Our Commentators

Robert Treharne Jones - Head of Commentators
David Biddulph
Carl Boon
Rebecca Caroe
Stan Collingwood
Duncan Coneybeare
Gregg Davies
Matthew Gordon
Tom Hill
Lizzie Hodges
Michiel Jonkman
Peter McConnell
Peter O’Hanlon
Frans Overkleeft
David Reid
Dominic Reimbold
Hugh Richardson
Robin Walker

Robert Treharne Jones - Head of Commentators

Robert Treharne Jones has been writing, commentating and broadcasting on rowing for more than 35 years. He started his rowing career at medical school in London in 1970, and has since been a member of 14 different clubs, of which he was captain of two and chairman of another. For 15 years Robert was a member of the BBC commentary team for the Boat Race, and now works as a consultant for FISA, the international rowing federation in Switzerland, commentating at regattas worldwide. In 2008 he was the official rowing commentator in Beijing for the Olympics and Paralympics.

 

 

 

 

David Biddulph

David is an umpire, both FISA and ARA (and SRA [Skiff Racing Association]). He is a member of the Thames Regional Umpires Commission and secretary of the ARA's Multi-Lane Umpires Commission.

He started his rowing career as a coxswain for LMBC at Cambridge and subsequently coxed many successful crews at Kingston RC and at the Skiff Club. He also coached a number of successful crews at KRC and at LMBC.

He is a race reporter at HRR (on the back of the launch), and ran the commentary team at the National Championships for a number of years.

 

 

 

Carl Boon

Carl began rowing in 1984 at Hampton School and first went to Henley Royal Regatta as a supporter in 1986. His racing debut at Henley came in 1991 as a cox for Imperial College, followed by coxing their Ladies' Plate crew who had to set a new course record to force a dead-heat in the 1992 final before winning the re-row. He has been a member of Weybridge Rowing Club since 1993 and rowed in the Wyfolds in 1997, 2000 and 2003, and the Thames Cup in 2002. In this his 25th consecutive season, he can still be found competing at regattas in the Thames area. Carl joined the Regatta Radio team in 2008.

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Caroe

Rebecca Caroe is a coach and a rower having topped the giddy heights of representing England and a HRR final she now mainly coaches at Rob Roy BC in Cambridge. She enjoys new technology and claims to be one of the first rowers on Twitter, and she also blogs at scullfast.com and Rowperfect.co.uk/news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stan Collingwood

Stan Collingwood is delighted to have been one of the founder members of the regatta radio team. His first foray into commentary was at the Welsh Harp Regatta in 1963. Within a couple of years he was working at many regattas up and down the Thames. In 1971 he led the commentary team at the inaugural Nottingham International Regatta that opened the National Watersports Centre. He thinks he did the first mobile commentary from a car following a race during the event. Some years later he shared the same car with our leader RTJ when the World Championships were held at the course. He refutes reports that RTJ’s French and German commentary was better understood than his own.

Stan’s style of commentary was not developed, as some suggest, from spending too many hours listening to Peter O’Sullivan but is, he hopes, built on the late Peter Jones’s model. This unique style this has not prevented him from leading the teams at many events including the National Championships, Henley Womens’ and Veteran Regattas and BUSA [now BUSC].

For many years he combined commentary with regatta organisation, coaching and reporting on Rowing. His obsession with volunteering other people into jobs throughout rowing has forced him into his current life of semi retirement and seclusion in the sport. He served ten years in the HRR reporting team and insists he retired prematurely because of his increasing deafness and not out of boredom from having to follow a script!

Outside Rowing, where he uses his other name Dave, and following a successful career in IT Stan joined the Civil Servant where he initiates and implements change and innovation. Unsurprisingly he is hopeful retirement will arrive in the very near future so he can spend more time working as a Lay Minister at his local church.

