready for the big day, there's still a lot to be done - both in terms of logistics and training, which is why you'll often see Mr S-S coaching from his single. Mrs S-S has been busy, too (in between running the Thames Ditton Regatta) rowing a skiff all the way down the non-tidal Thames, for example, while this weekend she'll be enjoying the delights of coastal rowing in the Isle of Wight. As far as logistics is concerned, they're still on the lookout for sponsors, and would welcome any offers of assistance www.atlanticdouble.net/TigerSponsorship.html, as well as donations to the two charities they're supporting www.atlanticdouble.net/charities.html.

In the meantime, we turn to John Masefield for some thoughts on their journey, which seems to be nicely summed up by the last verse of Sea Fever:

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Update on the Boys' First Eight

First Eight at Bedford

After a fairly undemanding day at Thames Ditton, the VIII travelled to Bedford for one of the best old-style river regattas on the circuit, with the intention of getting some hard side-by-side racing experience; they were not to be disappointed. Five races over the 1200 metre, bendy course in a brisk tailwind yielded a loss to Abingdon's top boat by a couple of lengths and a win over four rounds in the IM2 event. A great deal was learned about starts, pushes and the crew's effectiveness at different rates.

We were also lucky enough to return to Eton on 21st May where we did six race-pace 1000s against Eton's VIII, 2nd VIII and Colts. Again, this was highly productive and invaluable in our preparation for National Schools'. Many thanks are due to the coaches and crews at Eton for inviting us again. More good news: Iain has got the call up for GB Final Trials at the end of term, a great achievement after his illness earlier in the year.

We are now approaching the final stages of our preparation for National Schools' next week - the draw for Championship Eights is out and confidence is high! [PW]

Three People in a Boat (on average........)


J16 boys IV, the the comeback crew of the day!

With the cancellation of Wallingford last week, Thames Ditton Regatta took on new significance on Saturday as the first real Regatta of the season, and KGS rowers were out in force: 40 crews comprising over 120 rowers, for at least one third of whom this was their first taste of the joys of side-by-side racing. Four crews lifted pots at the end of the day, and honours are shared evenly among them: the J15 girls squad, picking up wins in the Novice VIII and Novice IV categories were the most successful of the day; the First VIII, were the fastest crew of the day, taking J18 VIIIs very comfortably over St George's; and the J16 boys IV was the comeback crew of the day, turning a one-length deficit at the Boathouse into an eventual win by a canvas.


The J15 girls, the most successful crews of the day!

But a number of other crews came close enough to reach the final, but were just shaded at the end: congratulations, then to our single scullers James Claxton (Novice), Lucy Evers (J14) and Mr Smalman-Smith (IM1 - a final which he reached even though his sense of fair play led him to wait during one of his heats while his opponent extricated himself from the bushes). Congratulations , too, to the J16 girls (IM3 VIIIs), the J18 quad, and (especially) the J14 girls quad which just lost out to Henley (well done Flo, Fiona, Jas, Dana and Elisheba). A special mention also, to the J14 boys who, although losing in their first round heat, managed to compose themselves enough to fight their way through to the Oct and Quad finals.


Pots for the first eight at Thames Ditton Regatta

Keeping a close eye on the action on the river were the many parents who had come down at the Sherriff Club's request to raise funds to support the rowers. Thanks to the dedication of Andrew Sim and his band of helpers (at least 65 at the last count!) - as well as the best burgers on the river and a steady flow of Pimms - the Club was able to raise upwards of £2,500 on the day, a magnificent effort.

And before leaving TDR for another year, we should just mention the most exciting news of the day - the arrival of another Boat Club member, young Samuel James Simmons, who arrived on Friday, just a little ahead of schedule (and, for the statistically minded among you, weighing in at 5lbs 13 ozs). Mother and baby (and delighted father) are doing very well indeed![RW]

Footnote: There are a few further photos here. Also, we have had an email from a photographer who is a parent of Wallingford RC rower to say that he took many photos at the event, including some of KGS crews. They are available on this link http://robbowker.photoshelter.com.

National Schools Regatta 2011 - Message from Mr Simmons

This years regatta runs from Friday 27th – Sunday 29th May, the first weekend of Half term. For those new to the regatta the programme will be as follows:

Friday 27th – J14 Boys and Girls and Girls J15 coxed fours

Saturday 28th – J15, J16 and senior crews, boys and girls

Sunday – J16 and senior crews, boys and girls and Boys J15 quads

Rowers will leave for Nottingham the day before their first race (or on Friday for those just racing on Sunday) and there will be a charge for accommodation (we will be staying at a Premier travel Lodge) athletes will need money for dinner and lunch on each day they are in Nottingham. Each rower will be free to go home after their racing has been completed and the boats loaded. We will provide lifts home but if parents wish to take their child home they can with the permission of Phil Simmons.

The coaching team is in the process of finalising the crew line ups and a letter will go out to all selected rowers next week informing them of selection and which days their events will be on and the costs involved. The Sherriff Club will be in Nottingham in force and so I would encourage parents to attend to support the rowers.[PS]

Events this weekend: Boat-Naming Ceremony, Sports Gala Dinner, Wallingford and Marlow Regatta

There is a busy weekend ahead for KGSBC:

• The boat-naming ceremony to name the three new boats will be at 11.30 on Saturday 30th April. All are most welome. Refreshments will be provided.
• The 450th Sports Gala dinner will be the same evening at Sandown Park (Main Stand)at 7pm for 8pm.
• A number of crews - both boys and girls - will be racing at Wallingford on Sunday 1st May
• Some WJ14s will be racing in their first regatta at Marlow on Monday 2nd May.

Information for the girls crews about the events is on the squad page.

