Rowing: Nottingham City Regatta

On Saturday, 11 May, five King’s School Rowing Club (KSRC) crews travelled down to the National Water Sports Centre to compete at this year’s Nottingham City Regatta.

The girls’ eight raced first, competing in the senior category and good conditions meant a fast race. The girls raced hard against strong senior opposition from Tyne Rowing Club, Nottingham Rowing Club and City of Oxford Rowing Club, eventually coming third.

Their coach, Matt Jump, was proud of their performance: “The speed of the eight was impressive, particularly considering they have only had a few sessions together.”  

Next up was the boys’ J18 eight, racing in a straight final and beating Shiplake College and Peterborough Rowing Club in an impressive time of 06:09.9.  

The sun was shining, and the conditions were fast; The girls J17 coxed four took 53 seconds off their Wallingford time, and the girls J18 coxless four won their heat and came third in the final, where they finished 43 seconds faster than at Wallingford Regatta.

Mr Gray commented: “Nottingham City has been a huge step forward for the girls and has given them the confidence to train hard over the next ten days and get the most from every stroke.” 

The coaches were also excited to see a mature performance the J17 boys coxed four, who rowed through Shrewsbury School to win the final of J18 coxed fours.

Director of Rowing, David Blackham commented: “The boys proved today that they can be tough when under pressure, and they can be confident that their hard work over the winter has put them in a strong position to be competitive on the national circuit.”

Continuing to summarise a successful weekend of racing, he said: “In total, we had 134 athletes racing at Shrewsbury and Nottingham City this weekend.

“It was an action-packed day with both locations providing great racing preparation and an important stepping stone towards the National Schools Regatta later this month.

“Huge thanks, as always, go to the coaching team who continue to work tirelessly to challenge and support our athlete scholars, and to the KSRCPA for their endless support.”