The Chronicle, Summer 2019

36 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Rowing By Adam Moffatt, Master i/c Rowing

Shells The Shell group took on all the challenges presented to them and can be proud of their first year with the Boat Club. With the weather playing its usual part, training on the water didn’t get going until around March and the group had their work cut out to put themselves in a good position come the National Schools’ Regatta. The early sessions consisted of matched crews, aiming to create a large team atmosphere, in which everyone’s contribution was valued. This then progressed to two mixed A/B crews and a C crew for the boys. The attitude of the group and their desire to succeed in training and competition contributed hugely to their progress and the Easter camp held at the Boat Club provided valuable time in the boat. At the National Schools’ Regatta the boys’ A crew raced to a brilliant 8th place (the highest placing any Shell group has had in this event for a decade). The B crew raced to a remarkable 10th (despite having two subs on board) and the girls’ A crew finished 14th in an extremely competitive field. These results are very encouraging, and we look forward to seeing their progress next year.

J15 The highlight of the year has to be the girls coxed 4 of Jenifer Ellis, Ruby Freeland, Tabitha Emmott, Cecily Taylor and Adelaide Del Mar who won a bronze medal at the National Schools’ Regatta. A well-executed race plan saw the crew sit in 4th place and then a final sprint pushed them into the bronze position. A fantastic achievement for an inexperienced crew who should be looking to step up over the next few years into senior rowing. The boys had a difficult year where there were many lessons learnt regarding training, technique and racing. There is a core group who will take on the challenge of training with the seniors next year, providing them with a solid base from which to continue their development. J16 girls The season started with strong showings in head races with wins at Wallingford Head and Burway Head. A winter Head season largely weather-hit meant many events were cancelled including the Schools’ Head of the River. Illness and injury saw progress between the Temple Easter training camp and National Schools’ Regatta interrupted but substitute Jenifer Ellis

(Fourth Form) provided great cover in the four at the only race the crew raced at Wallingford. The coxed four of Jessica McPhail, Saskia Ward, Isabel Llabres Diaz, Daisy Speir and Abi Drennan performed fantastically at the National Schools’ Regatta and broke the old national record by two seconds in winning a silver medal behind an excellent Irish crew from Enniskillen Royal Boat Club. Isabel and Saskia returned the following day to row very well to claim 4th in the WJ16 2x. Following the completion of exams, the girls raced at Reading Regatta losing to a very fast Kent School crew from the US. To this point the only domestic crew that had beaten them was Marlow RC at Wallingford Regatta. At Henley Women’s Regatta the crew misjudged the time trial and were the first crew not to qualify in a tight field, where they were just five seconds off the crew that qualified third. Saskia Ward finished the season on a high note with the reserve spot on the GB team. This is a reflection of her hard training through the winter that culminated in a good ergo score and a fifth-place finish in the WJ16 single at the GB trials in February. In addition, Isabel and Saskia were asked to attend a GB Training Day at the beginning of July as they both look ahead to trialling next season. J16 boys This has been the first time for some years that we have boated a J16 VIII and it has certainly proved to be rewarding. After a successful Easter camp in Temple-Sur-Lot, they picked up a win at Nottingham City Regatta, 3rd place at Wallingford Regatta and were seen as one of the contenders for a medal at the National Schools’ Regatta. The conditions were quick and with margins of qualifying coming down to less than a second, the VIII needed to put together a perfect race. Sadly, they missed out on the A Final but put together a strong race in the B Final to win and were ranked 7th in the country. Although the crew had hopes of finishing with a higher ranking, the squad continued to improve throughout the season and has a solid foundation from which they can make the next step up into senior rowing.

Jessica McPhail, Saskia Ward, Isabel Llabres Diaz, Daisy Speir and cox Abi Drennan at the National Schools’ Regatta in May