YOUNG rowers from Haydon Bridge High School will be handed the honour of representing Northumberland in the New Year.

Eight of the school’s pupils will be part of the county team at the 2019 North East Regional Championships.

They qualified after excelling at the Northumberland Schools Indoor Rowing Championships at Cambois Boat Club.

The school’s rowers competed in various age groups at event, which challenged participants to race against the clock for as long as possible.

Haydon Bridge put in a strong performance in the Year 10 races, with Isabel Roberts gaining a silver medal in the girls’ race.

In the Year 10 boys’ race, Jay Jay Mackay earned bronze, and in doing so set a new Haydon Bridge school record of 1,370 metres in five minutes.

The competition for Year 11 pupils saw Andrew Fenwick add 60m to his previous personal best, to row 1,630 metres in six minutes to win bronze.

In the sixth form girls’ race, Ben Dracup just pipped his Haydon Bridge teammate Liam Oliver to third place, and win another bronze medal for the school.

Zoe Claire Trespaderne was fourth in the sixth form girls’ race, with Victoria Potts in fifth.

Other notable performances came at Year 7 level, where Layton Murray and Ciara Moor were third and fourth in their respective races.

It has been a good year for Layton, who excelled at the recent Tynedale Schools Cross Country Championships, earning second place.

A delighted head of PE Liz Hicks said: “We entered teams in each race from Year 7 to sixth form. Our students produced some excellent performances.”

The indoor rowing success concluded a memorable 2018 for sport at Haydon Bridge High School.

Its girls’ cross country team was triumphant at the Tyne and Wear Schoolgirls’ Cross Country Championships.

And the school’s senior golf team excelled at both Northumberland Schools, and England Schools golf events.

Both teams were recognised at Sunday’s Sport Tynedale Awards. The cross country girls were named high school team of the year. The golfers received a nomination.