Radio Oxford at Henley.

JMB and the Captain of Boats were interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford at Henley. This is a transcript of what was broadcast:

Here we are in the car park - it‘s not only the cars that come to rest but the people who come and set up their picnic tables, picnic hampers and champagne. Sometimes there are candelabra here when the sky gets darker - it‘s quite an incredible sight. Monkton Combe School from Bath are coming along later tonight with a party of about 50 youngsters. Julian Bewick, you‘re a schoolmaster, and I believe there‘s a tradition of 30 years behind this picnic..

Yes, and the school has been rowing at Henley since 1920 every year that there has been a race..

Except this year you are not actually rowing ..

Well, this year we failed to qualify because we had one boy on board the boat who was slightly too old for the schools‘ race, so we had to go in for the race that‘s normally rowed by university crews - but we did very well, beating about 15 of them, but unfortunately only 10 out of 40 qualified, which was tough, but there we are...

Captain of Boats, Nick Weldon.. so you‘re here purely for the pleasure of the Regatta this year?

Well, like most people here who are not rowing, we‘re here for the atmosphere and to enjoy the regatta - we‘re about to leave school, and it‘s the best thing to do at the end of term, even if we‘re not rowing.

Do you come to watch the rowing or mainly for the picnic?

Mainly for the rowing myself. I know a lot of people who come for the social occasion, but for me it‘s both - certainly the rowing is more important, and if it wasn‘t for the rowing, there wouldn‘t be the social occasion. Have you rowed in the past at the Regatta?

Yes, I rowed in the Princess Elizabeth Cup last year for Monkton Combe School - and we got beaten by Canford in the first round.

One of your people is, I understand, rowing for Oxford Brookes University this year?

Yes, Stephen Williams is rowing at number 5 in their Temple crew - in the powerhouse of the boat. They are tipped to win the event. They won it two years ago with two Monktonians on board, and one of them went on to row for Great Britain - so he is coming from the right stable, and we are hoping for the best for him and looking forward to watching his race at 5 past 7 - and it will start on time at Henley. We‘re right behind him and that‘s why we‘re here really...