Maitland Grossmann High School rowers Jack Davey and Robert Weatherall were determined to defend their 2016 and 2017 Combined High School quad scull title this year.
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So determined they formed a new team from scratch after back-to-back title winning teammates Carter Ward and Brendan Budworth graduated in 2017.
Six months after their quest began they were joined as state champs by new teammates Mitchell Scales, Cameron McConville and Michael Eveleigh.
It topped off another successful campaign by Maitland Grossman rowers with Davey winning the single sculls and combining with Weatherall to take their fourth double scull title in a row.
Davey was awarded Reg Galvin Memorial Award as the outstanding male rower for the second year in a row in a regatta which also included fourth place in the champion four with Weatherall, Scales and McConville and cox Rebecca Davey.
Rebecca finished fourth in the under-17 women’s single sculls. She was leading the event at the halfway mark when she hit a lane buoy. In a terrific effort she recovered to just finish outside the top three.
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Rowing coach Peter Bond said Dave and Weatherall began their preparation for 2018 in the second term of 2017, recruiting new rowers for the crew.
“During the winter and early spring, several prospective crew members came and went, sampling the joys and rigours of rowing until three recruits Mitchell Scales, Cameron McConville and Michael (Mitchell) Eveleigh made a definite commitment,” Bond said.
“They had six months to progress along a steep learning curve from raw novices to racing oarsmen and with Jack and Robert’s encouragement they achieved it.
“In the final at the 750 metre mark of the 2000 metre course Maitland was in fourth place.
“Jack and Robert decided that they had to increase the intensity if they were to feature in the medals and upped the rating.
“The extra effort saw them steadily move through the field until they hit the front and pulled away to win by a length from Sydney Boys High School in second and Sydney Secondary College in third.”
The crew of Scales, McConville, Davey and Weatherall with cox Eveleigh had won the third consecutive champion men’s quad sculls title for Maitland Grossmann.
The outstanding achievements continued, but Davey almost missed his chance to compete in the single scull final. He broke his foot-stretcher in qualifying race and efforts to repair it failed.
Maclean High came to his rescue and despite racing in a borrowed boat, Davey led from the start to win comfortably by six lengths.
