Tyne Head marked Hexham RC’s second race of the 2026 head season, held on the River Tyne on 14th February. Crews arrived to a surprisingly flat yet chilly winter’s day, with a persistent breeze on the river.
Division 1
Although conditions were relatively calm, Hexham’s three junior crews all faced a strong headwind. Despite this, every crew delivered a huge effort.
OpJ18 2x – Seth, George
3rd – 19:17.7
As a scratch crew, Seth and George opened Hexham’s racing with a ferocious effort, finishing in the top half of the division overall.
OpJ16 2x – Jude, Leo
2nd – 17:56.2 The double once again lost out to Cambois but rowed a solid race, finishing 18th in the division and beating the fastest OpJ18 2x crew.
WJ18 4x – Kate, Olive, Esther, Bethan
2nd – 18:50.3
Despite some athletes still recovering from illness, the girls worked exceptionally hard, overtaking many crews and battling the conditions for an excellent result. They narrowly missed out on first place by just 11 seconds. This was their first race back together since Hexham Regatta.
Also representing HRC in the senior class was a W4x- who had a super row and came 2nd to Northumberia uni. For the Masters there were two crews in the Op MasDE 4x- category, the D crew came 2nd by 10 seconds and the E crew who had last minute crew changes had a good row. Lastly, the Hexham/Cambois composite in the WMasCEF 8+ won their category with a solid row.
Division 2
The two junior boats, including several substitutions from QEHS RC, encountered decent conditions overall, though the middle section of the course proved challenging with wavier water and swirling winds.
OpJ18 4x – Marcus (QEHS), Jacob (QEHS), George, Dan
4th – 18:08.4
Following a last-minute replacement of Marcus, the boys produced a solid race, finishing as the 10th fastest crew in their division.
W8+ (Band 3) – Olive, Esther, Astrid (QEHS), Sadie, Isla (QEHS), Poppy (QEHS), Bethan, Olivia
2nd – 20:23.3
This race marked the first 8+ experience for several of Hexham’s J17 girls. Thanks to Poppy stepping in, the crew was able to race and went on to beat seven other boats in their band—an excellent result, particularly as juniors racing in a women’s category. Overall, Tyne Head 2026 was a strong and encouraging performance from Hexham RC juniors, with determined racing across all crews. The event provided valuable experience and confidence heading into the remainder of the head season.
Two masters women’s quads represented HRC in division two, a C crew had a good tussle with a Tyne RC C crew along the course, coming 2nd to them. The E crew in the W MasEFG 4x- class had a solid row and building race experience and confidence.
Full results can be found here:
Division 1 – https://oar-online.uk/tynehead26/reports/div1_boatclass_results.pdf
Division 2 – https://oar-online.uk/tynehead26/reports/div2_boatclass_results.pdf
Huge thanks go to George and QEHS for towing the trailers and getting the fleet safely to and from Newburn. Their support made the day possible for all competing crews.
Another successful outing for Hexham Rowing Club, we look forward to attending the re-scheduled Durham Small Boats Head next weekend (which was unfortunately later cancelled).