Newbury Weekly News 110517

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Newbury Weekly News

Sport

Email: sport@newburynews.co.uk

Golden row seals three in a row Silver brace for Katie

From back page The duo also looked

narrow early lead as the two nations broke away from the rest and battled stroke for stroke. The British pair edged ahead entering the final sprint, which saw the Serbian pair well backed from the

half seconds clear after 2000 thrilling metres. It was a major success for the GB crew in an event that was previously dominated by Kiwi pair Bond and Murray, who went unbeaten for eight years before announcing their retirement to leave a gap which Rossiter and Dawson would hope to fill. Rossiter’s brother George missed out on a place in the GB team but earned consolation competing in the Ghent International Regatta for Henley’s Leander Club, claiming a gold medal on the Saturday ahead of two Oxford Brookes crews for a British clean sweep. In Sunday’s eight, despite Leander qualifying well for the final from their heat, Brookes returned the compliment by having their own 1-2-3 finish ahead of Rossiter's crew in fourth place. Woolton Hill’s Katie Metalli also claimed her first ‘international’ medal with a bronze in the women's eight on Saturday to top her 21st birthday week, after winning two silvers at the BUC National Championships earlier in the week. Despite dominating their semi-final on the Sunday, the Brookes crew could not repeat that feat as they also finished just outside the medals in fourth place in the final.

Newcastle were easy winners in another new record, but Metalli and her crew pushed through in the final strokes to take the silver by just 7/100th of a second ahead of Bristol with London missing out on the medals by 0.44 of a second. Katie Metalli was back in action in the Women's Intermediate Coxed Four, Brookes reaching a final in which Newcastle again took control from the start but saw Brookes mount another late charge to finish second ahead of Bristol and London. Brookes did claim the overall Victor Ludorum by more than 250 points to be crowned the new University Champions ahead of London with Newcastle third after the Oxford squad claimed 41 golds, 51 silver and 31 bronze medals.

WOOLTON HILL rower Katie Metalli collected a brace of silver medals when competing for Oxford Brookes in the British University and Colleges Sports Regatta staged at Nottingham’s National Water Sports Centre. More than 1100 boats and 2953 entries were involved in Europe’s largest student regatta, which saw the Oxford crew only fourth fastest to Glasgow, Newcastle and University of London in the W.IM eights before making their presence felt in the semi-finals. They stormed through the final 1200 metres to beat London by just 0.69 of a second with a new championship record time of 6:50.5, although that record lasted less than seven minutes before Newcastle cruised to victory in their semi-final in 6:49.63. Newcastle got off to a

comfortable in the semi-finals in which they repeated their winning form, this time ahead of Belarus and the Czech Republic crews. And they made it three out of three in the final in which Serbia’s Nenad Bedik and Milos Vasic posed the main threat, and they claimed a

bank. But Rossiter and Dawson held off their 38

strokes per minute challenge to reach the finishing line in 7 minutes 00.25 seconds, two and

storming start in the final, opening a four second lead over fifth-placed Brookes by the 500 metre mark before Brookes surged back into contention.

