JULY 2019 NEWS Above: Henley Royal Regatta scene with our Wyfold crew in the foreground News covered this month • Ria Thompson takes gold at World Under 23 Championships • Gold and Bronze for Mercantile at Under 23 Championships • Racing begins tonight in the World Under 23 Championships • Celebration of lives – Martin Owen and Libby Douglas • Vale Martin Owen • Vale Libby Douglas • WC3 – Australia and Mercs dominate • WC3 – All Mercs members through semi finals and reps on Saturday • WC3 – time trials replace heats • World Cup 3 – Friday heats postponed due to weather • Mercs at World Cup 3 – Racing starts Friday • Trustees announce more grants • Australian Under 23 Men’s eight announced – 2 more Mercs members added to the team • Mercantile mourns the loss of Nick Garratt AM • Henley Day 5 – Sunday • Henley Day 4 – Saturday • Henley Day 3 – Friday • Henley Day 2 – Thursday • Henley Day 1 -Wednesday • Henley Royal Regatta preview • Yet more Mercs members in the Australian Under 23 team • Foundation trustees announce further grants from the Cooper Fund • From the Archives – Club fundraising in 1883 ______________________________________________________________________________ Ria Thompson takes gold at World Under 23 Championships Published 29th July 2019 Ria Thompson, who rowed for Mercantile before moving to Queensland to study, won the under 23 single scull last night in a superb race. She started relatively slowly and was in fourth place throughout the first 1000m. She then did a powerful third 500m rowing through all but the leading American sculler. Ria had the momentum and then broke the American is the final stages of the race. The men’s eight raced their final and finished sixth. Sadly they were outclassed but congratulations to them on making the final. The crew contained Mitch Hooper in the two seat, Alex Wolf in the three seat and Jack Robertson in the five seat. ______________________________________________________________________________ Gold and Bronze for Mercantile at Under 23 Championships Published 28th July 2019 The first finals day at the Championships brought great success for Australia and Mercantile with the Women’s coxed four containing Imogen Purcell finishing third and the men’s coxed four including Ben Canham and Mitch Hooper and coached by our head coach Nick Mitchell taking gold. Our bronze medallists celebrating on the podium – photo FISA First up was the women’s coxed four with Imogen in the bow seat. Rowing Australia reported as follows: The U23 Women’s Coxed Four of Alexandra Nothdurft, Jane Perrignon, Sarah Tisdall, Imogen Purcell and Pheobe Georgakas were drawn in Lane Four, taking on Canada, France, Italy and the USA. The crew, coached by Annabelle Eaton, took advantage of the calm conditions to deliver a measured race that saw them sat in third despite a push from Canada in the final 750 metres. In a sprint to the line, Georgakas called on her crew to up the rating and as they surged ahead of Canada, the crew looked set to take down the French who had begun to slow. As they crossed the line it was Italy who took the win, with France in second and Australia crossing the line to take bronze, just 0.28 of a second behind the French. Post-race, Nothdurft said the conditions had been great for their final, “The water was good today and we all stayed calm out there and aimed to stay strong. It’s been really exciting racing here in Florida as it was our first time racing internationally, but Annabelle prepared use really well for the event.” The next race was the men’s coxed four. In a race which David Colvin described as gutsy and sensational, the four won by a fine margin from a fast finishing British crew. The victorious four – photo FISA Rowing Australia reported as follows: In calm conditions, the U23 Men’s Coxed Four of Ben Canham, Angus Dawson, Mitchell Hooper, Adam Bakker and Caitlin Hockings were crowned World Champions after leading their final from start to finish. The crew, coached by Nick Mitchell, won their heat earlier in the week and Hockings led her crew out firing in the final today in Florida. The crew clocked a time of 6 minutes 10 seconds to claim victory, having to hold off a last minute sprint to the line from Great Britain, who took silver, and Italy who took bronze. There was only 0.09 of a second between the Australians and the British as the boats crossed the line, while the Italians were just 0.63 of a second behind the Australians. All but one of the crew were on debut for Australia, with Adam Bakker the only member of the crew to have represented Australia on a world stage, at both Juniors and Under 23s. Post-race, Queensland-born Bakker, who is an U23 World Champion in the Men’s Four from 2017, said, “We went in feeling confident after our performance in the heats. We executed our race plan well and held off the other crews. “I thought that the British had gotten us in the end, but