Launceston College wrapped up the second day of the Launceston and Henley regatta with a comprehensive win in the open schoolboys’ eight Home Reach Trophy on Sunday.
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Pulling several lengths ahead of Scotch Oakburn College and Launceston Church Grammar school, the public school crew pushed home down the two-kilometre race course to continue their dream season.
The regatta’s second day saw fast and confident racing in perfect conditions, with none of the forecast rain.
College head coach Barry Townsend and fitness coach Trevor Barrett were both satisfied with the result from Jack Barrett, Braidyn Dawe, Matt Dikkenberg, Phil Dikkenberg, Lars Gillingham, Ethan McCullagh, Brad Riley, Connor Ryan and Sam Williams (cox).
It’s topped off a good year.
- Launceston College head rowing coach Barry Townsend
“It’s topped off a good year, that eight has gone undefeated all year,” Townsend said, adding that the crew had been put under pressure by a number of injuries throughout the season that forced him to bring in inexperienced rowers.
“We’ve had glandular fever, we’ve had injuries, it hasn’t been easy,” he said.
“The young boys had to learn to look after themselves, have a healthy social life, but stay off the skateboards – and no mountain bike riding, or rock climbing.”
Townsend said the support offered by Launceston College to the rowing program over the last three years has brought the school into the rowing competitions for the first time since the 1960s.
“The next step for a group of [the open eight team] is to go to nationals in two weeks’ time,” Barrett said, noting the strong representation of North Esk and Launceston College rowers in the Tasmanian youth eight.
Rowing Tasmania’s Rob Prescott said the regatta showed high promise for the future, with competitive under-16 crews from powerhouse rowing schools St Patricks College, Scotch Oakburn and Launceston Grammar making the most of the experience.
“Seeing the way a lot of the junior rowers progressed today from where they were yesterday, they had a couple of events under their belt and we saw that level of confidence and their skill level was up,” Prescott said.
A single crew from Queechy High School led by Ella Williams showed some determination in the schoolgirl’s under-15s double scull, but missed a top-three placing behind Grammar’s winning combination of Nicole Patrick and Coco Thyne.
Prescott said it was “disappointing” to see low entries for the open schoolgirl’s eight, contested only by Launceston Grammar and Scotch Oakburn, but he hoped to see more girl’s eight’s races next year as the junior rowers step up.
“From the point of view of the senior athletes … the last eight’s race was a cracking race, very good to see the Scotch Oakburn under-16 boys come home against the Grammar senior boys,” Prescott said.
Attention now turns to the Head of the River regatta next weekend, to be held at Lake Barrington, and the Sydney International regatta in two weeks.