OUR Year 9 and 10 Rowers were racing at the PCRC Junior Championships (Peterborough) on June 26th and 27th – and for most it was their first ever formal race!
Craig Ward, Head of Rowing at King’s Ely, said: “Saturday saw the Year 10 girls’ quad race of Sophie H-S, Elizabeth B, Heather N and Mollie C in the morning. A tough time trial saw the girls finish 11th out of 17. However a spirited row in the C-final followed and they finished 3rd in their final.
“The Year 9 boys of Claude T-R, Yanki E, Leo G and John S, who have aptly named themselves the ‘Wattage Cottage’, took to the course in the quad later that day. The quad, expertly motivated by James W, motored home to a 6th place out of 16 in the time trial and then finished 2nd in the B-final to secure 6th place.
“Sunday saw the Year 10 boys racing, once again in the quad category. A slightly mixed crew, made up of Tamim R, Alex K, Hugh C, Will W and Rufus H, produced a strong row to finish 5th out of 10 in the time trial, before taking part in a real tussle in the B-final, narrowly missing out on 1st place to finish 6th overall.
“The Year 9 girls also raced in the morning category in an octuple, finishing 8th overall out of 16 crews. The same Year 9 girls then took to the afternoon division in two doubles and a quad for some smaller boat experience. Rowing into a strong headwind, the girls gave it their all, the quad of Aoife G, Erin F-S, Zara S and Eleanor K produced a good technical row. The two doubles of Abigail B/Pippa G and Mary G/Tara N finished 6th and 10th respectively.
“It was brilliant to be able to get the Year 9s racing in their first ever multi-lane regatta and it was clear to see how much fun was had! My thanks as ever go to Mr Foster and the Coaching Team for making racing like this possible.
“Next up is Henley Women’s Regatta where the double of Mia G and Holly B will tackle the Women’s Under 18 Doubles category.
“Saturday 3rd July will be our last weekend sessions of the year – the usual times for each year group. It has been fantastic to see so many pupils taking part in Saturday sessions this year and I must commend everyone on their hard work and positive attitude throughout what has undoubtedly been a tough year for all.”