Hopes were high of achieving some podium finishes, but nothing could be taken for granted. With all the training completed and relay changeovers practised, it was now down to producing performances on the day, when it mattered!

Six Year 7 boys were entered in the 2-minute timed event, and all six produced new personal best performances. With 1016 entries in this category, Michael Graham and Ben Chown secured the gold and bronze medal, with distances of 596m and 575m respectively. Will Bryan was just edged off the podium with 574m (4^th), while Harry White 549m (9^th), Daniel Tilston 528m (15^th) and Jay Evans 510m (29^th) all produced rows to be proud of.

Only one boy was selected for the Year 8, 3-minute event. Oliver Vasconcellos-Blanch competed in a field of 980 rowers and set a distance of 842m, a new p.b., to win a well-deserved silver medal, along with two other rowers. This shows how close racing can be.

The Year 9 event saw four rowers compete over 4-minutes, in an entry of 840 competitors. George Tonga’uiha claimed the silver medal with 1215m (p.b.), which was a credit to him as he had broken his arm before Christmas! Mario Vasconcellos-Blanch 1118, (13^th), Cameron McKenzie 1110m (21^st) and Ed Wang 1019m (100^th), all set new personal best performances.

William Hunter and Eden Wiles took part in the Year 10, 5-minute event in an entry of 571 rowers. Both produced personal best performances with 1426m (12^th) and 1374m (31^st), respectively.

Adam Kherfani competed in the Year 11, 6-minute event and pulled a new p.b. of 1637m (19^th) in a race of 192 rowers. To achieve this was a great performance, after only completing the distance a handful of times before.

The Sixth Form timed events were replaced by a 2000m row. Not for the faint-hearted! Year 12 saw Ben Evans on the podium, securing a bronze medal with a time of 6:41.1s (p.b.), missing second place by 0.2s.  Matthew Wilson set a new p.b. in 6:59.5s (6^th), Henry Field 7:20.3s (11^th) and Chloe Bird, rowing for Northampton RC, a p.b. in 8:47.3s (19^th).

The final individual category was the Year 13’s. Ed Baker, who won a bronze at the recent World Championships 500m sprint, now turned his attention to the 2000m endurance event. Two totally different types of fitness required. To achieve a time of 6:42.8s and secure the silver medal was outstanding. Josh Manz was not far behind, winning the bronze medal in 6:44.6s (p.b.). Katie Hindson and Cerys Shrewsbury were nervous before their event, as neither had completed a full 2K race distance before. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end. However, both should be really proud of their efforts, with Katie placing 4^th and Cerys 8^th, with times of 8:07.2s and 8:19.2s respectively.

The relay events are always exciting with teams of four rowers having to compete over 2000m, changing as often as they liked. Tactics from previous years were modified, so that each leg was now a short burst of maximum effort for about 30 seconds before a change was made. Exchanges had to be smooth and efficient to keep the overall team speed high.

The junior boys (Year 7 – 9) entered two crews in a field of 44 teams. Team A was made up of three Year 9’s and one Year 8, and Team B consisted of four Year 7’s, competing for experience! The pace was fast and furious, with some exchanges not as slick as expected. However, Team A (George Tonga’uiha, Mario Vasconcellos-Blanch, Cameron McKenzie and Oliver Vasconcellos Blanch) over-powered the field to win by 20seconds in a time of 6:19.3s. Team B (Michael Graham, Ben Chown, Will Bryan, Harry White) rowed way beyond expectations to secure the bronze medal in 6:49.9s.

The Senior Girls team of Katie Hindson, Cerys Shrewsbury, Lucy Sturgess and Jaya Soni competed in a field of 20 teams. A time of sub 7 minutes would be competitive for a podium finish, so posting an actual time of 6:55.5s exceeded expectations to take a well-deserved silver medal.

Ed Baker, Josh Manz, Ben Evans and Henry Field made up the Senior Boys relay team, and after finishing runners-up last year, it was the event that had been targeted. All four rowers produced an exceptional performance to win gold in 5:25.0s, a full 35 seconds clear of the field of 17 teams. So good was the time that London Youth Rowing, the event organisers, commented “Great rowing from the boys” and a “very talented crew!”

To achieve 11 podium finishes, (3 Gold, 4 Silver and 4 Bronze medals), and 24 personal best performances, makes this NSB’s most successful team at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships.

From a coach’s perspective I would like to congratulate the efforts of every competitor. To push to the limits of physical exertion takes mental as well as physical strength, and everybody should be proud of their achievements.

Next year will be a tough act to follow.

NSB – Never Stop Believing

 

Year 7 – 2 minutes	Michael Graham	1st	596m
1016 entries	Ben Chown	3rd	575m
	Will Bryan	4th	574m
	Harry White	9th	549m
	Daniel Tilston	15th	528m
	Jay Evans	29th	510m
Year 8 – 3 minutes	Oliver Vasconcellos-Blanch	2nd	842m
980 entries
Year 9 – 4 minutes	George Tonga’uiha	2nd	1215m
840 entries	Mario Vasconcellos-Blanch	13th	1118m
	Cameron McKenzie	21st	1110m
	Ed Wang	100th	1019m
Year 10 – 5 minutes	William Hunter	12th	1426m
571 entries	Eden Wiles	31st	1374m
Year 11 – 6 minutes	Adam Kherfani	19th	1637m
192 entries
Year 12 Boys– 2000m	Ben Evans	3rd	6:41.1s
44 entries	Matthew Wilson	6th	6:59.5s
	Henry Field	11th	7:20.3s
Year 12 Girls – 2000m	Chloe Bird	19th	8:47.3s
49 entries
Year 13 Boys – 2000m	Edward Baker	2nd	6:42.8s
16 entries	Josh Manz	3rd	6:44.6s
Year 13 Girls – 2000m	Katie Hindson	4th	8:07.2s
20 entries	Cerys Shrewsbury	8th	8:19.2s
Junior Boys Relay – 2000m 44 entries	Team A George Tonga’uiha, Mario Vasconcellos-Blanch, Cameron McKenzie, Oliver Vasconcellos-Blanch	1st	6:19.3s
Junior Boys Relay – 2000m 44 entries	Team B Michael Graham, Ben Chown, Will Bryan, Harry White	3rd	6:46.9s
Senior Girls Relay – 2000m 20 entries	Team A Katie Hindson, Cerys Shrewsbury, Lucy Sturgess, Jaya Soni	2nd	6:55.5s
Senior Boys Relay – 2000m 17 entries	Team A Edward Baker, Josh Manz Ben Evans, Henry Field	1st	5:25.0s