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Whiplash Willie rules the Berwick waves
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By Neil Lewis
Northern Sculling Series - Final Event 2001
Berwick Head of the Tweed, 10 November 2001.
Course: Approx. 2000m from seaward side of
medieval bridge, to Border Bridge.
Conditions: Onshore wind, swell, waves and seals.
Before I go on, I must tell you that this piece is once again about Hexham Rowing Club's current heroes, Christer and Brown. At this juncture you may wish to turn to the Farming pages instead. I can only apologise.
Last week's eulogy, although making them famous beyond Tynedale and their wildest dreams, had a major flaw. It didn't tell you that they had won at Stockton a weekend earlier. They had won at Stockton a weekend earlier. My error was pointed out to me by an avid Courant reader by the name of David Brown. Vain or what? For the last event of the Northern Sculling Series at Berwick on Saturday, he even had his hair cut for the adulatory walk to the post-race rostrum. It took years off him, imparting boyish good looks and a certain lean meanness, at least from the neck up, and on Saturday necks were an issue.
His younger racing colleague, and I mean much younger, 'Whiplash Willy' Christer, had been in a car accident the day before. The event was a race against the onset of rigor of his neck, as such stiffness would affect the flow of the boat, and possibly lose them their ultimate prize, a series win against their nemesis, the Berwick RC double of Bailey and Wild.
The car ride from Hexham, where the Tyne was flat and for wussies, began to hint at the weather conditions in store as we travelled north from Alnwick. Roadside birds took off and were immediately yanked sideways by some unseen fingers of wind. The aerodynamics of our cars changed with boats and blades strapped atop. Some involuntary swerving was the order of the day, as yet without a buoy in sight. This same hidden breath made the Tweed choppy for the proposed 5.5km course. The aim had been to boat early, row to the start in the country and race into town with the tide. Early indecision by the umpires led to the course first being shortened, then reversed, all whilst the tide changed and the wind grew. Finally in the flimsiest of boats that are sculls, we embarked on the last rollercoaster of our winter racing series. Two of the three Hexham doubles, Jaconelli and Aitkenhead and Doody and Lewis, with nothing to prove, promptly disembarked. Of the 100 or so listed starters, only 32 were to finish.
Christer and Brown could not give in to white caps and a swell of course. Berwick RC is the home of their arch-rivals, and this race was to be the season's showdown, it would end either honours even or three to one in Hexham's favour. The problem was Berwick had the advantage of home water. Out at the lifeboat station start (an ominous choice of location you might think), our men bobbed and wobbled and splashed and were visited by two seals. I suggest to you now that the sleek masters of the waters must have passed on a couple of technical tips, and in reply, two thankful seals guided the HRC double to a faultless win, by what in their head-to-heads with the Berwick crew, was a huge margin of 19 seconds.
For the record let it be stated here that the Christer/Brown double has won three of the six winter heads (including Stockton of course), been second twice and third once. How lucky can you get?
Sunday 18 November sees them at the York Small Boats Head. 'Is a small boat really big enough for Brown?' you ask. To find out see next week's 'Ouse boat is it anyway?'
Previously published by Hexham Courant
10 Nov 2001
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