CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

I write as another wonderful and highly enjoyable Henley Royal Regatta comes to a close. From an LRC perspective it was an excellent week with our ‘A’ boats in both the Britannia and the Thames making it through to the final. The crews had fought hard and rowed extremely well throughout the rounds but Sunday wasn’t to be their day. Making the final was an achievement in itself for both crews - very well done to our athletes – and a further indication of the progress the Club has made over recent years.

Other performances which caught the eye were our Ladies’ Plate VIII who put in a fantastic row on the Thursday against the German development crew, before going out the next day to the eventual winners Leander, having pushed them hard along the enclosures, finishing just ½ length down. Also, our two quads in the Danesfield Cup, who were unfortunately drawn together, produced a fine race demonstrating strength in depth within the women’s squad.

The group came to HRR on the back of a very successful Henley Women’s Regatta, held just ten days earlier, winning a total of three events.

A mention too for the London crews and single sculler, Arun Jackson, who were asked to qualify on the previous Friday evening and Saturday morning with all making it through to the draw.

So a massive well done and congratulations to all LRC crews and coaches, and to everyone else involved in the campaign. This has been another exciting and memorable Henley for LRC and I am looking forward to next year already.

As well as HRR I also made it up to Nottingham to watch the British Rowing Masters Regatta on Sunday 14th June. The weather and the conditions on the course were excellent, which in turn led to some great racing. London once again had a large contingent at the regatta and I enjoyed watching as many of our crews racing as I could. It was a great day with many of the group sporting big smiles as well as a clutch of medals around their necks by late afternoon.

A reminder that the Club’s AGM will be held on Sunday, 19th July. Members will be aware from last month’s The London Roar that Mike Baldwin intends to stand down as President after 11 years. Mike has done so very much for the Club over many years and immediately following the AGM there will be a celebratory gathering to which members and guests are invited. Mike was captain of LRC in 1976 when the Club won the Double Sculls and the Wyfolds at Henley and it is hoped that members of both crews will be joining us for the party.

Lastly, members will be sad to learn of the death of Simon Peach who worked as the Club’s finance administrator for a number of years during which he proved to be a valuable member of the financial team. Simon had been unwell for some time and the Club extends its sincere condolences to his family. In Simon’s honour the LRC flag was flown at half-mast.

Simon Melvin
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

British Masters Regatta (13th - 14th June)
LRC returned to Nottingham over the 13th and 14th of June for the British Masters Regatta. LRC had several crews entered over the two days and almost every member came away with a medal from the event. Four crews additionally won their event:

British Masters Regatta winning crews:
• Open F4+ (Composite with Upper Thames)
◦ Adrian Theed, Stewart Harries
• Women’s C8+
◦ Charlotte Robinson, Soraya Nidai, Nicole Seredenko, Ulrike Forster, Marianna Raffaele, Elizabeth Hichens, Amy Johnson , Ruth Allen, Tina Albrecht
• Open E2-
◦ James Brown, Jonty Williamson
• Women’s Int 36+ 4x
◦ Else-Marieke Van der Spek, Marianna Raffaele , Heather Hopkins, Camille Lanckneus

The Club unfortunately did not retain the overall Victor Ludorum which had been won in both 2024 and 2025 but did secure the large club trophy award given to clubs in the large club category who have achieved the most Victor Ludorum points across the regatta. Congratulations to all those who competed, won medals and supported the event.

Henley Women’s Regatta (19th - 21st June)
The Club had a hugely successful Henley Women’s Regatta with seven crews/composite crews competing across sculling and sweep events and three wins for the Club.

In the Aspirational 8+’s, London was the only club to qualify a B crew with this crew putting in an impressive performance in the Regatta to knock out Vesta. London’s Aspirational 8+ A crew contained a number of individuals from last year’s final as well as new members. The crew took the Copas Cup this year and on their way to the final set a new course record for the event. In the Aspirational 4-’s, LRC’s crew beat City of Oxford and then Thames before ultimately being knocked out in the semi-final.

LRC had four crews in sculling events including two in the Championship 2x’s. Both LRC 2x’s (including one composite with Clydesdale ARC) met in the first round with the LRC 2x of Amelia Perrin & Devin Ward progressing to face Marlow in the next round. In the Championship Lightweight 2x LRC put in a commanding performances to win the W Peer Cup, beating Reading University’s A crew in the final. London also won the Aspirational Club Quads which this year was changed from Aspirational Quads to a Aspirational Club only event. The LRC quad beat Marlow in the final to win the Chairman’s Trophy.

