National Schools’ Regatta, Friday 24th May – Sunday 26th May
Girls 1st VIII & 4-
Report by Oliver Gerrard
Teddies’ girls rowing squads went into National Schools’ Regatta nervous but excited to see how they stacked up against the competition at the premiere junior rowing event. The 1st 8+ and 4- both had strong time trials, coming out first and third in their respective events, both results exceeding expectation and showing real potential for the side-by-side racing to come.
The 1st VIII had a tough semi-final, battling with Shiplake and Henley, but they managed to remain dominant, winning and getting the favoured Lane 8 for the A Final.
The 1st VIII began the final at an aggressive rate, leading the field to the 500m mark. Henley, Hinksey and Headington had a strong middle 1000m of the race, and our girls found themselves in fourth place with 500m to go. They stuck to the race strategy and held their nerve to row a super last 250m, rowing through both Henley Rowing Club and Headington to finish second. This is Teddies’ best ever result in the Girls’ Championship 8+, in an especially tough field.
Following a smooth time trial the 4- had a tough race in the A Final, battling with many other schools’ top boats. Coming into the last 500m we were still in contention for a medal, rowing against St George’s and St Michael’s for a spot on the podium. The girls came away with a strong fifth place, showing good form on their way to Henley Women’s Regatta.
Boys 1st VIII
Report by Jonny Singfield
The 1st VIII produced a strong performance in what can be a ‘sudden death’ situation, the time trial, to finish fourth, three seconds off St Paul’s with Radley and Shiplake in between.
The boys raced very well in the semi, finishing behind St Paul’s (who were in the favoured lane) by one second and recording the second fastest time overall and raising expectations for the final a few hours later.
Unfortunately the strong wind blowing across the course meant that conditions were not favourable for our boat in the final, as we were rowing in the centre lane. We were going to be up against it to get a medal but the boys dug in and had a good go, remaining in the top four for over half the course but just running out of steam in the final sprint to finish sixth… in the country.
Boys 2nd VIII
Report by Adam Moffatt
After a good result at Wallingford and some quick times in training, the 2nd VIII went to NSR with high hopes. Going into the racing we suspected that the time trial was going to be close and this proved to be the case with just 3.5 seconds separating 1st – 7th. With only six crews qualifying directly to the A Final, Teddies finished seventh by half a second and therefore headed to the B Final. They led the final from the start, winning by clear water and demonstrating they were one of many top crews in the event. The 2nd VIII now turns its attention to HRR and trying to qualify for the Temple Challenge Cup which will prove to be another close race.
J16 Boys VIII
Report by Mike Glover
With close racing all year the J16 VIII knew they were going to have to row their best race if they were to place in the top six and qualify for the A Final. They placed sixth in the time trial in an extremely tight field, with just three seconds separating 4th-10th place.
With a tough lane and up against fast crews in the final they were unable to improve their result from the time trial and again placed sixth.
J16 Boys 4+
Report by Ross Simmonds
The necessity of late changes in the J16 4+ made the challenge of racing in 4s contest, against many schools’ first crews, even tougher. Our crew rose to the challenge and put in good rows in both their time trial and C Final. The latter race was hotly contested but the crew rowed well to a strong fifth position.
J15 Boys’ VIII
Report by Gareth Syphas
The J15 Boys’ VIII had a fantastic time racing at NSR! They put together one of their best rows in the time trial and qualified for the C Final. For some of the crew it was only their second ever regatta! They raced hard in the final, beating a crew from Canford who they rowed through in the second half of the race. Everyone learned a lot and the group are now looking forward to racing at Star Regatta in a couple of weeks.
Shell Girls 4X+
Report by Sophie Waldock
The Shell Girls 4x+ had a good experience in their first major event, finishing in the third quartile of entries in a highly competitive category. The crew gained valuable experience and now have an insight into the scale of the regatta and what it will take to move up through the rankings.
Shell Boys 8+X
Report by Arthur Smith
The Shell boys had a great day at their first major race. They had a good row in the time trial, which qualified them for the next round. An exciting side-by-side race saw them finish fifth, for an overall placing of 23rd.