Great Scot May 2020 Great Scot 159_MAY 2020_ONLINE_V3 | Page 51

BY SCOTCH’S BOAT CLUB
ABOVE: THE SCOTCH 1ST VIII LEADING THE SCHOOLBOY EIGHT FINAL AT THE NSW STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. CREWS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT: XAVIER COLLEGE, SCOTCH 2ND
VIII, MELBOURNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, SCOTCH 1ST VIII, BRIGHTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ST KEVIN’S COLLEGE.
LEFT: THE 1ST VIII AT THE VICTORIAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. ARCHIE GILL (COX), THOMAS LEMPRIERE (STROKE), CHARLES PERRY (7), LEO PRICE (6), JOSH HILL (5), JAMES
ISLES (4), BEN SYMONS (3), BEN STRANG (2), HARRISON FIELDING (BOW).
Dangerous wind conditions forced the cancellation of the regatta on
the Sunday, after the races described here had been completed.
The Scotch College 1st VIII won the schoolboy final, clear water
(3.92 seconds) ahead of Brighton Grammar School, with St Kevin’s
College a further 3.37 seconds behind in third. Scots College,
Sydney, eventual winners of the NSW Head of the River (held a week
early) were a length behind in seventh place. St Peter’s, winner of the
South Australian Head of the River was sixth in its heat and did not
advance to the final.
The Scotch 2nd VIII performed well, crossing the line in fifth place
in the final, in a cluster of five crews separated by little more than a
second. The 1st and 2nd VIIIs both also qualified for the final of the
under 21 eight in the afternoon, with the 1st VIII finishing a creditable
fourth behind three club eights – a West Australian Rowing Club
eight taking the title.
The Victorian State Championships were held at Ballarat several
weeks later, and in the final of the school eight the Scotch crew was
led out by the giant crew from St Kevin’s, with Brighton Grammar
close behind. Racing with composure, the Scotch crew hung on
to the race leaders for the first 1000m, before gradually gaining the
upper hand in the second 1000m. The Scotch crew continued to
move away and crossed the line nearly two lengths (5.70 seconds)
ahead of St Kevin’s, with Brighton Grammar a further 2.12 seconds
behind in third place.
After being beaten in its heat by a length to St Kevin’s, the Scotch
2nd VIII changed its approach and won the final by a length from
the same crew. The 3rd and 4th VIIIs put in strong performances to
finish second in their respective A finals. The 5th VIII, rowing in a four,
was placed sixth in the under 19 four final.
The Junior Victorian Championships were held at Nagambie on
29 February. In the Year 10 divisions, the 10A crew finished in third
place in the Year 10 division 1 A final, while the 10B crew continued
their success in the racing season, winning their Year 10 division 2 A
final. The 10C crew came third in their final, and the 10D crew were
second in the B final of the Year 10 division 3.
Scotch had 13 Year 9 Quad sculls racing across eight divisions.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th Quads won their respective
divisions. The 6th Quad was placed fifth in division 6, with the 9th
Quad second. In the division 7 A final, the 10th Quad was second
and the 11th Quad was fifth. In division 8, the 12th Quad was third
in the B final, and the 13th Quad was first in the C final. There were
many strong performances and placings across this cohort.
Season 2020 produced a strong performance collectively by the
entire Boat Club. Athletes, coaches, parents, boatmen and other
staff all faced difficult and unusual issues, and dealt with these as
best they could. Thanks to all of these people and groups, especially
parents, the Cardinal Club, coaches and boatmen for their efforts in
a season that was anything but conventional.
The Scotch College 1st VIII consisted of Archie Gill (Coxswain,
Captain of Boats), Thomas Lempriere (Stroke), Charles Perry (7),
Leo Price (6), Josh Hill (5), James Isles (4), Benjamin Symons (3, Vice
Captain of Boats), Ben Strang (2) and Harrison Fielding (Bow).
TOM WOODRUFF – 1ST VIII COACH AND DIRECTOR OF ROWING
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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