Trafford Head of the Bridgewater 2026

On the 21st February we hosted our annual head race at Trafford. With a record-breaking 206 crews entered, it was an exciting day of racing! Trafford members made a significant portion of the total- 47 crews (plus 2 composites) to race on our home water. This is one of the few days where the entire club comes together to race, and it was brilliant to see all squads side by side, supporting each other and representing the club very well. 💚

We were fully prepared for rain which was forecast for the whole day. The first 2 divisions were very fortunate in lovely sunny weather, then a typical British downpour graced the last division. 🌧️ We were also greeted with a lovely tail wind the whole way down the course - perfect conditions for record breaking rows. 🏆

Trafford's masters squad had a brilliant day with 5 wins and 3 new course records set. The Op MasG 4x- of Mike, President Pete, Dave and Andy took the win and shaved 2 seconds off their own record from 2025. The Mx MasD 4x- and Op MasE4+ set new records on the long course for their category this year, setting some great standards for the years to come!

The junior squad had an excellent day securing 7 wins on their home water. Racing an age up, Leo comfortably won the Op J15 1x on the long course; smashing the course record in the process. The fastest time of the day on the short course was snatched by our very own Op J14 4x+ of Joseph, James A, James B, Ben A and Daniel coxing, completing the course in 4min flat. It was fantastic to see some of our junior development members take on their first ever race. The WJ14 4x+ of Molly, Zara, Francesca, Charlotte and Isobel coxing contained 3 development squad rowers, dominated their race by 30 seconds on the short course and took home their first Trafford medal 🥇

Trafford's seniors also had solid day of racing with 3 wins across the day. Ollie in the Op 1x won division 1 as the fastest single of the day. The W 4+ of Rowan, Natalia, Ellen, Heather and Catherine coxing took a staggering win by almost 2.5mins between themselves and 2nd place. Kate and Harriet in the W 2- won their first race as a crew with great composure on their home water. 🥇 Congratulations to everyone who raced - fantastic performances across all squads!

🥇Op 1x

🥇Op J15 1x (LONG)

🥇Op MasE 1x

🥇Op J13 2x

🥇W J14 4x+ (SHORT)

🥇Op MasB/D 8+

🥇Op Mas G 4x-

🥇Op J15 2x (LONG) [Band 1]

🥇W 2x

🥇W 2-

🥇Op J14 4x+ SHORT

🥇W J14 2x SHORT

🥇Mx Mas D 4x

🥇Op Mas C 4x

🥇W 4+

Thank you to all our club volunteers. It truly takes the whole club coming together to deliver an event like this and we couldn't have done it without you 💚 A special thank you to the umpires who did a fantastic job on the day 👏 And finally to the organising committee who put in months of planning and preparation behind the scenes, allowing the event run smoothly from start to finish. Read more here: https://www.britishrowing.org/2026/02/across-the-line-record-breaking-day-on-the-bridgewater-canal/