Iain Mandale at GB Selection Regatta


Iain training in the pair at Dorney Lake

Iain made a welcome return to the GB rowing system on Easter Sunday at the main Selection Regatta at Dorney Lake. Under a blazing sun, and on unusually flat water, he put in a solid performance with his new partner from Eton, coming twelfth in the initial time trial and then attaining a final ranking of twelfth in side-by-side racing. We also enjoyed the excellent facilities and hospitality at Dorney, for which I'd like to thank Ian Lawson, Eton's coach. Iain's result means that he is almost certain to be invited to Final Trials in Nottingham in July. Well done, Iain! [PW]

Sports Gala Dinner, 30th April

All parents of current and former rowers are invited to the 450th Anniversary Sports dinner on Saturday 30 April at the Tingle Creek Room, at Sandown Park Race Course (Main Stand) at 7pm for 8pm. Tickets are £55 per head, to cover welcome drink, three course meal and table wine. A cash bar service will be available from 7:00pm until 11:00pm.

There will be a KGS sports memorabilia display in the welcome area. From the playing side, we hope to attract as wide a range of OK sportsmen and women as possible - from school team level up to those who have gone on to full international status - and including our two Olympic Gold Medallists, James Cracknell (challenges permitting!) and Richard Dodds.

We will be entertained by Garry Richardson, well known as the sports presenter on Radio Four’s ‘Today’ programme and as the presenter of ‘Sportsweek’ on Radio Five Live every Sunday morning

For further details and an application form for tickets please read the flyer and the letter to parents.

This is the way Head season ends......


The second eight in action at the Men's Head of the River

The first and second VIIIs were in action at the Men's Head of the River Race (HORR) last Saturday - pitting themselves against 400 of the top men's crews from the UK and beyond (see Andrew Sim's pictures at http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing, password: sherriff). Hopes were high going into the race that both VIIIs - selected at last from a fully-fit senior squad, and showing good form in earlier races - would move up the rankings from their impressive performances last year. But while the second VIII did very well to raise its placing from 194th last year to 167th this year, the first VIII were a little disappointed to record exactly the same placing as before - 69th. Both crews did manage to improve on last year's time, but so did the field in general, so that both crews saw their Percentage of Winning Time (PWT) decline very slightly.

But while the boys may be slightly disappointed with the outcome of the race, their performance, when measured against the KGS performance in the HORR over recent years, is cause for some celebration. The last time the school had a first VIII as high up the national rankings was back in the early 1990s, while the second VIII's PWT would have beaten that of half of the first VIIIs the school has fielded in the past dozen years.

Congratulations to both crews, who now go to training camp to prepare for the rigours of the upcoming Regatta season. [RW]

KGS Girls Go Pot-Hunting at Kingston Head

The KGS J15 and J6 girls who've been performing well throughout the Head season outdid themselves on Saturday by winning three events against challenging opposition. In the Women's Novice VIII category, a combined crew of J15s and J16s romped home in first place, nearly two minutes ahead of Kingston RC in second place (and providing additional trophies for Ellie and Sophie, two of the J16s who just won gold at Schools' Head). But the other J16s girls were not to be outdone. In the morning, four of them (along with Boat Club Captain Becky) were in the crew which won in the Women's IM3 Coxless IV category and a further four took first place in the Women's J16 Coxless Quads in the afternoon.


First Eight at the catch

Despite the roaring success of the girls, however, the adjudicators have decided to award Performance of the Day to the boys of the First VIII. From the off they looked tremendously powerful, and they maintained their form throughout to come 7th of 19 crews racing in the highly competitive IM1 category, beating, in the process, a raft of good universities, together with the army, the navy and the air-force! Best of all, the boys lost by a mere 9 seconds to Eton -a perennial powerhouse - and at the rate the First VIII has been improving, the stage appears set for an exciting Regatta season.

The Second VIII, too, had an impressive day, racing in both the morning and afternoon. In the morning session they lost out to the Eton Second VIII by only 13 seconds, while in the afternoon they came third in J18 VIIIs category by the narrowest of margins. Also coming third in their category were the boys of the J15 VIII, coming in behind two Hampton crews, but holding the gap with the winners to just 20 seconds. The J14 girls were also out in their coxed quads in the afternoon: all three of the crews did very well to maintain their form throughout a race which is the longest they have yet completed, and special congratulations go to the girls who came in second place in the Category, in a highly commendable time.

Photos taken by Andrew Sim and Mr Smalman Smith are available on http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing password:sherriff)

Next up: Saturday April 2nd, 4:00pm, Men's Head of the River, from Mortlake to Putney. The race features four hundred of the best Men's VIIIs from the UK and beyond: it's one of the most impressive sights in rowing, with swarms of Olympians, heaving crowds on Hammersmith Bridge, and the towpath in Putney clogged with boats, crews and supporters. Last year our First and Second VIIIs came 69th and 194th, and both are hoping to improve on that this year. Unique-to-rowing, and unmissable! [RW]

Girls Show Form at Women’s Head of The River

Congratulations to the KGS Girls’ VIII which rowed impressively on the Tideway on Saturday to record 10th place in its category at the Women’s Head of the River race. The crew was mainly made up of J16 girls, so that result bodes very well for the future. Overall they came 117th out of 297, and to do so they had to beat a number of very experienced crews, including elite and senior status crews, both domestic and foreign. Top crew of the day was Leander, while the top school crew was LEH. It’s worth noting that four of the school crews were significantly (a minute or more) ahead of the rest, but that the KGS girls were in the mix with all the others. An extra twenty seconds would have seen them jump into 5th place, which is a remarkable performance given their relatively young age.

Coming hard on the heels of impressive performances from all the girls last Thursday, it’s clear that the boys have got a lot of work to do to keep up…... Pictures from Andrew Sim are available here: http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing, password: sherriff).

