HEADINGTON School celebrated another successful regatta with their eighth consecutive victory in the girls’ championship eights, writes John Wiggins.

Having been a firm fixture at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham, since 1973, the regatta was faced with the challenge of setting out its stall at Eton’s Dorney Lake after a mix-up in the bookings diary.

The change of venue was no problem for Headington School, who again took the top girls prize among a total of eight medals over the three days of competition.

Their senior girls eight (Maya Nickituk, Elizabeth Haskins, Rosie Little, Lucy Pullinger, Lydia Currie, Isabel Rundle, Katie King-Smith, Danielle Semple with cox, Annelise Perkins) – unchanged since their victory at the Schools’ Head in March – dominated each of their races to take their eighth title in a row – a record for any category at the regatta.

The crew split into smaller boats for Sunday’s competitions.

While the quad scull was just outside the medals in fourth, the pair of Nickituk and Pullinger took silver and there was another gold for the double scull of Semple and King-Smith.

Their J16 rowers gained a silver in the eight on Saturday and the next day collected bronze in the coxed four, before another silver in the quad with City of Oxford not far behind in fourth.

Headington’s J15 squad also added to their medal collection, taking bronze in the eight, while half of that crew picked up a second bronze in the B coxed quad event.

Of the other rowing schools, Abingdon and St Edward’s both appeared in several A finals, but only Radley College found themselves in medal territory with four sets of bronzes – from their A and B octuples plus the J15 and J18 championship eights.

Wallingford and City of Oxford clubs had to wait for success until the Monday.

City’s busy J14 girls combined to form a winning combination in the coxed quad sculls, with gold for Josie Nash, Leila Stringer, Bella Bowley, Eilish Turner-Frick and cox, Evie Tinegate.

Wallingford’s Georgia-Mae Frye took gold in the J16 single scull.

The GB team were significantly affected by illness in the second World Cup Regatta at Lucerne.

Their pre-eminent men’s four with a substitute in for Constantine Louloudis, won the only Olympic category gold but only by a whisker from Australia.

The women’s eight, which includes Oxford-based Frances Houghton, Katie Greves and Zoe Lee with Brookes’ Olivia Carnegie Brown and Oxford Blue, Zoe de Toledo coxing, took silver.

There was gold again for the non-Olympic lightweight pair for Oxford Brookes’ Joel Cassells, with Sam Scrimgeour, who remain unbeaten this season, while the Wallingford RC double of Brianna Stubbs and Ellie Piggott finished third in the B final.

In Oxford Universities Summer Eights, there was no change at the top with Oriel’s men and Wadham’s women retaining the headships.

Falcon RC claimed two wins at Monmouth Regatta for John Hill in the masters G single and Julie Steele in the mixed masters F double scull.