Pupils at Monkton near Bath have secured a stunning rowing victory in the National Schools Championships. The students took on the likes of Eton, Radley and St Pauls at the event this week, which is hosted on the 2012 Olympic Rowing course at Dorney Lake in Windsor.
The school crew made up of year 11s won through several heats and time trials to win the J16 8+ category, a title which the school has been chasing for a number of years.
A total of 67 boys and girls from Monkton attended the event and raced across 14 different boat classes, facing strong competition from the likes of Abington School and Bedford School. The year 9 girls coxed quad raced superbly to secure 4th place in the C final and the Year 11 boys pair raced a good solid race to also finish fourth in the C Final.
Monkton’s Head of Rowing Matt Wells said, “Monkton rowing is going from strength to strength. There is a fantastic buzz within the school and at the rowing club.”
“This success has not just happened over night and there is a whole team of support behind the pupils. Our thanks go out to the school, their parents, coaches and teammates who have all contributed to the success.”
Monkton has a strong history of rowing and many of its former pupils have gone on to success in the Olympics including Rowley Douglas MBE, Alex Partridge and Steve Williams OBE.
Mr Wells added, “Not only did our winning crew secure the gold medal but they also had the chance to race in the Championship final against the first crews from Eton, Hampton and Radley to really test their mettle.”