Next up: A big turnout from KGS crews at Kingston Head on Saturday 26th, followed immediately by OK Ben Myers rowing for Oxford in the Boat race. And on April 2nd, let’s see if the KGS First VIII can achieve its objective of a top 50 finish in Men’s Head of the River.

A Grand Day Out…….

About 50 junior rowers headed off to Dorney Lake for the National Junior Sculling Head on Friday 18th March. The weather was poor to begin with, but by the end of the afternoon the rain had stopped, the sun had come out and the water was perfect for good rowing. The coaches in attendance appeared to be enjoying the day - perhaps basking in the glow of the successes of the previous day - and the parents’ contingent cheered lustily from the banks. The rowers themselves, impressed by the atmosphere at a packed Dorney (and buoyed up, perhaps, by a day off school) maintained an impressive level of enthusiasm all the way from arrival until they boarded their coach home in the evening.

The main result of the day was that all of the crews went out, tried their hardest, kept in time, rowed fluidly and came back safely (you can see them rowing well in the pictures posted by Andrew Sim here: http://gallery.me.com/simandrew\ (username: rowing password:sherriff). But for those of you who are keen to know times and placings, here they are:

The boys J15 Quad did very well to come 16th in its category, not least because the boys spend most of their time rowing rather than sculling. No surprise that Windsor Boys (a sculling school) came first, but they only beat the boys (and Zoe, who was coxing) by 45 seconds on each leg.

The three girls J14 Quads came 15th, 24th and 29th in their category. The quickest girls boat was only a minute and a half down overall, while the others took roughly a minute, or two minutes longer respectively. Two of the boats did very well to post negative split times, showing that they didn’t use up all their strength on the first leg. To set the results in context: last year’s J14 girls came last in their Octuples race, and yet managed to score an excellent third place in their category in this year’s Schools Head.

The J14 boys competed in two Octuples and a Quad, and performed broadly in line with last year’s results. The fastest Oct came 23rd, a minute and a half behind the winning crew, King’s Chester, but a minute ahead of the other Oct (in 34th place), which will give them bragging rights for the next few weeks. The Quad strove mightily throughout a race against many bigger crews, and did well to maintain its form and timing throughout, fighting hard to record a faster inward time than outward, despite obvious tiredness. Again, setting the results in context: last year’s J14 boys just pulled off a handsome third place in their category in School’s Head and are shaping up to be one of the best boys’ crews around at the moment.

School's Head 2011: KGS Crews Rack Up the Medals

A dry (if not always sunny) day on the Tideway yesterday saw KGS crews bring home the biggest School's Head medal haul in recent memory: one gold, one silver and two bronzes (with a third bronze missed by the narrowest of margins).


Girls Under 16 coxed 1V on the way to winning the National Schools Head

Bragging rights go to the girls this time around, especially to Ellie M, Izzie D, Sophie C, Sophie K and cox Pippa L who romped home first of 13 in the girl's under-16 coxed IV category. But they only narrowly outdid the other J16 girls, who rowed a terrific race to gain silver in the VIII (one place higher than last year), losing out to perennial rivals Kingston RC, but gaining revenge on the Borlase crew which beat them at Reading last weekend.



The J15 girls also managed to gain a place on the podium, losing to Perkins and Headington, but beating a number of other strong crews. The J18 girls four came 8th out of 16 entries. They started very fast but found their path blocked by Pangbourne and Heriots rowing side by side in the stream and refusing to move. Without this disruption their good beginning suggests they might have come a lot higher.

The boys managed only one medal on the day - a bronze for the J15s in the First VIII category, which could easily have been silver, had not Dulwich managed to hold stubbornly on. The J16 boys IV also deserves an honourable mention, coming 4th in its category, but losing the bronze to Norwich by only a second. The senior boys also deserve the highest praise for improving their performance over last year despite injury problems, and - in the case of the First VIII, being baulked by the crew ahead for almost half the race. Last year the First VIII came 10th, and this year it managed a comfortable 8th, but in all likelihood would have just made the top 5 had the cox in the crew in front obeyed the rules of racing. The Second VIII did manage 5th place in its category, but missed a bronze by only 5 seconds, and so will go into training for Nat Schools with high hopes of improving into the medal positions.

Congratulations to all the crews that took part, and well done, too, to the many KGS parents and friends cheering themselves hoarse on Hammersmith Bridge and elsewhere along the course.

A big thank you to Andrew Sim who took some great photos. These can be viewed on the following link:

http://gallery.me.com/simandrew

with the username rowing and password sherriff.

Next up: Sculling Head at Dorney lake tomorrow. Good luck to all the J14 and J15 crews taking part.

Schools Head and Sculling Head, Thursday 17th/Friday 18th March

These are two of the biggest events of Head season, and are well worth taking a little time off work for, if you can manage it. Your rower will already know if they've been selected.

Schools' Head, Thursday 17th March, 1:30pm (approx)

The race is 4.25 miles from Chiswick to Putney, and starts at approximately 1:30pm. Here's the link to the website, which also includes the start order: www.wsbc.org.uk/shorr

The rowers' coach will leave school at 8:45am, after registration (and handing in of homework), and please ensure that they remember to bring their WELLIES

We're entering 8 crews, and here are their starting numbers:

First VIII 9
Second VIII 35
J15 VIII 119


Girls J16 VIII 196
Girls J15 VIII 203


J16 IV 241

Girls J18 IV 253
Girls J16 IV 275

The towpath on the Surrey side is a great place to watch, and it's continuous from Barnes Bridge through to Putney. Hammersmith Bridge is a very popular vantage point, from where you can also take very good pictures. The fastest crew last year took just over 17 minutes, so if you want to see the first crews at Hammersmith, you should arrive no later than about 1:40. The whole thing should be over by 3:00 at the latest.

