A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MIKE BALDWIN

On Wednesday, 4th June the normal mid-week group met for its mid-morning outing. After a short scull up river (a 4x and a 1x), they marked the significant milestone for Mike Baldwin: his 80th Birthday.

A surprise celebration had been organised for him at the Boat House.

It was after noon before the customary coffees were taken at “The Smugglers” café. There, the women’s group, who had similarly been alerted, gave a joyful and loving rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Mike, much to the surprise of the other café customers.

Alan Foster

CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

Well done to all who raced at the Metropolitan on 1 and 2 June and many congratulations to the men on winning Club Eights both days and Championship Eights on the Sunday. I was watching on Livestream and it was particularly impressive to see LRC1 third to Cambridge and Leander, both of whom are at least Ladies Plate if not Grand standard crews. And to show clear water on Brookes and Thames. We’re all very much looking forward to Reading, Marlow, Women’s Henley, Brit Masters and of course HRR. As I write our LRC team have just completed the Vogalonga in Venice and we look forward to hearing about it.

This month’s issue includes an obituary of Father Mark Jabale and I was particularly struck by Nick Howe’s account of the pre-race talk before their World Championship final. ‘Be brave if you want a gold medal’ was the message from Mark. Being brave means having the courage to do yourself justice by executing your race as you know you’re capable of and in the knowledge you’ve done your training and preparation. Psychology and approach to racing is also discussed by Rorie Henderson and Paul Reedy in their accounts of the 1992 Diamond Challenge Sculls.

Wishing everyone courage in the races to come.

In other news, we continue to progress our essential capital projects on the club house. Work to replace the boiler and plumbing system is due to start this month. Our planning application for the replacement balcony has been submitted and our newly formed fundraising team are well underway organising events and initiatives to raise money. One of these is a sponsored ‘Great London Row’ on 6 and 7 September and a fuller announcement and details will be going out soon. On behalf of the whole club, thank you to the leaders in these areas, Tim Leppard on the plumbing, Peter Halford on the balcony and Kathleen Curran on fundraising.

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

It has been a busy few weeks across the Club as we progress further into the Regatta season.

The Squad in particular have had a non-stop few weeks featuring racing at Poplar Regatta, the Metropolitan Regatta, and training camp in between.

At Poplar, they performed excellently once again on the dockland waters. Under the sounds of London City Airport air traffic, the full final results were as follows:

- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Op Gold 4-

- 2nd and 3rd in Op Gold 4+

- 2nd in Op Gold 8+

- 2nd, 3rd and 4th in W Gold 4-

- 4th and 5th in W Gold 8+

- 4th in W Trophy 8+

Almost immediately following Poplar, a large portion of the Squad made haste for training camp. Men’s Captain Edoardo Marshall kindly gave a synopsis of training camp which took place between 21st and 28th May:

“In the in the run up to Metropolitan Regatta and the all-important summer season, the Squad were lucky enough to spend a week in Varese in northern Italy for the much-anticipated training camp.

Thankfully, travel was relatively pain free and thanks to Killian and Adam, the trailer had arrived at the lake the day before our arrival. We were very fortunate to have with us not only Stu and Killian, but our indispensable volunteer coaching team of Emma Feerick, Mark Ruscoe, Nick Musson and former LRC captain Mark Luciani.

While the forecast going into the week was fairly dire, the weather took a turn for the better and there was only one day which was a downpour. Even still, the rain flattened out the lake as all rowers can appreciate.

Generally, training three times a day on the water gave us a great opportunity to get plenty of kilometres in the bank with many clocking around 250km by the end of the week. Unlike the tideway, we were blessed with glass-like water for the majority of the time, facilitating both steps forward in physiology and technique. All crews were able to make significant steps forward over the course of the week and increases in speed as showcased at Met Regatta.

Time off was largely taken up by naps, card games and Mario Kart tournaments, providing plenty of recovery while eating one too many Italian biscuits.

While the camp itself was, of course, draining physically, the squad became more unified and return with even greater hunger for results in the coming weeks.”

Thank you Edoardo for providing this and showing the value all the hard work on training camp has for the strength and unity of the squad.

Soon after returning from training camp, the Squad returned to Eton Dorney lake for two days of racing at the Metropolitan Amateur Regatta, with two successful days of racing. Saturday saw A final appearances for LRC in the Op 4+, Op 2x and Op8+. In particular, the Op 8+ came away with the Forster Cup for fastest Club 8+ on the Saturday.