Congratulations go to all of LRC’s crews, our coaches and volunteers on a very successful weekend.

Henley Women’s Regatta wins:
• Aspirational Club 8+’s - including event record – The Copas Cup
◦ Natalia Gullidge-Jones, Jemima Harbottle, Victoria Lacey, Claudia Turley, Elizabeth Cottrell, Jennifer Arthur, Ella Thomson, Isabel Jones, Phoebe Teale
• Aspirational Club 4x’s – The Chairman’s Trophy
◦ Perryn Halse, Elizabeth Dashley, Grace Macmahon, Giulia Riley
• Championship Lightweight 2x’s (The W Peer Cup)
◦ Laura Bates, Erin Meredith

Marlow Regatta (20th June)
The Men’s squad headed to Marlow Regatta at Dorney Lake on the 20th June. The club had six crews/composite crews in A finals including two in the Championship 8+’s in which LRC finished 4th and 8th. LRC’s Championship 4+ placed 3rd in their final, finishing behind two university crews. LRC’s Championship 2- finished 7th in their final and Arun Jackson finished 5th in the Championship 1x final.

HRR Qualifiers (26th - 27th June) and Henley Royal Regatta (30th June - 5th July)
LRC had fifteen crews entered into Henley Royal Regatta across club, intermediate and premier events. Eight out of the fifteen crews entered headed to HRR qualifiers on Friday, 28th June. All of these crews qualified for the Regatta, meaning that the Club qualified every athlete entered with a total of 96 athletes in the Regatta (up from 58 in 2025). Some notable achievements included three crews qualifying/pre-qualifying for the Wargrave Challenge Cup (Women’s Club 8+’s), four crews qualifying/pre-qualifying for the Thames Challenge Cup (Open Club 8+’s), Arun Jackson qualifying for the Diamond Challenge Sculls (Premier 1x) and the Club entering a Ladies Plate crew (Open Intermediate 8+’s).

The Regatta draw was delayed to Sunday due to the hot weather conditions leading to qualifying being spread over Friday and Saturday. The draw was unfortunate for some of LRC’s crews with both LRC A and B crews in the Britannia Challenge Cup (Open Club 4+’s) and Danesfield Cup (Women’s Club 4x’s) meeting each other in the first round. A number of LRC crews were also knocked out of the Regatta to the eventual winners. These included the Club’s Wyfold 4 (Open Club 4-), Danesfield A (Women’s Club 4x) and Ladies Plate 8+ (Open Intermediate 8+). The LRC Ladies Plate 8+ delivered an exceptional performance, holding eventual winners Leander to half a length.

Two LRC crews reached the finals on Sunday. LRC’s Britannia Challenge Cup A crew of Chase Lemley, Nathan Luff, Jack Macdonald, Zach Oglesby and Nikita Krivdin had a strong regatta season, proving themselves to be the strongest domestic club crew over a number of events. They came across an exceptionally fast De Hoop crew in the final. This crew had broken the event record by 5 seconds in a previous round and unfortunately could not be beaten in the final. LRC also reached the final of the Thames Challenge Cup and faced off against Thames’ A crew. LRC’s crew of Rory Copus, George Lauchlan, Hugo Oglina, Thibby Verdin-Mulot, Edward Thomas, Jake Birch, Charlie Plein, Laurence Ellis and Josh Lyon delivered an excellent performance, challenging and holding the Thames crew throughout the entire race and to a three quarter length margin.

While the Club did not come away with any trophies from this year’s event I am excited to see the Club continuing to deliver strong performances, qualify fast crews, challenge for wins and continue to build momentum. I am looking forward to seeing the Club continue to deliver and to achieve more success at HRR over the coming years.

Upcoming regattas and club events
In the middle of this month the Club will return to the Henley stretch for Henley Masters Regatta (10th- 12th July) and then to Molesey for Molesey Regatta (18th-19th July). Good luck to all those competing.

On the 19th July, the Club will hold its AGM at which a number of officers, including the Club Captain, will be up for election. It has been a privilege to be LRC’s Captain over the past year and I look forward to seeing many of you on the 19th.

Matt Reeder
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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

MEN’S MASTERS REPORT

With the Heads season out of the way, we are moving quickly into the sharp end of the season. Two major events on the horizon (British Masters Champs in June, and Henley Masters in July) and all competing crews are gearing up for the challenge.

