The sun shone over Eton Dorney as a crew of Old Vikings took to the water to compete in the Old Blades Regatta on 14th September 2024. The conditions were amazing, still water with a gentle breeze, golden sunshine mixed with the distinctive stripes of black, maroon and gold.

With crews from Eton, Westminster, and KGS the mighty Shiplake crew were in great company and form for the race ahead. With a 1000m race, followed by a 500M sprint (sadly no time for the 250m) the Old Vikings got off to a great start with a win in the first race. Sadly, the winning streak didn't follow, and the crew finished in 4th place over the 500m sprint - but a valiant effort was made by all!  

Kara Wirt (Cox) 

Tom Boret (20W) 

Sebastian Hjortland-Marks (20S) 

Neil Srivastava (00B)

Mark McCluggage (01E) 

Tom Fox (20B)

Izzy Blake Hurworth (21W)

Matt Jackson (03B)

Nic Lowry (02O)

Matthew Fisher (90B)

Jacob Dawson 

Racing was followed by a wonderful afternoon tea in the Eton Dorney Boathouse. A big thanks to the team at Eton and the Eton Vikings for making this happen. 

A massive thank you to Old Viking Neil Srivastava (00B) for the excellent organising and to everyone who came along to take part in the race and to cheer from the bank. 

We'd love to support this event with two crews next year - so if you are an Old Viking rower and interested in taking part - please join the Rowing Club and you can register your interest for forthcoming events including the Old Blades 2025.