Sculling Head, Dorney Lake, Friday 18th March, Afternoon

The Sculling Head, like the normal Head races, is a point-to-point timed race, although unusually it takes place on a Regatta course - in fact at Dorney Lake where this year's Junior World Championships will be held in summer, and where the Olympics will be held next year. The races consist of two timed legs of 1800 metres: the first starts near the normal finishing line, and heads up towards the normal starting line. Time is allowed for the boats to turn, and then they race the second 1800 metres back down towards the normal finish line.

The rowers' coach will be leaving school at 11:15 am, and they are permitted to wear official kit for periods 1-3. The coach will return very late (maybe at about 7:15 pm, according to Mr Smalman-Smith).

There will be 8 crews representing the Boat Club this Friday, and here they are, with their race number and the time their race starts:

J15 Quad: 191 2:15

Girls J14 Quads:
241 3:00
260 3:00
266 3:00


Boys J14 Octuples
284 4:10
301 4:10

Boys J14 Quads
334 4:10
359 4:10

There's much more detail about the races, crews, timings etc at the Scullery website: www.thescullery.org.uk/hor2011.html

The Sherriff Club will have a Marquee near the normal finishing line (look for our KGSBC logo). We'll have hot tea and coffee, squash and cakes. Dorney Lake is about an hour away from Kingston, near Windsor - map and directions on this link: www.dorneylake.co.uk/directions.html. There's plenty of parking (for a £5 charge).

There will be 60 KGS rowers taking part in the Schools' Head on Thursday, and nearly 50 taking part at the Sculling Head on Friday - between the two events, more than the Boat Club has ever had before. Please come along and cheer them on if you possibly can.

Check out this website next weekend for the results and lots of pictures and video from the two events. [RW,14 March 2011]

First VIII Looking Good at Reading Uni

The Boat Club sent three representatives along to the Reading University Head on Saturday - the First and Second VIII boys, and the J16 girls. Performance of the day was undoubtedly that of the First VIII, who pulled off their best performance of the year so far, losing only narrowly to Hampton, but gaining revenge on Shiplake for defeats last season, and on St Paul's for their defeat at Hammersmith a couple of weeks before. Whether it's the new Hudson VIII or not, the crew seem to be timing their improvement nicely to coincide with this week's Schools Head. The Second VIII also did well to limit their loss to the Firsts to just under a minute, beating a number of school and university crews in the process, and should regard the performance as a springboard for the big event this week. The J16 girls had a difficult outing, and will have ben disappointed to lose to Sir William Borlase, but will be eager for revenge in a few days's time [RW]

The New Fleet's In Town
Mark the date (Saturday 30th April) for the boat naming ceremony


The first VIII testing the Martin Leach

With the inaugural outings of the new Girls Stampfli Quad, and the boys new Hudson VIII, the KGS fleet is now bigger than ever (although the coaches are probably still not happy!). The new Quad had its first outing during the half-term, taken for a spin by some of the girls of our successful J16 squad - with Sarah B, Rachel C, Ellie M and Izzy D all pictured bringing the boat safely back in to the landing stage. The boys, meanwhile, had to wait to receive Martin Leach, their new Hudson VIII (see new item below for more detail) until after the delivery trailer had first stopped off at Cambridge University to deliver their identical new boat. After their outing the boys declared themselves delighted with the form of their extr-long and super sleek new craft. Pictured on the outing are the first VIII boys who'll race at Reading University this week, and Schools Head next: Ollie R at stroke, Jack K, Dan R, Andrew R, Robbie M, Peter W, Patrick B and Ali T.

All three of the new boats will be officially named at a ceremony at the Boat House at 11:30 on Saturday April 30th (the day of the 450th Anniversary Sports Dinner), and all parents are very welcome - indeed, positively encouraged - to attend. The Sherriff Club will be on hand to provide its usual first-class catering, and we're assured refreshments will be flowing freely - so make a note in your diary to come along with your rowers and join in the celebrations with Boat Club members past and present.


Sarah B, Rachel C, Ellie M and Izzy D in the new Stampfli quad

J15s Vying for Top Spots

A sizeable Boat Club contingent headed down to the rural oasis of Burway on Saturday, emerging from their 3K (upstream) dash with a set of very promising results. The J15 girls probably just shaded the boys for the performances of the day, with an extremely comfortable win in the coxed IVs, and a narrow (5 second) loss to King's School Canterbury in the Women's Novice VIIIs. The boys did very well to come second in their categories to some very tough competition: in J15 VIIIs they came second to Hampton A by just 20 seconds, but in doing so managed to hold off two other Hampton and three Eton crews - no easy task; and while they lost by slightly more in the J15 coxed Quads, they were beaten only by a very strong Windsor Boys crew (and Windsor Boys specialise in sculling, rather than rowing), but managed to beat the other two WBS crews. The J16 boys, in their coxed IV, lost out to Norwich School by just 15 seconds, which was encouraging since this particular IV has not yet had a great deal of practice time together. And a special mention to the three J14 Girls Quads - the intriguingly named Tech, Stylish and tall, who finished in that order, with Tech undoubtedly taking the bragging rights with a handy victory; the girls of Tall, however, are to be commended for finishing their race after the misfortune of breaking a blade along the course. On this particular occasion, it was clearly the taking part rather than the winning that counted. Well done girls.

