News

Posted: 09 September 2025

The Scotland Rowing Team took to the water at Dorney Lake on Saturday the 26^th July for the Home International Rowing Regatta. Comprising of 79 athletes, coaches, umpires and support staff, the team did well across the events to bring home a total of 7 gold medals to finish 3^rd in the overall points ahead of hosts, Wales.

Our team captains report on how their squad got on:

Ben Nussey, Edinburgh University BC
Senior Men

As Captain of the Senior Men’s squad at HIRR 2025, I really enjoyed the experience competing for Scotland, especially in the position of being involved more broadly with crews beyond just my own.

As usual, the Senior Men’s team was put together through a genuinely competitive trials process, followed by a lively weekend of final seat racing where a strong squad was selected heading into HIRR.

We were lucky with the weather in the lead-up to the regatta, which meant the squad could really pick up speed across all boats, both technically and as a team. Highlights included the debut of the squad speedboat ride, following an afternoon of on the water pieces.

At Dorney, the regatta got off to a class start, with both of our single scullers putting in impressive performances. M Hughson charged in the U23 1x, coming second to a top English sculler, a big result for him on the day and highlighting an impressive transition from sweep to sculling. Then came B Parsonage, who, I hope, doesn’t mind me saying, delivered what must have been one of the best performances of his career. He raced from every position before clinching the win inside the red buoys- an exciting watch from the tents. Next up was the Men’s 2x, where J Thompson and R Waddell put in an excellent performance to come second within a strong field, showcasing a big stride from the 1000m mark.

The first sweep squad event was the coxed four, made up of H Blackwell, M Bone, J Matthews, B Nussey, and G Douglas. They nailed their race plan and took the win over England by just over nine seconds. This was followed by the Men’s coxless four; J Swedlow, N Paul, J Bagley, and D McKinnon delivered a strong race in what was arguably the tougher of the two fours events, placing third and finishing comfortably ahead of Ireland. Then came the Men’s pair of N Field and O Forbes, who had to contend with the worst conditions of the day, a poorly timed seven-minute monsoon. Despite that, they raced well and came third, with a solid margin over fourth-placed Wales.

In the afternoon session, it was time for the big boats. First up, the quad had a solid race to finish second behind England, continuing a strong run of results in the small boats.

Next, the Men’s eight got off to a great start, leading at the 750m mark before getting into a dog fight with a well-drilled English crew. They finished second with a time of 5:48, not the result hoped for, but still a time to be proud of and a sign of the high standard of racing we’ve come to expect at Home International in the previous two editions.

Fast times followed in the sprint events across all crews, highlighting the strength and depth of the squad.

Overall, the Senior Men’s team finished second in the team trophy, a great result that shows how the team performed between the end of the domestic season and the start of international racing.

HIRR has two roles in my view: it gives top athletes from Scottish programmes the chance to step up to the challenge in the lead-up to and on race day, and it gives them valuable experience to carry forward into future seasons. I think this year’s Senior Men’s squad did exactly that, and I’m excited to race alongside these guys again.

Image: Scottish Rowing. M4+ on the podium holding the Scotland flag behind them.

Isla MacCallum, Edinburgh University BC
Senior Women

Representing my home nation, Scotland, has always been a goal in my rowing career. It is an honour to roll up a Scotland one piece and hold Scottish saltire blades alongside the best athletes in my country.

This year has been especially important to me as I was luckily enough to be selected as the Senior Women's captain and come away with a win in the W2-. Subsequently, taking on this leadership role gave me the opportunity to lead, support and encourage others to perform at their peak potential. This combination is being able to watch the W4- cross the finish line in first and cheer on all other crews I have spent the last two weeks intensely training with. These successes would not have been possible without the team atmosphere that is fostered whilst preparing and competing together.

Other notable mentions from the small boats include both women's 1x that put out a fierce performance on the course. The sculling team was complete with the 2x that achieved a close second place. This crew, consisting of S Happs who has been completing her rowing training in the US and P Swaile who recently won The Chairman's Trophy (Aspirational 4x) at Henley Women's Regatta earlier this year. It is no surprise that these four athletes set an aspiring tone to follow. The sweep squad also showed their pedigree in the 4+, coxed by A Simms, as they put out an impressive fight to the line, further raising the bar for others to follow.

A unique aspect of HIR is when small boats come together to create a 4x in the sculling team and an 8+ in the sweep team. Each of these boats complete a 2000m race before heading back to the course for the third time that day to race a 500m head-to-head with the other nations. This is a personal favourite of mine when you see the supporters shouting everyone on. The 4x had a close race, achieving 3rd place in the sprint 500m. The 8+ was also caught in a close race to the line whilst also coming away with achieving third place. Crossing the line and looking over to the bank to find Scotland flags brought by supporters is another reminder as to how supportive the Scottish Rowing community is. It speaks volumes that people take the time to travel across the country to watch the Scotland Rowing Team continue to perform to such a high level.

The Scotland Rowing Team is an exciting family to be part of both on and off the water. Seeing the excitement on teammates' and coaches' faces is always one of my favourite parts of race day.

A massive congratulations to all Scottish athletes who raced, and I look forward to following these journeys in the upcoming years.

Thank you to all who organised such a special event and help support me in my capacity. I hope that in some way I have played a small part in helping others progress in their own rowing career. Good luck to everyone in the future!

Image: Scottish Rowing. W4- on the podium holding the Scotland flag infront of them and showing off their medals.

