BUFFALO BULLETIN Autumn 2003

The BRYANSTON BUFFALOES is an informal bunch of Old Bryanstonians and current parents who support the school’s rowing programme in a variety of ways. Founded in 1979, the Buffaloes have evolved a fairly regular annual pattern:

1. A Buffet Supper at the School in March, to welcome the parents of the D & C
members of the Boat Club;
2. The Buffalo Dinner at Leander Club (in May or June), where the senior members of the Boat Club can meet those who have been supporting them, we can celebrate
OBs who have achieved distinction in the rowing world, and invite crews from
60, 50, ….. 20, 10 years ago to join us.
3. Holding barbecues after selected races, not just to feed the competitors, but
also as gathering points for supporters.
4. Raising money from subscriptions to provide the Boat Club with the “icing on the
cake”, the sorts of things which the School cannot be expected to provide.
5. Selling a small range of goods: silk Buffalo ties from Old Bryanstonian firm Beckford
Silk (www.beckfordsilk.co.uk), top quality Buffalo ‘golf’ umbrellas from Swaine
Adeney Brigg but at a fraction of their usual prices, and lambswool ‘pashminas’
(with very discreet Buffalo emblems).

OUR THANKS TO ALL OLD BRYANSTONIANS WHO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BUFFALOES, whether in money or in kind, particularly those who send me their spare Henley badges. Their generosity allows us to support Bryanston rowing, to purchase special kit for the Club and to send out these Bulletins. NB: your subscriptions are never used to subsidise our social events.
There is no requirement that parents of Boat Club members will subscribe. However, anyone who wishes to take out or increase a subscription can download the standing order form from the Buffalo “Membership” page of the BSBC website (at web.bryanston.co.uk) or simply send a donation to Alan Shrimpton at the school, payable to “Bryanston Buffaloes”.

THE BUFFALOES ARE GOVERNED BY A COMMITTEE of BSBC coaches, parents and Old Bryanstonians: President: Bob Allan (former staff), Chairman: Michael Sydney (OB and former parent), Secretary: Alan Shrimpton (OB, and former master i/c rowing), Treasurer: Mike Adams (OB and former master i/c rowing), plus Geoff Hoyle (OB), Mr & Mrs Catto (parents), Mrs Antrobus (parent), Mr & Mrs Dodson (parents), Mr & Mrs Odgers (parents), Mr & Mrs Woodford (parents) and Richard Crisp (OB). Ex-officio committee members are the Master i/c Rowing: Graham Elliot, the Boys' Captain: Greg Patton, the Girls’ Captain: Sarah Dunnill, and the Captain of the Bryanston Buffaloes Boat Club (vacant position). The committee meets on the Saturday mornings just before half terms start in the Autumn and Spring Terms.

In the last few months we have sponsored the inaugural Wessex Junior Regatta, set up by Graham Elliot, a splendid informal regatta which found the junior members and parents from 6-8 local clubs enjoying a gorgeous sunny afternoon by the banks of the Stour. We hope this can be repeated annually. As one of the visiting coaches said when thanking Graham Elliot, “This is how regattas should be”. i.e. fun, lots of races for everyone and cheap (well, they got it free).

Our Leander Dinner in June saw slightly smaller numbers than in the recent past, largely due to the small size of the senior squads, but the atmosphere was as sparkling as ever. We had a whole table from 1970-74, a group who most generously dug in their pockets to pay off the notional deficit recorded in the Hon. Treasurer’s accounts! The guests were Rachel Quarrell (for her Commonwealth Bronze in 2002), Mark Hall (the Goldie coach), and the after dinner speaker was our former Harvard Fellow and Girls’ 1st VIII coach, Karen Hartshorn, the 2003 Captain of CUWLBC.

LOST! BSBC’s J14 SCULLING TROPHY
A real silver bowl, about 5 inches diameter.
We thank Mark Hall for his exceptionally generous gift
of a new J14 sculling cup,
but we would still like to have the old one back.

In our SILVER JUBILEE YEAR, 2004:
The BUFFALO BUFFET for BSBC members in D and C and their parents will be held at Bryanston on Saturday March 6th, following the StourHead races in the afternoon. For this event we have once again managed to secure the Best Speaker in Dorset – the very special Richard Grasby, whose boating exploits combine valour, keen observation and great good humour. Discover how to gain maximum delight from a journey!

The BUFFALO DINNER at Leander will be on Saturday May 1st.
Past crews invited will be
1943, 44 & 45
1953, 54, 55 & 56: the Chairman (’53) and the Hon. Sec. (’54 & ’55) will be
pressing their crews to come.
1964 and all Charon crews: Thanks to Richard Crisp for gathering support.
1991-94
Please contact Alan if you are willing to help in encouraging people to come.

