Scotch College

Record medal haul at national rowing titles

Scotch crews won a record six medals from eight events in which our crews were entered at the Australian Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington, Tasmania. The tally of two gold and four silver medals surpassed the 2005 results, and made Scotch College the most successful school at the regatta.

The 1st VIII won the champion under 19 VIII title for the third consecutive year, while the 2nd VIII finished in sixth position in this race, having qualified through the semi-finals. They were narrowly defeated by the Melbourne Grammar 1st VIII – a fine performance by a school 2nd VIII.

The champion schoolboy VIII saw the Kings School win, with Scotch in second place and Geelong College third. The time was a race record of 5 minutes 40.5 seconds for the 2000-metre race – a remarkable time for a school crew.

The 1st VIII split into two crews and competed in the under 19 coxless quad and the under 19 Coxless IV – the class of boat made famous by the ‘Oarsome Foursome’. The quad scull of Lachlan McKenzie (bow), Oliver Baxter (2), Nick Cathie (3) and Will Emmett (stroke) performed well to qualify for the final, and finished in sixth position in an event won by a crew from the South Australian Institute of Sport.

The coxless four of Will Lockwood (bow), Jayson Speck (2), Rob Njoku (3) and Michael Steele (stroke) held a narrow lead through the 1500-metre mark, but was unable to hold off the fast finishing crew from North Esk Rowing Club. The silver medal was the best result achieved by Scotch in this difficult event.

The Year 10A VIII competed in the under 17 quad scull event. The crew of James Sparkman (bow), Joshua Booth (2), Tom Sutterby (3), Simon Brown (stroke) and Jack Bull (cox) came from third place at the 1000-metre mark to win by 0.42 seconds from Canberra Grammar. This is the first sculling gold medal achieved by a Scotch crew.

The students from Canberra Grammar turned the tables in the under 17 schoolboy VIII, coming from behind to win by 0.44 seconds in 6 minutes 3.54 seconds, a time that was faster than a number of 1st VIIIs. The Scotch 10A crew was in second place with Christchurch Grammar from Perth a further 3.5 seconds behind in 3rd place.

The 2nd VIII also rowed in the schoolboy coxed quad scull event. The final saw a great battle for medals, with stern four of Peter Cooper (bow), John Syme (2), Ed Monteith (3), Sandy Buchanan (stroke) and Will Dungey (cox) winning the silver medal and the bow four of Lincoln Phillips (bow), Stuart Alexander (2), David Purdue (3) Martin Lipshut (stroke) and Tom Browne (cox) missing a bronze medal by 0.08 seconds, and finishing in fourth place.

Greg Baker
Chairman of Rowing