The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club have won the Junior and Overall Victor Ludorum at the 2026 British Rowing Club Championships. Following four days of action across hundreds of races, the club emerged victorious, beating Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club and Leeds Rowing Club into second and third place in Junior rankings, with Leeds sneaking ahead of Sir William Perkins’s in the Overall rankings.
Speaking after the event, Director of Rowing Mark Wilkinson was delighted. “It’s just amazing really. We’ve had a huge amount of individual successes, but we are a big team. Everyone is rooting for each other, supporting each other, and whether you are in the F Final, eliminated, or racing for medals in the A Final, everyone has their part to play from the boys to the coaches, to the parents.
“This regatta is fantastic. For me, this is one of the best structured regattas that we have in the UK. I love the fact that we have semi-finals; I think that’s what’s missing. It’s a great way to finish the season, and it feels like we finish on a bang rather than dribbling out. This is great for all levels.”
As a result of winning the Overall Victor Ludorum, The Windsor Boys’ School has also won a brand new boat. Donated by Cymba Racing, the club will receive a brand new SL Racing Shell built after the event to their exact specification.
“It’s brilliant. We’ve got an incredible reward, so thank you to Cymba Racing and British Rowing for making that one happen; it’s spectacular really, and it’s very much for the boys, there’s no doubt about it. They’ve earned it, and they train very hard,” added Winkinson.
The day’s racing was short and sharp. The 1000m race course provided the most dramatic racing across the weekend. The photo finish judges were kept on their toes from the first semi-final of the day, right through to the end of racing more than six hours later.
This weekend’s racing featured a number of crews who featured in last weekend’s GB v France J16 Match. One of which was Connie Batley-Smith of Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club. After beating the French, the Isle of Wight rower returned to her J15 category and ended the season as British Champion in the Women’s J15 Single Scull. Radley College Boat Club’s George Byrnes emerged victorious in the Open event. It was one of the largest events across the weekend, and after 0.4s separated 12th and 13th in the time trial, the rest of the side-by-side racing was electric.
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The rest of the J15 racing took place in the Double Sculls. As the six crews in the women’s event hurtled towards the finish line, there was chopping and changing all over the course. That was apart from race leaders, City of Oxford Rowing Club, who absorbed the chaos and kept their calm to win by 1.2s ahead of Agecroft Rowing Club.
The Open race was a two-horse tussle between Trentham Boat Club and A B Severn Rowing Club. After Trentham were second to Ab Severn at halfway, it was all to play for, but when it mattered most, Trentham got their bow ball ahead and were crowned British Champions.
The J14 Coxed Quads were the perfect concoction of adrenaline, bravery and seriously good racing. Fortune favours the bold and Lea Rowing Club were most certainly that. Despite a motoring Sir William Perkins’s School Boat Club quartet and a last-ditch sprint from Barne Elmes Boat Club, the East London crew held strong and crossed the line winners.
It was a similar tale in the Open event as Henley Rowing Club led at 500m and held on to beat Leeds Rowing Club by less than a second, with The Windsor Boys’ School Boat Club holding off Brentford Boat Club by 0.11s to sneak bronze. It was a great day for the Gorse Boat Club who were in the thick of the action in the A Final after strong results in the time trial, building on their performances at the National Schools’ Regatta.
“The season has been pretty good, and we’ve been progressing well, especially over the past few weeks,” said Thomas Leppard from the Henley crew.
“We really didn’t think we’d win. It’s unbelievable! Training has been going really well, and we’ve improved a lot even in the last week. This was the best piece we’ve done all year.
“Crossing the finish line first is a lot better than being dead last and having the safety boat overtake us like last year,” he added with a big smile.
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Matthew Lewis from Cambois Rowing Club triumphed in the Open J14 Single Scull. However, the story of the race was Leo Chandler of Trafford Rowing Club coming from fourth to second in the closing stages to win a brilliant silver medal ahead Lea’s Eren Demir.
If that was a corker, the Women’s event was out of this world. Walton Rowing Club’s Olivia Shotter was sitting in fourth place after 500m, but with just one second separating her from the leader, Eliza Vann of Henley Rowing Club, there were several scripts that could have been written. The final 100m was sensational, an outstanding display of women’s sculling. Walton surged, throwing everything at the closing stages, and it paid off, winning by 0.14s ahead of Southampton Coalporters Rowing Club’s Annabel Phillips with Henley coming through third.
The Club Championship curtain call went to the J14 Double Sculls, and there was a lot to live up to after four days of barnstorming finals.
Evesham Rowing Club were brilliant in the Open event. Trailing in third place at halfway, they never gave up, licked the stamp, and sent it, rowing through Globe Rowing Club and The Windsor Boys’ School who were pushed down into second and third place, respectively.
Walton Rowing Club finished their regatta in fine form. Adding a second gold medal in 30 minutes. Perri-Jane Dibden and Lilianna Pinewere magnificent and enjoyed every moment on the medal pontoon as winners of the women’s event, the last race to cross the line at this year’s Club Championships.
“It’s been an incredible four days of racing. It’s been our third year of the new format, and it just gets better every year,” said British Rowing Events Manager James Lee.
“It’s amazing to see 169 clubs taking part this year across all the different age groups and different levels of racing. We’re looking forward to even bigger and better things next year, and we hope to see you there.”
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