The squad went from strength to strength on the Sunday, with LRC A winning the Peter Coni Cup for fastest Champ 8+ and LRC B winning fastest Club 8+ (again!), along with more A final appearances for LRC in the W 8+ and Op 4+.

Huge congratulations to all those who raced, to our winners and a massive thank you to all at LRC who volunteered to run the event – it is an understatement to say the event cannot run without your time and support.

Turning back to whilst the Squad were racing at Poplar Regatta, Club Pride Day 2 took place on Sunday 18 May. A good contingent of the Irregulars, Young Irregulars and Masters turned out to tackle the outdoor cleaning at the Club. A huge thanks to Cecilia, Eddie, Tim, Stu and Killian for help coordinating the run up to and on the day, and to everyone who turned out to help – your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Our attention now turns to the last few races of the season. I am really looking forward to seeing how our Club performs at Henley Women's Regatta, Marlow Regatta, British Masters and, of course, Henley Royal and to seeing as many members as possible attending these in support of our athletes.

I hope everyone is enjoying longer nights and the warmer weather on the water. A great summer lies ahead of us!

Bang the Drum!

Rob Porter
Captain, London Rowing Club

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This year’s AGM of the Club will be held in the Clubhouse, with Zoom access, at noon on Sunday, 20th July.

The bar will be open and so we hope that many members will attend in person to make this an enjoyable social occasion and a celebration of the club’s success as the rowing year draws to a close.

An agenda with Zoom access details will be circulated in due course.

Andrew Boyle
Hon. Secretary

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

WOMEN’S MASTERS REPORT

As the summer regatta season continues, our Women’s Masters squad is building momentum and sharpening focus for two of the biggest events on the summer masters rowing calendar: British Rowing Masters Championships and Henley Masters. The group continues to build strength in their various crews ahead of the upcoming regattas.

Here is a sneak peek at the lineups for British Masters and what has been happening on the water:

B4+
Marianna, Amy, Alex, and Zoe, coxed by Conny, have been training consistently over the past few months. This group has been logging solid mileage and making technical improvements with every session.

B4-
Caroline, Emily D., Meg, and Uli have formed a solid lineup in the coxless four. The crew is motivated and eager to demonstrate their rowing abilities in the upcoming race.

B8+ – Snaith
This eight will come together from a mix of both 4 lineups. We can't wait to see how they do together.

Mixed B8+
This mixed eight is a great collaboration with the Men's Masters group, with both groups putting in their best efforts to help retain the VL.

It is great to see the group building momentum and supporting each other heading into the two major masters summer events. We are looking forward to representing the Club and putting our best performances forward.

Saskia Gill

NON-SQUAD LRC ROWING (Part IV)

As I explained in my article last month, I submitted my proposals for Masters rowing at LRC to the Rowing Sub-Committee at their meeting in early April. They were discussing my proposals when I wrote my article in the May edition of TLR. My understanding is that they are still discussing them.

My hope is that the RSC will either accept my proposals or come up with alternative proposals (including their reasons for not adopting my proposals) shortly and then report their conclusions to the General Committee for its decision on how to proceed.

That said, one of my proposals, which can proceed independent of the overall proposals, was the creation of a WhatsApp group for all LRC single scullers who would like to join. That has been taken up by Ben Helm who has now created a group.

So far, several members have joined up but if you are not one of them and would like to be a part of the group, please feel free to email Ben at ben.helm@londonrc.org.uk

Miles Preston

CLUB BOAT USAGE

The Club has decided to begin publicising inTheLondonRoar how frequently club boats are being used, using the MyClubHouse boat booking statistics. Please note this is for all club boats used, and does not show the use of squad-only shells.The data helpfully shows what boats are in popular demand with members and those which are less so. From this we can determine potential boats which may be considered for sale or donation. Consequently, these figures underpin the importance for us to remember to book boats on MyClubHouse as well as signing out when using – otherwise we do not as accurately capture when boats are being used. Please see the data below for the bookings from January-May 2025:

Rob Porter

DIAMOND CHALLENGE SCULLS 1992

1992 saw LRC members Rorie Henderson and Paul Reedy contest the final of the Diamonds at Henley, although they were representing different clubs at the time. Rorie sculled for Leander and Paul for Melbourne University. The races at Henley are of course one on one and the single sculls events are the ultimate gladiatorial contests.

I caught up with them over coffee in Putney to hear their accounts of that epic contest.