Next up: Senior crews at Reading University Head this weekend, and next week, the first major events of the year with Schools Head on Thursday and Sculling Head on Friday. Details posted later this week. [RW]

Delivery of Martin Leach, a Hudson Hammerhead Super Predator eight

On a beautiful sunny day over half term the Boat Club took delivery of 'Martin Leach', a new eight for the boys - a Hudson Hammerhead Super Predator, no less. This boatbuilder has been used by many fast crews over the last few years, including Eton of course, and Cambridge took delivery on theirs on the same day as ours arrived. It is certainly very beautiful and also appears to be stiff and fast; the First VIII will be racing it for the first time at Reading Head in a week's time. Anyone interested is encouraged to come and have a look at it; there will be a boat naming ceremony in the summer.

The boat is named after Martin Leach, pictured below, a former KGS parent. Martin, as has been said many times, has kept the boat club afloat for many years thanks to his great knowledge and tireless endeavours in the boathouse. Please click here for more photos of the boat.

Instructions for Burway Head - Saturday 5th March

Please click here to for detailed instructions about competing (and spectating) at Burway Head on Saturday 5th March. See the squad notices page for more detail about how to check whether the event will run and for further directions about getting there etc.

The Sun Shines at Hammersmith

After a busy half-term, with well over 50 rowers out training during the week, Hammersmith Head gave some of the Senior Squad members a chance to put their training into effect. The weather was kind, with bright sunshine during the race, and the rain clouds holding back until after the event was over. Performance of the day was probably the girls senior IV, which came second in its category (to LEH), just edging out Molesey into third place. The boys crews, affected by illness and absence, and facing problems in passing slower crews, performed creditably to finish about 12 seconds behind their respective St Paul's competitors, and only a little further behind the winning Hampton boats. Do revisit this article to see photos and a video link to You Tube which will be posted very soon.

Next up: Burway on Saturday 5th for the girls, and Reading University Head on 12th for the senior boys. Good luck to everyone taking part!

Girls Half Term Training and Race Dates for the Spring and Summer Terms

Please go to the squad page to see comprehensive lists, prepared by Mr Smalman-Smith of the half term training schedule and races for the girls squads proposed for this Spring and Summer. Please note the correct date for Burway is Saturday 5th March, not the date shown in the hand-out circulated just before half-term.

Photos from Quintin and Hampton Heads now available

Share the pain and pleasure with these excellent close-up photos by Andrew Sim from Hampton Head. Click here for photos from Quintin Head.

We Counted Them All Out......and We Counted Them All Back

For the first time ever, we think, the Boat Club was all set to provide 100 competitors on Saturday, mostly at Hampton Head, but with the 1st and 2nd VIIIs competing in the Head of the Nene in Peterborough. Unfortunately, Peterborough was cancelled due to high wind, but the coaches still faced the heroic task of wrangling over 80 rowers - more than half of them J14s taking part in their first Head races - into 14 crews, and shepherding them through Molesey Lock - twice!

The results, as ever, were something of a mixed bag, with some showing great promise. For the J14s the outing was an unmitigated success - all 43 rowers (16 more than last year) returned safely to the Boathouse! (perhaps not a very high hurdle, but one which they seemed to tackle with great relish). The girls raced in four matched Quads, while the boys raced in two matched Octs and a Quad; the coaches seemed to have balanced the crews well, since three of the girls boats finished within13 seconds of each other, and the boys Octs were only 5 seconds apart. The girls crews were around 2 1/2 minutes adrift of the winners, which tells us only that a lot of very good schools start rowing much earlier than KGS. The boys, 75 seconds down on the winners, were, on average, a little further up the rankings than last year. The most encouraging aspect of the day was the good rowing that the crews produced (in patches); but we have some photographic evidence that they and their coaches still have a lot of work to do!

The Fourth formers showed convincingly how much improvement the KGS crews typically make in their first couple of years. The boys VIII posted the fastest time of any KGS crew on the day (8:50.6), coming 7th in their category, only 24 seconds off the winning time, and being edged by very strong competition - Westminster, Hampton, King’s Chester and BMS among others. The J15 4+ share “performance of the day” award, coming third behind King’s Chester and Hampton, just 7 seconds off the winning time. The girls also had a strong showing: their WJ15 4+ was 4th, behind schools including Headington and King’s Chester, and just 16 seconds off the winning pace. And the J15 girls VIII did very well to come third (behind the two Williams - Perkins and Borlase) in just under 10 minutes - not far behind the winners, and only 35 seconds behind their KGS J16 counterparts.

There was tough competition facing the Senior girls, but they came through it very well. In J16 Quads the crew included two rowers out for their second outing of the day (well done Izzy and Flo!) and yet still managed to hold the gap behind the leaders to just over a minute. The WJ16 VIII was only 23 seconds adrift, but the girls will be annoyed to have come in behind great rivals Molesey and Kingston (although they did beat Perkins and Borlase convincingly). The Senior Girls IV+, racing for the first time in their new boat, will also be slightly annoyed, in that they failed by a meagre 4 seconds to win their category. But at least they get to share our “Performance of the Day” title (not least because they compete in a J18 category with two J17s) - well done girls! Click here for photos from the event.

Plenty more racing to come in the next few weeks - Hammersmith, Burway and Reading University are all coming up before Schools’ and Sculling Heads - and plenty more improvement likely, especially for those able to take advantage of half-term training. Keep an eye on the website for more details. [RW, 7 Feb 2011]

Letter from Mr Smalman Smith about Rowing Kit

Please see the attached letter about rowing kit.

Boat Club Dinner Photos

Photos from the boat club dinner are on this page. A report will follow!

Quintin Head: Solid Results bode well for Head Season

At the first Head of the New Year the Boat Club was represented by no fewer than 6 Eights: two senior boys' crews, two senior girls' crews and two J15 crews. For the Senior crews, the coaches' aim was to give everyone a taste of racing on the Tideway again, so boys and girls were sent out in matched crews. The coaches' knowledge of the capabilities of their rowers was reflected in the fact that the two senior boys' crews were separated by only 5 seconds, while the two senior girls crews were only 0.6 seconds apart. The boys came home around thirty seconds adrift of St Paul's (winners of the J18 category), but the girls were very unlucky to be edged by St Paul's girls, coming in under two seconds behind.

