Scott Durant, World Champs Silver Medallist in coxed pair, returns to LRGS.

Scott Durant (OL) won a silver medal in the coxed pairs event at the World Rowing Championships. The Championships, at De Bosbaan in Amsterdam at the end of August, mark the end of a fantastic season for Scott who has been racing in the World Cup Series for the GB senior men's team.

Those of you to follow this blog will know that Scott successfully represented GB last year in the senior Men's Four and in the Men's Eight this year. If you have been following Worldrowing.com and the BBC Sport's coverage of rowing, you will have seen Scott in action at international regattas across the world.

Alan Sinclair, Scott Durant and Henry Fieldman (cox)

Results

1 New Zealand   06:33.260

2 Great Britain 06:43.450

3 Germany       06:45.850

4 Argentina     06:47.470

5 South Africa  07:02.400

6 Netherlands   07:07.730

The British pair went out hard from the start to lay a marker down and stay with the favoured Olympic pair from New Zealand. A full race report can be found on the British Rowing Association web site and a video of the final can be viewed on the World Rowing website.

Scott started rowing at LRGS and as a J18 won the School's Championship Pairs Cup at the National Schools Regatta with his twin brother Mason. In the same year, Scott was selected to represent GB at junior level, racing and winning in a coxed four at the Coup de Jeunesse in a course record. Many of the juniors that Scott and Mason started with have now progressed to the senior ranks. Scott has also won trophies and set record times at Henley Royal Regatta with GB and Oxford Brookes University.

Scott returns to LRGS to meet boys and staff on Thursday 18th September. He will be down at Halton on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning to encourage our boys on the water. More photos to follow here.

Scott, the double named after him and his brother with and our J15s

The octuple project: new blades from The Rowing Foundation and Friends of LRGS

Scott Durant Selected for GB World Cup 2014 Eight

GB Rowing have announced the teams for the forthcoming rounds of the 2014 Rowing World Cup (GB Teams website link). Scott Durant (OL) has been selected for the bow seat of the GB Men's Eight.

This comes after a successful winter of GB Trials and a Bronze medal at the European Rowing Championships in Belgrade 2014 in the bow seat of the Men's GB eight. See the final of this race including a photo finish with the Polish eight to take the Bronze medal on World Rowing (Germany Gold 5:33, Russia Silver 5:34, GB Bronze 5:35).

Scott Durant (Arrow) with Bronze Medal in the Men's Eight at the European Championships, Belgrade 2014

GB Eight 2014 Crew selected for the World Cup Series.

1. Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
2. Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.1985)
3. Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.1988)
4. Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.1983)
5. Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.1981)
6. James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.1987)
7. Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
8. Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.1989)
9. Henry Fieldman (cox) (Imperial College BC/Barnes, London/25.11.1988)

Coaches: Christian Felkel & Rob Dauncey

The GB race calendar for the rest of the season is as follows:

• June 20-22 World Cup II, Aiguebelette, France
• July 2-6 Henley Royal Regatta
• July 12-13 World Cup III, Lucerne, Switzerland
• Announcement of GB Rowing Team crews for the World Championships - venue TBC
• July 23-27 World U23 Championships, Varese, Italy
• August 16-28 World Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China
• August 24 – 31 World Championships, Amsterdam

Both Scott and his brother, Mason, raced for the GB Men's Eight in Seattle (May) against the Washington 'Huskies'. They became only the third crew ever to beat the University of Washington 'Huskies' at this event and win the Windermere Cup (GB website report and American news video link of closing stages of the race).

GB 'Windermere Cup' Eight

1. Phil Congdon (Molesey BC/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.1989)
2. Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.1990)
3. Mason Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
4. Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
5. Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.1989)
6. Adam Neill (Leander Club/Peterborough/29.5.90)
7. Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.1988)
8. Daniel Ritchie (Leander Club/Herne Bay/06.01.1987)
9. Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Munlochy/16.10.1985)
10. Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
11. Henry Fieldman (cox) (Imperial College BC/Barnes/25.11.1988)

GB win the Windermere Cup

Pre-Christmas GB Trials Results (2013)

Scott and Mason Durant (OL) featured in the GB Mens pre-Christmas pairs trials at Boston, Lincolnshire. The results can be found on the GB rowing site and a screen shot of these appears below:

This winter trial is a long distance row for 18 minutes (~5km). Scott came 2nd, 3 seconds behind Alex Gregory and Matthew Tarrant. Mason came 6th. These trials were the first compulsory trials for GB athletes since the World Championships. The next trials are in February.