We have booked all of Leander’s bedrooms for that night. Those who would like to use these rooms are advised to contact Alan Shrimpton at the earliest opportunity.

Booking forms will be sent with the next Buffalo Bulletin in March.

The Buffaloes will hold a HENLEY FIREWORKS PARTY on Saturday July 3rd, in Lion Meadow Car Park. Henley Town traditionally puts on a magnificent firework display after dark on the Saturday. To pass the time between the end of racing and the pyrotechnics, a ticket-only barbecue is proposed with food and drink provided (at cost) for Buffaloes (parents as well as OBs) and their guests. Further details in the next Bulletin. Volunteers to help on the practical side will be more than welcome.

TOURING or RECREATIONAL ROWING:
Buffaloes may be interested in the Weyfarers R.C. They ran an international rowing tour down the Thames from Oxford to London this September, and they are planning a summer tour in the Czech Republic in 2004, plus some shorter Thames tours. Contact for future possibilities: John and Caroline Turnbull, Weyfarers Rowing Club, Thames Lock, Jessamy Road, WEYBRIDGE, Surrey, KT13 8LG. Tel: 01932-340108.
email: weyfarers@aol.com web site www.weyfarers.rowing.org.uk/

ENJOY THE RIVER:
The Thames Path www.nationaltrail.co.uk
? Boating Festival, Lechlade www.thetroutinn.com
Swan Upping - www.royal.gov.uk & www.windsor.gov.uk
Goring & Streatley Regatta, 17th July 2004
www.goringgapbc.org.uk/html/c_regatta.html
Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta, 6-7th August 2004 www.wargrave.net/regatta/
Inland Waterways Festival, 28-30th August 2004 at Burton on Trent.
www.waterways.org.uk/festivals
The Great River Race, 22 miles from Richmond to Greenwich, September
www.greatriverrace.co.uk
Thames Festival, London, 11-12th September 2004 www.thamesfestival.org
Dragonboats www.dragonboat.org.uk/
See also www.visitthames.co.uk www.portoflondon.co.uk
www.river-thames.com www.festivalofthesea.co.uk
and for a map of the river www.stanfords.co.uk
For all sorts of boating sites, see http://ttbrally.users.netlink.co.uk/boatlink.html
For the best rowing kit and ‘paraphernalia’, see www.rock-the-boat.co.uk/
For Rachel Quarrell’s rowing site, see http://users.ox.ac.uk/~quarrell/

 

BUFFALO NEWS RECEIVED:
When Tom Wheare rowed at King’s College, Cambridge, he was coached by the father
of Ben (‘88) & Oliver Cobb (‘90).
Miles Cudmore (‘83) has run two marathons: Venice and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Wendy Hough (‘00). Her King’s College London crew got through to the Saturday at
Women’s Henley and were delighted to beat the University of the West of
England, who had beaten KCL twice earlier in the season.
Karen Jourdan (‘91) is coaching at Reading R.C.
Rachel Quarrell (‘85) has received the Rowing Journalist of the Year Award.
Bryony Rance (‘92) (Auriol Kensington R.C.) “Did the Boston Marathon last
September in an eight and we won Senior 2 and got the new course record. I won
a Senior 2 pennant at the Pairs Head. Then I skipped the Fours Head to go and do
the New York Marathon, which I did in 3hrs 51mins (I think that's right). Then a
few fun regattas. At the Women's Eights Head we came 19th=. At Women's
Henley we got through to the Semis this year and at the National Championships
up in Strathclyde, which I did in my pair, we got a Bronze Medal. We won the
Senior 3 pennant at the Fours Head a few weeks ago.”
Bryony is planning to do a 150-mile “marathon” over the Sahara in 7 days next
April. The last page gives details of her charitable aims.
Mark Roberts (‘03) is training at Leander for 4-5 hours a day. On the day I checked on
him, he had just done a 20km ergo test.
Nicol Smith (‘48) rowed in the Henley Veterans’ Regatta.
Katherine Varvill (‘81) has been sculling at Walbrook R.C., ‘pottering about’, as she
describes it.
Julian Wade (‘59) has been rowing for Yare R.C., and he went up 35 places in the
Veterans’ Head, stroking the Weybridge/Yare mixed VIII. He is also involved
with the Weyfarers Rowing Club (see above).

 

OUR EFFECTIVENESS:
In our last committee meeting, I asked those present if they felt we were getting into a rut. After nearly 25 years of the same old Hon. Sec., we have an established pattern – the annual Buffalo Buffet, Dinner at Leander, and Henley picnics; plus small-scale fund-raising to help the Boat Club; racing support; and the Hon. Sec’s. work with the Buffaloes’ video camera. Graham Elliot (Master i/c) is delighted and satisfied by all of this, but we should not allow success to blind us to the possibility of further enterprise.