no, we’d take the gold which is awesome. Some of us will be ageing out of U23s next year, so we’ll be aiming for selection into the senior team.” While Bakker, Canham, Dawson and Hockings can celebrate today’s victory, Hooper will be preparing for the U23 Men’s Eight A-Final, with the young Australian doubling up and racing both events in Sarasota. The crew pose for parents Enjoying a rest after the presentations In other news, the men’s eight qualified for the A final but as the last qualifier. The crew now comprises three Mercs members with Mitch Hooper being called into the eight in the two seat. Alex Wolf is in the three seat and Jack Robertson in the five seat. Mitch replaced Alexander Jeremijenko who had to withdraw. The repechage was a sensational race with the Australian placed third through the middle stages of the race and having to row through Canada to qualify. The sprint for the line was excellent and qualification for the final reached by only 0.17 second. Well done guys Sprinting to the line – the Germans about a second in front Go Mercs (and Australia) ______________________________________________________________________________ Racing begins tonight in the World Under 23 Championships Published 24th July 2019 These Championships begin tonight and the large Australian team contains five Mercantile rowers. • Imogen Purcell in the coxed four • Ben Canham and Mitch Hooper in the coxed four • Alex Wolf and Jack Robertson in the men’s eight • Nick Mitchell is coaching both the men’s coxed four and the men’s lightweight double scull Opening ceremony – photo FISA Igor Meijer Men’s coxed four in training – Photo: Rowing Australia The full team comprises: Crew Club/State/SIS-SAS U23 Women’s Single Scull Ria Thompson University of Queensland BC/VIC/QAS Coach: Ben Southwell Queensland Academy of Sport U23 Women’s Double Scull Giorgia Patten West Australian Rowing Club/WA/WAIS Harriet Hudson Sydney Rowing Club/NSW/NSWIS Coach: Rhett Ayliffe Western Australian Institute of Sport U23 Women’s Coxless Pair Tara Rigney Sydney University Boat Club/NSW Dyone Bettega Sydney University Boat Club/NSW/NSWIS Coach: Alfie Young Sydney University Boat Club/NSW U23 Women’s Coxless Four Lily Alton-Triggs University of Queensland BC/QLD/QAS Grace Reid UTS Rowing Club/NSW Nicela Martincic UTS Rowing Club/NSW/NSWIS Olivia Jones West Australian Rowing Club/WA Coach: Joe Tamigi West Australian RC/WA U23 Women’s Coxed Four Alexandra Nothdurft The Ohio State University/Commercial RC/QLD University of California, Berkeley/ Griffith University Surfer’s Paradise Jane Perrignon RC/QLD Imogen Purcell University of California, Los Angeles/ Mercantile RC/VIC Sarah Tisdall Harvard/University of Queensland BC/QLD Coxswain: Phoebe Georgakas Melbourne University Boat Club/VIC Coach: Annabelle Eaton St Kevin’s College/VIC U23 Lightweight Women’s Single Scull Georgina Masters UTS RC/NSW/NSWIS Coach: Alex Field UTS RC/NSW U23 Lightweight Women’s Pair Lucy Theodore Toowong Rowing Club/QLD Jilly Roberts Australian National University BC/ACT Coach: Ben Southwell QLD Academy of Sport U23 Men’s Single Scull Cormac Kennedy-Leverett Griffith University Surfers Paradise RC/QLD/QAS Coach: Marcus Free Griffith University Surfers Paradise RC/QLD U23 Men’s Coxless Four Nick Lavery UTS Rowing Club/VIC/NSWIS Rohan Lavery Melbourne University BC/VIC Marcus Britt Sydney University BC/NSW Will O’Shannessy Sydney University BC/NSW Coach: Matt Ryan Melbourne University BC/VIC U23 Men’s Coxed Four Ben Canham Mercantile Rowing Club/VIC/VIS Mitchell Hooper Mercantile Rowing Club/VIC Angus Dawson Adelaide Rowing Club/SA/SASI Adam Bakker Commercial Rowing Club/QLD/QAS Coxswain: Caitlin Hockings University of Queensland BC/QLD/QAS Coach: Nick Mitchell Mercantile RC/VIC U23 Men’s Eight Elliott Apel Toowong Rowing Club/QAS/QLD Harry Crouch Sydney Rowing Club/NSW George Finlayson University of California, Berkeley/UTS Haberfield/NSW Alexander Jeremijenko Yale University/Toowong Rowing Club/QLD Jackson Kench Sydney Rowing Club/NSW/NSWIS Angus Morrison Yale University/Toowong Rowing Club/QLD Jack Robertson University of California, Berkeley/Mercantile Rowing Club/VIC Alexander Wolf Mercantile Rowing Club/VIC Cox: Alannah Gilsmore Adelaide Rowing Club/SA Coach: John Bowes QLD U23 Lightweight Men’s Pair Patrick Boere Swan River Rowing Club/WA Rohan James Swan River Rowing Club/WA Coach: Mark Beer Swan River RC/ACT U23 Lightweight Men’s Double Scull Mitchell Reinhard Adelaide Rowing Club/SA/SASI Nathan Kennedy Australian National University BC/ACT/ACTAS Coach: Nick Mitchell Mercantile RC/VIC ______________________________________________________________________________ Celebration of lives – Martin Owen and Libby Douglas Published 24th July 2019 The celebration of the life of Martin Owen will be held at Zinc in Federation Square, Yarra River entrance, (opposite the boatsheds) at 2pm Monday 29th July 2019.