It has been a busy and successful year for Westminster’s fencers. We are delighted to report wins in all our matches against other schools, continuing our unbeaten record of the past six years. The team has also been to many ‘open’ individuals’ events, where we gained valuable experience.
Highlights of the year’s inter-school fixtures included our victories against Harrow (20-7), Wellington College (24-12) and the London Nautical School (34-2). The team also overcame a strong Highgate team 20-16.
Full match reports are available on the fencing website located within the main School site at http://keynes.westminster.org.uk/fencing/index.html
In team events, the Station has also been successful, with both the Under 14 A team and the Under 18 A team taking the silver medals at the National Youth Team Championships held at the King’s School, Canterbury in February. We also retained the Pearson Cup from the Public Schools’ Fencing Championships at Crystal Palace, together with the Christie Trophy for the best school at junior foil. Notable individual placings were Matthias Williams (Dryden’s) second in the Mount Hayes foil event; Edward Rugman (Grant’s) eighth (who was also selected to represent the Country at the Eden Cup international) and Oliver Marre (Busby’s) tenth, both in the senior category.
Much of the credit for this success must go to our coaches Tomek Waliki, Pierre Harper and Steve Davey, as well as to the master in charge who is now taking an active rôle in coaching. We are grateful to Mr Russell Dudley-Smith for his motivation and sacrificed weekends, which have been at the heart of the Station’s success - and who achieved the best result of any of Westminster’s fencers this year: third place in the Invicta Open.
The new regime of squad training which began in September has already had a notable effect on fitness and morale. We are lucky to have an outstanding group of Fifth Formers this year, a number of whom have international potential.
Edward Rugman (Captain) Oliver Marre (Vice-Captain)
This has been an extremely mixed year for the Boat Club. ‘Frustrating’ seems to be the most apt description of the year, for the Top Squad and particularly the First Eight - with a huge amount of potential yet generally under-achieving on the day. However, the potential of the younger years - J14s and J15s- has been realised, in a number of important successes which demonstrate a consistency which the upper years lacked and bodes well for the future. The Girls’ Squad has grown considerably with the new intake of Sixth Formers, a few of whom had rowed previously, allowing a refreshingly wide scope for competition and success therein.
The outset of the year and the Head season, which runs through the Play and Lent terms, saw the arrival of new coaches and an atmosphere of forward-looking positive thought. The First Eight had reached the giddy heights of the Semi-Finals at Henley the previous July, had featured in The Times after defeating Radley in the Quarters, and Olly MacGregor (Head of Water) won a Gold medal with Effy Hamawi (now at University) in a Pair at the Coupe (the Junior Rower’s European Cup). Olly was appointed Head of Water and has had success with the Great Britain Squad at points in the last year. Daniel Kapp was made Secretary of Water and Miranda Schnitger Head of Girls’ Water. Peter Sheppard, Head Coach of Molsey Boat Club, joined the coaching staff, as did Polly Gough, giving the girls a long-term instructor.
On paper, the First Eight should have been one of the strongest ever. However, despite promising Water sessions, and notwithstanding raising fitness levels and stiffening Land Training regimes to new levels of intensity, results were bitterly disappointing during the Head Season. There was an ongoing inconsistency and inability to produce results which prompted many questions, in search of that missing mental edge which would have taken the crew into the top flight. As it was, the solution to the problems couldn’t be found in a number of line-up changes and the situation was not improved by three Top Squad members leaving at key junctures in the season. These problems meant the Eight never really settled into a crew that came together as a unit, demonstrated by a poor result of 27th in the School’s Head, demanding a re-think over Easter at the annual Training Camp at Gent.
During the week at Gent, prospective First Eight candidates were seat raced after more disappointment in both the Open and Junior Eights catergories at the International Regatta held in the middle of the camp, for which we were underprepared following two weeks’ break and a number of people falling ill whilst in Belgium. Seat racing took place in Fours and the results were somewhat discredited by some unexpected racing results back at Putney. There was some success at Docklands in the Poplar Regatta on 25 April with two Top Squad fours coming second and fourth, demonstrating that this was the arena best suited to them, a sense compounded by good performances in Fours at Southampton Head on the last weekend of the Lent Term. Therefore, seeing that the Top Squad had preformed so much better in the smaller boats (negligibly less competitive as a racing category than First Eights), combined with the fact that these results couldn’t be translated into the Eight, Top Squad has resolved to race National Schools Regatta (29/ 30 May) in 1st, 2nd and J16 Fours.
The J15s have spent the year mostly in an Eight and have brought the Boat Club most success. Good results were obtained at Hampton Head, Henley Head and the Schools’ Head. For National Schools they have divided their numbers between a strong Eight and a seemingly indestructible Four. The J15 Four is truly the sum of its outstanding parts, having won at Putney Town Regatta, Avon County Schools Regatta and shown themselves to be competitive at both J16 and Junior levels; they also raced extremely well at Poplar in the J16 category. As things stand, they are our best hopes for a medal at National Schools - a result of commitment and consistency throughout the year.
The Girls’ Squad had a larger number of members upon which to draw on this year and success was forthcoming, again in fours, with very credible results of second and fourth in the School’s Head. Once again, it is hoped that the Girls will follow up this term’s third place and first place (in a Four and Double respectively) at Avon County Schools, with placings in the two Fours which they will row at National Schools.
Henley Royal Regatta will be a challenging prospect at the end of the Election Term. It is not even certain whether an Eight will be raced there yet. Trials take place during Exeat in Henley itself and we will see whether the Top Squad can find that ever-elusive Race Form, perhaps with some J15 input increasing boat speed and boosting confidence.
In the ever increasingly competitive environment of Schools’ Rowing, resilience and the will to win are extremely important attributes. Westminster’s watermen are severely disadvantaged by pressures on their time, and consistency of form is difficult to achieve despite hard work The younger years seem to have these qualities in spades. However, the School cannot afford to let the older Boat Club members grow disaffected; it is imperative not to sacrifice the talent of the present Top Squad for the sake of safeguarding the potential success of the future Top Squad rowers.
Daniel Franklin
Grant's victorious
A sport for Gentlemen
The 1998 season was, in terms of events won at regattas, the most successful since the Station came into being a decade ago - twenty two victories all told, including three championship medals (Tom Gentleman with the Junior Championship, and Joanthan Gee with the Under 16 Handicap and the Classified and Drawn Doubles). Tom Gentleman also won the major trophy for canoe poling, the Dardier Cup, at Sunbury Regatta. Support from parents was continuous throughout the summer, and most welcome, with frequent invitations to join the picnics that sprang up along the banks. They contributed greatly to the spirit of our own regattas, the Captain’s and the Secretary’s, where for the first time a Parent and Son event took place - very popular, keenly contested, and, of course, great fun.
Peter Holmes