t’s been a big season so far for the Mercs Masters squad with crews racing in the Melbourne Head, Head of the Yarra and Henley.
It was a gritty HoTY win for Mercs in Div F this year, taking it out by 3 seconds in blistering heat. Congrats to the crew of Tony Inglis, Anthony McDonald, Jim Lowe, Geoff Barden, Anthony Johnson, Michael Kelly, Richard Wraith & Bill Webster. A special thanks to Mark WIlliams (Mosman) who flew in to take Trader’s spot after a spill the night before on the riverbank!
The Henley was another solid hit out, this time over 800m. With Drew Ginn in the 7 seat we were low on excuses. A punchy semi-final win over Melbourne RC had spirits high before heatstroke wiped out the 3 man. A quick replacement from the crew we just beat proved not enough, falling short in the final.
Alongside the regular Div F crew the Masters have been busy building a wider community. At last count we had 50 rowers on rotation with 2x8s regularly out during the week. It’s been awesome to see so many ex-Mercantilians and ex-rowers from other clubs reconnect and come down for one session, regular rows, some racing or just a beer. If you’ve thought about reconnecting with Mercs, message Andrew Rees on 0413 395 726. You might even learn how to send an emoji in Whatsapp!
As part of growing the Masters group we’ve successfully raised funds to repair the Mal Batten and bring it back as a Masters 8. A special thanks to everyone who donated to make this happen outside of club funds.
Reported by: Andrew Rees