Duncan Coneybeare

Duncan started rowing when oars were still made of wood, and became hooked on the sport after sampling the parties hosted by Hertford College Boat Club. He trialled for the Oxford University Boat Race squad in 1989 and helped to organise Bumps racing in Oxford for four years. Subsequently he has rowed for a number of clubs and raced at Henley Royal with Poplar Blackwall and District RC, Black Sheep RC and Reading RC. Competing in the US with Black Sheep at the Head of the Charles Regatta remains a surreal highlight of his rowing career! Duncan is currently a member of Reading Rowing Club and of the organising committee for Reading Amateur Regatta, held every June two weeks before Henley Royal.

 

 

 

 

Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies has been a Henley resident for 5 years as Headmaster of local independent school, Shiplake College.  He attended Shrewsbury School but did not row, preferring rugby and football.  However, after A levels he attended Kent School, Connecticut for a year and rowed in the 1st VIII, winning gold medals in the Stotesbury Cup and at the New England Championships.  On his return, the mud flat, which separated the boathouse from the river at St Andrews University, convinced him to concentrate on rugby eventually becoming an international referee.  He has two beautiful women in his life, Alison (wife) and Anna (daughter).  Darwin, a bearded collie, completes the family.

 

 

 

Matthew Gordon

Having spent more than half of his life facing backwards in a boat, Matthew now spends more time looking forward, coaching, umpiring, commentating or punting. He started rowing at Tiffin School in 1970 and has rowed around the country at Kingston Rowing Club (hence the magnificent old red blazer), Aurial (when it was downstairs from Kensington Rowing Club), Thames Tradesmen, Leander, York City, Nottingham Boat Club. Nowadays, his main exercise is restricted to cycling up and down the towpath (falling off occasionally) at Henley where he coaches the Junior 16 boys squad, which succeed despite his help. When the rowing season closes, he will be found attempting to race in punts, where lack of practice will make his pecking even more unreliable. He also likes turtles.

 

 

 

Tom Hill

Tom's first rowing experience was as a cox of the Shrewsbury School J14 6th crew at Birmingham Regatta. Having enjoyed that experience Tom kept up the sport and is now an experienced cox who won the Prince Albert Challenge Cup at Henley with Durham University in 2005. Clubs he has coxed for include Shrewsbury School, Mersey Rowing Club (Australia), Durham University and Mortlake Anglian & Alpha. Tom's most recent radio experience was at the Beijing Olympics, where he acted as the unofficial Olympic correspondant for Virgin Radio's Breakfast show. This will be Tom's first year with Regatta Radio.

Lizzie Hodges

Lizzie joined the Regatta Radio commentary team in 2008, having lived in Henley for a few years with spells in London and Oxford whilst rowing for University of London Boat Club, Guy's King's and St Thomas' , Brookes and Upper Thames Rowing Club. A Henley Royal Regatta finalist in 2006, she started rowing at Lady Eleanor Holles School under Beryl Crockford's command, and recently retired from the GB Junior and Under 23 systems, but is still seen out and about on the river in a variety of crews.

Michiel Jonkman

Michiel Jonkman (b. 1984) started his rowing carreer at the Royal Students Rowing Club "Njord" in 2002. In 2006 and 2007 he was selected for the Dutch national lightweight squad, which eventually resulted in two World Cup bronze medals in the lightweight eights. Tired of being underfed for the majority of the season, Michiel opted for an early retirement from rowing, instead focussing on the joys of commentary and all round rowing journalism. He is a regular contributor to the Dutch rowing website NLroei, and has been commentating at various national and international regattas in the Netherlands after winning the aptly named "So you wannabe a Rabid Reporter" competition.

 

 

 

 

Peter McConnell

 Peter started a not very distinguished rowing career at Great Marlow School sitting at 3 behind Steve Redgrave in a coxed four that won everything in the UK at J16 and Junior level. Unfortunately illness prevented Peter taking up a place at the Hazewinkel Junior Worlds in 1981. Rowing for Imperial College in the early Billy Mason years was cathartic. Graduating to Thames in the mid 80’s Peter failed to win at Henley and promptly decided beer and women were more interesting. A comeback was precipitated by a particularly eventful Thames dinner at Simpsons in the Strand where the temptation of racing at Veteran level was too much. Vet A, B & C medals have followed at various Fisa Masters alongside Henley vets success in a single (in the year that Guy Pooley didn’t turn up!) Peter is a former marketing manager at the River and Rowing Museum and now runs his own consultancy, counting the Boat Race amongst his clients, he is also secretary at Upper Thames Rowing Club.

