Loughborough Boat Club
Henley Women’s Regatta has seen its first ever winners from Loughborough Boat Club - not just in one but in two events! In the UK’s most prestigious setting, three Boat Club members put in outstanding performances to come home with the prized Henley medals.
In the Women's Open Double Sculls, Marie Guingouain and Sarah Mee put on an excellent display of powerful sculling as they steadily pulled away from Mortlake Anglian & Alpha to win by a margin of two and a half lengths on their way through to the final. The pressure was really on the Loughborough pair as they then found themselves facing home club Henley. However, they showed no signs of succumbing to that pressure as they set off at a high rating to pull ahead by half a length in the first few hundred metres. They then put in an impressive push to take a further length out of the rival crew, then steadily increased their lead to two lengths. As the two crews approached the enclosure the massive home support for the Henley double spurred them on to pull back half a length but the Loughborough pair kept their nerve and held on to cross the line still one and a half lengths up.
Pauline Barrett again took her place in the eight which is hoping to represent England at the Commonwealth Regatta in August. Together with crew members from Thames, Wallingford and Globe, they found their toughest challenge in the semi-final when they came up against an experienced Oxford Brookes University crew which including existing international rowers. The Commonwealth eight got themselves out in front by two thirds of a length but the Oxford Brookes crew showed their determination and fought back to come almost level. After a tense wait for the result of a photo finish, Barrett’s crew were relieved to find they had just kept ahead to take the race by a mere two feet at the line.
In the final, confirmation came that these two crews were a class above their opposition as Barrett’s eight found themselves cruising to a comfortable victory with a three length lead over Tideway Scullers.
The Club’s Women’s Coach George Jones who was excitingly watching the Loughborough races from the bank declared "They all rowed exceptionally well, the whole Club is extremely proud of them".