Is there anything better in sport than a comeback? The greatest returns mark timelines, define teams and signal turning points, for better or worse, in careers, chronologies and communities. Rowing is no stranger to the bug – think Helen Glover returning to take on a third Olympics, Greg Searle straining every sinew to clinch bronze in 2012, 20 years after first winning gold, or even Hamish Bond coming back to the sport to secure a third consecutive gold medal after spending years on a bike instead of on the water.
But what about comeback stories that feel closer to home? Perhaps one of the most profound of all is that of Nottingham County Rowing Association (NCRA), a bastion of elite rowing in the Midlands during the final two decades of the 20th century. Founded in 1981 by members of local Nottingham schools and rowing clubs, the organisation was driven forward by Freddie Brooks, President of the club and a former local oarsmen and coach.
International success quickly followed – numerous NCRA athletes went on to compete at European and world level and Olympians sprang forth in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games. Over the following 25 years, the club enjoyed remarkable success and established itself as one of the foremost centres of rowing in the country; over 200 athletes won international vests, in lightweight men, and women’s events, Junior, U23, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. They also won an impress 23 Henley titles in 25 years!
And then, in 2006 and almost as quickly as it came, NCRA was gone. Funding ran dry and the club was forced to close its doors, for what many believed would be the last time.
Nottingham and the surviving local clubs continued to supply athletes into the upper echelons of rowing throughout NCRA’s absence but the glaring hole in the local community did not go unobserved. In 2016, after a decade away, the club was reborn and immediately set about rediscovering its seat at rowing’s top table.
Led by Declan Gamble, the club has already enjoyed success across the junior ranks over the past few years, including medals at the National Schools’ Regatta, the National Junior and Senior Championships and representation on the GB junior team at the World Championships in 2017.
“We had to play a bit of a waiting game to get it all approved by the various authorities,” explained Declan. “We raced under Beckett RC for a year and then the British Rowing Junior Championships was our first competition as NCRA. I think we picked up bronze in the J18 Women’s eight, which was a pretty good re-introduction”.
If it wasn’t obvious enough already, this club represents a fantastic partner for WinTech and an incredible opportunity for us to build strong relationships and enable the next generation of talent to pursue their rowing-related goals in our boats.
Through 2018 and 2019, the club were based out of two bays at Holme Pierrepont with a largely female junior squad before COVID hit in 2020. As they grew longer legs, juniors who matured became NCRA senior squad members and the club grew. “We actually gained quite a few members through lockdown,” said Declan. “Coming out of that period, we now have a pretty competitive junior and senior squad, which should put us in a good position for the summer”.
The club’s mantra, largely led by Declan, Ian Wilson and a tight-knit group of coaches, is to train athletes in single sculls through the winter before bringing them together in the summer in bigger boats for a tilt at national and international glory. “We’re very focused on trying to keep a competitive squad of athletes together,” said Declan. “We’re not really a club, in the tea and cake sort of way – we’re still just two concrete bays at the bottom of a lake. We just want to drive performance and help our athletes achieve their goals”.
So, how does WinTech fit into all of this? “Frankly, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the support of WinTech,” explained Declan. “We’ve got to the point where we’ve started to encourage people to buy WinTech if they want to purchase their own boat. Their support and service are always first-class, and our entire fleet of crew shells are WinTechs so it reduces chopping and changing”.
Olivia Bates, a name that has become almost household in the UK rowing community, is a great example of the quality of athlete to emerge from the NCRA ranks. “Liv was using a standard lightweight single before Andrew MD from Oarsport (WinTech Racing UK Distributor) asked if she wanted to use the super lightweight shell because he thought she’d go even faster in it,” said Declan. “WinTech loaned her that shell throughout her season, at Henley Women’s, Henley Royal and the Europeans and they were right – she did go faster”.
Our approach to clubs is predicated on flexibility and we want to encourage those who show potential to reach their ceiling and smash right through it. NCRA’s work to rise from the ashes and develop a program that exists to promote rowing in the local community is why we’re so proud to support their ongoing journey and look forward to watching from the bank as they collect silverware, smash records and help people achieve their sporting dreams.
Nottinghamshire Country Rowing Association are always looking for new members to join the squad and are offering taster weekends. For more information get in touch with Head Coach – Declan Gamble here.
Come and join #TeamWinTech today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price. Our sales advisors can help you put together an equipment buying strategy with finance and leasing options to help work your budget harder and smarter.
It was another hugely successful day for Team WinTech at the Early ID junior GB Trials as athletes racing in our shells came away with first-placed finishes in both the U19 men’s and women’s divisions. After a great showing at the Senior and U23 edition a couple of weekends ago, the country’s best juniors took to the water in Boston, Lincolnshire on the first step towards a Great Britain vest in the summer.
On the men’s side, Marcus Chute took the win in a special edition Cobra. Marcus is building quite the rowing CV at The Windsor Boys School (TWBS), with medals at numerous national events and a finalist berth in the Fawley Challenge Cup in August. WinTech’s affiliation with TWBS stems back several years and has encompassed support at Henley Royal Regatta, the National Schools’ Regatta, the British Junior Championships and, now, a win at the Junior GB Trials. “I’m happy with the result and how the race went overall,” commented Marcus. “It was my first time racing at Boston so it was good to see what it’s all about. But this was just the first step in a season-long process so there’s plenty of work ahead”.