 

Peter O’Hanlon

Peter O’Hanlon started his rowing career at Canford school back in 1998. Rowing for the 1st VIII for the final 3 years at school he won many national events mostly notably Gold at National Schools Regatta. He went on to row for the University of the West of England where he was part of the Senior 1st VIII. Peter started commentating at the National Schools Regatta in 2009 and has been hard to get rid of since. Now commentating at several national rowing events throughout the UK this will be his second year with Regatta Radio.

 

 

 

 

Frans Overkleeft

Frans Overkleeft (1982) took up rowing at the Tilburg University Boat Club "Vidar" in the Netherlands. He later swapped his oar for a microphone, serving on the commentary team of various Dutch rowing regattas, including the international Koninklijke - Holland Bekerregatta and the classic Heineken regatta. He was also a commentator at the 2006 Junior World Championships and the 2007 Rowing World Cup in Amsterdam. Being a lawyer, this walking rowing-database is used to talking a lot without really saying very much.

 

 

 

 

 

David Reid

David first started rowing at Jesus College, Cambridge. He has subsequently rowed at Bedford Rowing Club, Upper Thames and Cambridge Boat Club (USA). During his time in Boston he was part of the Head of the Charles commentary team. He currently does a good line in 'the older I get the faster I was'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dominic Reimbold

Dominic Reimbold rowed in the Hampton School BC 1st 8+ for three years, in the GB youth 8+ and at Molesey BC, Univ. London BC, Thames Tradesmen RC as senior before moving to work in Madrid. He is a member of the Stewards since 1978 and HRR competitor in sculling and sweep events.

Resident in Spain for 20 years he participated as Assistant to GB Rowing team in Banyoles.  He was a member at Club Esporteu Universitari and then Reail Club Maritim de Barcelona rowing senior and Veteran Quads, eights and single sculls.

Bilingual Spanish/English, he is CEO of Global Talent Implementation Ltd, (interim management), Diretor at Minerva Training Associates Ltd, expert Facilator at corporate events and conferences, Director, Turnaround Management Association-UK, and events organiser in the UK Alumni Committee, Chicago Booth Business School.

Hugh Richardson

Hugh Richardson made his home in Henley two years ago. His involvement with the river dates back to rowing as a schoolboy on the River Soar (pronounced “sore”!), followed by a formative period as a college oarsmen at Oxford. He rowed at the regatta during his time as an active member of London Rowing Club. More recently, Hugh became re-involved with rowing when he went to work at Oxford ten years ago, and he is now a trustee of the Eton College Rowing Centre (where the Olympic rowing and flat-water canoeing competitions will be held in 2012) and can also be seen in action sometimes as a regatta umpire. Aged 60, still married, and with three (sort of) grown-up children- one of whom had a useful rowing career at Downing College, Cambridge (but has transferred to ‘cycling as he is working in California- well away from a river).

Robin Walker

Robin rowed to a modest standard at Wycliffe College, Molesey, Stratford-upon–Avon, and Nottingham University Boat Club, before joining Evesham in the mid 80s. He has served as coach, Junior Coordinator, and vice Chairman at Evesham, was Junior rep for the West Midlands on the Junior Rowing Commission and particularly enjoyed supporting his son Andrew at the Junior World Championships in 2003 (Athens) and 2004 (Banyoles). His commentary experience, includes Regatta Radio, 2007-9, Henley Women’s Regatta, 2007-8 and the World Rowing Championships, Eton in 2006. He also provided online written commentary at the World Junior and Non-Olympic senior regatta, Banyoles, 2004 under the nom de plume ‘Banyoles Rep’ (with Chris Tipney, and alongside Rachel Quarrell).