Sport Features

Karen Margerison's team of eight 'Independent Women' have been on a mission to beat the boys in Reading Rowing Club's Corporate Eights competition.

We went to the grand finale along the River Thames on Saturday 1 September to see if the team could turn their determination and ambition into results on the big day.

What a start they had, too. Despite a poor performance in the time trials which started the day - an "elegant" attempt, according to the girls' exasperated coach, Murray - the team won their first two races and qualified for the 'A' Final, the best of the best, featuring the top three crews.

"We've won at least bronze, so we're just going to go for silver or gold," said Jo, who graciously bowed out of the final as the girls had more bodies than there are places in their boat.

"In the first race the last hundred metres was nerve-wracking, as the competitors came up beside us, but we managed it," said fellow team member Sarah.

"In the second one we had no problem, we weren't going to let them get any closer. And in the third one we're going to leave them standing."

Head start

Karen Margerison, the driving force behind her team of 'Independent Women', refused to lower her ambitions despite having qualified for the final.

It took ten or fifteen minutes for the top three crews to make their way down the river in advance of one final push at the honours.

Then, at the start, the ladies were given a head start to allow for the considerable difference in build and power between their all-female crew and the largely male boats lining up alongside.

But it wasn't enough. Whether the ladies didn't quite find their rhythm, or the other crews proved simply too powerful, Karen and her team came home in third place.

Despite being unable to improve on third, afterwards Karen had shaken off her disappointment to reflect on the team's achievement.

"We're very proud of ourselves. We're the first ever all-woman crew and coming third is amazing. We beat some very tough teams today.

"For charity, we set an ambitious target of £5,000 when we started three weeks ago, and as of last night we'd already raised that."

It's the end of the competition - but is it the last time we'll see Karen and friends in a boat?

"I've already signed up," she admits. "I've decided this is for me, after I got over my fear of the water.

"Next year we're considering a leg of the Global Challenge [yacht race], but don't hold us to it. This isn't a one off, we're definitely in it for the long haul."