Meanwhile, some of our sections took to the water and competed at Hammersmith Regatta. We are delighted to report a win in the Open 4x!

Race report, courtesy of Mark Boyd, follows:

To kick off the LRC Men’s masters regatta season, a pair and quad headed upstream on Saturday, 25th April foHammersmith Regatta. Unfortunately, Charlie P and Brooks were informed by the start marshal that their race had been scratched earlier in the week (word hadn’t quite made it back through the official channels), so they paddled back quietly in a mood. Meanwhile, Mark / Marco / George and Keith went up against Fulham Reach BC in the Open 4x- straight final. With a solid start and an early lead, we had some stern words of encouragement on our steering from the umpire to separate the crews, which had us go too wide at the Hammersmith bend, costing us a length. Retaining our 2025 title was suddenly under threat, but with a solid push, we cleared with a 2 1/2 length win. IPA Pint in a Pot: delicious!

*George Caluian, Marco Meloni, Keith Cheung, Mark Boyd.*

Hopefully, a successful Master's Champs report will follow in the next edition!

Jason Bowyer

WOMEN’S MASTERS REPORT

With several early-season regattas either cancelled or the competition scratching, the Master's Women made their season racing debut in style at Nottingham for British Master's Champs. Amy Johnson opened the weekend of racing on a very windy Saturday in a spontaneously-formed double with Heather Hopkins from the Young Irregulars after her original partner suffered a shoulder injury. With one whole practice outing under their belts and competing in a younger age category than their real-world status, they came through the field to win an outstanding bronze medal.

The theme of 'practice shmactice' continued on a much sunnier and less blustery Sunday, where the two IV- crews that had put in sessions in the run up to the weekend combined into a scratch WM C VIII that dominated both their semi and final right from the block. They were superbly managed by supercox Charlie Robinson, who discovered to her delight that the course was a mere 1k as we pushed off the pontoon (kindly sheperded by Charlie's daughter Ottilie - thank you!).

Demonstrating the strength of the collective, the two IV- crews (C and D) then went into their respective races, and both teams encountered worthy opposition on the start line (including gold medalists from last year's World Masters in the D category). It also so happened that the stroke of one of the boats that the D crew was racing was a nemesis of over two decades' standing for the LRC stroke, so things were personal (and said crew defeated)! After some spirited racing, both crews walked home with silver medals.

The day was rounded off by Marianna Raffaele literally jumping out at the medal pontoon (shout-out to Fiona for helping us get back to the landing area!) and stepping in as supersub, with special dispensation for doubling up in a single division, for the Young Irregulars' intermediate quad and securing a commanding win! All in all, we had a lot of fun and were delighted to finally get some racing in, and doubly delighted to see the work we have put in over the year pay off in the results. A big thank you to everyone at the club and in our lives that has helped us get here!

*WC8+ winning Gold 🥇 Left to right: Charlie Robinson, Amy Johnson, Ulrike Forster, Soraya Nidai, Nicole Seredenko, Ruth Allen, Elizabeth Hichens, Marianna Raffaele, Tina Albrecht.*

*WC4- winning Silver 🥈 Left to right: Ulrike Forster, Soraya Nidai, Marianna Raffaele and Nicole Seredenko.*

*WD4- winning Silver 🥈 Stern to Bow: Tina Albrecht, Ruth Allen, Amy Johnson and Elizabeth Hichens.*

With Brit Masters successfully completed we are now focusing on Henley Masters. We have a Women's C8+ entered and are looking forward to some side by side racing on the Henley course.

Ulrike Forster

IRREGULARS REPORT

A busy last 4 weeks as usual as the excitement for Henley mounted.

The weekend of the 13th/14th June saw a number of Irregulars going up to Nottingham for the British Masters Championships. We had members racing in Eights, Quads and a Double. No medals for us sadly but a good contribution made to the whole LRC effort who ended up with the “Best Large Club” category. A good time was had by all.

*From the left Nicolette Wykeman, Giles Bedford, Phil Hannay, Fiona Young, A. Ringer and Clare Lyons Collins.*

For the last 6 weeks or so, members of the Tubby Bryant syndicate have been very busy giving the skiff a good makeover at Woottens Boatyard at Cookham.

