Smiles in the sunshine at Belfast Sprint Regatta
Coleraine Grammar School Rowing Club athletes resplendent in new colours of green and red headed to Belfast Sprint Regatta with more than just making
up the numbers in mind.
The junior fifteen ladies quadruple scull set the tone for the day by beating a Portadown crew who had dispatched them with ease a mere month previously.
This emerging crew of talent fought valiantly to lose by a boat length to Bann Rowing Club in the final, another great step forward given the high
standard set by the Bann girls.
It was the then turn of the boys to shine winning the final of the junior sixteen quadruple sculls by a comfortable distance over Royal Belfast Academical
Institution. Next up was one of our junior fourteen ladies sculler, who competing in her first single sculling race cruised to a win over a girl
from Belfast rowing club. Our Year 10 pupil, who is a hugely talented swimmer, unfortunately had to employ this string to her bow when in the final
she clipped a marker buoy and ended up swimming beside her boat. Even the best fall in from time to time and she will bounce back from this setback
stronger than ever.
The good times continued when the Coleraine ladies invitational junior eight came up against rivals from Portadown who had beaten them a month previously,
on this occasion in arace that went down to the wire Colerainewon by a distance of one foot. The Grammar School girls making history by being the
first girls crew to win a rowing event for the school. The junior fourteen ladies quadruple scull followed suit to win the final over Portadown.
The boys not to be out done then won the junior fourteen quadruple scull final over Methody. This was a title they were defending from Portadown
regatta. The under fourteen boys’ squad has strength in depth.
The most exciting race of the day followed in the invitational junior men’s eight between Coleraine and Methody. The lead changed over the course of
the five hundred metres but as both boats surged for the finish line they could not be separated and the race was declared a draw. The Coleraine
boys showed considerable resilience when the race was re rowed and Coleraine came out winners. The final was Coleraine against a Portora development
crew and Coleraine was delighted to come away winners, a win against Portora is not sometime that happens every day.
One of our senior men was the ever dependable Coleraine junior sixteen sculler in year 14 whon won the final race of the day against a talented RBAI
sculler. 