(Incidentally, other LRC scullers racing the Diamonds that year were myself and Robin Williams).

BB: What were your sculling backgrounds?

RH: I started coxing at Bedford Rowing Club when I was 10 and steered at Henley Royal at age 14 when I was 5’ 7’’ tall and weighed seven and a half stone! I learned to scull in a wooden clinker and by 17 I was 6’ 3’’ and 11 stone. I teamed up with Gary McMullan in a double winning National Schools and coming second in the National Championships behind Bobby Prentice and Martin Spencer. We also won the Under 23 event at Lucerne Regatta. Gary was very sadly paralysed in a car crash, and I took eight years off rowing after that. I re-started my rowing career aged 25 in a High Tech boat, the company Gary subsequently founded and which later became Aylings. The headline in the Guardian after my Diamonds win was ‘Partnership Still Prospers’.

PR: I learned to row at school in Ballarat, Australia and continued at Melbourne University. I was told I was too short for the Australian sweep team, and they weren’t picking many scullers at that time. Peter Anthony helped me repair a single in the boathouse and my sculling developed from there. I was selected for the quad for the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 coached by legendary New Zealander Rusty Robinson. We won silver, 0.4 seconds behind the West Germans. We trained on the Nepean River in Sydney. In LA on Lake Casitas, we would use other crews to pace ourselves, notably the New Zealand eight which I remember pi**ed them off! We won our heat which put us straight in the final one whole week later.

BB: did your paths cross before the Diamonds?

RH: yes, we met on the circuit. I had trialled for Seoul in ’88 and Barcelona in ’92 but missed both games. I was selected for the Worlds in Tasmania in 1990, and my boat was shipped ahead. I was then told there was no funding and I couldn’t go.

PR: I was selected for Tasmania with Peter Anthony in the double where we won bronze. I was out of the team in ’91 and ’92 due to illness.

RH: we both competed at Lucerne in 1992, some weeks ahead of HRR and I recall there were 87 men’s singles entered! I finished 6th in the B final, 12th overall.

PR: After Lucerne I stayed on in accommodation next to the Rotsee from mid June before moving to the UK for HRR. I didn’t have a coach, so I coached myself which included a 2500m ergo test every day for 5 days and sculling up and down the lake.

RH: we arrived at HRR the Sunday before the regatta and shared accommodation at Christmas Common in the home of the Viscount and Viscountess Parker who later became Lord and Lady Macclesfield (who’s daughter interestingly was coxing for Lea RC).

BB: How was the lead up to the Diamonds?

RH: Well, we’d been friends for a couple of years and rooming together we’d drive to the course each day not really thinking we’d meet each other in the final. I don’t recall we were selected.

PR: There were some selected scullers including one from Singapore and the Stewards selected him as they didn’t want him knocked out in the first round. I remember Chris Baillieu awarded me a false start for being on the course when I shouldn’t have been!

BB: How did the event pan out?

PR: I had a very quick Irish lightweight in the first round, Dolan of Neptune. In the second round I beat Robin Williams (LRC). In the semi on Saturday, I raced a quick Danish sculler called Andersen who led me but was then warned for his steering. After that I pushed back and he seemed to give in and I won easily.

RH: I had a Sam Allpass from Thames in the first round and Kozikov from Russian in the second. In the semi on Saturday afternoon, I won by 3 feet against the German Reininger. Paul had won easily on Saturday morning so I was worried I wouldn’t recover in time for the final.

BB: Describe the final and your psychological approaches to the race.

RH: I hadn’t had a proper coach until Bill Mason took me on in the early 90s. Bill’s great strengths were psychology, understanding an athletes physiology, rigging the boat accordingly and race planning. I had raced the 1990 Wingfields against Steve Redgrave and Bill had told me Redgrave always wants to take an early lead. ‘He’s bigger and stronger than you, so go like hell off the start to lead him, then let him through, then attack again. If you can take re-take the lead he’ll tie up’. This is what happened, and I won by some margin. I recall being 1 second up at the Milepost. Bill told me to take the same approach against Paul in the final, but I didn’t lead him off the start.

PR: I came off the end of the Island ahead and was then blown off course by the wind. On being warned I over corrected and clipped the booms. I managed to recover and re-take the lead after that.

