The Chronicle 682

47 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

closed doors creating a different atmosphere, however the joy of all those racing was clear to see. The 1st VIII qualified for the A Final and after 1500m found themselves in second place with the commentator declaring he thought Teddies were going to go on and win but, in what ended up being a very tight finish, the VIII finished a creditable sixth place. For many of the crew this was their first ever 2k side-by-side race and seven of the crew return next year. The 4X qualified for the B Final and in another excellent race finished third leaving them with a national ranking of ninth. This is the highest position that St Edward’s has finished in a girls’ championship event and with three of the crew back next year, they’ll Brewster and Evie Gowen raced three times into a strong headwind and although one of the smallest crews in the event, their determination and skill level shone through. They are certainly the future of SESBC girls’ rowing and finishing fourth in the country is a fantastic achievement. Marlow Regatta was next on the calendar and both the boys’ VIII and girls’ 4X took be looking for a spot in the A Final. The girls’ J16 double of Hermione

another step forward. The VIII finished third out of 45 in Tier 2 Eights, and the 4X were sixth out of 40 crews in the J18 event. The regatta also allowed our boys’ Shell A Octo and J15 4+ to compete in their first proper race and on the Olympic course. The Octo made the A Final and finished sixth out of 15 crews, a great achievement and one that will certainly give them confidence for when they return next year. The J15 4+ finished third in the A Final and pushed the two very strong crews from St Paul’s all the way to the line; another good experience for these boys and we look forward to seeing them back as J16s next year. Alexander Meredith and Max Maddox are J16s who trained alongside the senior rowers throughout the year and are going to play a big part in the Boat Club over the next two years. Their determination and commitment is top level and a third place finish at a GB J16 event was just reward for their hard work. The final event of term was Henley Women’s Regatta, with the 4X and 2X taking to the water once again. With no J16 event for the double they raced in the J18 event with the plan to gain experience from a different format of racing. As ever, Hermione

and Evie exceeded expectations and qualified from the time trial and into the side-by-side racing. They lost in the first round but can be rightly proud of their achievements this year. The 4X were looking to make the top eight and with a few weeks’ good training behind them, they went into the regatta feeling positive. They qualified from the time trial in the knockout competition, going on to beat Hartpury College in the first round and Sir William Borlase in the quarter-final. This left a semi-final with Marlow RC who had finished second at the Nationals a few weeks earlier. The 4X lost this race by just over a length but this was a big step on and the furthest a St Edward’s crew has progressed in this top-quality event. With Henley Royal Regatta delaying the event until the 11th August, the decision to race was left up to the 1st VIII and 1st 4X. Both have chosen to compete and if the 4X qualify this will be the first time a St Edward’s girls’ crew has raced at HRR and will set the tone for future Teddies crews. These pupils returned to St Edward’s a few weeks ago to begin their preparation for HRR; their commitment is truly exceptional and we wish them the best of luck.

Noah Wilmot, Isaac Riviere, Max Ebner, Will White, Josh Brangan, Anthony Mallett, Guy Wheeler, Rory McDonnell and cox Abi Drennan