Old Blades Regatta - Dorney Lake - Saturday 13 September 2025

The annual Old Blades Regatta took place at Dorney Lake and a Shiplake Crew turned up in force to take on four crews from Eton, two from Hampton Lions and one from Cranford in what was set to be a thrilling race! 

Shiplake turned up with a stacked crew, boasting three Henley Royal Regatta winners and a boat that felt more like a rocket ship than a shell. On raw speed, we were easily the fastest on the water. Unfortunately, our youthful average age landed us with hefty handicaps—five seconds in the first race and what felt like a full eternity in the final.

Race 1
Despite launching off the line with pace, the five-second handicap proved too much to claw back, and we had to settle for second place.

Race 2
Things got even tougher when we were held for the third whistle (worse than starting second in the Gladiators final). Even so, the crew powered through, storming past Eton’s 2005 leavers’ boat to secure third.

Old Viking Crew
        •       Christian Hjortland-Marks (17S)
        •       Ollie Gerrard (16S)
        •       Oliver Nash (15S, HRR winner 2025)
        •       Izzy Blake Hurworth (21W, HRR winner 2021, OV boat 2025)
        •       Finn Rhys Jones (25E, HRR winner 2025)
        •       Ben Brockway (20W)
        •       Neil Srivastava (00B)
        •       Alex Erb (25E)
        •       plus a heroic sub from Canford 🙌🏻

A strong showing, big performances across the boat, and plenty of promise for the future. 🚀

A huge thanks to Neil Srivastava for organising the day and the crew - if you are interested in joining the Old Blades Crew please contact connected@shiplake.org.uk and we will add you to the Whatsapp group. 

PROVISIONAL DATE FOR NEXT YEARS OLD BLADES REGATTA AT DORNEY LAKE IS 19 SEPTEMBER 2026 - SO PLEASE MARK IT IN YOUR DIARIES - ONCE WE HAVE CONFIRMATION WE WILL ADD TO OUR EVENTS CALENDAR.