Lakeland Rowing Club juniors triumph at Hexham

Brother and sister Luca and Daniela Jones (left) with Holly Lock and Adam Wilson at Hexham Regatta

A group of teenage novice rowers brought glory to Lakeland Rowing Club at Hexham Regatta in June 2019.

Adam Wilson, one of four Keswick School students representing the Derwentwater-based club, raced first in the J15 single sculls event over the 700m river course.

He won his heat and semi-final in relative comfort, overcoming some steering issues early on. In the final, he faced a competitor from Talkin Tarn Rowing Club in a much closer race, but the 15-year-old looked supreme as he crossed the line two boat lengths ahead.

After learning to row less than a year ago, it was only the second competition Adam had entered in a single scull, his first being at Strathclyde last month.

Holly Lock, 15, and Daniela Jones, 17, entered the WJ17 double sculls, their first event as a partnership. Holly joined the club only last year and, like Adam, was rowing in her second ever race.

Daniela, who captains Lakeland’s junior section, steered probably the best line of the day. The girls were beaten to the finish by a very quick crew but looked extremely tidy rowing together.

Daniela said: ‘It was fun to be part of the regatta and great to see our juniors winning.’

Later in the day, Adam took to the water again, this time with Daniela’s brother, 15-year-old Luca Jones, in the J15 double sculls. This was also a new partnership and Luca was taking part in his first ever race.

Pitted against a considerably larger crew from Tyne United RC in the final, Luca steered a superb course keeping mid-stream all the way. They edged ahead of their competition and continued to extend their lead to the line.

Adam said: ‘Hexham Regatta was a great event to compete in and I was absolutely thrilled to win in two categories. I’m so grateful to the club, especially Julia McCumiskey and David Thomas for the brilliant coaching and support I’ve benefited from.’

Luca added: ‘I went onto the water hoping to row the best I could and enjoy myself. It was a fun experience made all the better by the win.’

All four students learned to row with Lakeland Rowing Club as part of its partnership with Keswick School.

Junior section coach Julia McCumiskey said: ‘The three crews did themselves and the club proud. It was wonderful to see all their hard work producing such impressive results.

‘They were undoubtedly aided by several recent additions to our fleet. The lightweight single and two double sculls they used were funded by very generous sponsors, including the Hadfield Trust, United Utilities and several private individuals.

‘Having the use of such high-quality equipment is really helping our juniors to progress, and we foresee great things for them in the future.’