Reading Blue Coat School Boat Club

Reading Blue Coat School was founded in 1646, but the move to its present site on the river in Sonning did not come until just over 300 years later; and with it the ideal setting for a boat club. Nestled just upstream of Sonning lock, Blue Coat claims over 4km of secluded river opposite the Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake. A club not always punching right at the top end of school rowing, but far from the bottom end, Blue Coat has embedded itself as a club that consistently performs in both national events and Henley Royal Regatta, and will undoubtably have increasing ambitions in the future.

With entries going back to 2005, Blue Coat rowers achieved their first win in a race at Henley Royal Regatta in 2019, and have subsequently gone on to make the 2nd day of Henley three times since, highlighting the rise in the ranks of junior rowing. On a national scale the success is just as evident, with 2 wins in the past 2 years at the British Rowing Championships, where Blue Coat won the J18 8+ category in both Strathclyde and Nottingham. 2022 saw Blue Coat victorious in the School’s 1st 8 event at the School’s Head of the River, promoting them to the Champ 8. The 2 years following then saw them place 11th twice, justifying their upgrade of categories.

Following the recent departure of Allan French to Oxford University’s Women’s programme, Blue Coat are now under the coaching of Jonathan Jackson, who already has notable success in junior rowing under his belt, winning The Fawley Challenge Cup the year prior to joining Blue Coat.

Blue Coat’s rowing rise is starting to shine through in the form of success from alumni, or ‘Old Blues’ with two (Cameron Beyki and Tom Bryce) becoming Under 23 World Champions in the three seat and coxing seat respectively of the GB 8+.

Starting in 2023, the school welcomed girls into year 7, meaning in 2025 for the first time Blue Coat will have both a girls and boys J14 squad. This gives them the unique opportunity to compete on either side of junior rowing, where the school will look to replicate the success of their local opponents, St Edward’s School, who have done the same.

Although yet to be winning events in the highest echelon of junior rowing, their recent improvement has been clear, and under a new coaching team that will look to build on this trend, Blue Coat have the potential to lodge considerable success in Sonning.

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