The J16 girls were the first home in their age-group, beating Putney High handily, but missed out on a pennant for lack of competitors. The same was true of the J15 girls who also beat their Putney High rivals easily despite being inexplicably drawn to one of the buoys along the course (please note the restraint in avoiding the obvious joke here!).

Although both J15 and J16 girls did well, the result of the day probably belongs to the J15 boys who came in second in their category, only twenty seconds behind St Paul's, and ahead of a clutch of good crews from Hampton, KCS and Reading Bluecoat - a very promising performance from their first outing on the Tideway.

It's been a long time since the school was able to field two senior VIIIs for both boys and girls, and it's impressive that over 50 of the Boat-Club's rowers were racing on Saturday. Just as encouraging is the fact that around 40 (out of 60 or so) 3rd Formers were training on Saturday afternoon, preparing for their first race in school colours at Hampton Head this weekend. With so many rowers, all those new boats are going to come in very handy.......

Click here for photos from the event.Look out for an update on Saturday's arrangements on the website later this week.

[RW, 31 Jan 2011]

Maiden Voyage for the New Four for the Girls

The latest addition to the KGSBC fleet - a Girls' Four - had its maiden voyage last Saturday, in the capable hands of our talented sixth form rowers - Megan (stroke), Becky, Suzy and Abby - who proclaimed themselves delighted with the way the boat handled: they're already looking forward to testing it under racing conditions*.

Rowing Master Phil Simmons, and Head of Girls' Rowing, Richard Smalman-Smith, expressed their thanks to the parents of the Sherriff Club for the fundraising efforts which resulted in the purchase of the sleek new craft. But more goodies are still to come: a new girls' Quad has already arrived and will be launched shortly, while the new Boys' Eight should make its inaugural voyage sometime in mid-February. Keep an eye out for rowers with happy smiles.........

*Although not this weekend - the six crews heading to the Tideway for the Quintin Head are all VIIIs - for the boys, two matched J18 crews and a J15 crew; and for the girls crews at J18, J16 and J15. Good luck to all of them - results posted here on Monday.

Journey's End, Richmond Theatre, Tuesday 8th March, 7:45pm

Come along with the parents and rowers of the Sherriff Club to see R C Sherriff's classic first world war drama. This production of JOURNEY'S END is the Olivier-nominated, Tony award-winning production directed by David Grindley that won critical acclaim in the West End and on Broadway - although we've heard that the Director has promised some innovations that will ensure an even more emotional performance than before.

The play is based on Sherriff's own experiences in the trenches:

In the days leading up to the last great German offensive of the First World War, Raleigh, an 18-year old soldier joins a besieged company of soldiers in the British trenches at St Quentin. There he finds his new comrades being led by his old school friend Stanhope, but discovers that the man in khaki is much changed from the boy he left behind in cricketing whites.

We have 60 tickets for the Dress Circle, at a heavily discounted price of only £15. If you want to order tickets then please email: . as soon as possible - our allocation is already selling fast.

Notice from Mr Smalman Smith about girls' and J14boys' training on Saturday 15th Jan

Please click here to read (and see the cautionary pictures) about training this weekend as the river is on red boards due to fast stream.

In essence please come prepared with running shoes and other appropriate sports kit (including the right underwear!) in case the combination of weather/stream and numbers mean that some pupils have to run instead of row. The intention for tomorrow is:

• J16 and J18 girls : 7:30 as normal, full turnout, with coxes, if possible so we can boat 2 eights
• J15 girls : 9:30 – 12:00 at river please
• J14 girls and boys : 10:30 – 12:15 in the school gym (access only via front gate)

This may be a pattern for a few weeks if it does not stop raining!

January Training

Training for the forthcoming events listed below is really important. It starts on Monday 3rd January for the girls and on Tuesday 4th January for the boys. The boys have enjoyed six really excellent outings in fantastic flat water between Christmas and New year,(and so have the vets!), and everyone else needs to make up! Well done to the 8 WJ16s and 6 WJ14s who arranged their own water sessions during this time. Despite the thaw the river stream is back to "relatively slow" and is still generally calm if cold. Click here to see photos of school rowing in the snow. [RSS]

Forthcoming Events

A Happy New Year to all our rowers and parents. Since we've got a busy few months ahead, we wanted to alert you to some of the events you won't want to miss. You can find links to all the Head races and Regattas in our Calendar page (just click on the Calendar box on the left hand side).

13 January:		Sherriff Club Executive Committee meeting. We'll mainly be discussing plans for our upcoming events, but if there are any issues you're concerned about, email us at .
22 January:		Weybridge Winter Head: A possibility depending on trailer logistics. If it goes ahead 3rd Form parents may be interested in this one, since it's the first time for J14s to race as school crews in a Head race. Coaches will inform us nearer the time about whether it will take place and which rowers are likely to be involved, so keep your eye on the website for updates.
22 January:		Boat Club dinner: open to senior rowers and their parents, but all places are now taken.
29 January:		Quintin Head: This takes place on the Tideway, and will involve Senior and J15 boys and girls. Wellies will be needed!
5 February:		Hampton Head: This takes place on the Hampton stretch of the river, so close enough that it's easy to spectate (best from the Surrey side). It's likely to be a full-on event, with a lot of Junior crews involved.
5 February:		Peterborough Head: This one's only for the Seniors: definitely boys' first VIII, maybe the second VIII too.

After Peterborough there are a number of other Heads, and coaches will decide nearer the time which crews are going where. Keep your eyes on the website and the calendar.

