Four boys of Newcastle Grammar School put the worry of their impending half-yearly HSC exams to the side on Sunday to win the National Schoolboys Coxed Quadruple Scull over 2000m at the 2018 Sydney International Rowing Regatta.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The team included school captain Alex Oakley, rowing captain Eoin Brown, Max Rough and Sam Barnett, guided by coxswain Acacia Ozturk, who is in Year 11.
In what could likely be their last race together, the team finished the race in a time of 6:41.63 to beat Canberra’s Radford College (2nd) and Sydney’s Redlands (3rd).
Rowing coach Gavin Ellis said the boys were able to build confidence throughout the meet by winning their heat and semi-final.
“The week played out really for them, “Mr Ellis said.
“They won the heat quite easily. Coming into the heat we weren’t really sure what speed the other crews had gained between the state championships and the nationals. A couple of the boys had been sick, so our training between the state champs - where we won - to the nationals, was a bit inconsistent.
“And with the boys sitting their exams on Monday, it’s been a bit of a juggling act.”
The regatta was the last of the meets this year and could mean the four boys don’t race together again given the likelihood of studying at different universities.
One of Newcastle Grammar School’s rowing coaches, Mr Ellis has watched the boys’ skills evolve throughout their time at the school.
“It’s a very special win, I’ve had the boys since Year 7,” he said. “To see them grow, it’s absolutely fantastic to see how well they rowed and to win well.
“It’s a very rewarding job, to have a group of kids who don’t know how to row in Year 7, to [see them get to] the level they can technically row, and their efficiency.”
NSW Hockey players Ky Willott and Eamon Smith returned from the 2018 Under 18 Boys Outdoor Championships last week with a fifth-place finish.
Held at the Northern Hockey Centre in Launceston, Tasmania, it was a mixed week for the NSW sides who were unable to force their way into the finals.
Newcastle was represented in the second NSW side through Angus Abbo, Josh Magann and Sebastian Rollings, which finished seventh.
In what was his second year in the main side, Ky Willott netted six goals in the tournament to lead his team as top goal scorer – as did Sebastion Rollings who scored seven for NSW Blue.
Willott was named as a shadow player for the Australian team, who will compete at the Youth Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Papua New Guinea from April 25-29.
The tournament will be played in the unique Hockey 5’s format.