RH: I was sculling at 32 and I could hear the commentary as we approached the enclosures. I heard Paul was at 34 and I sensed his puddles getting bigger, then I caught sight of his stern and heard he was then at 36. We were level at the progress board, and I eventually won by 2 lengths. At that time Australia was dominating the Brits in rugby and cricket and the crowd at Henley as we sculled down the enclosure was deafening.

BB: Looking back, did you adopt any psychological techniques in preparation?

RH: I mainly just did what Bill told me to do and he oversaw tactics. That year we did have the help of Brian Miller the British Team psychologist at the time. He asked me what I wanted to work on and I said more miles, more training and getting faster. He suggested concentrating on better sleep and food and generally looking after myself.

PR: I just concentrated on my strengths which were a quick start and ability to match race.

RH: At the time we had a close group of single scullers including me, Paul and Peter Anthony. We used to call each other, UK to Australia and vice versa when it wasn’t cheap, then but we supported each other.

BB: Any final thoughts from you both?

PR: I was in the top half of the draw so had the Berkshire station in all my races apart from the final. I did some practice on the island side but wasn’t as aware of the stream effects as I could have been. Andersen in the semi was a faster sculler on muti lane courses but the vagaries of match racing wasn’t something he was equipped for. He wasn’t the guy you wanted to race in the first round, better to take him on later in the week. Also, no gripes about the outcome of the final. I raced a very good sculler and came up short. Steering is of course part of the skill.

RH: Thank you. Interesting to chat with you and Paul today about an event we were all involved in 33 yrs ago!

Bill Baker
Chairman, London Rowing Club

HEART HEALTH

One of the most consequential safety issues I have seen during my 3-year tenure as safety advisor is the placement of heart health responsibility on the individual. I may be biased by several recent and prominent deaths within our rowing community from sudden cardiac arrest during rowing, but this doesn’t change the fact that heart disease is the second-most common cause of death in the England and Wales [1].

Rowing is a strenuous sport that challenges the cardiovascular system. We expect this challenge to result in heart health benefits, and for the vast majority this is true! Unfortunately, a small minority may put their health at risk when rowing, without their knowing. Many sporting organizations (national teams, universities, FISA, some countries) require cardiovascular screening before sport participation or competition to ensure that rowers at risk are advised accordingly.

LRC has no such requirements, and this places the responsibility on the individual. One of the main risks with our approach is that rowing is typically a team sport, and individual responsibility doesn’t necessarily result in individual action if there is no immediate downside to inaction. For downsides to inaction, consider this: are you comfortable with asking your crewmates and/or coaches to be responders in a medical emergency?

It is tempting to ask all LRC members to produce evidence of heart health, but we are refraining due to the a) sensitive nature of health information, b) the monetary cost, which may lead to c) reduced access to health-improving sport. However, we still strongly advise that our members plan or book a heart health screening if they have not been screened within the last five years. For our members 35 and younger, the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) foundation offers free or discounted screenings, although these are often booked out well in advance. For all members, the Mobile Cardiac Laboratory (Institute of Sport Exercise & Health), is interested in testing you at your expense at their Tottenham Court Road clinic.

For those who are hesitant to get screened for concern of a life-altering diagnosis, you may be interested in the second referenced article. In an admittedly biased electrocardiogram sample of 330 Harvard rowers, 94% had training-related heart changes (e.g., bradycardia - heart rate lower than 60 bpm), but just 4% had anomalous electrocardiogram findings (Seattle Criteria). Of those,only one individual was found to have a pathological rhythm, and itresolved at high intensity [2]. This individual was managed conservatively, zero individuals were barred from sport, and perhaps most-importantly, there were zero observed cardiac events among the whole group during the approximately 3-year follow-up periods [2].

This is a difficult topic to approach without fearmongering. Many of you will have varying levels of experience with heart disease and will already appreciate its severity. For those who would prefer heart disease to remain an afterthought - getting screened is an excellent method to reinforce this position.

Stay safe and keep your kind hearts healthy,

Rui Xu
Safety Advisor, London Rowing Club

[1] Barton, F. and Saib, A., 2023. Death registration summary statistics, England and Wales: 2022. Newport, United Kingdom: Office for National Statistics. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregistrationsummarytables/2023

[2] Wasfy MM, DeLuca J, Wang F, et al. ECG findings in competitive rowers: normative data and the prevalence of abnormalities using contemporary screening recommendations. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2015;49:200-206. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/3/200

NEW MEMBERS

We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:

Ghislaine Hertzog
Clare Lyons-Collins
Rex Weber-Brown

We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.