The income from a small membership and occasional kind donations enable us to provide BSBC with the ‘icing on the cake’, subsidies for coaches attending holiday training camps and various items which the school cannot be expected to buy. Every now and again I am reminded of the far greater profile of our opposite numbers at Monkton Combe, Monkton Bluefriars. They can even give rowing bursaries! and this enhanced capacity is owed to the receipt of a couple of handsome legacies. Far be it from me to tell anyone where to direct their residual funds but, should anyone fancy the Buffaloes ……..

B.S.B.C’s SUMMER TERM 2003, by Graham Elliot:
We can be pleased with our record of summer regatta results. The highlight was the inauguration of the Wessex Junior Invitation Regatta. This was a friendly event for eight local clubs held at Bryanston. It was kindly sponsored by the Bryanston Buffaloes and both Bryanston and Canford Schools. With over a hundred sprint races taking place on a glorious afternoon and the prizes shared evenly amongst the clubs, everyone went home happy. Our Under-14s and Under-15s performed very well. Particularly pleasing were the Under-14 boys quad dead-heating with Canford in their final and the Under-14 girls quad beating Canford in theirs after no less than five rounds of racing!

The B Girls picked up a win at Avon County Junior Regatta, the Senior Boys at Marlow Town, and the D Boys at Tewkesbury.

Mark Roberts came painfully close to winning a place in a GB Junior crew; his 2000m erg score (6m 23s, a Bryanston record) was ranked tenth nationally amongst nearly two hundred candidates.

We wished a happy retirement to Gordon Leadbetter after his 30 years of thoughtful, technical and dedicated coaching on the Stour. He ran the Boat Club for five years, during which time he oversaw the significant development of, and investment in, girls’ rowing so that it came to occupy an even footing with the boys’. We also said farewell to valued coaches Tom Lowes, Henry Hirsch, Angie Peluse and, this Autumn term, to Peter Lee who has secured a coaching post at Durham University.

BSBC’s SUMMER REGATTA RESULTS:

AVON COUNTY SCHOOLS’ REGATTA
Mark Roberts Won Under-18 Single Sculls
Mallory Earnshaw and Henry Dodson
Won Novice Double Sculls
B Girls Four Won Novice Coxed Fours
Alix Odgers and Lucy Strong
Runners-up Novice Double Sculls

MARLOW TOWN REGATTA
Mark Roberts Won Under-18 Single Sculls
Senior Boys Four Won Junior Novice Coxed Fours
C Girls Quad 2nd/3 Under-15 Quadruple Sculls

NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ REGATTA
Mark Roberts Reached Semi-final Championship Single Sculls

WESSEX INVITATION REGATTA at Bryanston
Sarah Dunnill and Katie Gornall
Won Under-18 Double Sculls
C Girls Quad Won Under-15 Quadruple Sculls
Katie Gornall 2nd/6 Under-15 Single Sculls
D Boys A Quad Dead heat in Final Under-14 Quadruple Sculls
D Boys B Quad Runners-up in Plate
D Girls A Quad Won Under-14 Quadruple Sculls
D Girls B Quad Won Plate
Natalia Oundjian and Anna Heale
2nd/8 Under-14 Double Sculls

PUTNEY TOWN REGATTA
B Boys Four 2nd/3 Under-16 Coxed Fours

COATE WATER PARK REGATTA
Alix Odgers and Lucy Strong
3rd/6 Novice Double Sculls
D Girls A Quad 1st/3 Under-14 Quadruple Sculls

TEWKESBURY REGATTA
C Boys Quad Runners-up Under-15 Quadruple Sculls
C Girls Quad 2nd/3 Under-15 Quadruple Sculls
D Boys B Quad Won Under-14 B Quadruple Sculls
D Girls A Quad 2nd/5 Under-14 Quadruple Sculls

THAMES DITTON REGATTA
D Boys A Quad Semi-finalists Under-14 Quadruple Sculls

WALTON REGATTA
D Boys A Quad Runners-up Under-14 Quadruple ScullsBRYGATTA RESULTS (internal races)

BRYGATTA
Winning Girls’ House Purbeck (Cowper Cup)
Winning Boys’ House Portman
Winning Boys’ Junior House Cranborne
Senior Boys’ Single Sculls Mark Roberts (Huddy Cup)
Senior Girls’ Single Sculls Sarah Dunnill (Hambledon Cup)
Under-16 Boys’ Single Sculls Alexander Greenwell
Under-16 Girls’ Single Sculls Alix Odgers (Nash Cup)
Mixed Double Sculls Sarah Dunnill and James Waldron
(Nick Richardson Cup)
Under-15 Boys’ Single Sculls Marcus Evans
Under-15 Girls’ Single Sculls Katie Gornall
Under-15 Mixed Double Sculls Rebecca Lever and Samuel Bigg
Under-14 Boys’ Single Sculls Edward Brimfield (Mark Hall Cup)
Under-14 Girls’ Single Sculls Charlotte Stoddart

