Oundle rowers produced an impressive set of performances at this year’s National Schools’ Regatta, held from 22 to 24 May, with crews competing from J14 through to Championship level.

Friday saw a great first day of racing for the younger crews, with four Oundle crews taking to the water and some superb performances across the board. The Boys’ J15 1st 4x+ finished an impressive second in the B Final, placing eighth overall from 47 entries. The Boys’ J15 2nd 4x+ finished a brilliant third in the B Final, ninth overall from 28 entries.

The Girls’ J14 4x+ had a very promising showing, missing out on the finals by only nine seconds and finishing 41st out of 56 crews. The Boys’ J14 4x+ produced a strong row to finish 44th out of 55 crews.

Saturday saw the senior Girls’ Ch 4x and 2nd 4x produce some exceptional performances on the water. The Ch 4x posted a fantastic time to finish seventh overall in the TT, progressing straight to the A/B semi-finals on Sunday. The 2nd 4x progressed to the B Final from their heat, before finishing the day with a dominant victory in the B Final, securing the win in emphatic style.

Sunday saw five Oundle crews take to the water. The Boys’ J16 2x A put in a huge performance to finish fourth overall in the Time Trial and make the A Final. In a close field, the Oundle crew narrowly missed out on a medal in the Final by 0.8 seconds.

The Boys’ Ch 2x A finished eighth in the Time Trial and reached the A Final, a huge achievement and the first National Schools’ Regatta Championship A Final for Oundle in a number of years.

The Boys’ J16 2x B performed incredibly well and narrowly missed out on making a Final, while the Boys’ Ch 2x B also had a strong showing to reach the C Final. A daring race strategy in the Final saw the crew home in fifth spot.

The Girls’ Ch 4x were racing in one of the blue-ribbon events at the regatta. After placing seventh in the Time Trial on Saturday and avoiding the repechages, the girls had an incredibly close A/B Semi-Final, ultimately finishing 0.4 seconds away from making the A Final. In the Final, the Oundle crew put on an incredible performance to win the B Final.

Across the three days, Oundle crews showed real strength and depth, with some superb performances across age-group and Championship events.