We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who you think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.

There is information on becoming a member on our website or you can email the Club’s Membership Secretary:

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

BUILDING WORKS OVER THE SUMMER

LRC is undertaking works between the end of June and the end of August to replace the 50 year old water supply systems with a modern system. We are also replacing the 25 year old boiler and water heating system and amending some pipework throughout the Club. This is to ensure compliance with modern water quality standards and with appropriate maintenance to provide for the Club for the next 25 years.

The effect of this will be that between 30 June and 29 August:

1. Both Male and Female showers will be disconnected and out of use.

2. The WCs in the Male changing room will be disconnected and out of use. The urinals in the Male changing room will remain in use as they are waterless.

3. The side door from Spring Passage will also be hoarded off both inside and outside to allow for a safe working area for the contractors. Entry to the Club from Spring Passage will be via the gym front door.

4. The Boot Room will be out of use as works will be going on in here as well. Boots and other items stored here will be moved to under the stairs alongside the water fountain.

5. A temporary hot and cold water supply will be set up for the WCs off the Fairbairn Room, the kitchen, for Resis and the flat.

The contractors will start setting up on site from Monday, 23rd June so that the switch over from existing systems to the temporary supplies can happen in one day on Monday, 30th June. There will be scaffolding on the building for part of the works also.

When the works are complete we will have far more efficient boilers and water heaters reducing our gas usage significantly. We will also have a circulating hot water system in insulated pipes supplying the showers so that the hot water will reach the heads far more quickly. New designs of shower heads will also significantly reduce our water use.

We are looking for help with the contracts for this and other works. If any member has construction legal expertise then please contact Tim Leppard as below.

If you have any questions then please contact Tim Leppard on tim.leppard@londonrc.org.uk.

Tim Leppard

EXCITING PLANS FOR A NEW BALCONY FOR THE CLUB

As many members will be aware, the balcony at the Club needs to be replaced and work has been underway for an exciting new balcony.

Historical background
A balcony has been a significant part of the main elevation of the clubhouse since the Club was established on its present site in 1871. The earliest photographic evidence shows an ornate covered balcony which was supported by the corbels that can still be seen today.

This balcony was replaced in 1921 with the existing balcony. The existing balcony also had a canopy but for many years it has been uncovered, possibly as a result of the canopy falling into disrepair. A wonderful painting showing the existing balcony with its canopy hangs above the fireplace in the Long Room and it is also shown in the photograph below.

The need for replacement
Over the years, the steel work and the concrete of the existing balcony, now more than a hundred years old, has deteriorated as a result of water ingress. Temporary supports were put a place a few years ago to ensure the balcony remains safe to use but the Club has been advised that it must be replaced.

For the past year, work has been underway considering possible options and planning its replacement. In this, the Club has benefitted hugely from the expertise of LRC members Alex Fothergill, engineer, and Stuart Forbes, architect.

The need to replace the existing balcony provides an opportunity to replace it with a new balcony that is more attractive and appropriate to the building, improves the function space and provides improved accessibility for members and those hiring the Club for events.

Designing the new balcony
The form of the existing balcony and its geometry have been a reference point throughout the development of the proposed new balcony, effectively replicating the principle of a structure using load bearing columns and back spanning steel beams. These bear weight to the same corbels which are embedded in the stonework of the elevation and new block footings in the same location as the existing footings.

The new balcony is 1.5m deeper than the existing balcony and brings the face of the balcony forward to either side of the flagpole. A new canopy is supported by steel columns with a period detail to the head at the connection of the roof beams. The canopy is a combination of lead sheeting and glazed roof lights with an open façade.

The canopy stands above the footprint of the existing balcony with the extended balcony section being uncovered. The top of the canopy meets the façade of the building below the eyelid windows so that this feature remains visible.

The articulation of the column heads and the detail of the balustrade reference the design of the original historic balcony. The handrail is a hardwood timber and for its sectional profile resembles the Embankment riverside handrail.

The approach to the design of the new balcony is to replace the existing balcony with a balcony that is more appealing visually and relates better to the existing façade, while at the same time meeting our objectives for accessibility and making best use of our ancillary space.

Planning
In December last year, the Club submitted proposals to Wandsworth Council prior to a meeting with a planning case officer and the council’s Urban Design and Conservation Officer. The planners supported the principle of replacement but had various comments which have been taken into account in revised drawings which have been submitted as part of a full planning application.

