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.
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It was another outstanding day for WinTech athletes at the second Great Britain Rowing Open Trial last weekend, as both sculling and sweep took center stage in the form of men’s and women’s openweight and lightweight singles and men’s and women’s openweight pairs.
Athletes racing in WinTech Racing boats were particularly successful on the sculling side, with four top-five finishes secured. Following a lighter field in November, the February edition of the trialing process saw seasoned international athletes return to the fold including several who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
George Bourne, racing for the Tideway Scullers School in a WinTechRacing Cobra, built on his impressive third-place finish in November to finish second in the openweight men’s single, 1.5 seconds behind Harry Leask of Leander Club. George is a former U23 World Champion and raced at the third 2021 World Rowing Cup.
In fifth place was Jack Burns, also in a WinTech Cobra. Jack won the Openweight division in November and performed exceptionally over the weekend to see off several established names who had returned to the trailing process for the first time this season. Like George, Jack featured for GB at the third World Rowing Cup in 2021 and also competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials.
Other notable mentions should go to Bryn Ellery, a former Fawley Challenge Cup winner for the Windsor Boys School, who finished 13th, and Matt Brigham of Leeds University and Leander Club, who came in six seconds back in 14th place. Levin Graf, racing in Durham University colours, was in 17th, Isaac Workman of University of London in 23rd and Finn Larkin of Notts County in 24th.
On the women’s side, Katy Wilkinson-Feller led the Wintech charge by claiming third place in the Openweight Women’s Scull, coming 14 seconds behind overall winner Hannah Scott. Racing in a Cobra shell, Katy has built an impressive rowing CV that features numerous appearances in both international and domestic competition. She was competing for the Tideway Scullers School, one of the UK’s leading high-performance centers for promising British athletes.
Rounding out the WinTech representation in Openweight Women’s Sculls were Rachel Bradley of Newcastle University in 18th and Abigail Dawson of Lea Rowing Club in 21st place.
In a slightly smaller field comparatively, Maddie Arlett was WinTech’s top-performing athlete in the Lightweight Women’s Scull. She finished in third place, behind Imogen Grant and Emily Craig who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in the lightweight women’s single scull. Maddie made her debut with the GB Rowing Team senior squad at the 2017 World Cup regatta in Belgrade and won bronze in the lightweight single scull at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.
The other WinTech athlete in this category was Zara Gautier-Price, who finished in ninth place representing Grosvenor RC.
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