2024 Winners: The Southport School

For Churchie rowers, not only is the Head of the River a key event on the calendar each year, so too is the Churchie Regatta. This year Churchie hosted Regatta 3 and in doing so turned on an exciting race format, arguably producing the best spectacle of the season so far. The regatta was run as heats and finals as opposed to the normal two race format, meaning that crews were placed into finals based on their finishing time and not constrained to their division of entry. With skill sets and speed closely matched, the result is close races with thrilling finishes. On the day for Churchie, in addition to the continued domination of the Year 10 3rd Quad, the two most notable performances were the Year 11 1st VIII and the Open 1st VIII with each having the best row of their season so far.

The new format also added some impetus to an important tradition within the Churchie Regatta; the awarding of the Brian Chatterton Trophy to the winning Open 2nd VIII. Brian Chatterton was President of the Churchie Rowing Support Group (CRSG) for three years from 1969 to 1971 when his son Bill Chatterton (1972) rowed for Churchie. Brian donated the trophy to be awarded annually. In those days there was no Open 2nd VIII division. For the inaugural race, held on the Milton Reach on 24 March 1973, each school combined their 1st and 2nd IVs. Such was the success of this race, won by Churchie, Brian’s far-sighted donation supported the establishment of a 2nd VIII division the following year. Early in the 2002-03 rowing season, Old Boy and current parent at the time, Greg Burley (1975) noticed the trophy languishing in the Campbell Centre trophy cabinet having not been awarded since 1987. As coach of the 2nd VIII in 2003, Greg requested that it be brought back into circulation. It was and Churchie was again victorious. With Jono Chatterton (2003) in the crew and his father Bill as the President of the CRSG, it was a very fitting win of a trophy that was first presented by Jono’s grandfather thirty years earlier.

2024 Churchie 1st VIII