Peterborough City juniors selected to represent Eastern Region at Nationals
The 50-strong Peterborough City Rowing Club junior squad has been busy competing in March and preparing for the summer regatta season ahead.
Seventeen U16 athletes represented Peterborough at the Eastern region Junior Inter-Regional Regatta trials at Peterborough on 16 March, from which the winners of each class were selected to represent their region at the National championships, against 13 other regions, in Nottingham on 26 April.
This year’s Eastern region trials saw a record entry of 346 athletes from 26 East Anglian clubs competing for selection in 22 different classes.
Bea stings opposition at regional trials and Cambridge Sculling Head
Winner of Peterborough City’s most promising athlete cup in 2024, Bea Gregory has continued her development with impressive wins at the 2025 Eastern Region Junior Inter-Regional Regatta Trials held on Sunday 16 March and at Cambridge City Junior Sculling Head on Saturday 22 March.
On home water, Bea, eligible for the U14 age group, took the Womens Junior Under 15 single scull title in a time of 4.44 for the 1000m, beating City of Cambridge in her final. Bea will now meet the winners from the other 13 UK regions on 26 April in Nottingham.
At Cambridge the following weekend, racing over an 800m course on the River Cam, she won the Open (for boys and girls) J13/J14 single scull class in a time of 3 minutes and 55 seconds. Bea is coached by Alan Calver.
Lebed and Dennis selected for Junior Inter-Regional Regatta in April
Matas Lebed and George Dennis, competing at the Eastern Region trials in the Open under 15 double sculls, beat opposition from Sudbury Rowing Club in the final by 10 seconds in a time of 3 minutes 50 seconds to book their place at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta finals in April. Matas and George are coached by Caroline Calver and Kev Benton, who has just qualified with his British Rowing L2 coaches award.
Three Peterborough crews took second places at the Eastern Region trials: Jack Bosma and Thor Read Moreira Lima in the Open J14 double sculls; George Dennis, Matas Lebed, Adam Waller and Thor Read Moreira Lima in the Open J15 quad sculls; and Hannah Fitzjohn, Molly Gilbert, Bea Gregory and Edie Shields in the Womens J15 quad sculls.
Peterborough’s first raid on Cambridge City Junior Sculling Head proves bountiful
City’s Juniors tackled the Cambridge Sculling Head on 22 March for the first time and came away with four wins.
Peterborough’s winners at the Cambridge City Junior Sculling Head on 22 March. From left: Bea Gregory (Open J13/14 1x); Lucy Agyapong and Harriet Barber WJ14 2x; Millie Yule and Molly Gilbert (WJ15 2x). Not pictured is Adam Waller (Open Band 2 J15 1x).
Alongside winner Bea Gregory (Open J13/14 single scull), Lucy Agyapong and Harriet Barber won the girls under 14 double sculls in their first-ever head race. Millie Yule, also competing in her first race, teamed up with Molly Gilbert to win girls under 15 double sculls over the 800m course.
Just losing out and taking a very close second place by 0.3s was the under-14 double scull of Jack Bosma and Thor Read Moreira Lima.
On the 1500m course, Adam Waller won the Open band 2 under 15 single sculls.
Peterborough’s Cambridge City Junior Sculling Head team on 22 March.
Junior boys eight takes on the Tideway
Peterborough City’s under 18 boys eight tackled the 340 strong Head of the River Race on 22 March in London, competing in the Junior Club class.
The crew was steered along a competitive line by cox Ruby Hynes and kept a chasing Newark crew at bay over the full 6.8km course to place 8th of the Junior Club crews and 21st out of the 35 Medium Club crews in a time of 20 minutes 47 seconds.
Coach Al Ryder said the boys had rowed extremely well on the day and had trained diligently through the winter months to put themselves there, ensuring that Peterborough City maintains its presence at the Head of the River Race at junior club level.
Peterborough’s junior boys eight training on the Tideway in London below the iconic Putney Bridge at the start of the Boat Race course.
Looking forward, Al said: “There is a great spirit within the squad and good potential to find extra speed throughout the regatta season.”
The crew was Ewan Stanley, Lewis Barber, James Goodchild, Tom Revell, Matt Baker, Sergio Read Moreira Lima, Harry Evison-Williams, Oliver Barber and Ruby Hynes (cox).
Junior 18 girls quad at Kingston Head
Peterborough’s Trent-winning under 18 girls quad took 7th place out of 17 entries in the same category at Kingston Head over 5200 metres on 15 March. The crew was Evelina Xanthropoulou, Olivia Agyapong, Emma Dennis and Emma Calver.
Coach Robert Dennis said: “On a day of challenging conditions, the girls had to battle hard and they put in a good performance. With some of the top crews racing at Kingston, it was a great opportunity to gauge where the squad is. The standard and competitiveness of girls under 18 quads will be as high as ever this season.”
Peterborough’s volunteer coaches and parents make the difference
A small, dedicated team of volunteer coaches runs Peterborough’s junior section.
Junior coordinator Caroline Calver said: “We are incredibly proud of our athletes’ performances, the camaraderie and support for each other. Their positive attitude in training sessions and constant drive to improve are why we are seeing results both on and off the water. I want to say thank you for the support from parents, especially the trailer drivers, as we could not attend events without them.”
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Peterborough City Rowing Club Press Release 2025-3 | For Immediate Use | 31 March 2025
Contact PCRC Press Officer – PCRCpressofficer@gmail.com