DURBAN Rowing Club has reason to feel proud of its juniors who headed to Rooderplaat Dam, north of Pretoria earlier this month to compete in the South African Schools and Junior Championships, the largest rowing regatta in South Africa.
After a challenging regatta In East London in mid-February, the best Durban Rowing Club junior rowers took to the water with 1375 competitors and 1015 boats competing in three tough days of racing.
“The nine Durban Rowing Club juniors braced themselves for some very tough races at altitude,” Durban Rowing Club captain, Mark Burgess said.
According to Burgess, the under 14 and 15 juniors competed over a 1000m course and under 16 to under 19 juniors competed over a course of 2000m. “Our athletes that competed in single sculled boats all finished in the upper half of their age groups, with Michelle Houlson qualifying for a semi-final in the U15 girls single scull race. The Houlson sisters, Tarryn and Michelle, finished fifth in the double in the girls U19 club doubles race,” he said proudly.
Sixteen-year-old Matthew van der Merwe and fifteen-year-old Stephen Van Lennep, finished with a bronze medal in the club U19 boys’ doubles race. “Our boys’ coxed quad won gold in the club U19 boys’ coxed quad race. The winning crew consisted of rowers Stephen van Lennep, Matthew van der Merwe, Andile Shozi, and Matthew Barbieri and cox Nathan van der Merwe.
