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History of AAGPS Head of the River Rowing Regatta

1982 NSW AAGPS Head of the River

Kings notch up three in a row (Sydney Morning Herald, 28 Mar 1982)

The Kings School overcame a sabotage attempt to win their third successive Head of the River at the GPS rowing regatta on the Nepean yesterday.

Kings, spurred by their coxswain Lachlan McLean, slaughtered their rivals over the closing stages and finished three lengths clear of Grammar. Shore was third only a canvas ahead of Scots after the two crews had fought out a gripping stroke-for-stroke battle over the final 200 metres.

Kings’ time for the 2,400 metres was a fast 7m 36.21s and completed a fine double for the Parramatta school which took out the second eights in 7m 41.30s. Earlier in the day it was discovered that someone had tampered with the Kings crew’s oars and moved the buttons several centimeters. But the sabotage in time for coach Ken St. Heaps and the crew to fix it before the race. Clearly, the intention was to upset the rhythmic stroking style of the heavy-weight crew.

“It was a little bit disconcerting to find someone could stoop so low to try and beat us this way but it had the opposite effect of really firing up my boys for a mighty effort,” said St Heaps.

St Heaps was so nervous he could not look at the race for the first several hundred metres. When he overheard that Shore had taken an early lead he raced to a television set. He need not have worried. Urged on by McLean, Kings responded magnificently to surge past Shore and by the halfway mark they led by more than two lengths.

From that point it was merely a matter of how far for the defending champions as they increased their lead with a brilliant exhibition of rowing.

 

Senior 1st Eight

Major Rennie Trophy

7:36.21

3 lengths

½ length

1st The King’s School – Bow: David Bellamy, 2: Meechan Philpott, 3: Henry Robson, 4: Geoff O’Neill, 5: Chris White, 6: John Lewis, 7: Andrew Figtree, Str: Andrew Braddock, Cox: Lachlan MacLean

2nd Grammar

3rd Shore

4th Scots College

5th St. Joseph’s College

6th St. Ignatius’ College

7th Newington

8th High


Senior 2nd Eight

7:41.30

3 ½ lengths

2 lengths

1st The King’s School – Bow: Tim Braddock, 2: Bill Day, 3: John Payne, 4: Campbell Mason, 5: David Wonson, 6: Bruce Kirkby, 7: David Lindsay, Str: Greg Rowe, Cox: Bill Ferguson

2nd Shore

3rd Grammar

4th Newington

5th St. Joseph’s College

6th Scots College

7th St. Ignatius’s College

8th High


Senior 1st Four

Yaralla Cup

5:39.66

½ length

1 ½ lengths

1st Newington – Bow: Phillip Moffitt, 2: David Osborne, 3: Arthur Psaitis, Str: Michael Bencsik, Cox: P. King

2nd Shore

3rd The King’s School

4th St. Joseph’s College

5th Grammar

6th St. Ignatius’ College

7th Scots College

8th High


Senior 2nd Four

5:39.75

2 metres

1 metre

1st Grammar – Bow: Bruce Cameron, 2: Adam Smith, 3: Michael Grundy, Str: Robert Goldsmith, Cox: Paul Khourl

2nd St. Joseph’s College

3rd The King’s School

4th Newington

5th Shore

6th St. Ignatius’ College

7th Scots

8th High


Senior 3rd Four

5:38.41

¾ length

¼ length

1st           The King’s School – Bow: Tony Parker, 2: Braden David, 3: Mark Woodard, Str: Geoff Green, Cox: David Mylne

2nd          St. Joseph’s College

3rd          St. Ignatius’ College

4th          Shore

5th          Grammar

6th          Newington

7th          Scots

8th          High


Senior 4th Four

5:39.97

3 lengths

½ length

1st           St. Joseph’s College – Bow: Paul Johnson, 2: Steve Herbert, 3: John Bourke, Str: Pat Cullen, Cox: Chris O’Hearn

2nd          Grammar

3rd          Scots

4th          Newington

5th          The King’s School

6th          Shore

7th          St. Ignatius’ College

8th          High

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