King’s Ely Boat Club was well represented at Bedford Rowing Club’s annual Autumn Small Boats Head on Sunday (October 8th).
More than 40 King’s Rowers competed in the event, which was our first race of the 2023-24 season.
The conditions were unusually warm for the time of year, and students achieved some fantastic results in the 1.9-kilometre time trial, where they were racing against some very classy opposition from other UK schools and clubs.
Craig Ward, who is Head of Rowing at King’s, said: “The Years 10-13 boys raced in the second division of the day. In good conditions, the J15 boys performed amicably, with the coxed quad of Thomas Strudwick, James Allen, Theo Logan, Thomas Peters and Oliver Biggs winning the entire J15 quad category in impressive fashion.
“The other two quads also finished very well in 4th and 6th place, respectively. A special mention in the J15 boys must go to Dylan Morley in his single, and Hugo Ware and Will Tregoing for racing small boats and being up for the challenge!
“The J16 boys’ quad of Benedict Rose, Quentin Mitchell, Travis Bierton and Zac Williams-Gray raced well to record a very impressive time and finishing 3rd in their category. The Senior boys of Yanki Ertem (J17 1x), and Aron O’Connor and Raphael Bisson (J18 2x) raced well until the J18 2x lost a battle with the County Bridge at the mid point of the course!
“The girls’ squad arrived for racing in division 4, with the sun beaming down beautifully. The two Senior girls’ quads followed each other down the course and potentially got a bit too competitive, clashing blades on the narrow straight towards the finish line. Despite the time lost here, both quads recorded good times, with Mary Garrod, Mollie Chamberlain, Elizabeth Boutwood and Clara Torlesse finishing 2nd overall.
“The final two boats down the course were the J15 girls, who have made fantastic progress since Year 9. In arguably the toughest competition of the day (WJ15 quads) the girls’ quads finished 6th and 11th out of 14 crews, respectively.
“Overall, it was a fantastic day out for King’s Ely Boat Club, and my thanks, as ever, go to the students’ families and coaches for making it all happen. We look forward to the next event at Docklands Head in November!”
Students who competed, in no particular order: Mary Garrod, Mollie Chamberlain, Elizabeth Boutwood, Clara Torlesse, Nell Kittoe, Pippa Giles, Heather Norris, Inga Gutmann, Grace Charlton, Caitlin Morton, Millie Moss, Lara Black-Borja, Eva Green, Niamh Gibb, Felicity Kownacki, Amelia Green, Sabrina Edwards, Isla Faulkner, Zac Williams-Gray, Benedict Rose, Quentin Mitchell, Travis Bierton, Yanki Ertem, Raphael Bisson, Aron O’Connor, Thomas Strudwick, James Allen, Theo Logan, Thomas Peters, Oliver Biggs, Edward Bailey, Henry Moss, Leo Ost, Harry Walker, Matthew Allen, Henry Haigh, Dylan Grisby, Noah Drew, Gabriel Woodman, Hugo Ware, Will Tregoing, Dylan Morley.