The main features of the design the planners were keen to see are these:

• A balustrade which reflects the design of the historic balcony (the first balcony);

• Retention and re-use of the corbels;

• A single row of supporting columns;

• Restoration of the bollards in front of the Club.

The proposed new balcony is shown below in the excellent images prepared by Stuart Forbes Associates.

Timing
There are many issues to be worked through including the planning process. Ideally, the present balcony would be dismantled and the terrace of the new balcony constructed in January and February 2026. A meeting with a contractor has been set up to see if this is possible and to obtain cost estimates for the construction stages.

Further information
There will be updates in The London Roar but otherwise please speak to Peter Halford or Bill Baker who are part of the sub-committee that has been planning the project, which includes Simon Harris, Tim Leppard, Philip Carre, Lynton Richmond, Annabel Lawrence, Alex Fothergill and Stuart Forbes, with support from other members.

Peter Halford

DRIVEN BY DEMONS: BIPOLAR OLYMPIAN

For those of us who rowed in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s the name of Tim Crooks was synonymous with rowing success.

I was very fortunate to be in the same squad as Tim at Leander in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

Tim was born in 1949. He went to Radley College and raced in the World Youth Championships in 1967. After leaving school he joined the Leander Cadet Scheme and won the Thames Cup in 1968. In 1971, he won the Silver Goblets with Glyn Locke. He raced in the 1971 World Rowing Championships in the coxless pair and then switched to the double scull, winning the Double Sculls Challenge Cup at Henley and the inaugural National Rowing Championships with Pat Delafield in 1972. They went on to reach the finals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

In 1973, Tim moved to the eight and won silver at the 1974 World Rowing Championships. In 1975, he won the Grand and also finished fourth at the World Championships in the coxed four.

In 1976, he won Silver in the eight at the Montreal Olympics. The following year and the year after, he won both the Diamond Sculls and the Wingfield Sculls.

In 1977, he also came fourth in the single scull at the World Championships. He also found the time to win the BBC television show Superstars that year.

In 1980, he repeated his win of the Wingfield Sculls.

He continued to compete into the 1980s, winning the single sculls at the National Championships in 1982 and the Queen Mother Challenge Cup in 1984.

Tim has now written a book, which is a must for all rowers to read.

Miles Preston

FATHER MARK JABALE

Father Mark Jabale, who has died, was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Menevia.

He was also an international rowing coach, Steward of Henley Royal Regatta and LRC member for many years, joining in 1979.

On leaving the sixth form at Belmont Abbey School, he became a monk at Belmont Abbey. He studied French at university in Switzerland returning to the school as a teacher and master in charge of games, becoming headmaster in 1967. He was initially a rugby coach who came late to rowing and made his mark as coach of the 1979 Great Britain lightweight four that won the World Championships that year in Bled (then Yugoslavia). He was later part of the Oxford coaching team during their successful Boat Race run from 1976 to 1985 and was elected as Steward of HRR in 1985.

LRC member and stroke of the LWT 4- Nick Howe writes of the 1979 World Championships:

We had a great [pre championships] camp in Varese due to Mark speaking Italian and organising the menu for lightweights at the Theological college where we stayed. His brother loaned us a car which allowed us to be independent and included a trip to Como to see a stage of the Giro. Bled was quite calm but the night before the final was perhaps our only real pre race talk and Mark opened with “Do you want a gold medal?’’ We were all thinking Divine intervention perhaps? But all he said was ‘’If you want Gold you have to be brave and go all out, not have a safe race that may get you a medal’’. So that was the plan. The rest the following day was history.

Last point was Mark had taken his school video recorder to camp and Bled and, with his persuasive powers, he plugged it into the TV in the media stand and recorded all the finals and that is why we have a record of the race on YouTube. All the other races at Bled on YouTube came from that.

The Four and Fr.Mark remained friends for 46 years and have many fond memories.

In May 2022 Fr.Mark described his conversion to rowing in Hear the Boat Sing, Mark Jabalé: My Conversion to Rowing – Hear The Boat Sing

‘’Mark, will you look after the rowing for me for a year, please?” were the words addressed to me by a member of my community in July

1963. Father Aelred Cousins, master in charge of rowing at Belmont Abbey School, and a fellow monk and Housemaster, was being given a year’s sabbatical by the Abbot, to go out to Uganda to help in a Benedictine school. At the time, I was Housemaster and Games Master and, as such, in charge of all sports. My own sporting credentials had been to play rugby and swim for University of London, ski in the team at my university in Switzerland. But of rowing I knew absolutely nothing. So, I said to Aelred: “Sorry, but I have no idea how to coach rowing”; to which he replied: “That really doesn’t matter Mark, just keep them fit, I shall be back in a year”.

