Sydney Uni Boat Club (SUBC) took top honours at the 2016 Sydney International Rowing Regatta (SIRR), in Western Sydney, 14-20 March.
From the first of the finals SUBC swept up medals a plenty, with Cameron Girdlestone and Sally Kehoe crowned Male and Female Single Scull Champions of Australia respectively.
Recently named in Australia’s Men’s Quadruple Scull, Girdlestone crossed the line in a time of 6.52.02, beating some of the nation’s top male competitors by a boat length. Sydney Rowing Club’s Chris Morgan came in second, while SUBC team-mate Nicholas Purnell took third.
“You could have thrown a blanket over the field at the 500 and the 1000. For me, I just had to stay cool, calm, and collected, and do the damage in the second half,” said Girdlestone.
In the female equivalent event, two-time Olympian Sally Kehoe surged ahead of the quality field to win the Open Women’s Single Scull in a time of 7:32:54, ahead of fellow Australian team-mate Madeleine Edmunds and Tasmanian Kerry Hore.
“I really feel that I’m rowing the single the way I’d like the double to start progressing as well. This will be my last year at Nationals, so it is good to see young girls like Maddie giving Kez [Kerry Hore] and I a bit of grief,” said Kehoe post-race who is now focused on her row to Rio campaign with SUBC Double Scull partner Liz Kell.
The winning momentum did carry forward for Kehoe, resulting in a sculling trifecta thanks to her first-class Open Women’s Double Scull and Women’s Quad Scull victories.
Another highlight of the meet came from SUBC’s Fiona Ewing as she claimed gold in the U23 Women’s Double Scull A-Final, finding good rhythm in the middle kilometre. She also took the Championship title in the quad.
As for the up and coming crews coached by Sarah Cook, Marcus Britt and Ollie Schwartz became gold medalists in the U19 pairs, while Jack O’Brien and Lachie Miles took bronze. The combined force of the U19 Coxless Four Marcus Britt, Ollie Schwartz, Jack O’Brien, Lachie Miles was enough to bring SUBC another gold.
Also in the Men’s, Jack Hanley finished third in the Open Men’s Lightweight Scull, while Alex Purnell and Rob Black took silver in the U23 doub;e scull.
Competition was certainly at an all-time high in this Olympic year and SUBC once again showed their strength on the podium.
RESULTS
Gold
OW1x Sally Kehoe
OW2x Sally Kehoe
OW4x Sally Kehoe
OM1x Cameron Girdlestone
U23W2x Fiona Ewing
U23W4x Fiona Ewing
U19M2- Oliver Schwartz/Marcus Britt
U19M4- Oliver Schwartz/Marcus Britt/ Jack O’Brien/Lachlan Miles
Interstate Men’s Youth 8+ Claudia Lowe –cox, Will Raven – coach
Silver
OM4x Cameron Girdlestone/Nick Purnell
U23M2x Alex Purnell
Interstate W1x Sally Kehoe
Interstate M8+ Nick Purnell/Kit Cunningham-Reid/Cameron Girdlestone, Will Raven – cox, Mark Prater – coach
Bronze
OM1x Nick Purnell
OLM1x Jack Hanley
OM4- Fergus Pragnell
U23M4- Angus Robinson/Zac Whitehead
U23M8+ Angus Robinson/Campbell Watts/Alex Purnell/Andrew Judge/David Bartholot/Zac Whitehead/Jacob Bicknell/Marcus Britt, Will Raven – cox
U19M2- Jack O’Brien/Lachlan Miles
U19M4x Matt Murray/Jack Rath/Will O’Shannessy/Devlin Walsh
Interstate W8+ Fiona Ewing, Olivia Ashby – reserve
Interstate LM4- Jack Hanley
