News Archive Sep 2009 - Aug 2010

Update from Mr Williams on races during the Summer Break

A couple of senior boys have carried on training and racing during the summer break. Andrew raced in an IM3 quad and double for his club, Putney Town RC at Staines Regatta and won both. He was joined in the quad by Dom Saul, taking a break from his holidays and boatman duties at Southampton University.

Iain took a day off after coming back from Belgium and then teamed up with fellow Coupe medallist Jamie Copus from Abingdon School and secured a comfortable win over a large field in IM3 doubles at Peterborough. In addition, Cled, racing with his sister, narrowly lost in mixed doubles at Staines regatta under the colours of Fuzzy Duck BC. They are now all taking some well-earned time off before the new season starts in a couple of weeks. [PW]

Photos from the Beginners' Rowing Course, July 2010

This year's summer rowing course for second years began with capsize drill in the LEH pool and imaginative exercises with a broomstick and boat trestles, then progressed to rowing in octs, quads, doubles and singles and - for some - a chance to put the capsize drill into practice. Many thanks indeed to Richard Smalman Smith and his colleagues for organising the course during the summer holidays. Click here to see photos.

Multi-Medal Mandale



Iain Mandale returned from the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Hazewinkel with four medals after a highly successful regatta for Iain and the British team. On Saturday, the coxed four raced hard against a very fast Italian crew and lost by about half a length, with Spain and Holland trailing well behind. Later in the day, racing in the bow seat of the eight, Iain had a tremendous win over the Italians; the British crew trailed for much of the course, before moving away in the last 750m to win in a fast time of 5.52.

On the Sunday, the four still couldn't catch the Italians, coming second once again and this time the fast-starting Italian eight managed to beat Iain's crew into second place, after the British crew had to put a sub in the boat. So a return of a gold and three silver medals marked Iain's first selection for Great Britain - a truly memorable weekend capped by an overall win by the British team in the boys' competition; our congratulations go to him and the rest of the team.[PW]

Iain Mandale selected for Coupe de la Jeunesse

After three days of training with his pairs partner from Canford, followed by five days of time trials, a pairs matrix and a seemingly endless succession of seat races in Nottingham, Iain has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Coupe de la Jeunesse. He was initially picked for the Eight, but after a successful two weeks of training and further trials at Dorney, he will double up, racing in the coxed four as well. The regatta takes place at Hazewinkel, a course familiar to Iain (and the rest of us) from Easter training camp. We wish him the very best of luck!

Beginners Rowing Course 19 - 21 July:
New Recruits and Assistance from Experienced Rowers Wanted

There will be the opportunity for boys and girls in the current 2nd year (and other year groups, in exceptional circumstances) to try rowing over a three day course during the summer holidays – this is entirely optional but very useful! The course will be held on Wed 14 July (compulsory swim test) 1:30pm – 4pm, and Monday 19 July to Tues 20 July from 10 am – 3pm. There may also be an opportunity to row on Wednesday 21 July if some are interested. The course will be limited to about 30 pupils, for safety reasons with coaching from Mr Smalman-Smith, Mr Simmons, and other coaches assisted by older pupils. Click here for more detail, and the acceptance and parental consent forms. (It is a big file so may take a few moments to load). Please get in touch with Mr Smalman-Smith if you are interested.

Click here for photos from the 2009 girls' learn to row course.

National Schools Championships 2010

Despite a few less medals than last year the silver and bronze Kingston Grammar School did win were both fantastic performances from two crews that looked like outside chances for a medal in the build up the regatta.

The regatta started with the J14 octuple, the girl’s j14 quad and the two girls J15 coxed fours. The octuple had a strong time trial coming home in 6th place but being squeezed out of the final in a strong semi final.

The girls J14 quad made it through the time trial and into one of three semi finals. With only two crews to qualify the KGS crew missed a final place coming home third in their semi final although there was the small consolation of beating local rivals LEH and Molesey’s A crews. The girls were disappointed with the result but should be proud of their row. This group has shown a good attitude in their first year of rowing and have the potential to step on from this.

The girls J15 coxed fours event was being defended by KGS this year and both the A and B crew made the semi finals, in fact they were drawn in the same semi final after the time trial results. Again KGS couldn’t transfer a strong time trial into the semi final and KGS “A” missed the final by just one tenth of a second behind LEH in the last qualifying spot.

Saturday brought rain and some wind although unusually for Nottingham the wind was fair! Saturday is the key day and we had five eights and a girls coxed four racing. It was also great to see Sarah Fletcher at her first National Schools Regatta standing in the rain with KGS supporters and rowers cheering on the crews! The rain did at least gave the Sherriff Club a great opportunity to sell some of the distinctive KGSBC umbrellas.

The boys first eight qualified for the semi finals in third place after the time trial behind shock winners Monmouth. However the quality of this event was very high this year and KGS were raced out of the final in a very tough semi final missing the final by 1 second. This was a very hard result to take for the crew and the coaching team who had high hopes but I’ve no doubts the crew will bounce back and train hard for Henley and next season to get the results they deserve. Eton won the final with Monmouth in second and KCS third.

The girls J16 eight had a long wait for their straight final and when the race came the pace was just too hot for the KGS crew who were raced out of the medals early on in the race. The girls were understandably disappointed but the result goes to show what a tough sport rowing is and that there are no short cuts to be had in winter training if crews wish to perform in the summer.

