Upper Thames Scullers claim three titles at Vesta Scullers Head

Upper Thames Rowing Club enjoyed a highly successful day on the London Tideway, with nine scullers competing against more than 500 entries in the 2026 Vesta Scullers Head last Saturday.

The event, first held in 1954, is raced over the historic Tideway course between The University Stone and Putney Pier on the ebb tide. Despite blustery conditions, Upper Thames produced three category winners, together with a series of strong performances across the field.

Leading the way was Olympic gold medallist Imogen Grant (pictured above), who was the fastest female sculler in the event. She finished 21st overall in 22 minutes 47 seconds, winning the Women’s Open Championship category.

Matt Swiss (below) also produced an outstanding performance, finishing 12th overall in 22:27 to win the Open Masters A title for scullers aged 27 to 35.

The third Upper Thames victory came from Rod Stewart, who finished 247th overall in a time of 25:30 to take the Masters IJK title for competitors aged 75 and over.

There were also strong performances from the club’s other competitors. Sean Bathe Taylor finished 35th overall and eighth in the Open Championship category in 23:03, while Hamish Floyd was 133rd overall and sixth in Open Masters D in 24:17.

David George finished 139th and 11th in the Masters Lightweight category in 24:23, with Keith Janes close behind in 144th and seventh in Open Masters D in 24:26.

Steve Quinn (pictured right) produced a particularly strong personal performance, finishing 187th overall and third in the Open Masters F category in 24:50.

There was also a near miss for Mark Tritton, who finished second in the Open Masters Novice category and 300th overall in 25:54. He missed out on the winning position by less than a second when the actual and age-adjusted times were taken into account.

The results provide an encouraging start to the head-racing season for Upper Thames, with the club’s scullers now looking ahead to a busy programme of head races and competitions over the coming months.