Gold for Teddies at National Schools’ Regatta
Teddies crews rowed their way to gold over the Bank Holiday weekend at the National Schools’ Regatta at Dorney Lake, with wins both for the boys’ 1st VIII in the Championship Eights and the girls in the Coxed Four.
The high point of the racing season, the National Schools’ Regatta is the largest and most exciting event in the junior race calendar. Over three days last weekend, around 5,000 competitors from over 350 clubs and schools came together to compete. Teddies boys’ and girls’ crews had been working hard for the NSR and it showed; not only in the fantastic skill and ability on display but in two spectacular wins, including the first victory for St Edward’s in thirty years in the Championship Eights!
The girls’ Coxed Four win gold for the first time in 20 years
On Saturday, Teddies saw its first win as the girls were victorious, taking gold in the Jim Mason Plate for Championship Girls Coxed Fours, with Godolphin & Latymer in 2nd and Royal Shrewsbury in 3rd place. It was a dominant performance from start to finish with a race time of 7:40.38 – 6.01 seconds faster than the 2nd place crew. It is the twentieth anniversary of the first time Teddies won a gold medal with a girls’ crew at the NSR. The crew were cheered on by three of the four in the 2003 winning girls’ crew, as well as their coach Eve Singfield, who enjoyed a reunion at the regatta.
A huge well done to the 2023 crew on their gold medals: Louisa Molloy (bow), Sianna Featherstone (2), Evie Gowen (3), Julia Simmonds (stroke) and Lucy Evans (cox), and their coaches Natasha Townsend and Gareth Syphas.
On Sunday, the boys’ 1st VIII were victorious in the headline event, the Championship Eights, overcoming fierce competition to win the prestigious Queen Mother Challenge Cup, ahead of St Paul’s in 2nd place and Eton in 3rd. The race was dominated from the start by St Edward’s and their race time was 6:02.06 – coming in at 2.41 seconds faster than 2nd place.
The boys’ 1st VIII, winners of the Championship Eights Cup with their coach Jonny Singfield
Their win not only celebrates the first for Teddies in the Eights since 1993, but the first for a co-educational school in the last thirty-years; all-boys’ schools such as St Paul’s and Eton (who took silver and bronze behind Teddies this year) have been at the top of school boy rowing for the past 10 years, so this was an especially impressive achievement. Some of the 1993 Teddies squad were even there to support the boys!
The boys’ 1st VIII making history by winning the Championship Eights for the first time in 30 years
Congratulations to the crew on their historic win: Harvey Burford (bow), Nicolas Bechtler (2), Christopher Budden (3), Lorenzo Previati (4), Scott Bain (5), Rory McDonnell (6), Jackson Amies (7), Isaac Hillicks-Tulip (stroke) and Felix Jamieson (cox) are pictured above with Coach Jonny Singfield.
Head of Rowing at St Edward’s, Adam Moffatt, said of both winning crews:
“This is very much a team effort and I am extremely proud of everyone involved with SESBC. It’s a great moment for the School and especially the boys and girls in the winning crews who will remember this for many years!”
The J15 B crew in action
Along with the senior crews, our Shell and J15 crews also had a chance to take part on the opening day of the regatta. For some pupils, this was their first experience racing on a multi-lane course, so a huge well done to all who participated. Crew of the day was the J15 B’s who won their time trial and narrowly missed out on the medals in the group A Final, finishing in 5th place.
In addition to celebrating the hard work and determination of all the Teddies rowers who took part in the Regatta, we must also mention the wonderful staff and coaches at the School who work tirelessly to train, support and champion our pupils – as well as the fantastic supporters who make events like these so special. Well done to all involved!
Winning across the decades: The girls with their medals, joined by three of the four winning 2003 crew members and their coach
You can watch a video of Teddies at the National Schools’ Regatta below. Film by AllMarkOne.