Future looks bright for Cambridge youngsters after medal gains at British Rowing Junior National Championships

The future of rowing in Cambridge looks in safe hands if the performances at the British Rowing Junior National Championships are anything to go by.

Making the trip to the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierrepoint, there was little time to rest for many of the young oarsmen and women of the city who had just taken part in the Town Bumps.

They did not let it show though, as they went on to make an impression across the board.

There was a gold and a silver medal for The Perse School’s Brett Taylor, who was representing Rob Roy Boat Club.

In the open J18 singles sculls, he won his semi-final by 11 seconds, in 8min 26.21sec, and was joined in the final by fellow Perse student Cameron Mackenzie, racing for Cambridge 99.

Taylor stormed to the gold medal, with Mackenzie finishing just off the podium, in fourth place.

Taylor then joined clubmate Levin Graf in the open J18 double sculls, and they earned the silver medal, being edged out of gold by one-and-a-half seconds as they clocked 7min 52.33sec.

“The margin of victory in the single sculls was a surprise, but I felt very relieved to win,” said Taylor, who will represent Chinese Taipei at the World Junior Championships next month.

“I was also happy not to have to fight it out at the end and tire myself out before the doubles final.”

Hills Road Sixth Form College’s crew of Robert Almqvist, Sam Askew, Joshua Pearson, Alex Hunjan, Jed Beynon, Jeremy Austin, Philip Sosnin, Robert Steyn and cox Anthony Austin, rowed under the Cantabrigian Rowing Club banner.

In the eights’ time trial they were second, booking their spot in the final.

A strong finish in the final, rating at 38 strokes a minute, saw them earn the bronze medal, as a Tideway Scullers/Walton combination finished first, with Aberdeen Combined Schools second.

Coach Andy Johnson said: “This was a great outcome for an outstanding group of young athletes led by their captain Philip Sosnin, a very determined individual.

“Hopefully it has given them an unforgettable experience to take into in some cases the final year at sixth form and for half the crew onward university and adult life.”

Cantabs J18 quad of Lorna McBride, Katie Oliver, Zara Parr and Freya Sutcliffe made the A final, and missed out on fourth by 0.5sec.

Coach Oli Frazer said: “I couldn’t have asked for them to put in a better performance. They did everything I asked of them and I was chuffed with their gutsy row.”

In the boys’ J18 event, Pearson and Askew were fourth in their A final, while the girls’ pair of Amy Hill and Lucy Jennio just missed out on the A final, and finished third in the B final after a sprint finish.

The girls’ eight of Sutcliffe, McBride, Oliver, Jessie Hassett, Parr, Olivia Boyle, Catherine Morley, Mia Beauchamp and cox Charlotte Parr were fifth in their final.

William Woodard won the C final of the single sculls to place 13th overall, out of 41 crews.