Latest BBRC News

The Committee is pleased to announce that we will be holding our next Bewl Head on the 5^th October, with a reserve date of the 12^th October, should the weather preclude the 5th.

The event will be run as a private match with invites extended to Maidstone, Ardingly and potentially one other club.

Reflecting that it takes a lot of organisation to run the event, and it is a rare opportunity for the club to raise funds, we have decided to charge an entry fee of £5 per head.
It takes a large number of volunteers to run the head, and we are asking for members to support the organising team across a number of roles:

Race marshals (including launch drivers)

Timers

Pontoon management

Parking marshals

Catering – we will also need your support with the baking of sweet and savoury snacks for sale

If you are able and willing to support, please contact Mike Beaman on adultrowing@bewlrowingclub.co.uk. All support will be gratefully received.

Bewl Crew sets course record

In glorious sunshine, and under the critical eye of one of the four resident Great Ouse seals sunbathing on the dock at Ten Mile Bank, Bewl’s 5 crews faced a roaring 22 mph headwind gusting 29 along the 21. 6 km course.

Took place on Sat 12th April at BBRC with comensurate amounts of tea / coffee and cake to celebrate with afterwards.

Race results at www.raceclocker.com/e7a9f609

A step up but not quite what the weekday vets bargained for.

On a beautiful sunny afternoon with a brisk stream running, the Tideway did its best to help us to forget the little aches and pains of later life and concentrate instead on the mounting agony of the here and now.

After a bunched start, Liz took Bewl Mas G (65) past Guilford on the inside of the first bend. Mortlake tried to come up through the middle, but Liz held her course slamming the door shut on them as they clashed with Guildford. For a brief moment we enjoyed a grandstand view of a vigorous exchange of views just behind us.

With Bewl disrupted by the turbulence coming off the bridge piers, Mortlake crept up at Barnes and the scene was set for the next 3k with the crews overlapping all the way to the finish. 

This is not what veterans have in mind when they keep up their rowing and worse, it brings out the hidden dark side of certain lady coxes. With increasing volume each scented blood as they drove their crews to go past. Stubbornly, it didn’t happen and we continued to thrash along neck and neck with the blades just a few feet apart. 

Finally, with all needles in the red, we reached Hammersmith and to ear splitting urgings from the stern we inched past.

A day to remember, particularly for Liz and also Harry who switched from bow side to stroke an VIII in a head race for the first time. He didn’t hang about and did a great job taking us over in 13.41 at an average split of 1.37.8.

Many thanks to David for doing the towing.

Crew – 5^th out of 7: Bill Ainscow, Neil Ellwood, Roger Stuart-Menteath, Lawrence Williams, Gordon Hays, Doug Johnstone, David Morten, Harry Phillpot (S), Liz May (C). 

Lawrence Williams

Valete: John Pitchford 1935 - 2024

JP was a giant of a man with a warm and engaging personality to match. People naturally gravitated towards him and gales of laughter were never far away. 

He arrived at Bewl around 1982 as a double Boat Race winner (1957-58) to quietly help with a spot of coaching.

Rowing and racing in an assortment of veteran Bewl crews in the UK and abroad soon followed, always on bow side.

In 1996 JP entered the British Indoor Rowing Championship and recorded a time of 6:51.9 in the Heavyweight Vet (60-69) category breaking the existing world record of 6.55.8 by 3.9 seconds. The organisers missed it on the day but a letter followed congratulating John. It went on to explain that his record didn’t count as it hadn’t been recorded at the US championships!

Another highlight came in 1998 when JP (at 5) along with John Northridge (1) , Hugh Spivey (7) and Lawrence Williams (4) met up with Grosvenor at the Vesta Veterans Head and, having worked out who would sit where, raced in the Vet D (50) category winning their event.

This was later balanced by achieving possibly the only Bewl capsize in an experienced coxed 4 (with Margaret) prior to leaving the bank and while the stroke side blades remained in contact with the shingle. The boat was carried straight back up again and breakfast in what is now the Bistro followed.

Of lasting significance, John was an instigator of the Bewl Junior section in 2004. With just one club quad and a tub available, address books were deployed, contacts reactivated and bottles of wine exchanged for cast off boats and blades sitting at the back of boat sheds far and wide. The buildup of the junior squad with a fleet to match at Bewl had started.

John could not have been happier with the growth and results achieved since.

JP retained his membership and interest in the club and with his infectious enjoyment of life he leaves behind a huge hole in our lives and a legacy to be proud of. It was a privilege to have rowed with him.

Lawrence Williams

From a Teddington marshal’s perspective Bewl Bridge Masters G (over 65) proved to be a nightmare.

Arriving late towards the start the crew were told they had forfeited their prime starting position of 31 and should draw in to the side amongst those stacking in the 100s. 

The crew instantly became deaf, paused until the marshal on the bank had turned his back, and carried on.

On the word “Go”, faced with the daunting prospect of the 20 minutes ahead, the crew lost it, abandoned the race plan (if they’d ever listened to it) and hurtled over the start line at flank speed. 

It couldn’t last and the whole thing began to come apart as we reached Ravens Ait, the half way point, where we caught the crew ahead. Mindful that for some of us “this could be our last”, the years fell away and, rejuvenated, past them we went - at precisely the point where the river narrowed and the rules forbade overtaking.

Faced with two VIIIs containing over 1,000 years of age related indifference to compliance, the marshal on the Ait just wanted to see the back of us and looked the other way, so on we went.

We remained intact for the rest of the race and an enjoyable day was rounded off with a 2^nd place, 6 seconds behind the winners and, astonishingly, no penalties.

The crew:

Bill Ainscow, Neil Ellwood, Mike Beaman, Lawrence Williams, Jan Koops, David Morten, Harry Phillpot, Peter Reeves (s), Liz May  (cox).

Lawrence Williams

Kent rowers Mika and Louise win four golds at World Rowing Masters in Germany.

Full press story see: locals win at the Worlds

Alumna Emily Craig wins Gold at Paris 2024

Full press story see: Champions Forever  and Emily Craig