Great Britain Junior International Trials
Mark Roberts 10th in the ergometer trial (6m 23s)

SUMMER TERM CREWS/SQUADS:
Senior Boys: Henry Dodson (Vice-Captain), Mallory Earnshaw *, James Fisher (+), Jonathan Gilbert (+), Jack Hardy (+), Christopher Parnell (+ cox), Gregory Patton (+), Mark Roberts (Captain). (+) Marlow Town Four; (+) = Marlow coxed four.
* Oxlade Award for outstanding dedication.
Coaches: Tony Taylor, Henry Hirsch (temp) and Peter Lee (temp).
Senior Girls: Sarah Dunnill (Vice-Captain), Thea Follett (Captain), Helen Jonas, Hannah Martinez, Hannah Marwood (cox), Isabel Napier-Wilson. Coach: Mr Jon Lynch.
B Boys Quad: William Bosworth (cox), George Catto, Alexander Greenwell, Edward Hallinan, James Price, James Waldron. Coach: Angie Peluse (USA).
B Girls Quad: Elizabeth De Courcy Wheeler (cox), Celine Haynes, Alix Odgers, Lucy Strong, Hannah Troughton, Lucy Wilson. Coach: Graham Elliot.
C Boys: Samuel Bigg (+), Matthew Briggs (+), Marcus Evans (+), Theodore Evans, Christopher Parnell, Oliver Rendall (+), Charles Simon, James Townsend (+). (+) = C Boys Quad. Coach: Andrea Hoskins.
C Girls: Christabel Adam, Kate Antrobus, Hannah Beloe, Natasha Dean (cox), Esther Freud, Katie Gornall, Bryony Hutchinson, Yu Tung Law, Rebecca Lever, Francesca Whyte. Coach: Peter Lee (temp).
D Boys A/B Quads from: Willliam Anderson (cox), Piers Barnett, Edward Brimfield, Alexander Daniel, James Dodd (cox), Jack Dyer, Thomas Kelly, Jack Kitchen, Edward Lumley, Thomas Miller, George Oliver, Thomas Simpson, Breton Vivian, Hugo Wadsworth, William Woodford, Eden Yates.
Coaches: Katherine Grugeon, Mike Adams, Hannah Martinez (OB), Fiona Hawker (Aus).
D Girls A/B Quads from: Rosanne Broad, Margaret Broadbent, Marina Byers, Chloe Christopher, Harriet Daly, Francesca Gulliver, Anna Heale, Annabel Kidd, Elspeth Meston, Zoe Mizzi, Bryony Moody, Madeleine Neville-Jones, Eleanor Neil-Mee, Natalia Oundjian, Alisa Renton, Charlotte Stoddart, Francesca Swan, Daisy Todd, Prudence Waterton, Lorna Watkin, Gemma Wilson.
D Coaches: Gordon Leadbetter, Henry Hirsch (temp), Fiona Hawker (Aus), Tom Lowes (OB).

POSSIBLE RACING IN THE SPRING TERM 2004:
Saturday 31st January: Hampton Head
Saturday 7th February: Henley Fours Head or Wycliffe Big Head
Sunday 29th February: Bristol Head
Saturday 6th March: StourHead and Buffalo Buffet
Women’s Head @ 3.30pm (No Bryanston entry)
Plus a possible midweek friendly with Canford in early March.
Sunday 14th March: Gloucester Head
(for crews not going to the Schools’ Head)
Tuesday 16th March: Schools’ Head @ 11am.
(Sunday March 28th: The Boat Race @ 6pm)

THE BSBC WEB SITE is @ web.bryanston.co.uk/bsbc and there is a link to the Buffalo pages. You can find when and where BSBC are racing, and their results, also the latest Buffalo Bulletin with dates of social events etc., not to mention a standing order form for Buffalo membership.

THE ELLIOT SHIELD:
The Buffaloes have presented a trophy to be awarded annually to the person who has done most for the club during the past year.
It is inscribed, “Diligentia fide constantia ceteros praestanti”.
(To the one surpassing the rest in hard work, loyalty and steadfastness.)
Our thanks to Gordon Leadbetter for the Latin, and the English!
We provided only the sense.
The first winner was Graham Elliot himself! In future it will be up to him to award it, but the Buffaloes exercised a certain ‘droit de seigneur’ first time round!

THIS BULLETIN IS COMPILED by the founder and secretary of the Bryanston Buffaloes, Alan Shrimpton, Bryanston School, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 0PP. 01258-484669 (office hours) and has@bryanston.co.uk Please send him your contributions, suggestions, and news.