Loreto, BCC make a splash at HOTL

THE biggest day on Ballarat’s school rowing calendar, the Ballarat Associated Schools Head of the Lake regatta, hit the water at Lake Wendouree on Tuesday morning.

In the most-anticipated events of the day – the open division one girls and boys two-kilometre races – Loreto College and Ballarat Clarendon College took out the wins respectively.

These crews were made up of M Lynch, I Rossato, O Lanyon, M McTigue and E Dodd, and S Hall, T Williams, M Mason, J Connolly and R Belcher.

Craig Smith, Loreto College’s head of rowing, said his firsts crew are on cloud nine.

“As a group they feel so proud to have this achievement now and especially grateful for all the messages they have received,” he said.

“They feel privileged to have been able to win this event for the school in its sesquicentennial year.”

The overall girls and boys premiers were also Loreto and BCC, taking the Netherway and Deveson cups back to their schools with 45 and 43 points respectively.

Strong performances were noted in the juniors and seniors throughout the day, with records broken, no doubt partly inspired by the roar of the spit crews of participating schools Loreto, BCC, St Patrick’s College, Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat High School and Damascus College.

BCC broke the open division one boys record, rowing their two kilometres in six minutes, 31.66 seconds. The BCC rowing club also broke the open boys’ thirds, fourths, and fifths records.

Loreto College broke the open division three and five records, and Ballarat Grammar won the open division six record.

St Patrick’s College broke the boys year 10 division five and six records, Ballarat Grammar broke the year 10 boys thirds, year 9 boys firsts, and year 9 girls fifths and sixths records.