At the 2013 GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Trials held on 20/12 April at Caversham, Scott and Matthew Tarrant came 5th in the men's pair over the 2km sprint distance. Mason, also, has raced and won major events with Matthew Tarrant.

Scott Durant

OLs win at Henley and Lancaster

Scott and Mason Durant (OLs) won successive Henley Royal Regatta finals at 3.10 - 20 pm and at the same time 274 miles away in Lancaster, Mike Thornton (FRCS), Nick Radcliffe, Ben Renshaw, Rob Singh, and Andy Sweeney (cox) represented the Old Lancastrians and won their match against the School on the river Lune.

This must have been the hottest day this summer, certainly in the British sporting calendar. OLs contributed to this famous sporting weekend in the country's history. The British Lions had just beaten Australia (first series win for 19 years), Andy Murray won the Mens' Single title at Wimbledon (first British player for 77 years?), and OL rowers won two titles at Henley RR and the Old Lancastrians Challenge Cup in the same weekend.

Scott won the Stewards' Challenge Cup beating the Olympic Lwt Champions, from Tuks RC, S.Africa by 1.25 lengths in a time of 6:27 and in the next race on the programme, Mason won the Ladies Plate in a new course record beating Northeastern University 'A', USA. The stats for this race are amazing!

Barrier 1.48 * loser in lead

Fawley 3.02 ‡ equals course record

Finish 6.19 † new course record

At the same time up in Lancaster, we thought of our friends down at Henley and launched our new double scull named "Scott & Mason Durant" in honour of them.

** Please can someone send me some photos of the the prize giving and boat launches **

Results of the BBQ Row on the centerary of the OLs Club will be forthcoming and I will publish them here as soon as I get them from DY. Please send me photos if you have any.

It has been an emotional day, I don't mind admitting it. Thank you very much to the boys, their parents, the Headmaster, OLs and their families for attending. The staff need rewarding and thanking for their duty which was 'above and beyond' (DY and RGT) and also Ducan Bell and his family for putting on such a fantastic BBQ. We have all come away with some great ideas for the future of LRGSBC.

I have been in touch with Diane Durant down in Henley. She has confirmed that Scott and Mason will come up to the School as part of their commitment to British Rowing at some point at the end of the season to meet the boys. Meanwhile, we all anjoy, reflect and celebrate a fantastic day on or beside the river.

The comarderie involved in this sport of rowing runs deep and is the essence that binds rowers together at every level. They are a special breed. The effort required to reach the top goes beyond just the athletic endeavour gone through in 7 long minutes of nerve biting effort where muscle and sinew are tested to the limit. It is the years of dedication en route and the sacrificies and understanding made by all involved that binds the rowing fraternity together. Rowing is a family sport in the biggest sense of the word. The efforts required and the rewards gained are great indeed.

Have a good summer!

JPJ

OL Rowers through to Henley Royal Regatta Finals

Scott and Mason Durant continue their preparations for the next round of the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne by reaching finals at Henley Royal Regatta this Sunday.

Scott had a thrilling race rowing as Oxford Brooks Univ. & UL against the seeded Waiariki Rowing Club 'B', New Zealand in The Stewards' Challenge Cup. The kiwis took the lead and the GB four were trailing at both the Barrier and Fawley but rowed through their oppostion to win by 3 feet.

Barrier 1.54*
Fawley 3.12*
Finish 6.36

Scott is pictured at 3 (numbered from bow) in the photo below. Note the change in order of this crew. 'Noddy' at two today. Photos courtesy of Henley Royal Regatta website.

His crew now faces Tuks RC, South Africa in the finals tomorrow. Three of this crew are the current Olympic Lwt Champions from London 2012. They got through their semi-final by beating the other seeded NZ crew, Waiariki Rowing Club 'A'. Both semi-finals produced similar times so the final will be a thriller.

