Putney’s rowing clubs finished level at the top of this year’s Scullers Head, with London Rowing Club and Thames Rowing Club winning three categories each.
Only Upper Thames Rowing Club, the club of Olympic champion Imogen Grant, won as many. Vesta and Crabtree Boat Club, also on the Embankment, won one each. That took Putney’s clubs to eight of the 38 categories.
Grant was the fastest woman, in just under 22 minutes 48 seconds. Leander’s George Bourne was the fastest sculler of all, in 21 minutes 14 seconds. Both set off from the Embankment that morning, Grant from London Rowing Club’s boathouse and Bourne from Crabtree’s.
The race ran on Saturday 19 September over the 6.8km course from Mortlake to Putney Pier. Vesta’s start list had 602 scullers from 110 clubs.
- Joint first: London Rowing Club PutneyWilf Kimberley, Thibault Mulot, Laura Bates 3 category wins. Blades: navy and white.
- Joint first: Thames Rowing Club PutneyNicela Martincic, Meinhard Hausleitner, Stephen Dooley 3 category wins. Blades: black, with a band of short red and white bars near the tip.
- Joint first: Upper Thames Rowing ClubImogen Grant, Matthew Swiss, Rod Stewart 3 category wins. Blades: white.
- Joint fourth: Furnivall Sculling ClubBeatrix Loveridge, Grace Morris 2 category wins. Blades: white, with green and gold stripes.
- Joint fourth: Headington School, OxfordTwo junior categories 2 category wins. Blades: white, with a light blue tip.
- Joint fourth: Molesey Boat ClubTom Middleton, Michelle Sturtridge 2 category wins. Blades: black.
- Joint fourth: St Paul’s SchoolTwo junior categories 2 category wins. Blades: white, with a black tip.
One win each: 21 more clubs, including Putney’s Vesta and Crabtree, and Leander, whose George Bourne was the fastest sculler of all.
Entrants race in bands set by their ranking, from Championship down to Novice, so beginners race beginners. There are separate categories for lightweights, juniors and masters.
For London Rowing Club, Wilf Kimberley won the open club band and Thibault Mulot the open novice band. Laura Bates took the women’s lightweight category.
Thames Rowing Club’s winners were Nicela Martincic, in the women’s senior band, and Meinhard Hausleitner, in the masters category for scullers aged 65 and over. Stephen Dooley won the masters novice category.
Crabtree’s win came from Guy Pooley, in the masters category for scullers aged 60 and over.
Racing by category means a sculler does not have to finish near the front to win. Vesta’s Thomas Moisley came 340th overall and still won the masters category for scullers aged 70 and over.
The Scullers Head has been linked to the Wingfield Sculls since last year, and the fastest man and woman who meet its entry rules are invited to race in it on Sunday 25 October.
First held in 1954, the race is run by Vesta from its clubhouse on the Embankment, and the club calls it the UK’s largest race for single scullers. Vesta has published the category winners on its website.
