The Buffalo Regatta and Selborne Sprint Regatta, held from February 5-7, provided a demanding early-season test for local school rowing crews, with athletes competing across U15, U16 and U19 age groups against strong opposition.
At the Selborne Sprint Regatta, the home school’s U15 squad showed encouraging depth. In the single sculls, Stanley Lewis and Corby Wiese finished 18th and 19th respectively. Wiese teamed up with Qhama Lisani in the double sculls to place 13th, while combinations of Mason Scheel and James Piccolo (14th) and Cameron Scott and Daniel de Waal (17th) also gained valuable race exposure.
Selborne’s U15 quad sculls crews delivered solid performances, with the A quad, stroked by Mason Scheel, finishing seventh, and the B quad, stroked by Abonga Reve, close behind in eighth. A highlight of the regatta came in the octupless, where the U15 crew, stroked by Scheel, powered to a third-place finish, while the U14 octuples, stroked by Collins, secured fourth.
The U16 crews continued Selborne’s momentum, with Joshua Gangerdine and Dewet Schoeman placed 10th in the pair oar, while the coxless four stroked by Gangerdine finished a commendable fifth. The U16 eight, also stroked by Gangerdine, crossed the line in sixth. The coxed fours, stroked by Lihlumile Nomanyama and Callum Nerves, finished eighth and ninth.
In the U19 category, Solu Ngubelanga and Lincoln Sumner placed 11th in the first double sculls, while Deklan Thompson and Chase Krug finished 12th in the pair oar. Thompson went on to stroke the coxless four into the A final, where they placed sixth.
The first eight, also under Thompson’s leadership, finished second in the B final, placing eighth overall.
The action continued at the Buffalo Regatta, where Selborne’s U15 octuples once again stood out. The U15 crew, stroked by Scheel, claimed another third-place finish, while the U14 octuples placed fifth. In the quad sculls, the A and B crews repeated their Selborne results, finishing seventh and eighth.
Among the U16 crews at Buffalo, the coxed fours placed ninth and 10th, while the coxless four stroked by Gangerdine finished eighth. The U16 eight completed the regatta in seventh place.
The U19 rowers faced tough competition, with Ngubelanga and Sumner finishing 13th in the double sculls. The pair oar of Tyde Scheepers and Ethan Bowie placed 12th, while Thompson and Krug finished 17th. A strong showing came from the U19 coxed four, stroked by Scheepers, which qualified for the A final and finished sixth. The first eight rounded off the regatta with a 10th-place finish.
With consistent performances and multiple A final qualifications, the regattas offered promising signs for the remainder of Selborne’s rowing season.
