By Mrs Reeves (Director of Rowing)

Friday 28th June was a very exciting day in the Boat Club. Our First VIII headed to Henley-on-Thames to compete in the Henley Royal Regatta Qualifying Races. Based in the town that is arguably the home of rowing, Henley Royal Regatta is the most prestigious regatta in the world. It is not only the highlight of the summer rowing calendar, but also the social season in the UK. Visited by more than 300,000 people each year, Henley Royal regatta boasts over 300 races across six days of elite sporting competition.

We could not be prouder of our First VIII that competed on Friday, what a fantastic opportunity to compete on an international stage, against junior crews from all over the world. Following a brilliant performance, the eight moved yet another step closer to the next round with the margin now standing at under 10 seconds.

Congratulations to Lottie Giles, Emily Dyall, Ellie Mullan, Elyse Vickers, Olivia Smith, Ivy Nelson, Millie Partridge, Martha Ibbott and cox Alex Gentry.

Six hours after returning from Henley, the coaching team were back on the road to Peterborough Junior Regatta, a highlight in the rowing calendar for our Year 9 and 10 squads. Our full J14 and J15 squads competed on the four lane multi-lane course, with many of our year 9s racing in singles for the very first time - not an easy task! With a very full day of racing, and lots of finals reached, the day demonstrated again the progress of our rowers over the course of the year. With our J14 Octo, J15 Double and J15 Single winning their finals in an exciting end to the day!

As we move into our last weekend of rowing for the 2023/2024 season, we have so much to celebrate, and as always extend a huge thank you to all rowers and supporters in the rowing community.