So, obedient and helpful monk that I was, I accepted the task, and proceeded to keep the small rowing contingent, mainly those who had rejected, or been rejected by, the cricket fraternity in a good state of physical fitness. And, under normal circumstances that would have been that. The following year, I would simply have faded into the background; there would have ended a short career as a rowing coach.

But, of course, things don’t always work out the way they were intended. The following summer, as we were coming to the end of that first year, came the news that Father Aelred had asked the Abbot for an extension, sine die, to his sabbatical, which was granted.

Eventually, he was out there for thirty years.

Of course, that left me as Games Master with the crucial decision of either discontinuing the sport of rowing at Belmont, as there was no one qualified or interested; or, alternatively, trying to take it on myself. The other summer sport at Belmont was cricket. I had never been either gifted or indeed interested in cricket, so I rashly decided to give rowing a go. Consequently, before I set off on my summer holiday, I purchased four books on coaching rowing and the technique of rowing. So, lying on the beach, I was introduced to this entirely new world for me.

The more senior members of the rowing club knew more about rowing than I did when I started, but I had one small advantage over them. I knew more about fitness and how to achieve it, having taken courses on sports fitness and injuries while doing my post-graduate teaching course. However, the full learning process of what it is that makes a rowing boat go fast; what, in the action of the rowing stroke, makes the boat glide or stops its smooth progress took many years of trial and error. So, I must apologise to my victims for my early failings. After a couple of years with the more senior crew, and limited success, I decided to start at the bottom and coached complete beginners; these were the new boy intakes at fourteen.

Little by little success came, so did wins of “pots” at regattas, which is what young competitors really love, pewter pint tankards for the winners of an event. Eventually, in the mid-seventies, the school was beginning to get known for its good performance at local regattas and I decided to extend the scope of our efforts to national, and eventually international regattas, with increasing success. And 1977 and 1978 were the first years in which I coached boys who were selected to row for Great Britain at junior level at the World Rowing Championships. Many more followed. By that time my involvement in rowing had also expanded in a different direction. The school used to row from Hereford Rowing Club, not having a boathouse of its own. So, of course, I made friends with some members of the club, and as a result was persuaded to join their committee. There, I was elected to run the annual Hereford City Regatta; then one of the most important and biggest provincial regattas. By this time, I had also become Headmaster of the school.

The request that I take on the running of the Regatta justified the saying that if you want a job done, ask a busy man. My instructions from the members of the committee were that the deficit on the running of the event was to be as small as possible. I did not understand why the Regatta should not make a profit, to boost the club’s funds. I suggested that we introduce sponsorship of the various events and run a Summer Fete alongside it. But I was told: “Forget the frills and run the regatta at as small a loss as possible”, to which my answer was: “I’ll run it my way, or not at all!”. So, I did.

That first year, in 1975, the profit was just over one thousand pounds.

This has the same purchasing power, nowadays in 2022 as roughly £7500 which, of course, delighted the committee. But it only created difficulties for me because they then expected me not only to continue in the job but also to produce at least the same surplus every year. It also brought other requests for help. Because of my connection with Hereford Regatta and with the school, I was asked to be a member of the Committee for Youth Rowing, and in 1977 to come onto the British National Rowing Championships Committee as its Chairman. This also meant that I was on the Executive Committee of the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA; nowadays called British Rowing). Of course, all this expanded my working day at certain times of the year; but when you are young and full of energy, you don’t ask questions and you get on with it. However, all of it was taking me in the direction of the administration of rowing, and my real love was for coaching; but I was to get plenty of it.

In 1978, I had been Headmaster for 12 years, and the Abbot offered me a sabbatical two terms. I gratefully accepted. In December, I moved to London, where I lived at Ealing Abbey until August.

Naturally, my walks took me to the Thames, and to the Embankment at Putney where, between Christmas and the New Year, Oxford and Cambridge used to have their early training and selection in preparation for the Boat Race. Dan Topolski, the Oxford Chief Coach at that time, asked me if I would consider joining the team of coaches.

