Scotch College

- Definitive win at the Head of the River

Definitive win at the Head of the River

Scotch makes it back-to-back success

The crew is greeted by cheering Cardinal Gold and Blue. © PhotoPlay.

The 1st VIII capped off a great day for Scotch at Nagambie Lakes by winning the 138th Head of the River in dominant fashion.

The crew went into the race as hot favourites, having taken all before them in the lead up regattas. The final saw them pitted against Geelong College, Xavier College, Geelong Grammar, Haileybury College and Brighton Grammar.

With the race rowed in difficult cross-wind conditions, the crew jumped out to an early lead and had a margin of one length at the 500-metre mark with Geelong Grammar in second place. The lead pushed out to one and a half lengths by the 1000-metre mark and then to over two lengths with 750 metres to go.

The crew went on to win in the smart time of 6 min 7.74 sec with Geelong Grammar in second position 6.46 sec behind and a further 2.75 secs back to Haileybury in third place. The winning margin was one of the biggest in the last 50 years of the event and it is the first time since 1966–67 that Scotch has scored back-to-back wins.

The crew of Jonathon Day (bow), Jayson Speck (2), Wil Lockwood (3), Michael Steele (4), James Adams (5), Simon Booth (6), Matt Hildebrandt (7), Angus Tyers (stroke) and Ben Bailey (cox) was coached by Jeff Watt. Two weeks earlier they had won both the Victorian Champion Schoolboy 8 title and the Victorian Youth 8 title.

Over the season, they proved to be the dominant crew and they richly deserve their success.

Scotch the Most Successful School

In winning nine out of 12 events contested, Scotch proved once again to be the most successful school at the APS Head of the River Regatta.

The 2nd VIII finished 6th in the A Final, their best performance for the season.

The 3rd VIII won convincingly, giving coach Craig Salisbury his fourth successive win with a Scotch crew.

The 4th VIII finished 3rd in their Final.

Scotch dominated the Year 10 division, winning the 10A, 10B and 10C events. The 10A crew was too good for St Kevin’s and early season favourite Carey, winning by just on a length. The 10B’s won by about four lengths from Melbourne Grammar and the 10C’s also won well over St Kevin’s.

Scotch won four of the five divisions of the Year 9 Quad Scull with the best result coming in Division A with Scotch taking the first three placings ahead of St Kevin’s.

Record Medal Haul at the Nationals

Three weeks prior to the Head of the River, Scotch crews won a record six medals from six events at the Australian Rowing Championships on the Olympic Rowing Course at Penrith. This headed the medal tally for schools at this important regatta.

Medal winning crews

Bronze Medal	• Under 17 Quad Scull • Under 19 Coxless Four • Champion Schoolboy Eight
Silver Medal	• Under 19 Coxless Pair
Gold Medal	• Under 17 Schoolboy Eight • Under 19 Eight

The 1st VIII rowed in small boats (coxless pairs and coxless four) as well as the eight. They successfully defended their Under 19 Eight title and showed in the Schoolboy Eight that they were one of the best schoolboy crews in Australia. In finishing third, they beat Shore School into fourth place who, the following week, won the Sydney GPS Head of the River.

The Year 10A VIII scored a fine win in the Under 17 Schoolboy Eight, racing away from Shore in the last 500 metres with St Ignatius back in third place. The bronze medal in the Under 17 Quad Scull was Scotch’s first sculling medal at a National Championship with a crew drawn from the Year 10A’s with the addition of Davis Yu from the 10B’s in the stroke seat.

All in all, a wonderful result by Scotch oarsmen who represented the school with distinction and ensured that Scotch is one of the very best rowing schools in Australia.

Coaching

These fine results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all the boys and coaches. The coaching staff, headed by Steve Whittington, continues to do an outstanding job in providing wonderful opportunities for the boys of Scotch College.

The organisational skills that Tom Bowen brings to the task of TIC Rowing are of immense value to the Boat Club. Our boatmen, led by Bob Lachal, also make a wonderful contribution.

The winning team! Rear: Angus Tyers, Simon Booth, Michael Steele, William Lockwood, Jono Day and Ben Bailey; Front: Matt Hildebrandt, James Adams, Jayson Speck and Jeff Watt (coach). © PhotoPlay.

Roll on 2006!

GREG BAKER
Chairman of Rowing