The annual double header of Durham Autumn Small Boats Head and the Long Distance Sculling (LDS) Series drew a record entry of 360 to the River Wear for an exciting days racing in balmy autumnal conditions on Saturday, November 7th.
For a third year the final round of the LDS Series expanded to include a second division to accommodate the increased number of entries racing in the time trial over 1800 metres between Counts House and the finish line upstream of the Bandstand.
Ninety events were contested in the LDS and ASBH over the course of the day, after which Durham ARC emerged as the most successful club with 7 wins in the morning LDS and 8 in the afternoon ASBH from 48 entries, several of those racing gaining their first experience of competition.
Durham ASBH 2026
Tees Rowing Club provided the overall winner of the LDS race with their J18 coxless quad finishing in 6.30.2, followed closely by the Lambton Masters coxless quad, a Yarm School coxed quad and a Cambois J15 double who set the fastest time of the day for a 2x in 6.37.8. An outstanding result in the ASBH saw a record time for the course of 5.53.5 set by the Tyne ARC coxless quad.
There was a double success for Olivia Tute of Chester-le-Street who won the WJ18 1x in the LDS and ASBH and was fastest Women’s sculler in both competitions.
Durham ASBH 2026
Long Distance Sculls
The fastest DARC crew in the LDS was the J15 4x+ who were 2nd in their event in 6.57.8.
Nick Baird won the Open 1x in 7.05.5 and was the fastest Open sculler in the competition.
The Women’s Masters D quad of Rachel Terry, Jenny Conroy, Aisling Dutton and Deirdre Bruce won the WMasDE 4x- in the LDS in 7.05.8, the fastest time of the day by a Women’s crew in either competition, completing a hat trick of victories for the crew in this year’s LDS Series.
Durham/Hexham/Tyne MasE 4x-
Luigi Fortis in 7.08.5 and Sam Hancill in 7.40.9 took first and second places in the J16 1x.
The MasF 4x- finished in 7.42.9 to take 4th place in the MasCDEF 4x- handicap.
The Women’s MasF coxless quad of Sam English, Helen McMillan, Gabrielle Moore and Christine Heppell won the WMasF 4x- event in 7.44.6.
Elizabeth Belsey and Izzy Maddison in the WJ18 2x won a combined WJ17/WJ18 2x event in 7.56.6.
The Open 4x+ of Alex Turner, Marcus Wood, James Campbell, Anthonin Delphan and cox Dyfrig Williams, with no direct opposition, finished in 7.57.7.
Tim Morris and Alan Cook (Talkin Tarn) won the MasG 2x in 8.09.6
Women’s 4+ (band 1)
Seren Williams was 2nd in the WJ18 1x in 8.16.0.
Stacy Wilding finished 3rd in the Women’s 1x in 8.38.4
DARC had 3 entries in a MasCDEJ 1x handicap which also involved Ralph Pickles of Tees RC. The race produced a first win in a single for Steven Pill (E) in 8.21.9, with Paolo Fortis (D) 2nd in 8.41.2 and Gary Walker (D) 4th in 10.06.3.
The J14 girls 4x+ was 3rd in their event in 9.12.7.
The Women’s MasC 4x+ was 2nd in 9.20.2 in a WMasBC 4x+ handicap.
Seb Donaldson was 5th in the J14 1x in 9.33.2.
Gill Gilbert was 2nd in the WMasDGI 1x handicap in 12.09.1.
Women’s 4x-
Autumn Small Boats Head
The Durham/Tyne/Hexham composite involving Michael Terry and Richard Court entered both divisions of the SBH in different combinations, in division 1 as a MasE 4x- winning the MasBCEGH 4x- handicap in 6.27.6, and as a MasE 4+ winning the MasDE 4+ handicap in 6.55.4 in division 2.
The Senior Women’s coxless quad won the Women’s 4x- in 7.06.4 and the Junior quad was 3rd in the same event in 7.18.4. The Durham ARC/Durham School J18 girls quad won the WJ18 4x- event in 7.16.9.
The second J15 boys 4x+ entered the SBH and finished 3rd in 7.10.9.
MasD 4+
The Men’s Masters coxed four entered in MasD and MasE 4+ combinations in divisions 1 and 2, the D crew coming 2nd in 7.22.5 and the E crew 3rd in 7.59.0 in a MasDE 4+ handicap.
Three DARC Women’s Masters coxless quads contested a WMasCDE 4x- handicap with victory going to Fe Ashton’s C crew in 7.31.5. The E quad (Julie Willmore) was 2nd in 8.13.9, just ahead of Caroline Fardoe’s C crew in 8.14.4 who were 5th to Talkin Tarn and Lakeland.
The WJ16 4x- won against St Leonard’s in 7.41.7.
Rob Coe and John Lyons (F) won the MasDEF 2x handicap with a time of 7.59.0 against Steven Pill and Paolo Fortis (D) who were 2nd in 7.44.6.
MasC 4x+
There was a first win for Hubert Desgranges, Jeremy Kendal, Andy Ranson, Keith Noble-Nesbitt and cox Idris Khattak in the MasC 4x+ who defeated Sunderland in a MasCD 4x+ handicap.
The MasH 4x- of Colin Lawson, Vaughan Gordon, Steve Auster and Dave Green was 2nd in 7.57.1, overcoming Chester-le-Street, Talkin Tarn, Lakeland and Hexham in the MasBCEGH 4x- handicap.
