From Sprints to Marathons: Schools Battle for National Canoe Titles at Hawley Lake

The National School Canoe Championships returned to Hawley Lake in Farnborough in 2025 for its fourth consecutive year as a joint-organised partnership between the Paddle UK Marathon Racing Committee and the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race Organisation. The event was created with the main objective to encourage grassroots paddling at a school level, and the development of school teams in paddlesport.

Six schools took part this year, with paddlers representing Norwich School, Cokethorpe School, Lord Wandsworth College, Kimbolton School, Heathside School, and Bryanston School. To take part, all schools have to show an active commitment to supporting paddlesport with their students, whether that be leading the coaching through their own staffing body or using a clubs expert coaching to run a school canoe/kayak club as part of their co-curriculum/sport offering. 

The morning programme featured sprint races over 500 metres and 200 metres in both Experienced and Novice categories. In the Experienced 500m final, Jasmine Sargeant and Dominic Walker of Norwich School claimed victory in 01:58:20. The Novice 500m final was won by Henry Wills-Cole and Charlie Williams of Lord Wandsworth College in 02:18:20, an impressive result given they only began paddling in September. The 200m knockout races added further excitement. In the Experienced final, Sargeant and Walker once again came out on top, securing the overall sprint trophy for the second year running. Imogen Field and Madison McKernan of Heathside School finished second, while Tom Barrett and Theo Brown of Kimbolton School took third. The Novice final was chaotic, with only three boats crossing the line upright, but Hugo Dawe and Hayden Nundy of Norwich School managed to win in their first ever race. Consistency across both sprint distances, however, saw Eddie Bird and Abi MacDonald of Lord Wandsworth College secure the overall Novice sprint trophy, ahead of teammates Daniel Dain and Xander Ramage in second and Dawe and Nundy in third.

After lunch, crews turned to the marathon races. The Experienced category covered six laps with five portages, while Novices raced four laps with three portages. Sargeant and Walker once again showed their strength, breaking away after the final portage to secure the marathon win. Field and McKernan of Heathside School took second place and the women’s trophy, with Sam Price and Ariana Mackie, also of Heathside, finishing third.

Speaking after the overall marathon and sprint win, Jasmine said, “It was a great day of racing, and exciting to see all the other schools taking part. It was fun to do – the multiple types of races in one day made it really special particularly as it was very well organised.”

In the Novice category, Wills-Cole and Williams of Lord Wandsworth College opened an early lead and held it to win by more than a minute. Luca Duncan and Freddie Kornerup, also from Lord Wandsworth, finished second, while Bird and MacDonald secured third place and the Novice mixed trophy. Daisy Mathieson and Lottie Graves of Cokethorpe School claimed the Novice women’s title.

Lord Wandsworth College’s depth was evident, with 12 of the 17 Novice crews coming from the school. Their dominance earned them the Novice team trophy, for another year, and the Novice women’s team trophy.

After reflecting on Lord Wandsworth College performance at the event, Adam Reid (Head of Canoeing at the school) said, “For LWC’s novice paddlers the Schools Nationals was a fantastic experience.  Not only was it a great opportunity to mix with teams from other schools, and to start to build relationships, it also exposed them to competitive flat-water paddling across a range of distances, and enabled them to see some top-flight paddlers in action.  To come away with the novice trophy was a tremendous boost to their confidence, and has inspired them to continue to work hard on their technique and stamina.”

Heathside School reclaimed the Experienced team trophy after returning to the competition following a year’s absence.

Full results can be found below and here.

The National Schools Canoe Championships will return to Hawley Lake in 2026 on Sunday 15th November. Schools wishing to enter should review the entry criteria here. 

If you are currently working within a school and interested in how to get more paddlesport programmes up and running, contact Holly Mobbs, the MRC Junior Development Lead, for guidance.