Mason took on and beat the ARMY RC in the quarter finals yesterday and the University of Washington, USA (time 6:19) in the semi-finals today of the Ladies Plate competition.

Barrier 1.48*

Fawley 3.02*
Finish 6.19

This race also saw the GB crew losing at both the Barrier and Fawley and to then row through the Americans and win by 1.25 lengths. Mason's crew are the current GB 2nd eight that came fourth at Dorney and have been selected to represent GB again at Lucerne.

Mason is rowing at 7 for 'Leander and Molesey Boat Club' crew pictured above (his are the Oxford Brooks University blade and colours). They meet Northeastern Univeristy 'A', USA in the final tomorrow.

Results from Henley Royal Regatta can be followed from their website results stream.

A Silver Medal for Scott at Dorney

Scott and Mason Durant represented GB at the Rowing World Cup at Dorney,Eton. Scott rowed in the Men's Four, winning a silver medal (pictured third from the left on the back row in the photo below) behind the Australians, and Mason rowed the GB 2nd 8+ which came fourth.

The following report is taken from the GB Squad website (race report):

This year 's GB men’s four has a completely new line-up of Alan Sinclair, Nathaniel Reilly-O'Donnell, Scott Durant and Matthew Tarrant, who settled early on into third position in their final behind Australia and Romania, giving themselves work to do in the second half of the race.

Refusing to panic, however, the British settled into a nice rhythm in the second 1000m, rowing through the Romanians into second position and gaining fast on the Australian four. They ran out of racing distance to overhaul the Australians, however, and had to settle for silver – a fine return for the relatively new crew, as Tarrant pointed out. “It’s really great; we have obviously had a crew change,” he said. “We’ve really made some good progress in the past couple of weeks. Really encouraging training at Caversham but Friday was our first day to see if everyone else has stepped on as well.”

Commenting on the tricky racing conditions, Scott Durant added: “It’s pretty tough out there. When you are coming in on a crew like Australia like we were there, you really put yourself in a lot of pain and only feel it when you cross the line. It’s pretty agonising but it’s good to come away with something after a couple of weeks of preparation.”

Men’s Four Results

1. Australia 5:56:40

2. Alan Sinclair/Nathan Reilly-O'Donnell/Scott Durant/Matthew Tarrant (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:57:74

3. Romania 5:59:88

4. New Zealand 6:02:67

5. Norway 1 6;07:68

6. China 6:12:35

Men’s Eight Results

1. Oliver Cook/Daniel Ritchie/Tom Ransley/James Foad/Mohamed Sbihi/William Satch/Pete Reed/Andrew Triggs Hodge/Phelan Hill (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:25:93

2. Poland 5:26:36

3. France 5:29:54

4 Matthew Gotrel/James Edwards/Nicholas Middleton/Philip Congdon/Colin Williamson/John Collins/Mason Durant/Lance Tredell/Hnery Fieldman (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 2 5:29:76

5. Czech Republic 5:31:64

more photos of the event at the World Cup Rowing website.

Old Lancastrian Rowers in the News

Scott Durant rows for GB (Round 1 World Cup - Sydney)

Scott Durant was selected for the GB Men's Senior Team in the coxless four that competed in Round 1 of the World Cup in Sydney. You may have seen this event televised by the BBC. Scott is pictured at bow in the photo below, with Nathaniel Reilly-O'Donnell ('Noddy') stroking the boat. 'Noddy', who we know well, is from Durham. I remember taking both Scott and his brother, Mason, over to St.Peter's School York to train together with 'Noddy' and Dr.Jamie MacLeod's (Master ic Rowing St.Peter's Sch.) son prior to GB Junior 18 trials and gaining selection for the GB junior team.

Here is an extract from the GB Team report which summarises the race:

"Australia took a one-two in the men’s four much to the delight of the home crowd. Behind them GB was lying fourth with 500m to go before turning on the after-blasters to try and catch New Zealand before the line. It was close and the surge was spectacular but Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell, Scott Durant, Matt Tarrant and Alan Sinclair just missed out to take fourth in 6:01.20."

Read Scott's profile on the British Rowing Association's GB Rowing Team pages.

The next round of the World Cup Round 2 is at Eton/Dorney, UK on 21st.June.