Stroke andbow:Matthew Rossiter (left)andJacobDawson inaction

Jeremy goes up a gear

NEWBURY BLUES have 11 players in the 37-strong squad that will take Berkshire into this season’s County Championship. The final selection was made after a warm-up game staged at Newbury where Hampshire scored a 38-17 win. Reading Abbey’s Sam Hallett will skipper the squad, who all received county ties at a presentation evening held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, sponsored by former referee Ashley Rowden and Simon Henderson. Redingensians’ Mike Tewkesbury will head the coaching team that includes Hungerford’s Neil Collins, Marlow’s Stuart Silvester, Chinnor’s Ricky Khan and Maidenhead’s Will Greenwood. Berkshire’s two pool matches will be at home to Sussex at Reading on Saturday, and against Dorset and Wilts at Royal Wootton Bassett on Saturday, May 20. The Berkshire squad is:- Forwards: Leo Bailey (Bracknell), George Banks (Guildford), Harvey Bevan (Reading University), Paul Brittain (Maiden- head), Will Caden (Maidenhead), Char- lie Davies (Reading), Kyle Doel (Newbury), Greg Drew (Redingen- sians), Rob Drysdale (Newbury), Omar Ellaboudy (Reading Abbey), Sam Hallett (Reading Abbey), Niall Kidd (Windsor), James Macauley (Newbury), Alex Millar (Newbury), Jasper Miranda (Bracknell), Mike Parrott (Maiden- head), Ollie Smith (St Marys Univer- sity), Ollie Spanswick (Newbury), Ollie Taylor (Redingensians), Louis Wolf (Redingensians). Backs: Tom Head (Reading University), Saul Aimes Reddin (Reading University), Neil Baggott (Windsor), Josh Bartlett (Newbury), Rhys Davies (Windsor), Tom Finnie (Maidenhead), Miles Lloyd (Redingensians), Josh Love(Newbury), Ollie Mann (Harpenden), Joe Pigot (Newbury), Ben Sanderson (Bracknell), Andy Slade (Bracknell), Jordan Souter (Redingensians), Dan Thorne (Newbury), Toby Thorne (Newbury), Nick Wackwitz (Newbury), Ben Yates (Bracknell). Rugby Blues XI in the county set p The provisional line-up for the new South West Premier Division has been confirmed, subject to any regional transfer of clubs. It is:- Bournemouth, Bracknell, Brixham, Camborne, Cleve, Dings Crusaders, Exmouth, Hornets, Ivybridge, Lydney, Maidenhead, Newbury Blues, Newton Abbot, Weston-super-Mare.

He prepared for this year’s championship by completing testing in Spain in March, and is well set for the six remaining events in the championship, the next in Cumbria from May 19-21. His latest outing at Red Lodge produced two fourth places and a ninth, with future challenges at Cumbria’s Rowrah circuit, Tattersall, a return to Red Lodge, Daventry and Glan Y Gors Park prior to the season’s climax at Doning- ton Park in October.

Away from competition, Jeremy also took part in the Prescott Bike Festival charity event, tackling the hill climb in front of 6,000 spectators. Jeremy’s progress is being followed closely on social media, and he has been backed by a growing number of sponsors including A-Plant, I & S Landscaping and Pest Services, Rainbow Graphics, Falkland Cricket Club, C & E Groundworks LTD and Lavisher Building and Roofing LTD.

Motor Sport

MINI GP rider Jeremy Knight is working his way up the grid in this year’s Cool Fab British Championship partnered with British Superbikes. The 12-year old Park House School pupil took to the track last year to finish seventh overall on a Metrakit Mino GP 50, and now riding a Mini GP 70, stands fifth in the rankings after the opening two meetings at Llandow and Red Lodge in Suffolk.

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Twelve- year old speedster Jeremy Knight (left) ready for action and right, in action on the track

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Tennis

Davis Cup pair on court at Newbury

FORMER Davis Cup players Danny Sapsford and Luke Milligan will be holding a tennis exhibition and fun coaching day in aid of Newbury Tennis Club at the club’s Almond Avenue headquarters on Sunday. The pair will be joining forces with Newbury coaches Steve Lloyd and Will Everitt for the programme, producing a selection of doubles tactics masterclasses, technical clinics and high intensity basket drills. Speed serve tests will be followed by a fun doubles exhibition in which the pros will serve up some trick shots. Sapsford was on the ATP Tour from 1987-1999 and reached a singles ranking

Newbury/News/4b64496f-f56d-4900- 855f- 154ab8763eec p RAMSBURY Tennis Club will be opening its doors and offering free tennis on Sunday as part of Great British Tennis Weekend. The club will be staging free cardio tennis, tennis Xpress, mini tennis and ball machine competitions with rackets and balls provided with the aim of encouraging newcomers to the sport or tempt others back to the game. Details are available via www.lta.org.uk/gbtw

of 170 and 83 in doubles and represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup from 1990-95. His best Wimbledon year was in 1999 when he reached the third round before losing to eventual champion Pete Sampras, the year after he had been crowned men’s national singles cham- pion to add to three doubles titles. He recorded career wins over Henman, Rusedski, Korda, Gilbert and Kuerten before becoming an LTA National coach and founding the Bright Ideas for Tennis charity in 2013. Milligan reached the third round at

Wimbledon in 1996 before bowing out to Tim Henman, and played Davis Cup in the same year away to Ghana. He has since spent seven years as a National Coach at the LTA, working with up and coming professionals including Laura Robson and Johanna Konta. Sunday’s coaching sessions get under way for minis at 10am and continue until the final doubles exhibition at 2pm. Full details are available on the club’s website at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/