National Schools Regatta 2017

The J18 2x at the Junior Sculling Regatta

Thames sent three crews to race at National Schools Regatta at the weekend – a championship girls 2x, championship girls 2-, and a girls’ J16 4x. The scullers were hoping to repeat results from the Junior Sculling Regatta a fortnight ago while the pair was getting their first taste of this event.

All three crews performed strongly in the time trials. Chloe and Gabby in the 2x were third-fastest, with the 2- and 4x both tenth in their events out of around 30 crews.

That got them through to the A/B semifinals. The 2x’s final spot was never in doubt, with the girls third after the first 500m and ultimately finishing second to the American School. The 2- and 4x failed to make the finals.

In the final, Chloe and Gabby had a slower start and were sixth at the halfway point. They then started to move up through the field, overtaking Marlow by 1500m. With 500m to go they put in a storming finishing sprint, producing the second-fastest last 500m of the field, and closed a four-second gap on Molesey in third to only 0.5 seconds. Sadly this was not quite enough for a medal, but a fourth-place finish is still a result to be proud of.

Congratulations to the whole squad for a solid day’s racing!