10 March:		Journey's End, Richmond Theatre (see posting below for more details). The most likely night for the event is Thursday 10th, so try to keep it free. We're hoping to get hold of at least 50 cut-price tickets, more if there's more demand. Email if you're interested.
17 March:		Schools' Head: This is the first big event of the year, for boys and girls in 4th Form and up. We've had some successes in recent years, and are hoping for even better from some of our crews this year. It takes place on the Tideway on a Thursday, during the day. Many parents watch from Hammersmith Bridge, but the Surrey towpath from Hammersmith to Putney is also quite popular.
18 March:		Junior Sculling Head: This is the first big event for the 3rd Form rowers. It takes place at Dorney Lake (where the Olympics will be held in 2012), and is in the form of a Head race (but with time allowed for turning - it's an odd event!). Some 4th Formers are also usually involved.
19 March:		Women's Head of the River: Tideway again! This is an event for senior women crews, from the UK and beyond. Only senior girls are likely to be involved, but they'll be up against great opposition and it will be worth watching just to see women's rowing at its best.
25 March:		Kingston Head: Another full-on event, and on our stretch of the river. Come and cheer the crews on if you can - the race begins at Albany Reach, and you'll get a good view of the excitement of our crews boating, and then see them hurtling through the start line. Otherwise, the Surbiton-Kingston Promenade is a good place to watch.
25 March:		Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race (4:00 pm): After you're back from Kingston Head, turn on the telly and cheer on Ben Myers, Old Kingstonian. Ben is the President of the OUBC this year (see more about him here and here, and the only returning Oxford Blue - so even if you're a Cambridge partisan, don the dark blue for this occasion.
2 April:		Men's Head of the River: Another cracker of a race to watch live. Hammersmith Bridge is always packed solid for this one, and you'll get to see our first and second VIIIs mix it up with some of the best crews from Britain, Europe and beyond. International crews are also a regular feature. Men's rowing at its very best.

Looking Further Ahead............

10 -16 April:		Easter Training Camp
1 May:		Wallingford Regatta- first Regatta of the season, and we'll be there with the Gazebos and catering
7 May:		Thames Ditton Regatta - our home Regatta, for which we provide all of the catering. We deal with marshalling traffic, BBq-ing, making and selling teas, coffees, cakes and sandwiches, and generally helping the event go off without a hitch. We'll be back in touch nearer the time asking for volunteers, so please keep the date free (and don't worry, you can watch your child row even while helping - in fact, we insist.....)

Don't forget - New Year training continues this week as per the schedules posted on the Squad Notice Board. And for those in the Senior Squad, don't forget that Revision continues this week as well!

Good luck all the 5th Formers taking their Trial Exams when school starts back up, and to those in the Lower and Upper 6th taking AS and A2 modules.[RW]

Christmas Pudding Races


Winners of the J14 races hold their Christmas puddings aloft!

Christmas rowing kicked off with the Christmas pudding races at the Hampton/LEH Millennium boathouse on 13th December where some 230 school rowers from KGS, Hampton and LEH were assigned to mixed crews, with the J14s sculling in octuples named after Harry Potter characters and the J15s/seniors in 'James Bond' eights. The races were ably marshalled by Santa!

Congratulations to the rowers from KGS who won Christmas puddings, including Cameron Leckie, James Kershaw and Fiona Steinitz in the Sirius Black octuple who won all four of their races defeating Dumbledore in the final, and to James Claxton, Callum Anderson and Ella Barnard who also won four races in Oddjob to beat the Le Chriffre crew in the eights competition.

More Sponsored row Photos!

Photos from the Sponsored Row are still arriving! Thanks to Sarah Searle for these pictures of Andrew Ronaldson and Dom Saul in singles. See also the bottom of this page for more of Sarah's photos.

Christmas Training

Although the rest of the school community gets to take things easy for Christmas, rowers don't do so well with too much time on their hands. As a result, KGS's kindly coaches have agreed to supervise extra training over the holiday period.

The schedules will be printed on the Squad Pages (see the link on the left hand side) as soon as we have them. Please encourage your rower to go to as many sessions as they can manage - it's a great way to burn off the extra calories and prevent the onset of holiday lethargy!

Last-Minute Christmas Shopping

Don't forget that you can buy those last minute Christmas gifts right here at the Sherriff Club, for we have a range of merchandise that rowers and their relatives would be delighted to see in their Christmas stockings.

Just click on the "Merchandise" tag on the left, and follow the instructions. In addition we now have some very spiffy KGSBC mouse-mats and fridge magnets, should your little darlings ever be confused about the Boat-Club to which they belong. But hurry - we can't guarantee delivery in time for Christmas unless we get your orders in before the end of this week.

As a public service, we should perhaps also mention that there are great rowing gifts to be had from Godfrey Sports: www.godfrey.co.uk and Rock The Boat: .www.rock-the-boat.co.uk

Happy Shopping!

Keep Your Diary Free: Journey's End, Richmond Theatre, 7th - 12th March

Our thanks go to all the eagle-eyed Sherriffs out there who spotted Richmond Theatre's upcoming production of Journey's End:

Journey's End is the Olivier-nominated, Tony and Drama Desk award winning production directed by David Grindley that won critical acclaim in the West End and on Broadway. R.C.Sheriff’s masterpiece is a must see of British theatre

The production takes place at the beginning of March, and the Sherriff Club are looking to turn up in force - parents and rowers alike (and maybe coaches too?)! The Theatre are willing to sell us tickets at heavily discounted prices, and we are currently trying to arrange a room (or bar) where we can mix and mingle beforehand, and during the interval.

Details will follow very soon, but in the meantime, try to keep your diary free, and if you are interested in coming along, please drop a line to Roland Wales so we have some idea of numbers( . ).

