The National Schools’ Regatta is the largest junior regatta in the country with over 5000 competitors racing across the three day event. This year was a record breaking one with some of the fastest times ever witnessed. New standards were set in eight events including new bests in all the J16 and J18 eights events. Junior rowing in the UK continues to set the benchmark for crews around the world and it is fantastic to see the students from Abingdon competing so well in this outstanding field.
The regatta began on Friday with the J14s and J15s competing over 1500m. Abingdon had three J14 octos racing along with three J15 eights. For the J14s it was their first experience of this fantastic regatta and hopefully the beginning of a great rowing journey at Abingdon. All three crews won their respective finals in dominant style with the B crew jumping up from 9th in the time trial to a comfortable four second win in the final and an overall position of 7th.
The J15s moved into the eights this season and seemed to take to it quite naturally. After a really strong year and some really good progress made in the run up to the regatta all three crews finished in the top 6. The B crew did brilliantly to make the A final moving on really well from the winter. The A crew had completed a really strong winter with wins at Wycliffe and a fantastic Silver at the Schools Head. Throughout the season it had looked to be a very competitive event with Abingdon, Radley and St Pauls trading blows near the top at each race. It went with the form book with these three attacking the race early on and setting up at the head of the field. With this early speed Abingdon were able to win a brilliant Bronze medal, equalling our best ever finish in this event. Well done to Fernando, Alex, Fin, Clement, Freddie, Ethan, Joe, James and Toby. A special mention to Rafiq on coxing this crew throughout the whole season but a GCSE exam meant he could not cox on the day.
Saturday saw our senior crews race over the full 2000m. The J16s carried on where the J15s left off with both crews making it to the A final for the first time since 2019. The summer of Fifth Year is always a busy time with GCSEs but the determination and commitment shown by this squad always reinforces why high level sport and high level academics go so well together. The attitude and work ethic required to excel in both areas compliments each other very well. In two categories where the event records were broken it was very pleasing to see both crews in the top 6. The 16B crew produced perhaps the best grandstand finish with the fastest last 500m of the whole race coming through KCS Wimbledon and almost catching St Paul’s at the end.
The 3rd eight raced in what was the largest field in recent memory, perhaps ever, showing the growing depth in the sport at this level. In another category where the event record was smashed it was only the sixth time Abingdon had fielded a 3rd eight and it is great that the club continues to grow at the top. A brilliant race saw Abingdon take the lead over Hampton and Shrewsbury before rowing through Dulwich to finish up in 5th place, another top 6 finish.
The 2nd eight, in another event where the record fell, stepped on really well from the winter. The crew put in a good time trial performance and then backed this up to finish in 10th place achieving the best result for five years. This moved us up from 13th at the Schools Head, a good reward for the hard work put in on camp and this term.
The Championship Eights races across both Saturday and Sunday. With time trials, repecharges, semi finals and then finals it was a long weekend and with the high temperatures and low winds we knew it would need smart planning and sensible racing to get our best performance. After a good row in the time trial we were slightly disappointed to find ourselves in 14th position, however with tight gaps and multiple races to come everything was to play for. The rep was the next race on the Saturday and with just one crew needing to be beaten to progress to the semi finals it was quite a comfortable path through. The rowers then went back to the hotel to get out of the heat and rest up before the semi final on Sunday lunchtime.
Knowing where we had come on Saturday and how the standard just continues to progress through the regatta, the rowers all committed to attacking the race for the first 1000m to see where we could be if we worked a bit too hard. Going through into the second half of the race we were just out of the battle for the A final but found ourselves right in the pack with the rest of the crews in a step up from the time trial. Being the bright and forward thinking individuals that Abingdon pupils are, we then decided to save some energy and let the other crews fight it out for the rest of the race, using up vital energy in the 30+ degree heat. Coasting across the line this gave everyone a lift and confidence that we would be right in the fight in the final.
The final took place late on Sunday evening and with the attitude that we would go out hard again like the semi final and see what we could do in the second thousand, the students flew off with no fear. Finding themselves in the lead over in lane 1 they never let the speed off and extended the lead to over a second at half way. It is that little bit easier at the front of the race and this confidence allowed the crew to extend this further to two seconds by the 1500m mark. By this point no one was going to beat them and they held this lead to the line to win by a length and move up from 14th in the time trial to a final position of 9th. A fantastically executed race. Just after, the A final came down and not only was the event record broken but four crews broke it. This was perhaps the fastest junior eights race ever outside of a World Championships and shows the UK leads the way in junior rowing.
What a brilliant end to the National Schools and a fantastic event for the school. With 98 students racing across 11 events we managed to have seven crews ranked inside the nation’s top 6 with a fantastic Bronze medal for the J15 A crew and a whole set of results that is the best for nearly a decade. Well done to all the crews on their hard work and dedication through the whole year but especially the summer term. Thank you for your bravery and commitment to each other in the way you race.
To those in the Upper Sixth leaving us we thank you for all your enthusiasm, commitment, dedication and desire. We hope you have made lifelong friends and memories and found a passion for a sport that rivals anything else. Best of luck in the rest of your exams and for whatever comes next.
Thank you to all the parents and supporters on the banks of Dorney Lake. For the copious amounts of food and drink in the tent and for the unwavering support of the rowers as they race past looking very much in a whole world of pain. Thank you for your commitment to the students rowing throughout the whole year both when it is tough as well as when it is 30 degrees and sunny. Rowing definitely requires this collective effort and it is very much appreciated.
We will now look to enjoy the sunny weeks we have left with the younger end of the club racing at Marlow Town and the senior end gearing up for Henley at the end of term.