She had been out of the water and slung up in a shed all winter. Taken down and placed on trestles for the second half of May and June members got to work. Initially, quite a lot of wooden structural work had to be done and then it was down to sanding and revarnishing – wonderful contributions to the work were made by Brian Starr and Elaine, Nini Markes, Kathleen Curran, Diana Bartley, Stephen Bartley, Jackie Grosch, Philip Carre and Andrew Boyle and sister. The work completed, Tubby was put back in the water and rowed to Henley on a hot and steamy Saturday, 27th June.

*At Hurley lock – Kathleen Curran and Jackie Grosch.*

As we all know, the week ending Friday the 26th June was a record for heat levels. Unfortunately, our annual Row Over Day at Remenham Club and shared with Twickenham R.C. was cancelled due to a Red Heat Alert from the Environment Agency. Shame but members generally agreed with the decision.

Onto Henley – Our Thursday gathering at Sea Scouts took place as usual superbly organised by John Auber. We had a special Guest this year – a certain Tubby Bryant in person!

*Hans Van der Velde, Tubby Bryant and Brian Starr.*

Tubby is an ex LRC coach and now aged 90! In 2015 he got in touch with the Club and offered the skiff to us to help aid the fundraising for the new gym. A number of us Irregulars put our hands in our pockets and “bought” the skiff with the money going to the gym project.

The rest is history – the boat has been to Henley every year since and can be seen throughout the week sitting on the boom with a grandstand and very special view of the racing. Many members of the entire club have had the Tubby experience and indeed if any member of the Club would like a turn please do get in touch with the writer.

*L to R: Diana Bartley, Patricia Carré, Philip Carré and George Dimitropoulos.*

Back to the man himself – after a hearty lunch with us, Tubby took to the water in the stroke seat with Eddie Markes at bow and David Whitten and Kathleen Curran in the steering seat.

*Tubby Bryant sets an example to all of us - use it or lose it!*

Tubby enjoyed himself immensely and struck a mean rhythm as we got nearly halfway down the course and parked up opposite Remenham. After a dozen or so races we returned to the Sea Scouts for Tea.

Having thanked us all profusely and with a wide beaming smile on his face, Tubby departed a happy man.

Good luck to all our crews – this club is wonderful.

Eddie Markes

LRC AGM SUNDAY 19TH JULY 2026

The AGM of London Rowing Club will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, 19th July. Please find attached the formal notice that includes details of this year's officers to elect, a proposal for a minor change to the Club's rules and the proxy form. Minutes of last year's AGM are also attached.

Apologies for absence should be sent to me (membership@londonrc.org.uk).

Zoom access can be found below for members who are unable to attend in person.

Meeting Link: https://lgbco.zoom.us/j/870257...
Meeting ID: 870 257 2642
Passcode: 943143
Join Meeting

The AGM will be followed from 12.00 pm until 2.00 pm by a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the captaincy of our President Mike Baldwin and the Club’s winning of the Wyfold Challenge Cup and the Double Sculls Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in that year.

If you want to come to the drinks party, please will you sign up on MCH so that we can gauge how many will be attending.
https://members.londonrc.org.uk/Events/Calendar/View?id=220

We hope you will be able to join us and celebrate a very successful year for the Club.

Saskia Gill
Membership Secretary, London Rowing Club

VISIT OF BRITISH ROWING’S CEO AND DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

On 9thJune our Chairman, Simon Melvin, hosted a visit to the Club by the new CEO of British Rowing, Tom Solesbury, and BR’s Director of Development, Nathaniel Reilly-O'Donnell (AKA Noddy or NRod!).

Tom and Nathaniel were very aware of the recent achievements of LRC and wanted to see for themselves what lay behind the development of the Club in recent years. After a tour of the clubhouse they joined members for a Q&A session in the Long Room. The discussion focused on the importance of culture and trust, which Tom and Nathaniel said were the foundations of success in all sports. LRC’s rapid progress was very understandable to them in this context.

*L to R: Simon, Tom, Stu and Nathaniel.*

As successful club and GB rowers, Tom and Nathaniel understood how BR had become rather distant from its own sport. They were in listening mode and were keen to reposition BR to be more supportive. Tom said that on some topics BR would take the lead, while in other areas BR would act as a facilitator. He stated clearly that the one area in which BR wished to be active immediately was safeguarding. He said that our own Claudia Wiliams, now working at BR, had played an important role in the formation of a new Safeguarding Framework. This was announced on 2nd June.

BR Safeguarding Framework

Tom and Nathaniel’s visit was well received by members who were present. We hope it will lead to a closer relationship with BR from which both organisations will benefit.

