Regatta wins and West Midlands selection for RSSBC rowers

It's been a busy week for the Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club. 

Runcorn Regatta

On Saturday eight Shrewsbury crews travelled to Runcorn Head to get a race after the cancellation of the Head of the Trent the week before.

Four crews raced in the morning division with both boys and girls 1st VIII’s racing alongside the J16 and J15 girls' eight and octuple accordingly. The wind was benign and there was virtually no stream making for ideal race conditions if not for the rain. The six-kilometer course provided a challenging long-distance test that the crews relished after a tough winter of strong stream and wind.

All four crews coped well over the distance. The Boys' 1st VIII and Girls' J16 A VIII placed third in Open and WJ16 Eights. The Girls' 1st VIII and Girls' J15 Octuples both won their events.

Four boys' crews (2nd VIII, J16 VIII, J15A & B Octuples) were lucky to be able to rig up and race in dry conditions although a torrential hail storm crashed the party as the crews came off the water. Despite the conditions the crews got to work swiftly and were in good spirits when they boarded the warm bus for the journey home. The 2nd VIII and J15B crews placed second with wins for the J16’s and J15A completing a good day’s work.

West Midlands Junior Rowing Championships

The West Midlands Junior Rowing Championships plays host as the selection race to represent the West Midlands at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta at the end of April. Following concerns over the river conditions the event was moved at late notice to Hereford Rowing Club to race a time trial over a straight 1800m course of the River Wye.

A 6:30am departure to drive to Hereford saw sixteen tired rowers gather for the journey to Hereford for the race. The snow-covered hills provided a stunning backdrop for the journey and the race course.

The Boat Club entered seven crews into the event with three crews gaining automatic qualification to the team. The four remaining boats raced at the event in the J16 Coxed Four, J15 Quad, WJ15 Four and WJ15 single event. The J16 Coxed Four led the way with an impressive row to clinch the win and gain selection. Both the J15 Quad and WJ15 Coxed Four crew put in a strong showing but had to settle for fourth and second place respectively. In the WJ15 Single, Katie W (QEH, IV) knew she was up against strong opposition in the form of the previous winner of the Junior Inter Regional Regatta.

Katie executed her race to perfection to not only win by an impressive margin but also record a time quicker than the winning J15 boys and J16 girls winners. Katie and the J16 Coxed Four will join the J16 Boys VIII, J16 Girls VIII and J15 Coxed Four in representing the West Midlands at Holme Pierrepont in six weeks’ time.

Athol Hundermark

Director of Rowing