Victory at Henley for Teddies
St Edward’s celebrated an historic achievement for the Boat Club at Henley Royal Regatta this year, with the boys’ 1st VIII winning the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.
The boys’ 1st VIII willing the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley
The PE is the most famous and prestigious event in men’s junior rowing and the draw included crews from schools and clubs, national and international. Teddies first won the event in 1958 and more recently in 1999.
This year, the boys’ 1st VIII beat the German national champions, as well as Hampton, Eton, Radley, and St Paul’s in the final. St Edward’s is one of only two co-educational schools to have taken the title since 1999, breaking the recent dominance of the event by St Paul’s and Eton.
Our Head of Rowing, Adam Moffatt, has been building the Boat Club over the last few years, supporting the 1st VIII Coach, Jonny Singfield and the win is a testament to their hard work and the talent and commitment of the pupils in the crew.
The girls’ quadruple sculls A (right) and B teams in the Diamond Jubilee event
Demonstrating just how far girls’ rowing has come at St Edward’s, the School was represented by two girls’ quadruple sculls in the Diamond Jubilee event for junior women. The two girls’ crews coached by Natasha Townsend and Gareth Syphas, were drawn against each other in a heat which was in itself a celebration of girls’ rowing at Teddies. The A crew progressed to the second round, where they gave the then undefeated US national champions from Oregon Rowing Unlimited (a club rather than a school crew) their closest race of the season.
There was huge support from the Teddies community for all the rowers throughout the regatta – whether cheering from the riverbank at Henley, or watching the live stream from School or home, and it was fantastic to start the summer holiday on such a high note.
You can watch the video below for the reaction to the presentation of the Cup to the boys’ 1st VIII, which happens at at 2:35.