Cameron Khan, George Heriot’s School
Junior Men

Scotland’s Junior Men came together from nine different clubs to form the crews that would take to Dorney Lake. With a broad range of training backgrounds present in one team, we were naturally aware that getting the crews up to speed for the regatta was going to be a challenge. And yet, the boys took the challenge right in their step. Each crew made significant strides forward throughout the training period, and at the same time, the squad as a whole grew closer together, as the crew connections we were going to need in-competition developed.

Coming to race day itself, the Junior Men put in a big shift across the board, with both the sculling and sweep teams seeing some impressive performances in different categories.
 
On the sweep team, there were many hard-fought battles, the first of which came from the coxed four. Comprised of R Lapping, L Renwick, S Bain, N Martin and coxed by N Tinch, the crew put out a confident start, before extending their lead on Ireland and Wales to take a confident second place. Following this, the coxless four of T Morrison, S Roxburgh, I Coutts and C Khan raced well in an effort to stay with the pack as long as possible, eventually placing fourth. Another notable race came from the pair of F Morrison and M Brown who, after edging ahead of Wales in the mid-section of the race, kept their cool and maintained their position to finish in third place, ahead of the sprinting Welsh pair.
 
Meanwhile on the sculling team, we had four athletes from three different clubs race together in the quads for both the 500m and 2000m races. Throughout training, it seemed from afar as if the quad had linked up seamlessly, in a manner which most certainly transferred to their racing. In the 2000m race, the quad of H Fyffe, O Main, M Wilson and H Skirving was seeming to be in last position for most of their race, yet still close on the tale of Wales. Sure enough, the boys pulled it out of the bag and with the fastest sprint finish out of all four boats in their race, surged ahead of Wales to finish in third place. However, our racing highlight of the day had to come from O Main in the ‘A’ singles race. Striding out to the front of the field, Main maintained his position throughout the race, putting on a display of his technical prowess as he clung onto his lead and won Scotland’s first gold medal of the day, with a fantastic first place finish!
 
This year’s Junior Men’s team was a fairly young one, and having shown a great deal of skill this year, we look forward to seeing what next year’s returning athletes and newcomers are able to show on the international stage, and those of us who are moving on to senior rowing wish them the best of luck!

Image: Provided by Cameron Khan. JM8+ racing down the course.

Isabel Soyinka, Clydesdale ARC
Junior Women

This year, I was incredibly honoured to captain the Junior Women’s team and lead the strong group of athletes selected for the team to race at the 2025 HIRR. Representing Scotland has been a goal of mine since I began rowing, and to do so as captain made the experience even more meaningful. 

In the lead up to HIRR, we took part in several days of trialling including rigorous seat racing that tested the rowers' resilience. A talented and dedicated team were selected from nine clubs from across Scotland and further afield. Through training and shared determination, the girls quickly came together as a cohesive unit- not just as teammates but as friends.  

At Dorney the junior women team delivered a series of competitive and exciting races. I Cain and R Hendrie kicked the day off sculling in the ‘B’ and ‘A’ singles respectively. Both produced strong performances over the 2000m course against a competitive field. Following this, I Soyinka and S Gildert raced the double, leading through the 500m mark and maintaining tight racing through the 1000m to secure a 3^rd place finish. In the afternoon, the sculling team came together for two more events in the 4x across 2000m and 500m sprint. In the 2000m race the crew took an early lead with a speedy start, then maintained composure and rhythm through the middle 1000m following their race plan, ultimately finishing in 3^rd after some tough racing.  

Meanwhile the sweep team rose to the occasion. The 4+ which consisted of  A Wharton, I Griffith, E Johnston, C Meakins, coxed by H McGeorge delivered a strong performance. The motivation and direction from the cox enabled this crew to stick to their strong race plan and row through the Welsh crew into a strong 3rd place finish. Another exciting race to watch was the junior women's 2-, which was made up of rowers L Edwards and I Kalkman. This race consisted of a strong field of athletes, but the girls relied on their previous training together to produce some great racing down the course. I thoroughly enjoyed watching some close racing by S Swanson, C McKendrick, I Barr and Z Cochrane in the 4-. They had a fast start out of the blocks and found themselves in a battle with the English crew. Racing was close through the 1000m with a fantastic surge in the last 300m, but the crew narrowly missed out on first, finishing behind England. 

The sweep team also came together to race the 8+ in both the 2000m and 500m sprint, delivering fast, aggressive racing that showed the strength and unity of the team.  

HIRR is a special regatta that brings together athletes who usually race as rivals throughout the season. This strong sense of community is one of my favourite aspects of the regatta and I hope to be part of it again in the future. 

The junior women’s squad should be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished- not just in their racing results, but in the way they represented Scotland. I’m excited to see where their rowing journeys take them next.  

Image: Scottish Rowing. Group photo of the Scottish Rowing Team for 2025.

Scottish Rowing would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to this year’s hosts, Welsh Rowing, for organising such a fantastic event — we had a brilliant day!

Special thanks and congratulations go to Jen Thomson, who represented Scotland on the GMC for the event, following Lee Boucher’s departure last year. We’re incredibly grateful for her contribution. On that note, sincere appreciation goes out to all the GMC members for their ongoing hard work and commitment.

We are also very thankful to our two umpires, Graeme Duff and Claire MacIntosh, for generously giving up their time to support and help run the event — your efforts didn’t go unnoticed. A big thank you as well to Hairy Haggis Tours and our trusty driver Wullie for ensuring we got to and from Dorney safely and smoothly.

Of course, we must not forget Rival Kit, who made sure we were the best-dressed team out there. We received so many compliments on our kit from fellow teams and spectators alike — thank you!

Last but certainly not least, an enormous well done to all the athletes, coaches, and support staff. Your dedication, both on and off the water, was truly inspiring. The team atmosphere you created was exceptional; we are very proud of the Scotland Rowing Team!