In those days the two University crews used to be coached in fortnightly stints by five different coaches from the beginning of January up to the day of the Boat Race. Dan asked me to be the first of them. I did not have to be asked twice. And so, for five years, until 1983 when I retired as Headmaster and was sent to Peru, I coached the Oxford Boat Race Crew for a fortnight. During my sabbatical year, of course, this was not difficult to achieve; but when I returned to my Headmaster’s job, it became a little more intricate to manage. For that fortnight then, what I would do was after breakfast open and deal with my correspondence, dictating to my secretary; and then have whatever interviews with staff or others as necessary.Then, I would get into my car and drive from Hereford to the Radley College boathouse, near Abingdon from where the Oxford crew used to boat. I would take the outing, have a post-mortem with them, and then drive back to school to sign my letters, have interviews with the pupils, as necessary and then get on with other work through the evening.

It was that January 1979, while I was helping Dan with the Oxford Blue Boat that Ron Needs, at the time the Chief Coach for the GB Senior Lightweights, asked me if I was willing to take on the “back-up four” for the eight he was coaching for the World Rowing Championships. He said to me: “Mark, you would have to train them up and see if perhaps they can get selection for the Worlds; and then, if I need one of them for the eight, I will have someone fully fit and ready”. This was a daily task of two outings a day, often at five or six in the morning and evening. We went to International Regattas (Vichy, Ratzeburg, Manheim, Nottingham, Henley) every other weekend. What else was I going to do during my Sabbatical? So, I said yes.

That was my life from March till August, apart from two weeks, when for Easter, at the invitation from the parents of one of my pupils at school, I was given a trip to Freeport in the Bahamas. I only mention this because of who I met when in Freeport. One day, I was invited to lunch by Sir Jack Hayward, once owner of Wolverhampton Football Club and sponsor of Rachel Heyhoe Flint, the cricketer. Jack had come to a Mass that I said in the church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. I went to lunch, and we talked, and got on well. Before we parted, he said to me: “Father, if ever there is anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate, ask”!

Well, that summer my four had great success at the international regattas we attended, winning three golds and one silver, so hopes were high for our selection to the World Championships. However, I was to have a huge shock when, less than a month before the Championships, at a meeting of the Executive Committee, I was told:“Sorry, your four can’t go Mark, there just isn’t enough money”. I could not accept that. I remembered Jack Hayward’s kind offer and said, “And, if I can find the money, can we go?” The answer was yes. I asked if I could make a phone call, as I knew Jack was in London. I put the matter to him, and his immediate answer was “How much do you need?” I told him that it would cost seven thousand pounds. He said to me: “Surely, that’s not enough, Father, I’ll have my secretary send a cheque for you this afternoon”.

That very afternoon, a cheque for twelve thousand pounds was sent.

That was how my lightweight four got selected to row in the 1979 World Championships in Bled, then Yugoslavia. A race that they won!

The GB crew, [comprised] Nick Howe (str), Colin Barratt (3), Stuart Wilson (2) and Ian Wilson (bow).

The following year, I invited Jack with my crew to Henley Royal Regatta, and we presented him with the team Gold medal we had won.

It was later, just before Christmas 1985, when retired from the Headmastership, and sent by my Abbot to Peru to build a monastery, that I received a letter from Peter Coni, the Chairman of Henley Royal Regatta, telling me that I had been elected a Steward.So, from “Mark, will you look after the rowing for me for a year” to the most unexpected follow-up and denouement, rowing has been an interesting aside to my monastic and teaching careers.

From left: Colin Barratt, Stuart Wilson, Ian Wilson, (Coach) Farther Mark and Nick Howe.

At the 2019 Henley Royal Regatta, forty years after becoming World Champions in the coxless four lightweight.

Bill Baker

CASAMAJOR CLUB DRAW RESULTS

The lucky winners of the latest draw (which covers two months) are as follows:

£75 winners:
Tim Leppard
Miles Preston
Simon Peach
James Clarke
James Evans
Amy Johnson
Henry Wheare
Ben Helm
Tom Blackett
Alan Foster
Jamie Halliday
Janice Herrod
Jeremy Hudson
Mark Lucani
Chris Von Patzelt
Christopher Whyte

£30 Winners:
Simon Melvin
Matt Burrow
Nick Howe
David Finn
Patrick Wilson
Richard Philips

£15 Winners:
Richard Parsons
Chris Coffin
John Hobson (X2)

If you are not a member of the Casamajor Club and are interested in becoming one, please email me at john@auber.org.uk

John Auber

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar