National Schools' Regatta - Rowing Report

Apart from the J14 year group, boats from our other squads competed at the National Schools’ Regatta, which involved a record number of over 4000 junior rowers this year.

 Both our J15 boys’ and girls’ top crews made it safely through the time trial into the semi-final of their events. On the Friday, racing in a single scull, Felix Wahlberg reached the semi-final and did very well to be ranked twelfth in a large field. On the Saturday, The boys’ four, despite a strong finish, could not recover from a slow first half so missed out on the final but the girls’ crew of Charlotte Bateman, Rosie Hare, Millie Morrison and Evelyn Harper, coxed by Tori Whelan, excelled to qualify for the final. In the final, they didn’t have the best of starts and found themselves playing catch-up but were placed fifth and not far off fourth as a result of a terrific push over the final 250 metres.
The girls’ first eight narrowly missed a place in the final but this was a most encouraging performance in their development, with all bar one returning for next year, when they should be serious medal candidates. The boys second four raced in School 1^st Fours and were in second place at half-way in their semi-final but faded so missed out on the final, as did the second eight, who were their strongest stroke sider down through injury. The boys’ first four of Rory Harris, Andrin Gulich, Luke Towers and Felix Lammers, racing as a quad, were second in the time trial, won one of three semi-finals, then won bronze in the final, following a tremendous race for the line.

On the Sunday, the girls’ first four of Tegan Foister, Alex Dunn and Katie and Nina Giambrone, progressed safely through the time trial and semi-final, though a boat-stopping crab in the time-trial had put them on the back foot, lane-wise for future side-by-side races. With the lanes redrawn due to an unfair cross-wind, they did well to reach the final. The boys’ top four re-rigged their quad as a coxless four in an attempt to medal in both sculling and sweep-oared boats at the regatta. This they duly did, following a very exciting final in which they and the two halves of Westminster’s triumphant eight left the rest of the field trailing in their wake. While both bronzes they achieved were only a fraction of a second off silver and a boat length off gold, this was a highly impressive medal haul against the very best in the country.

Yesterday (Sunday), despite a cool and breezy day, a variety of family and other crews took to the river at a well attended Boat Club Barbecue, and thanks are due for both this and the excellent catering at the National Schools’ to a whole host of parents. The main challenge for the senior crews in the second half of the term will be Women’s Henley and Henley Royal, with our junior crews trying to add to their silverware at other local regattas. In the meantime, we look forward to our 60^th Anniversary Boat Club Dinner next weekend, with special guests the Henley winning ’63 crew and our guest speaker, reigning Olympic Gold Medallist, World Champion, and recently crowned European Champion, Heather Stanning MBE.

 MW