With two senior squad boats and one masters heading to WeHORR this year, Twickenham had a great day in unusually good conditions for this highlight of the head race season.
Senior Women - On Saturday, coinciding with Internation women’s day, 16 Senior women and two coxes took to the tideway to compete at the heavily anticipated WEHORR, a 6.8km Championship course from Mortlake to Putney.
The Twickenham Senior women crew number 70, comprising of Abi Thomson, Emily Harrison, Livi Bothamley-Dakin, Ellen Tweed, Millie Andrew, Ellie Spoerry, Lexi Bothamley-Dakin, Emily O’Connor and coxed by Lara Cooper produced the best result for Twickenham since 2009.
Overtaking the Tyne boat early, the crew had Cambridge Lightweights and Liverpool University putting pressure on all the way down the course but managed to hold both crews off until the very late stages of the race.
Twickenham Senior women crew number 72, comprising of Ciara Woods, Elizabeth Garbett, Sienna Black, Charlotte Yeo, Megan Elson, Ames Blakey-Harvey, Tara Rai (Junior), Violet Ferris and coxed by Tim Hirst put in a great race and left it all out on the course to finish 180th. Special mention to Tim who despite being unwell, showed great grit and loyalty by guiding his crew down the course.
Beyond the great results, this race shows the versatility and teamwork in the squad. We are so excited to get going with regatta season now. We know there is a lot of speed in the tank….
Masters Women - The team arrived on race day feeling ready to win. The weather on the tideway was beautiful, which is unusual for the Women's Head of the River, as the conditions are typically less favorable. The crew had a successful race, feeling positive, committed, and united as a team.
Our success can be attributed to sticking to the racing plan, which kept us focused and ready for every challenge as well as hearing our team mates support along the riverbank, walking, cycling. Brave powering though the ground by our coach, risking her life cycling though the crowd along the bank. We followed the coxswain's calls, giving us the motivation to push through exciting and fun moments at each landmark. The coxswain’s ability to keep us safe while staying on track allowed us to work harder and enjoy the experience, celebrating each other on Women's Day.
Unfortunately, due to the marshalling at the start, we couldn't see our senior crew's start, but we sent them positive vibes, knowing we were all in it together, representing our beloved Twickenham rowing club.
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