Andrew Boyle
Hon. Secretary, London Rowing Club

CLUB SUPPER - 22ND JULY 2026

The next Club Supper will take place on Wednesday 22nd July.

Members and their guests are encouraged to attend. The bar will be open from 7pm with dinner served at 8pm. Tickets are available at £32 per person on MCH.

Annabel Lawrence
Events Manager, London Rowing Club

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE – 27TH JUNE 2026

On the Saturday morning before Henley Royal Regatta, I was wiping down my boat outside Bay 1 and chatting with Paul Mascaro when we were approached by a passer-by with an unusual question. She wondered whether I knew the local area well and wanted to understand how best to see the Championship Course – and of course I was able to oblige. Explaining that she had travelled from Australia, she said she hoped to walk the Championship Course that very day—27th June—to pay homage to her great-great-grandfather, Edward Trickett.

It stopped me in my tracks.

Exactly 150 years earlier, on 27th June 1876, Trickett had rowed from Putney to Mortlake to defeat the English champion Joseph Sadler and claim the World Sculling Championship. In doing so, he became the first Australian to win a world championship in any sport, a victory that ignited Australia's golden age of professional sculling. Racing in his boat Young Australia, Trickett gradually broke clear of Sadler before crossing the finish some four lengths ahead in a time of 24 minutes 36 seconds, cheered by the enormous crowds lining the Thames. The victory earned him £400 in prize money, while on his return to Sydney he received a hero's welcome from some 25,000 people.

Like many of us, I have rowed this remarkable stretch of river countless times. I have always known that the Tideway is steeped in history and rich with stories, but until that chance encounter I hadn't fully appreciated the grandeur of the great professional races once contested here, nor the remarkable figures who made their names on these waters. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about Edward Trickett—and the extraordinary race that made history.

A chance encounter with Trickett's descendant was all it took to spark my curiosity. As the 150th anniversary of his famous victory fell on that very day, it seemed the perfect moment to revisit—and reimagine—one of the greatest races ever contested on the Championship Course…

Edward Trickett's Historic Victory on the Tideway
On Monday, 27 June 1876, thousands gathered along the banks of the Thames to witness the latest contest for the World Sculling Championship. Professional rowing was at the height of its popularity, and the Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake provided the stage for one of the sport's defining moments.

The challenger was Edward Trickett, a 26-year-old waterman from Sydney. Having made the long sea voyage to England, Trickett was seeking to wrest the world title from the reigning English champion, Joseph Sadler. Few could have imagined the significance the result would hold - not only for rowing, but for Australian sport.

As the two single scullers came onto the stakeboats at Putney, the atmosphere must have been electric. The river was crowded with steam launches and pleasure craft, while spectators packed every vantage point along the banks. Those of us fortunate enough to row this stretch today know every bend and landmark; on that afternoon they formed the backdrop to what was then regarded as one of the greatest sporting contests in the world.

When the race got underway, Trickett settled quickly into a long, composed rhythm. Sadler, rowing on home waters and backed by overwhelming local support, matched him through the early stages. The crews remained close as they passed Craven Cottage and Hammersmith Bridge, but Trickett's smooth, relentless sculling gradually began to tell.

Approaching Chiswick Eyot he edged clear, and from there his advantage steadily increased. By Barnes Bridge he had established firm control of the race, his powerful stroke carrying him inexorably towards the finish at Mortlake. He crossed the line approximately four lengths ahead of Sadler in a time of 24 minutes 36 seconds, claiming the World Championship and a prize of £400.

*Trickett defeats Sadler on the Thames, 1876.*

The victory reverberated far beyond the Tideway. Edward Trickett became the first Australian to win a world championship in any sport, and his success transformed professional sculling in Australia. On his return to Sydney he received a civic welcome worthy of a national hero, with an estimated 25,000 people turning out to celebrate his achievement.

Although later champions would follow, Trickett's victory remains a landmark in rowing history. It demonstrated that the world's greatest prizes were no longer the preserve of British oarsmen alone, and it cemented the Championship Course as the arena where international reputations could be made.

Nearly 150 years later, the bends of the Tideway are as familiar to London Rowing Club members as they were to the professionals of the nineteenth century. Every outing from Putney to Mortlake passes through a landscape rich with stories, but few are more significant than that June afternoon in 1876, when an Australian crossed the finish line first and quietly changed the history of world sport.

References/sources:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70607226
https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/edward-trickett/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sculling_Championship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Trickett

Bob Silver

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