The girls coxed four also missed out on the semi final after their time trial, although it was good to see Abbie Perse in her first National Schools Regatta having started rowing in September and Becky Wright back after injury earlier in the year.

The boys J15 eight had a big entry of 16 crews and 6th in the morning time trial putting them in a tough semi final thorough which they qualified in third place. The target for this crew had been a place in the final and this achieved the crew stepped up again in the final coming home agonisingly close to the medals in the dreaded 4th place just 3 seconds behind local KCS Wimbledon in third. However KGS did manage to overturn the Shiplake crew that beat them in the semi final to take 4th so the crews disappointment should be tempered with satisfaction of a strong performance.

Finally our two medal winning crews. Firstly the boys 2nd Eight. With changes to crew order just days before the regatta and the words of coach Cledwyn Ellison ringing in their ears the crew easily qualified from their semi finishing behind Shrewsbury and Radley, two of the favourites for this event. In the final they reached the first marker in third place ahead of crews from Hampton, Radley and St. Pauls and never looked back. Despite strong efforts from Hampton and Radley at the 750m mark the KGS crew just kept moving away and by the time they crossed the finish line had clear water over Hampton in 4th, a crew who have been ahead of KGS most of this season! A great result.

So to the girls J15 eight. The girls qualified comfortably finishing 2nd in their semi final behind a crew from Sir William Borlase who our girls had not beaten since the Schools Head but ahead of one of the Molesey crews who came first and second in the same event. So the final lined up with two crews from Molesey, (1st and 2nd at Schools head), Borlase, Sir William Perkins (or “Willy Perks to RSS!) and local crew Nottingham. On the starters “go” the KGS crew went!!! They led at 500m gone by 1 second over Molesey then by two seconds at 1000m gone before stretching to about a full boat length. At 1500m the Molesey A crew, strengthened since Schools Head and with a new coaching team, started to move and with 100m the crews were level. Despite the red and white encouragement from the bank Molesey edged past and won by half a length but the KGS crew showed real courage to attack the race from the start and go for the win, speaking with Molesey’s coach after the event he was “delighted to have some competition”. So, let’s beat them next year girls and show them what KGS can do!!! Competition really steps up in the J16 year, therefore training will too but this group of 4th year girls have the ability to step up to the mark. It is down to them to turn this fantastic silver medal into gold in 12 months time!

Sunday saw the weather older rowers associate with Nottingham whilst younger rowers may have felt the Nottingham wind for the first time. KGS had four crews. For the boys a J15 quad, J16 coxless four and a Championship coxless fours whilst the girls had the J16 4+. The J15 quad missed qualification for the semis in a tough event whilst the two other boys crews made it through the time trial. However both crews were drawn in lanes one to three, the less sheltered side. Despite some good efforts the Championship four missed out but beat local rivals Hampton in the process and the J16 four had a great semi final row but perhaps missed out on a better lane due to not rowing the time trial as well as they are capable of. An example of how important it is to perform to your maximum in all races.

The girls just had the J16 coxed four on Sunday. Again KGS got through the time trial but again got lane two in the semi-final. It should be noted only one crew all day qualified from lanes one and two for the finals. This crew have shown some ability this season both in the head racing season and the regatta season and these four rowers need to ensure they take the next step to fulfil the potential they have and to achieve their own aims and ambitions. There are other girls in this group who have also shown that they have the potential to be at the front of big races, the next 12 months must be spent getting there.

So my first Nat Schools as Head of Rowing at KGS, some strong performances but ultimately not quite making the final leap into finals or medals. So an enjoyable but at times frustrating weekend seeing athletes who have trained hard not quite achieving their goals. This is the hard reality of sport at this level, races are often won and lost by small margins.

Lastly some thank yous: firstly a huge thank you should go to the Sherriff Club for providing pasta and shelter for rowers, supporters and coaches, and thank you to Andrew Sim and his team for running such a slick operation from Friday to Sunday and keeping us all dry and fed. Finally of course a huge thank you to the KGS Coaching team, Mr. Williams, Mr. Smalman-Smith, Mr. Beard, Miss Sharpe, Mr. Fenton, Sophia Christie, Rob Allen, Cledwyn Ellison and Tim Liversage, without whom KGS would not have such numbers representing the school. The time, effort and dedication all the coaching team put in is huge to ensure the rowers have the best chance of performing. [Phil Simmons]

For more photos click here.

Research into the history of KGSBC (b. 1890)

Mr Beard has kindly volunteered to co-ordinate research the 120 years of history of the Kingston Grammar School Boat Club - and as both a rowing coach and history teacher he is ideally placed to do so! This will be an ongoing project for some time and he hopes to be able to tap into many the memories of many OKs. We have set up a page on the website to summarise the research as it appears. So for now click here to read about the first ever KGS boat race (Ravens Ait to the old Woolworths site).

Walton & Weybridge and Weybridge Ladies Regattas, 22-23 May

Two events this weekend - J14 boys and “masters men” at Walton Regatta on Saturday, and J14 girls and “masters women” at Weybridge Ladies Regatta on Sunday.

At Walton the excitement was the J14 boys octuples racing St.Georges : 32 blades going in and out of the water 38 times a minute is quite a sight. In the final the two “A” crews were quite well matched but a poor start from the KGS crew cost them the race. They seek revenge when they get to Nottingham on Friday for the the National Schools Regatta.

At Weybridge we had the privilege of seeing WJ14 and WMasters (Veteran in the old language!) coxed quads racing in successive races at both semi-finals and finals. All our rowers here had less than a year’s experience of the sport and were quite anxious at their first “away” regatta.

The WJ14 double (Olivia and Mary) did very well to hold their nerve and length racing Walton, with the lead constantly changing through the race and much steering needed. However their base speed was better and they came through to win by a length. The SWPS double that they met in the Semi-final was a bit faster off the start, and kept their lead throughout. The “Annabel” quad raced a very strong and tall Ardingly quad which only beat them by one length, mainly through rowing rather longer and making effective use of their legs. The KGS crew got a bit tense and so caught a few too many minor crabs.

The “Annabel” quad disposed off a Walton crew fairly emphatically with Fearn pushing her crew all the way. On the other side of the draw Walbrook had surprisingly beaten both the very tall Ardingly quad and the fancied SWPS quad. The final was going to be a tough race but nobody expected it to be quite as nail biting as it was. The KGS crew started down on the stagger and had the less effective start but maintained their postion just quarter of a length down for the first half of the race, rating 33 but looking very efficient and relaxed. I am sure they were working near their limit with Fearn calling for successive big pushes, but it was the quality rhythm and inside of the bend that eventually drew them level in the last 200m, and then a final step up in rate from Emily for the last five strokes that drew them ahead to win by a few feet. Such mature racing – well done to all the crew, especially Lydia who was in her first regatta. The National Schools Regatta is now only 5 days away for them and will be exciting but an even bigger challenge – 28 crews are entered in their event!

Only a few minutes behind the girls were the mums’ crew racing Novice coxed quads against some young Weybridge girls, having already beaten a strong adult Walton crew. Again a very close race, with the KGSVBC crew holding onto their slight lead throughout and winning by half a length cheered on by a lot of excited men! [RSS]

Thames Ditton and Poplar Regattas : May 15th and 16th

Thames Ditton Regatta on Saturday saw some strong performances from KGS crews in preparation for the National Schools Regatta during the first weekend of half term.

The Under 15 1st Eight lost to Hampton in the final by 4 feet in the Under 15 first eights competition while the Under 15 2nd Eight lost to Hampton B in the final of the 2nd Eights competition. The Boys Under 16 fours saw the “B” crew lose in the semi final to St Georges College who then went on to beat the “A” crew in the final by ¾ length.

The girls took a clean sweep of the adult novice events: The fourth year girls won Women’s Novice fours beating adult opposition from Kingston Rowing Club in the final. Sophie Robinson sculled well through four rounds of competition finally beating Kings School Canterbury in the final with an easily verdict in Women’s Novice single sculls. The senior girls also won Women’s Novice Eights beating Warwick University in the semi-final and Wallingford Rowing club in the final.

Thames Ditton Regatta also saw the first regatta races for the third year rowers, all of whom competed very successfully. One of the boys Octuples won the “plate” competition, beating Hampton in a thrillingly close final, with the other two octuples also winning through one round and then narrowly losing to St George’s and Hampton respectively.

Most of the girls raced in quads, with two boats reaching the semi-finals. Two girls reached the semi-final of the singles event, with Emily Piper going on to the final but losing to a strong club sculler : racing in a single in incredibly demanding and the three girls that did so in their first regatta deserve special credit for the way they did so with such confidence.

Poplar Regatta on Sunday in the London Docklands. Just two crews made the trip here to encounter the highest level of competition: the fourth year girls came 3rd in J15 eights, and the boys first eight also came 3rd.

There are more races next weekend at Walton and Weybridge Regattas, before the National Schools Regatta during the first weekend of half term.[RSS]

For a lot, (and we mean a lot!), of photos of the Regatta click here and be patient for a few moments while the pictures load. Since there are many pictures of each crew they are a good study in technique!

James Cracknell returns to KGS

James Cracknell, former rower at KGS (and also double Olympic gold medal-winning oarsman, trans-atlantic rower, polar racer, Marathon des Sables runner and Old Kingstonian!), returned to KGS to deliver a lecture on the South Pole and Other Challenges on 22nd April. Here is Mr Bond's write-up from the School Website.

The Head, Sarah Fletcher, was delighted to welcome James Cracknell to the School to launch the series of high-profile annual talks, a new fundraising initiative by the KGS Foundation, which is seeking £1 million to support bursaries and the development of sports and science facilities at the school. Proceeds from ticket sales for James’s talk will support the refurbishment of the science laboratories.

James delivered a fascinating and inspirational illustrated talk on his exploits since leaving the School, describing the awesome challenges he has faced, the intense competitiveness that drives him and the excruciating physical ordeals he has endured in his preparation and in competition. A qualified Geography teacher, James also talked passionately about the environment and his role working on the sustainability of the 2012 London Olympics.

There was great warmth and humour, too, in James's descriptions of his relationships with the likes of Matthew Pinsent and Ben Fogle and in his memories of KGS. We all felt genuinely sorry that he had not been made a prefect, but were pleased that in his darkest hours he drew comfort from a piece of graffiti he remembered from School - the simple phrase daubed on a board: 'All things must pass'.

The story that James told was one of extraordinary dedication, commitment and physical and mental courage, delivered powerfully but modestly, and everyone in the packed audience in the Theatre was stirred, moved and finally deeply grateful that this remarkable young man, who has achieved so much, could find the time in his busy schedule to come and speak to us.

At the end of a marvellous evening, the Head presented James with the OK of the Year Award for 2009 that James had been unable to collect at the OK Dinner in December. It was a richly deserved tribute, but one couldn't help feeling that a purple prefects' gown would have meant almost as much. [NB]

Wallingford Regatta - 2nd May 2010

As anyone who was there on Sunday will tell you, conditions were not ideal for racing. A strong cross-wind and driving rain for much of the day made conditions as hazardous for spectators as it did for crews. At least the spectators could huddle under the Sherriff Club marquees: not so our stalwart crews. Because conditions were so bad, and the Regatta was running late, a number of finals were cancelled, and results allocated according to positions in heats, which was unfortunate for those drawn in the most difficult and windswept lanes.

Nevertheless, the J15 girls were able to continue their march to glory with a comprehensive victory in the Novice VIII category, beating St Edwards and two crews from Exeter College by a very wide margin.

Also worthy of a mention are the J15 boys, who came 3rd in their heat in the B VIIIs category (restricted to crews who have not yet won this year), and fourth overall, only 7 seconds behind the best Hampton crew, and beating a number of ecxellent rowing schools in the process.

Among the other results, the senior boys did well to come third in the IM1 category, just 11 seconds behind the winners, and beating KCS in the process. They also were neck and neck with St Paul's and Eton in the J18 VIII category, which bodes well for Nat Schools. The second VIII also did well, coming 4th in their heat, but only 12 seconds off the winners, and beating some strong second VIIIs in the process.

Among the girls IVs and Quads there were mixed results, with the best of the bunch being the J16 4x- which came a close third in their final. Well done to them, and to everyone else who braved the elements - parents included.

Gent International Regatta - Results

Boys second VIII

Girls senior IV

After 4 gruelling days of training camp, the massed ranks of KGS's senior rowers threw themselves into the competitive cauldron of Gent Spring Regatta, emerging with a very creditable set of results. Although the Regatta was in Belgium, much of the competition was British, with many top schools in attendance.

Pick of the day's results was the senior boys' victory in the U-23 coxless IV, but the silver earned in the Men's VIIIs was also impressive. In the latter event the 2nd VIII did well to come 12th (just a few seconds off their Hampton rivals), and the J15s Rowed strongly to finish in 16th, just 20 seconds behind. The younger boys also did well in other races: the J16s came 4th in coxless IVs, and 11th of 28 in Under-18 coxes IVs ( with the J15 boys coming 16th).

In the Women's VIIIs, the first VIII came 5th, with the J15s putting in a tremendous surge to finish just one place and only 4 seconds behind. The J15girls had also shown their strength earlier in the day, coming 4th of 9 in J16 quad sculls, just one place behind the J16 girls. And a special mention should go to the 6 girls who raced in single sculls (2K is a long way on your own): Sophie and Athena (who also raced in a pair, a coxless IV and the VIII!), Phoebe, Meg, Susie and Ella.

For more photos click here


Senior VIII with silver medals in self-designed kit

Gent International Regatta

About 60 of KGS's finest are off at training camp in Hazelwinkel, Belgium, this week, honing their skills for the upcoming Regatta season, and seat racing for places in the most competitive boats. To test how far they've come, many of them will be taking part in the Gent International Spring Regatta on Saturday, and for parents interested in monitoring their progress, here's a link to the regatta website:

http://users.telenet.be/gentsers/regatta2010/index.html

If you click on the "Programme" link for Saturday on the left hand side you'll see a list of the 20 or so races in which KGS rowers are involved. They begin at 8:00 in the morning, and finish at 4:45 in the afternoon. Most of the crews are specified by individual name, so if you're interested in knowing when your son or daughter is involved, try searching by their first or last name.

Some parents are planning to go along to the Regatta, and if you're interested, it's very easy to get to: Gent is just an hour and a half's drive from Calais. As a special treat you'll be able to celebrate your rower's victories (or commiserate withe them in defeat) by indulging in Belgian frites, beer and chocolate while you're there!

The 2010 Boat Race


Former KGS student Ben Myers rowing at bow for Oxford

Commiserations to Ben Myers, whose Oxford crew lost out to Cambridge in a pulsating race on Saturday. At about 10 minutes in, when Oxford were 3/4 of a length up, it looked as though the race was almost done. But Cambridge did well to hold Oxford on the outside of the Hammersmith Bridge bend, and thereafter proved strong enough to take a lead of their own which they then refused to relinquish. But, as the youngest person in the Oxford crew, Ben will have a chance to take his revenge next year, and hopefully he will be buoyed by the assessment of Simon Briggs from the Daily Telegraph:

".... there is a strong chance that, as we move towards the events at Dorney Lake in 2012, at least a couple of Saturday's students will be maturing into tomorrow's Olympians. Perhaps it will be Gill and Pelly; or maybe even the defeated Oxford pair of Ben Myers and Charlie Burkitt.

A 20-year-old physics student, Myers did not bother to trial for Oxford University Boat Club in his first year because he did not think he was good enough. But he, like his Cambridge contemporary, George Nash, is viewed as an outstanding physical specimen........."

(And at the Sherriff Club we are keeping our fingers crossed that he'll be opposed by another OK rower, for congratulations are due to Igor Marisin who was recently offered a place to read Modern and Mediaeval languages next year at Clare College, Cambridge: well done Igor!)

Photos from the Boat Club Dinner

For photos from the Boat Club dinner click here.

Results from Men's Head of the River, 27th March

The boys first and second VIIIs took part in the Men's Head of the River race on 27th March, competing against over 400 of the top men's crews in Europe, (including Leander, Molesey and the Czech national crew, as well as a host of top-class universities, clubs and schools). Both (young) crews performed superbly well, easily improving on the equivalent placings of last year's KGS crews. The first VIII did particularly well, coming 69th - our best performance in over a decade - while the second VIII came in 194th. Both crews have significantly improved their performances relative to other schools, the reward for hard work and dedication in training, and perhaps an optimistic sign for their Regatta chances after Easter. For more photos, thanks to Andrew Sim, please click here.

Kingston Head Results, 20th March

KGS crews were out in force at the Kingston Head on 20th September, with over 90 of our rowers taking part. The girls took bragging rights over the boys, with two crews scoring victories. These were the senior girls in the adult novice VIIIs category,(especially pleasing as one of the girls is a recent beginner), and one of the J14 coxed quads. Among the other girls' crews, the top J16 Quad pulled out a very good second place rowing with sharp catches and good flow to finish just 3 seconds behind the experienced Tideway scullers who came second at the Sculling Head. Not far behind them, the J15 girls were racing in a J16 category and did fantastically well to keep it lively in pace and well steered by Izzy Dubois.

For the boys, commiserations should go to the first VIII, who narrowly missed out on a win, coming in just 0.2 of a second behind Eton. The J15 VIII and a lively J16 IV also achieved impressive second places, and while the J14s were a little further down the rankings, they're making gains on their rivals all the time.

Women's Head of the River, 13th March

Congratulations to the girls in the first VIII (Phoebe, Izzy, Susie, Emily, Meg, Becky, Athena and Ellen - with a lot of help from Alfie, the cox), for an outstanding row in the Women's Head. Despite having a very young crew (6 are in 5th Form, with 2 in Lower 6th), they came 6th in their category, and 109th overall (out of a total of over 300 crews, comprising the best women's crews in Europe - including seniors, universities and the top schools), our best result since 2004. It was a really exciting row in a race with lots of overtaking which kept the girls pushing on the throttle

Results from the Oarsport National Junior Sculling Head, 12th March

Three boys' crews and two girls' crews made their way to Dorney Lake for the sculling head - the first time that our girls' crews have taken part. The J14 races are always difficult for KGS crews since many other schools begin sculling a year or two earlier, but despite that the crews approached the race with great spirit. The girls' boat was unfortunately affected by a catastrophic equipment failure, but the girls handled themselves well given the problems. Result of the day was the J14 A Octuple, which came 13th out of 39 crews. The J15 girls' quad also put in a very solid performance in a highly competitive field. The most pleasing aspect of the whole day, however, was the fact that the school was able to put out over 40 boy and girl rowers - an indicator of how deep is the pool of talented rowers in the younger years.

[For those unfamiliar with the set-up, and curious as to how a Head format can take place on a 2K rowing lake, the answer is that the crews are timed rowing one way down the lake, and are then given time to turn before being timed again in the opposite direction (in some cases they also do a further lap), with the times aggregated.]

Results from Schools' Head, Thursday 11th March

KGS put out a record number of VIIIs in the Schools' Head on 11th March - 2 for the senior boys, 1 for the senior girls, 2 for the J15 boys and another for the J15 girls. The pick of the results were those of the J15 girls and boys, both of whom won bronze in spirited fashion. The J15 girls did particularly well to be the first school crew home, beaten only by two Molesey crews (and by only 4 seconds for second place). The senior boys' first and second VIIIs both improved on last year's performances, coming 10th and 5th in their categories respectively. A special mention also to the J16 girls' VIII who came 4th in their category (narrowly missing a second successive bronze medal) and to the two coxed fours - in the women's junior category (7th) and J16 boys (10th). For photos please click here.

Schools' Head, Thursday 11th March, and the Junior Sculling Head, Friday 12th March

The Schools Head starts at 13.00 from Chiswick Bridge on Thursday 11th March and finishes at Putney. Any supporters are very welcome indeed; a shout from a bridge can make a great difference. The crews are boating from ULBC and are then de-rigging at Thames Tradesmen's RC, just upstream of Barnes railway bridge. The best place to watch is probably Hammersmith Bridge; the boys' first eight will pass under it at about 13.20 and the other crews after that. A full start order is available at www.wsbc.org.uk/shorr\.

On Friday the J14s and some J15s travel to Dorney Lake for the other major schools' head race - the Junior Sculling Head. Again support would be very welcome. Details are at www.thescullery.org.uk/hor2010.html or from the coaches.

GB trials

Four boys from lower sixth - Iain Mandale, Dan Robinson, Andrew Ronaldson and Peter Wales - attended the GB pairs trials in Boston, Lincs at the end of February. All four boys were part of the J16 VIII which won Schools' Head last year (Iain, Peter, Dan and Andrew are at 7,6,5 and 4 respectively in the picture).

Peter (in the foreground on the right) plus a dozen or so KGS rowers, past and present, in the photo On the first day the boys did less well than expected, but mainly because they were rowing at a stroke rate of 28, as suggested by GB, whereas the other crews were rowing at much higher rates. As a result Peter and Andrew came in 28th, while Iain and Dan came in 37th. On the Sunday, however, the boys chose to go at their own stroke rate, and performed much better: Iain and Peter came in 10th, while Andrew and Dan were 22nd. As a result of their strong showing on the Sunday, Iain and Peter were selected by GB to attend their spring assessment camp at the end of March. Peter, however, is opting not to attend, since he is one of only 12 CCF cadets from across the country to have won a prestigious place at the Canadian Army's high altitude adventure training camp this summer. He is the second rower in recent years to win a place, after Dom Saul in 2008, giving weight to the view of the cadet force as the "armed wing of the boat club" (Dark) Blue is the Colour Oxford and Cambridge Crews 2010, Ben on the far right Source: bbc.co.uk With apologies to all KGSBC fans of Cambridge, we're switching to dark blue for this year's Boat Race, following the announcement that Ben Myers, Boathouse Captain just two years ago, has been selected to row at bow for Oxford in this year's Boat Race (Saturday 3rd April at 16.30). Ben was in the VIII that won Nat Schools two years ago, and after gaining 5 'A's at A-level then went up to Oxford to study physics. He's rowed for Wales for the past 3 years (most recently at U23 level), and has rowed in the Isis boat for the past year. The BBC reported his inclusion as follows: "The surprise inclusion in the crew is Ben Myers, 20, who learned to row at the same school in Kingston as double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell. He got an opportunity in the boat for a week because somebody was off sick then he did some great stuff in the out-of-boat testing," said (Oxford coach Sean )Bowden. It's great. He's done really well." Ben is one of only two British students in the crew, and the only undergraduate. Congratulations to Ben, and Go Oxford!" Ben (3rd from left) in the KGS J18 crew which won the 2008 Nat Schools. Hampton Head and GB Training Day - 6th and 7th February 2010 Over 90 KGS rowers and scullers raced in good conditions at Hampton Head on Saturday. Due to some illness and a GB Junior training day the boys first eight did not race, however all other squads were out in force. As well as being a chance to race some top opposition in the build up to the Schools Head of the River the race also gave the J14s their first taste of competition as two boys octuples and one girls octuple completed the 3km course. After Quintin Head, in which some of the girls crews posted strongly, it was the boys turn to enjoy some strong performances. The pick of the results must go to the J18 boys coxless IV (Jack, Olly, Matt & Sam) who came 3rd of 14 despite an attempt from Shiplake College to board the crew as KGS overtook them, robbing the boys of a second place finish behind KCS Wimbledon. Another notable result was that of the J16 Boys VIII which came 2nd out of 7 crews, beating St Paul's, and losing by only 8 seconds to Hampton. But riverside spies tell us there's still room for improvement in their technique (!), so they might close that gap still further. Both J15 boys VIIIs came mid-pack in their races, but with times not too far off the leading crews. Among the girls, there were mid-pack performances from the J15 and J16 VIIIs, both of which came 4th in their races, but well within touch of the winning times (especially the J16s). The J18 girls coxed four of Abbie Pearse, Amy Mowbray, Rhona Cormack, Immy Stone cox Immy Preece also came fourth. This was the first race for Abbie and Amy and they performed well to complete the course and gain a taste of racing. Congratulations also to the other crews sporting genuine novice racers. Just making it to the start line requires a great deal of effort and determination, so well done to the rowers in the three J14 octuples - all of whom made it back alive! For full results click here. On Sunday 2 pairs (Dan Robinson & Andrew Ronaldson, Iain Mandale & Peter Wales) were invited to train at the GB Rowing Teams training lake in Caversham alongside some of the leading contenders for the Great Britain Junior Team this year. They performed well during a hard day of racing (32 km up and down a rowing lake) and will now prepare for the GB long distance pairs trials at the end of next week (hopefully after focusing on their trial AS exams this week!). Sunday was the first step on a long road to represent Kingston Grammar School and Great Britain. Further trials will be held throughout the year before final selections are made in July. Will Perham to run 100 miles in a week to raise money for Haiti Will Perham, who left KGS last summer after winning the gold medal in the coxless four at the World Junior Championships, has set himself a new challenge. He intends to run 100 miles in a week, split into ten 10 mile runs (equivalent to a half marathon every day), to raise money to be sent to Haiti through Oxfam for the victims of the earthquake. To read more about it, or to sponsor Will, please see his website page. Quintin Head Results - 30th January 2010 School rowers raced at the Quintin Eights Head against a lot of club opposition and some schools. The Girls U15 eight won their event, beating St George’s and Emanuel. The Girls WJ18 eight also beat two Emanuel crews by over a minute but were beaten by St Paul’s Girls. The boys J15 crew were 4th out of 6 crews. Two “matched” J18 boys eights were 4th and 7th respectively in the field of 12 boys eights. KGS Boat Club Dinner - 23rd January The school Hall was packed on Saturday night with rowers, parents, veterans and friends enjoying the excellent food of the KGS catering staff, and celebrating a highly successful year for the Boat Club. Alongside several tables of senior rowers were tables of coaches and OKs, as well as an unusually large number of parents, perhaps tempted along by a desire to hear the new Head coach (Phil Simmons) for the first time, and to send off Colin Greenaway for the last time. The Boat Club captains - Pavle and Sophie - gave assured performances as they described the successes, and occasional upsets, of the past year, and they were commended for their efforts by the evening's main speaker - Sophie Hosking - who reminded us that she herself had been performing a similar task only six years ago! Sophie described the progress of her career in recent years, winning World Championship silver in the lightweight Quad in 2007, and bronze in the lightweight double in 2009 (after winning gold in warm-up Regattas in Munich and Lucerne). She spoke of the opportunities and friendships that rowing had offered her over the years, and how much she had benefited from her time rowing at KGS. Having been favourites for gold last year, she and her partner in the double are now setting their sights on olympic success in 2012, and given her obvious determination and commitment, it would be unwise to bet against them! (RW) Christmas Pudding Races - 12th December This years Christmas pudding races will be at Kingston Grammar School Boat Club. Races will be 500 metres racing in mixed crews and registration for the event will be at 11.30am at the KGS Boat House. Please bring £1.00 to enter Mixed crews from rowers from Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton School and Kingston Grammar School will be drawn from a hat as follows: J16 - J18 Girls and J15 - J18 Boys: in Eights J14 - J15 Girls and J14 Boys: in octs and quads There will be Christmas puddings for the winning crews and fancy Dress is encouraged! Mulled wine and mince pies along with other refreshments will be available thanks to the Sherriff Club. This is a fantastic fun day, parents welcome to come and watch and even join in if you have some rowing experience though it is not suitable for complete novices. Click on the poster or here to see the flyer for more information. New Head of Rowing at KGSBC Mr Philip Simmons has been appointed the new Head of Rowing at KGS. He will take up the post in January 2010. Mr Simmons was previously rowing coach at The Lady Eleanor Holles School before leaving to become a full time athlete with GB Rowing. He is currently Coaching and Development Team Leader for the London Amateur Rowing Association. He has competed in a number of World Championships, and was a member of the GB Senior Team from 2000 to 2006, winning Bronze in 2003 and racing at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Hampton Small Boats Head - 28th November 2009 On Saturday most of the girl rowers raced at Hampton Small Boats Head. This event attracted 850 junior crew entries from all over the country – the competition is intense and so there were no wins this time. However all the girls got excellent results and proved their competitiveness. Highlights include Susie Chalk coming 5th out of 60 in her single, and then pairing up with Izzy Herrick to come 2nd in a classy field of pairs. Also showing a lot of potential are the J15 girls – Ellie Jennings and Pippa Bale coming 9th in their double, closely followed by Ella Barnard and Fenella Ross in 12th position, and one of the quads coming 9th too. The J15 boys also turned out in force and posted very respectable times, but came up against stiff opposition. The two quads were evenly matched, coming in with two seconds of each other, in 19th and 20th positions (with Peter Davies' boat winning bragging rights on this occasion). The double of Callum Anderson and Henry Linney came in 14th in their category, but with a very good time, just 15 seconds behind the quads. In the singles, Alasdair Toyn and George Roberts came 20th and 24th respectively, separated by just 3 seconds. Congratulations to all. For full results click here. Five Wins at Kingston Small Boats Head - 21st November 2009 Congratulations to the rowers - almost 60 of them - who took part in the Kingston Small Boats Head on Saturday. Conditions for rowing were good, especially in the morning, and this was reflected in some excellent performances across the age groups. Out of ten categories entered, KGS rowers were successful in winning 5: J16 coxless IV (Chris Sim, Freddie MacCormack, Tom Hoskin and Tom Devine) Women’s J18 Coxed IV (Phoebe Bridges, Suzy Chalk, Izzy Herrick and Ellen Punter) who are U16 but racing at U18 level with a really solid rhythmic row which rarely rates above 26 but is very effective. Women’s J15 coxed Quad who keep winning with different crew combinations. This time it was Rachel Cook, Ellie Jennings, Fenella Ross, Lara Hodson and cox Hannah Marsters. Women’s J16 Double (Megan Nash and Meg Reynolds) who steered really well and got faster throughout the race, with many spectators noting their excellent finish. J15 Singles (Henry Linney) Well done, too, to the Senior Boys Coxless and Coxed IVs for coming second in exceptionally challenging categories, and pressing the winners all the way, to Elly Moore, for getting some fantastic results after only a few months of rowing, and to the WJ16 double of Emily Watson and Jess Noulton who managed to capsize before the start, but got back in and raced anyway, albeit rather cold! Jess then abandoned boat at Kingston and leapt straight into school for a rehearsal of The Tempest. See the results page for full details. A special mention should be given as well to the parents and ex-parents of the KGS Veterans Boat Club, some of whom were racing for the very first time: it’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts. Racing continues next weekend, with many of the girls and the J15 boys taking part in the Hampton Head. It’s a stretch of river that’s not too far away, so go along if you can to cheer them on! Sherriff Night and Rowers' Revue   Mrs Fletcher presenting a cheque for £15,000 to Emma Cronin from Cancer Research UK Last Saturday the Sherriff Club hosted its second celebration of the writing talent of its benefactor - R C Sherriff, the noted playwright and screenwriter - and the performing talents of the school’s rowers. About 70 rowers took part, singing, dancing and acting in front of a full house of around 160 parents, veterans and friends of the Boat Club. The theatrical highlights of the evening were extracts from The Dambusters movie (written by Sherriff in 1954) and Journey’s Other End, a previously unpublished and unknown sequel to Journey’s End. Special mention should be made of the acting talent of 4th formers Ali Middleton and Hannah Marsters (as Guy Gibson and Barnes Wallis in Dambusters), and 6th formers Mark Gillis and Pavle Dimitrijevic (as Stanhope and Trotter in Journey’s Other End). Other highlights of the evening included songs from each of the squads, a brand new Sponsored Row video (email to buy a copy, or click here to view the two videos shown at the AGM by David Freeman), and the presentation of a cheque for £15,000 to Cancer Research, as the first tranche of its share from the fundraising from the Sponsored Row which is now expected to net in excess of £45,000! A further highlight was the boisterous performance of the Senior Boys in a rewrite of the Time Warp, from the Rocky Horror Picture Show - their tribute to the departing Head Coach, Colin Greenaway, who was presented with a framed picture and a plaque by Andrew Sim, Chair of the Sherriff Club. Click here for a review and photos. Seven Wins at Teddington Small Boats Head - 8th November 2009 The rewards of a solid bank of training in the first half of term were evident in the results from the Teddington Small Boats Head when fantastic sustained aggression allowed the crews to win seven of the eight events contested. See the results page for full details. The first pot of 2009/10 - and our RSS Feed : Rowing Update - 2nd November 2009 New rowing parents may think that RSS feeds refer to "Really Simple Syndication", but our rowing report below come thanks to the Head of Girls' rowing, Richard Smalman Smith. Congratulations to Mr SS, who in addition to spending much of half term coaching managed to win a pot himself by completing the 4,800 metre upstream course of the Marlow Long Distance Sculls in 19 minutes 47 seconds, thereby winning the Veteran B category by 24 seconds. Fantastic rowing water this term so far, combined with greater mileages and improved weights attendance all put us in a far better position at this stage than in the last few years. Sadly, the same is probably just as true of all out opposition. In particular the WJ14 group are showing exceptional skills as a result of far greater exposure to singles. Half term training has been of high quality, though attended by far too few girls. Mixing of the age groups (J17-J15 and J15-J14) has been very successful and has highlighted the potential of the younger girls. Only 6 girls were available during half term to race at Weybridge Silver Sculls – 3 doubles were entered. Phoebe Bridges and Susie Chalk trained well in the week before and attacked the course very well but were third to Walton and SWPS. The Walton crew contained the daughter of Mrs Ball, who taught and coached at KGS a while ago. Interestingly, the KGS crew would have won WJ17 or WJ18 if entered! Jess Noulton and Imogen Preece had not had any practice but they beat a couple of WJ16 crews. Sophie Crocker and Rachel Cook took a while to get moving but really motored up the Walton stretch, pulling away from LEH behind them. After steering very well up to the blue bridge, they hit the mooring where some adult rowers then crashed into them. After almost capsizing and then getting unentangled , the double set off and attacked the rest of the course well. The LEH double were second, and so it is fair to say the KGS double could have done exceptionally well here. Sponsored Row - write up, photos and videos >   On the weekend of September 19th one hundred and fifteen people - students, parents, ex-KGS parents, Old Kingstonians and friends paddled in 26 boats the 80 miles from Oxford back to the Kingston Grammar School boat house in order to raise money for Cancer Research and for updating the boat house. When all the calculations are done it is looking as though £40,000 will have been raised, twice the target. Click here to see photos, videos and a full report. 2nd Annual Sherriff Night & Rowers’ Revue : Saturday 14th November RC Sherriff R Smalman-Smith   Come and join the Rowers of Kingston Grammar School at their second annual celebration of one of the school’s illustrious old boys, R C Sherriff. The evening will feature a variety of sketches, including staged excerpts from the plays and movies of R C Sherriff. We will also be presenting our very own world premiere: scenes from Sherriff’s unpublished, never-before-seen sequel to Journey’s End - find out what happened next to Stanhope and Trotter! In a packed programme, we are also hoping to show an extended movie of the Sponsored Row for the very first time, as well as presenting awards to those who collected the most money, and making a presentation to cancer research. Finally we shall be saying goodbye to the rowing master Colin Greenaway, with a presentation for his years of dedicated service to the KGS Boat Club. 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 for the whole school. Tickets, which include buffet supper, are priced at £15 for adults (£25 a pair), and £5 for (non-participating) KGS students and are available from Andrew Sim or email us at . A paying bar will be available on the night, and, as last year, there will be a light-hearted quiz with prizes awarded to the winning teams. Information for new parents - October 2009 Please click here for a summary of some of the key points from the new parents' evening. The document includes contact details, kit prices, other clothing suggestions and useful web links.' Sherriff Club AGM - Friday 2nd October, 7.30 for 8pm at Ditton Field Pavilion The Sherriff Club AGM takes place on Friday 2nd October at the Ditton Field Pavilion, starting at 7.30 for 8.00pm. A buffet supper will be provided free, and a range of drinks will be available. The new Head will be coming to speak, and Colin Greenaway, the rowing master will be making his farewell appearance. 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 third form parent who will be waiting in a car for your child please do pay us a visit, and find out how you can help the parents of the Sherriff Club help the rowers). Sponsored Row - Message from Mr Greenaway I would like to congratulate all the pupils, parents and Veterans on their magnificent achievement over the weekend. I am so impressed by everyone who took part, their positive 'can do' attitude along with the sense of humour and good cheer was inspiring and overwhelming. I am really proud to have been a part of such a fantastic event and can not thank all the supporters and helpers enough. Together you made the sponsored row '09 a truly memorable and unforgettable weekend, it was a fantastic success and I am very grateful and inspired by you all. Sponsored Row - Letter to Parents Please click here to download the letter with details of the sponosred row and the sponsorship form and here for letter with final details. The nominated charity is Cancer Research UK. Click here to visit the main sponsored row page. Sponsored Row - Letter to Parents Please click here to read the letter from Mr Greenaway with final details for the sponsored row. Will Perham wins gold at the World Junior Championships Many congratulations to Will Perham who won the gold medal in the Junior Men's coxless four event at the World Junior Championships at Brive in France. Click here to read a write up in the Surrey Comet. For news archives from previous years please click below: 2008 Jan-Aug 2009 Sep 2009 - Aug 2010 For current news click here.