For more details of the production, click here.

Christmas Pudding Races - 11th December 11am - 3pm, Millennium Boat House, Hampton

The annual Christmas Pudding races will be hosted this year by Hampton and LEH at the Millennium Boat House, Hampton. For a map and instructions from the school coaches please click here. All school rowers are invited and will be drawn to race in mixed ability crews in either eights, octs or quads. Parents are most welcome. There will be a barbeque, mince pies, hot drinks and mulled wine.

Saturday Training as Usual : 4th December

Sat 4 December ROWING CONTINUES AS NORMAL DESPITE SNOW ! The river has not frozen, the stream is minimal at the moment and the winds are light - so those who are healthy and can get to boathouse should assume that training continues according to the normal pattern. If in doubt check with the relevant coach. Wallingford Head (Snr boys) will probably still happen.

Rowing Kit in Winter - Message from Mr Simmons

Now that winter is setting in and the weather getting colder it is critical that boys and girls on the water are dressed appropriately. Rowers should wear a number of thin layers (3-4 or even more layers may be necessary) rather than one thick layer; this allows greater regulation of body temperature as they start exercising. If you have a KGS water proof top this can be useful to wear particularly in wet and windy weather, if you do not have a KGS waterproof top yet then a thin kagool type top is equally effective. Those in the senior squad who train twice on some days need to ensure they have enough warm dry kit for both sessions. Rowers should cover their legs ideally leggings are the best option but if you do not have leggings then a tracksuit will suffice. Warm hats are also a winter essential whilst on the water.

All rowers should also ensure they have some warm dry clothes to wear when they finish their water sessions, including hats, gloves, scarves, tracksuit and a coat.

If you are unsure what you should be wearing then your coach can advise you, those who do not have appropriate kit may not be allowed on the water. [Phil Simmons, Head of Rowing]

Waterborne Diseases : A message from Mr Beard

Following the much publicised and tragic death of double Olympic Gold Medal winning oarsman Andy Holmes, MBE I felt it pertinent to remind parents and students of some of the less obvious risks associated with the sport and in particular the risk posed by Weil’s disease / leptospirosis. There is already some excellent advice in the water safety section of the Sherriff Club site, where there can now also be found a link to the advice offered by British Rowing on this and other water-borne diseases. [AB]

3rd Annual Sherriff Night and Rowers' Revue: Saturday 13th November

R C Sherriff was an old boy of Kingston Grammar School who, having found considerable success as a playwright and screenwriter, bought the land for the school’s boathouse and helped fund its construction. Each year we celebrate his generosity by hosting an evening of songs and sketches based on his plays and movies, with all the singing and acting performed by our enthusiastic and talented rowers, supported by more of their colleagues behind the scenes. Highlights of this year's evening will include a performance of Sherriff's first ever play ("A Hitch in The Proceedings"), and excerpts from a musical based on his work ("Johnny the Priest" - once touted as "Britain's answer to West Side Story").

The evening will begin in the Queen Elizabeth building at 7.00pm, and we anticipate will end by 10.30. We would be delighted if you would join us for what promises to be a unique and enjoyable evening. Tickets, which include buffet supper, are priced at £15 for adults (£25 a pair), and £5 for (non-participating) KGS students, and are available by emailing Andrew Sim or email us at . A paying bar will also be available on the night. We hope you\'ll be able to come and help us celebrate not just the talents of R C Sherriff, but also those of the KGS students who are following in his footsteps.

Half Term Notices

Please see the following notices concerning training during the October half term (note that some of the files are quite large so may take a little time to open):

• WJ16 and WJ18 training
• WJ15 training
• WJ14 and J14 boys training
• J15 and J14 boys training (Senior boys to follow)
• Suggested ways to train away from the river in the holidays

Please could all parents and rowers see this letter on the school site regarding the ordering of rowing kit. Please respond immediately with orders so everyone is in correct kit for the start of the spring term races.

Boston Marathon

Robbie Mallett

Mr Smalman-Smith

A few hardy senior boys (and a very hardy R S-S) successfully raced the Boston Marathon last month in rather grey, windy weather. R S-S and Robbie Mallett raced in singles while a quad of Andrew Ronaldson, Iain Mandale, Dominic Saul and Tom Hoskin decided a quad would be both quicker and more sociable. Iain was competing for the second time, while for the others it was their first marathon. While none of the crews came close to winning, they all had as good a time as could be expected from 31 miles of sculling and also enjoyed the cultural sights of Lincoln and, of course, Boston. Some of them are already looking forward to next year....perhaps.[PW]

Click here to see more photos of the school crews, and here for the photos of the 22 current and former KGS parents who also raced in the marathon, with 3 KGSVBC crews winning pots.

Sherriff Club AGM: Friday 1st October, 7.30 for 8pm, Ditton Field Pavilion

The Sherriff Club AGM takes place on Friday 1st October at the Ditton Field Pavilion, starting at 7.30 for 8.00pm. A buffet super will be provided free, and a range of drinks will be available.

Come and hear Phil Simmons give his inaugural AGM address, and help us review the successes of the past year, and look forward to a very promising year ahead. Parking will be available beyond the second barrier, so as to leave room for the coaches returning from the 3rd Form Ypres trip (and if you are a 3rd Form parent, please pay us a visit, and enjoy some Sherriff Club hospitality while you find out how you can help the parents of the Sherriff club help the rowers).

If you're interested in finding out more, or if you'd like to join the Committee (we'd be especially pleased to welcome more 3rd and 4th Form parents), just email us on send an email to or use the contact page on this site.

For news archives from previous years please click below:

• 2008
• Jan-Aug 2009
• Sep 2009 - Aug 2010