National Schools Regatta 2019

Seven gold, two silvers and a bronze making Henley one of the top Club/Schools at the 2019 National Schools Regatta.

Championship Boy Quads Championship Girls Quad Championship Girls Four Girls 2nd 8o Girls J16 4x Girls J16 8o Girls J14 4x+ Champ Girls 8o Boys 2nd 4x Champ Boys 2x

The 2019 National Schools Regatta took place 24^th – 26^th May with 2000metre racing over three days on the Olympic lake at Eton, Dorney. The regatta attracts crews from over 350 clubs and schools with over 5000 competitors. It is the premiere junior regatta in the country. The format of racing is an eliminating time trial with the top 12 crews then going to semi finals and finals.

Friday was the first day of the regatta with racing for under 14s and 15s. Henley Rowing Clubs girls J14 octo sculled well in the time trial, and made the ‘A’ final. Here they put in another strong performance, but came up against some strong opposition and came 6th. It was followed 30 minites later by the girls J14 quad of Lucy Jones, Ailish Harkin, Nonnie Luke. Eyla Wild and cox Fran Whittle, who won their time trial by 5 seconds. They sculled a magnificent race in the final to win gold by 11 seconds over Headington School. The J14 “B” quad of Karima Erbolat, Livvy Bogdanavic, Amelia Sterjo, Ava Timms cox Daisy Rolstone where the fastest B boat winning the C final. The girls J15 quad of Bea Bethel, Laoise O’Donohue, Natalie Schoenmaker, Mia Vickerman cox Milly Short missed out on the medals by 0.8 sec finishing fourth out of 68 the largest entry of any event.

On Saturday the J15s girls raced in the eights Bea, Laoise, Natalie, Mia from the quad being joined by Mia Roullier, Ella Mckay, Rose McEwan, Josie Sawbridge and cox Daisy Rolstone and were again just out of the medals in fourth position by 0.9 secs.

Taking Gold though in the girls J16 eights were Georige Pollard, Poppy Wilson, Holly Thompson, Darcey Smith, Della Luke, Issy Cotton, Sophie Underwood, Emilia Fulford Dobson and cox Ava Reineke, with a comfortable 6sec victory over Headington School and setting a new course record.

In the top girls eight event Hannah Hills, Holly Cookson, Sophia Hahn, Phoebe Snowden, Daisy Bellamy, Georgia Brown, Carla Russell, Phoebe Fletcher and cox Ella Nolson set a new course record in winning the semi final and went on to Take silver just 0.27 secs behind the girls from Lady Eleanor Holles school.

Another gold in the eights came from Maddy Pollard, Georgina Segrt, Millie Guida, Izzie Bird, Amber Weller, Charlotte Rowley, Emma Berry, Charlotte Williams cox Madison Sturegess who won the Girls 2nd eights event. Four of the girls in these eights are part of the programme that the club operates in conjunction with Henley College that allows time for rowing as part of their daily college timetable.

The top win of Saturday for the club was the boys quad Joe Long, Seth O’Connor, Ed Roy and Balthasar Issa taking gold in Championship quads beating Leander Club by just over a second in a hard fought final. In the event for second quads Leander had revenge beating Euan Turnell, Grant Taylor, Luke Marshall and James Swinburn by 1.4 secs.

In the event for Non Championship coxed Fours Oliver Taylor, John Yolland, James Wallace, Sam Beattie, cox Charles Washbourn finished second in the B final.

Late on Sunday afternoon in a frantic 30 minutes three more gold medals where won by the club. The girls J16 quad, Darcey Smith, Della Luke, Issy Cotten, Holly Cookson being first of the winners followed 12minutes later by Maddy Pollard, Phoebe Snowden, Carla Russell and Phoebe Fletcher winning gold in Championship coxless fours, and 12minutes after that the Girls Championship quad of Hannah Hills, Sophia Hahn, Daisy Bellamy and Georgia Brown came from behind to take Gold when Gloucester Hartpury faltered 100 metres from the line. Earlier in the afternoon the girls J16 B quad Georgie Pollard, Holly Thompson, Sophie Underwood and Emilia Fulford Dobson won the B final making them 7^th overall.

For the boys Sunday afternoon saw a Bronze medal for Joe Long and Balthasar Issa in Championship double sculls finishing behind two Leander Club doubles. In J16 doubles Cameron Seager and Soren O’Connor finshed 2nd in the B final (8th overall). I n Championship singles Euan Turnell and Luke Marshall qualified for the B final and Grant Taylor and James Swinburn the D final.