Lea RC plan to make a year's hard work pay
LEA Rowing Club, Hackney, have three crews at this week's Henley Regatta, the most they have had competing in over a decade.
Among them is the Clapton club's men's senior squad which has been preparing for rowing's blue riband event for a whole year.
The Lea RC top crew has been training up to 10 times a week and while the rest of the country was shut indoors during the winter months, the club's top crew were out putting themselves through their paces.
Says Sam Batten, club captain: "A low point of our season was having to stop our crews using half the river during the coldest part of the year, when the River Lea froze. If we do manage to win on Sunday, all our winter work it will be well worth it.
"Our rowers have travelled far and wide to put themselves in a position to win their events at Henley this week. The training camp in south-west France we attended has certainly made some dramatic technical and physical improvements.''
He continued: "We are very proud of our 'learn to row' scheme at the club, which has been in place for almost a decade. As a result, we have numerous home-grown athletes.
"In our crews for Henley are three who only started with us 18 months ago, which is some achievement.''
The club's Thames Challenge Cup crew are competing in an eight. They came through qualifying last Friday and have been drawn against Marlow RC in the first round at Henley.
The Thames Challenge Cup crew contains, Sally Lawrence (cox), Ian Kerrigan, Angus Laurie, David Bull, Pluoto Evlogmenios, Tom Bott, Leigh Riches, Tom Wei and Ben Burton.
It's expected to be a closely run thing, but the Lea crew are capable of winning the event and have far exceeded expectations as the original aim was merely to qualify.
The other Lea RC crews competing are both coxless fours. They are both entered in the Wyfold Challenge Cup. The Lea A crew managed to pre-qualify and are seeded. They have drawn against Worcester RC, whom they have already beaten, but must guard against complacency.
The B crew aren't to be underestimated either, having beaten their own A crew in training and they go up against a crew from the Star Club, Bedford.
Wyfold Challenge Cup A crew: Joe O'Neill, Will Dewar, Sam Batten, Dan Bartlett.
The Wyfold Challenge Cup B crew is:- Emilio Hernandez, Phil Vincent, Josh Coleman- Pecha and Ben Knowles.
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