1991 saw a considerable increase in the number of girls joining the rowing club. None of the newcomers had rowed before so it was decided that an introductory course should be offered in the Michaelmas term. Fourteen girls took up the challenge and joined in enthusiastically on two afternoons a week. Good progress was made and we were able to enter a novice VIII for the Monkton Bluefriars Small Boats Head. The crew recorded a creditable time and the term's training gave us a significant head start to the 1991 season.

The first major race of the spring term was the Henley Schools Head. The crew continued to row as an VIII and were entered in the Women's School Junior category. Here we were racing against several seasoned Upper Sixth Form crews so we were pleased to come fifth out of seven. The City of Bristol Head Race saw us rowing in the Senior 3 category due to lack of entries in the novice class. Not surprisingly we came third out of three, but we took solace from the fact that we came in only thirty seconds behind the category winners. A Novice 'B' IV was also entered for this event and they rowed with great determination to win their category of one and establish a record for the new course= These two head races were excellent training for the main event of the term - the Schools' Head Race in London. This was the first time for many years that Monkton had entered a Women's VIII for this event and we were delighted with a sixth placing out of thirteen, beating amongst others, crews from Bryanston, Westminster, The Leys, St Paul's and Putney High. A crew from Bryanston gained its revenge, however, by beating us narrowly at Avon County Head right at the end of the Spring Term.

With the advent of the regatta season it was decided to split the eight into two fours. Our first race was at Wallingford Regatta where we entered the Novice event. We had a bye in the first round but rowed two further rounds finding ourselves against Maidenhead RC in the final. Unfortunately the Maidenhead ladies were just too fast for us and we lost by a canvas. Three crews were entered in the School/Junior IVs at Avon County Schools Regatta. The 'A' crew came third in the final, the 'B' crew reached the semi-finals and the 'C' crew, although rowing in a spirited fashion, were knocked out in the first round. The 'B' IV only had to wait one week for their best racing. In the Novice category at Coate Water Regatta they beat crews from City of Oxford RC, the Royal Agricultural College and Gloucester RC, eventually losing only to City of Oxford RC 'A' in the final of the event.

At the National Schools Regatta the 'A' crew excelled themselves by winning their eliminator but, unfortunately, they could not regain the same form in the final where they came sixth overall. Nevertheless, this was a sound performance from a crew which still contained three novices.

As in the previous year it was Walton Regatta that provided the opportunity to show that the School had produced one of the stronger novice crews of the season. This year two crews were entered in the novice event. Unfortunately the 'B' crew were knocked out in the early stages by Lensbury RC. However, the record was set straight by the 'A' crew who disposed of the Lensbury ladies at the quarter final stage of the competition. On the way to the final the 'A' crew also beat University of Wales 'B' and the University of Kent. The other finalists, University of Wales 'A', had beaten St Paul's, Kingston RC and the Polytechnic of Central London. In a hard fought final Monkton won by two feet.

In the final regatta of the term, Thames Valley Sprints, we met the ladies from Maidenhead RC again, this time in the Senior 3 event. Unfortunately they pipped us again, but at least there was the consolation that they were the eventual winners of the event and that they had established a new course record in the process of beating us=

Morale is high and, with the new influx of Lower Sixth Formers to augment those who remain, I am sure that Girls' Rowing will continue to grow at Monkton. With coeducation on the horizon the prospect looks even rosier