Reading University Boat Club wins the Snowdon Rowing Challenge!
The top six university boat clubs competed in a unique ergo relay race in honour of Lord Snowdon’s eightieth Birthday and the sixtieth anniversary of his coxing Cambridge to victory in the 1950 Boat Race. The race formed the finale of an event at Porchester Hall in London held by the Snowdon Award Scheme, which was founded by Lord Snowdon in 1981 to provide financial support for disabled students.
Each team included four current students and four old boys. The response to the Challenge by the clubs was fantastic, with many of the sport’s biggest stars taking part, including all four members of the current Olympic Champion four, and all four of the current World Champion four.
The race lasted 20 minutes and 15 seconds; Cambridge’s winning time in 1950. Reading’s winning distance was 8,421m and Alex Gregory’s views represent the oarsmen: ‘The hall was very special, it was great to be so close on the stage to all the other teams, and there was a good level of rivalry between all the crews!’
As Lord Snowdon’s old club, the Cambridge team, including President Deaglan McEachern, Tom James and Tom Ransley, were determined to win the beautiful glass trophy, but Reading University stormed away and Cambridge had to settle for second place.
Henry Pelly (2009 CUBC President) explained 'It was a thrilling race. Reading Uni put in a consistent display of power to take the lead from us in the first few minutes and we couldn't catch them. A late change of personnel by us and a late charge by Oxford Brookes left us hanging to second place by two metres. It was a great challenge for a very worthwhile cause’.
The Oxford Brookes team was immensely strong including Steve Williams, Alex Partridge and Matthew Langridge, and the battle for second place was very exiting. Oxford University Boat Club’s team boasted six oarsmen who competed at Beijing; President Sjoerd Hamburger, Andy Hodge, Pete Reed, Colin Smith and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
The mix of current students and alumni was important, as it echoed a theme of the Charity’s event, which officially launched the Snowdon Alumni for the 1,600 or so recipients of Awards from the Scheme. The Snowdon Alumni aims to encourage young disabled people to aspire to succeed in higher and further education. ‘We also want to raise funds for the Scheme, and I hope that the wider rowing community will support us’ said Hugh McLeod who organised the Challenge and Chairs the Snowdon Alumni. Hugh also coxed for UL in 1988/9. Hugh added ‘The Challenge struck a chord; these oarsmen are supremely fit and have extraordinary physical prowess, and it has been inspiring to see them compete in order to help fellow students facing very considerable physical challenges’.
Finishing order |
Team |
Distance (metres) |
Average pace / 500m |
1 |
Reading University |
8,421 |
1.19.3 |
2 |
Cambridge University |
8,335 |
1.20.1 |
3 |
Oxford Brookes University |
8,333 |
1.20.1 |
4 |
Oxford University |
8,243 |
1.21.0 |
5 |
Imperial College London |
8,112 |
1.22.3 |
6 |
University of London |
7,961 |
1.23.8 |