In an incredible show of strength, Marcus covered the course nearly a minute quicker than any of his competitors, finishing in 18:27. Mark Wilkinson, TWBS Director of Rowing, was pleased with the performances of his impressively robust squad, as his other athletes finished as high as 6th, 11th and 13th. “TWBS had 7 athletes competing and there were some excellent performances all round. We’re in a good place to be at this point in the season but as ever it’s a marker and it’s time to get our heads down for the winter training months ahead. All our athletes raced in WinTechs and the exceptional design and quality of their boats undoubtedly played a part in the results”.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Meg Knight took the victory in impressive style as she builds on-water credentials to match an astonishing off-water CV.
The sixth form student from Trentham Boat Club took a silver medal in the 500m Women’s Under 19 race and gold for the 2000m Women’s Under 19 final at the World Virtual Indoor Rowing Championships last March. Her triumph on Saturday, facing the very best scullers in the country, puts her firmly on course to represent Great Britain in the summer and continue her remarkable ascension to the summit of schoolgirl rowing. Racing in a white-painted Cobra, Megan finished over 11 seconds quicker than her nearest rival and will be looking to build on this performance as she heads into the longer winter training months.
Congratulations to all athletes who competed and thanks to those who have chosen to race in our boats.
Come and join #TeamWinTech today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price.
The first round of trials for the GB Rowing Team began in earnest last weekend, with hundreds of athletes making the pilgrimage to Lincolnshire and the twisting River Witham. With returning Olympians exempt from this first open trial, motivation differed across the ranks; for some, this was a chance to iron out the early-season kinks whereas for others it was the first step on the long road to Paris and the Olympic Games. The on-water testing began on the Sunday, after all athletes were asked to participate in a 2km ergo on the Saturday. The grueling nature of testing for the national squad reflects both the physiology and psychology required to excel at the highest level of our sport.
21 athletes raced in WinTech Racing boats with several finishing in the top ten for their respective categories. WinTech sculls took athletes to 1st, 3rd and 9th in the M1x alongside an 8th and 9th placed finish in the LM1x. On the women’s side, Rachel Bradley was our highest finishing openweight sculler in 10th whilst Olivia Bates took 2nd in the LW1x and the fastest U23 1x overall.
Competing for Edinburgh University and Leander Club, Jack Burns took the win in the Openweight Men’s Single in our Cobra shell. Jack competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials and featured for GB at the third World Rowing Cup in June of this year. He’s a regular on the domestic rowing scene and his success at the weekend should continue to build the narrative around inclusion in the senior squad for Paris preparation. Burns was one of several Scottish rowers impressing over the two days in Boston including several athletes from Scottish Rowing’s national performance programme.
Close behind in third was George Bourne, a former U23 world champion and fellow participant at the third 2021 World Rowing Cup. George was racing for Tideway Scullers School, a club he joined to pursue the senior squad. Whilst at Durham University, Bourne won several BUCS medals in both sweep and sculling events and collaborated with several other notable athletes to win the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2019.
On the women’s side, Olivia Bates led the charge for Team WinTech with a second-placed finish in the Lightweight Women’s Single Scull and the fastest U23 LW. Olivia turns 21 in December and is currently studying veterinary medicine at the University of Nottingham. She began rowing at Trent Rowing Club in Burton and was the winner of Championship Lightweight Single Sculls at the Henley Women’s Regatta in June (again, in a WinTech!). Her latest foray into international competition was a silver medal at the 2021 European Rowing U23 Championships in September in a Cobra single.
Other notable shout-outs go to Zara Gautier-Price and Olivia White (8th and 9th in the LW1x from Grosvenor and Oxford Brookes University respectively) and Bryn Ellery, who finished ninth in Openweight Men’s Singles.
A full breakdown of the results of athletes racing in WinTech Racing boats can be seen below:
| Event | Rank | Name | Club |
| Mens 1x | 1st | Jack Burns | Edinburgh University BC/Leander Club |
| Mens 1x | 3rd | George Bourne | Tideway Scullers School |
| Mens 1x | 9th | Bryn Ellery | Leander Club |
| Mens 1x | 19th | Nathan Hull | Leander Club |
| Mens 1x | 23rd | Finn Larkin | Notts County RA |
| Mens 1x | 21st | Isaac Workman | University of London |
| Mens 1x | 27th | Andrew Mettrick | Durham University |
| Mens 1x | 29th | James Watson-Gandy | Durham University |
| Mens 1x | 37th | James Crawley | Durham University |
| Mens 1x | – | Julian Van Gelderen | Nottingham University |
| Lightweight Mens 1x | 8th | Ed Gasgarth | Durham University |
| Lightweight Mens 1x | 9th | Jude Richards | Durham University |
| Womens 1x | 10th | Rachel Bradley | Newcastle University |
| Womens 1x | 14th | Jessica Martin | Leander Club |
| Womens 1x | 18th | Oluwaseun Olubodun | Leander Club |
| Womens 1x | 19th | Abigail Dawson | Lea Rowing Club |
| Womens 1x | 27th | Hannah Lawrie | University of Bristol |
| Womens 1x | 29th | Emma James | University Warwick |
| Lightweight Womens 1x | 2nd | Olivia Bates | Nottinghamshire Country RA |
| Lightweight Womens 1x | 8th | Zara Gautier-Price | Grosvenor Rowing Club |
| Lightweight Womens 1x | 9th | Olivia White | Oxford Brookes University |
Congratulations to all athletes and thanks to those who have chosen to race in our boats. Also a big thanks to AllMarkOne for the amazing photos!
Come and join #TeamWinTech today! Our value goes beyond that of just a great product for a great price.