Competing with the region’s best

Haydon Bridge High School’s Rebecca Wardle earned a gold medal in the Year 7 girls’ race at the Northumberland Championships, at Cambois.

And in doing so, she set a new record for Haydon Bridge High. She rowed 501m in two minutes, replacing Bryony Agar’s record which had stood since 2014.

Rebecca then team up with classmate Dan Cantwell for the Year 7 relay race, where they swept to victory by a very clear margin to secure gold.

Other notable performances came from Jonathan Rodgers and Andrew Fenwick, who were third and fourth respectively in the sixth form boys’ race.

Also securing fourth place was Isabel Roberts, in the Year 11 girls’ race.

Isabel, Jonathan and Andrew then teamed up for the senior relay, where they excelled to finish second.

The five students were later selected to represent Northumberland at the North of England championships, at Durham University, where they were pitched against experienced rowers from established rowing clubs across the region.

However, they continued to reach high standards. Rebecca secured gold with an emphatic win in the Year 7 race with a distance of 492m, just outside her personal best.

In the Year 11 race, Isabel recorded a personal best distance of 1,480m to secure a thoroughly deserved bronze medal.

In the sixth form race, Jonathan took seventh place, also with a personal best, with Andrew closely behind in eighth.

Head of PE Liz Hicks was delighted with the success, which came soon after Haydon Bridge students excelled at the North of England cross country championships.

They qualified for the English Schools Championships, which will take place in Liverpool this weekend. In recent years, the school has been successful in various sports, including athletics, football and golf.

She added: “It is rewarding to see Haydon Bridge High School students not just competing at regional level with such composure, but excelling in a wide range of sports.”