Two Women’s coxed fours were among the 30 entered and were assigned to bands 1 and 3 of the W 4+. The band 1 crew of Kate Sowden, Anna Golightly, Nicola Capstaff, Becky Chilcott and cox Nigel van Zwanenberg was 7th in 7.58.7, and the band 3 crew of Charlotte Johnson, Julie Walker, Jill Rudkin, Manush McConway and cox Anya Ilsley-Taylor was 5th in 8.35.9. Band winners in the coxed fours events were –
Open 4+
Collingwood College (band 1) 6.06.2
Hild & Bede College (band 2) 6.30.8
University College (band 3) 6.37.2
Hild & Bede College (band 4) 7.06.0
Women’s 4+
Collingwood College (band 1) 7.28.5
St John’s College (band 2) 7.49.8
Butler College (band 3) 7.58.9
WJ18 4x-
After a second place with the coxed quad in the LDS in the morning Daniel McConway was in the J15 1x in the SBH in the afternoon, with a time of 7.59.0 giving him 2nd place in band 2.
Tom Billington and Steven Rodgerson placed 3rd in 8.17.3 against Hild & Bede College and Tyne ARC in the Open pair.
The J13 4x+ was 2nd in 8.51.7.
The J15 2x was 6th in band 2 in 9.04.9.
David Westwood was 6th in band 2 of the Open 1x in 9.49.6.
WJ16 4x-
Event winners
Event wins for Durham ARC were as follows –
LDS
- Open 1x Baird – Fastest Open 1x
- WMasD 4x- Terry
- J16 1x Fortis
- WMasF 4x- English
- WJ18 2x Belsey – Won WJ17/J18 2x
- MasG 2x (Durham/Talkin Tarn) Cook
- MasE 1x Pill
ASBH
- MasE 4x- (Durham/Hexham/Tyne) Court
- MasE 4+ (Durham/Tyne) Oates
- Women’s 4x- Wilson
- WJ18 4x- (Durham/Durham School) Mitchell
- WMasC 4x- Ashton
- WJ16 4x- Liu-Hill
- MasC 4x+ Desgranges
- MasF 2x Coe
Women’s 4+ (band 3)
Full results from the LDS are available here and from the ASBH are here.
Winners of all ASBH events are shown below.
| Event | Winner | Time | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open 4x- | Tyne ARC | 5.53.5 | 3 |
| Open 4+ band 1 | Collingwood College | 6.06.2 | 6 |
| MasBCEGH 4x- | Durham ARC/Hexham/Tyne | 6.27.6 | 6 |
| Open 4+ band 2 | Hild & Bede College | 6.30.8 | 7 |
| J15 4x+ | Yarm School | 6.30.9 | 5 |
| Open 4+ band 3 | University College | 6.37.2 | 10 |
| Open 2x | Tyne ARC | 6.39.3 | 4 |
| J18 4x- | Yarm School | 6.43.7 | 2 |
| J18 2x | Chester-le-Street | 6.43.9 | 4 |
| MasDE 4+ | Durham ARC/Tyne ARC | 6.55.4 | 3 |
| J18 1x | Chester-le-Street | 7.02.4 | 8 |
| Open 4+ band 4 | Hild & Bede College | 7.06.0 | 7 |
| Women's 4x- | Durham ARC | 7.06.4 | 5 |
| J15 1x band 1 | Cambois | 7.09.4 | 6 |
| WJ18 4x- | Durham ARC/Durham School | 7.16.9 | 2 |
| Open 2- | Hild & Bede College | 7.20.4 | 3 |
| Open 1x band 1 | Durham School | 7.23.6 | 4 |
| J16 1x | Chester-le-Street | 7.24.0 | 4 |
| J15 2x band 1 | Yarm School | 7.24.5 | 4 |
| Women's 4+ band 1 | Collingwood College | 7.28.5 | 8 |
| J14 4x+ | Lambton | 7.29.7 | 6 |
| WMasCDE 4x- | Durham ARC | 7.31.5 | 5 |
| Open 1x band 2 | St Cuthbert's Society | 7.31.6 | 6 |
| J16 2x | St Leonard's School | 7.33.7 | 4 |
| WJ16 4x- | Durham ARC | 7.41.7 | 2 |
| J15 1x band 2 | St Leonard's School | 7.41.7 | 8 |
| Women's 2x band 1 | Tyne ARC | 7.49.7 | 3 |
| Women's 4+ band 2 | St John's College | 7.49.8 | 7 |
| WJ15 4x+ | Yarm School | 7.50.9 | 5 |
| MasCD 4x+ | Durham ARC | 7.52.0 | 2 |
| J15 2x band 2 | Yarm School | 7.56.6 | 8 |
| MasDEF 2x | Durham ARC | 7.58.8 | 4 |
| Women's 4+ band 3 | Butler College | 7.58.9 | 15 |
| WJ18 1x | Chester-le-Street | 8.06.3 | 5 |
| WJ15 2x | Talkin Tarn | 8.10.4 | 6 |
| WJ14 4x+ | Tyne ARC | 8.17.7 | 6 |
| Women's 1x | Durham School | 8.23.8 | 2 |
| Women's 2x band 2 | Chester-le-Street | 8.25.3 | 7 |
| WJ16 1x | Tees | 8.26.6 | 2 |
| WJ15 1x | Yarm School | 8.29.2 | 9 |
| WJ13 4x+ | Lambton | 8.32.7 | 4 |
| J13 4x+ | Lambton | 8.35.2 | 3 |
| WMasCDF 2x | Lambton | 8.56.4 | 3 |
Many thanks to the volunteers who enabled the events to run so smoothly and well done to everyone taking part. The next Small Boats Head in Durham is on February 6th 2027.