50 COMPETITORS TAKE PART IN IWRF INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The IWRF Indoor rowing championships took place last weekend, hosted by Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club. The competition saw some excellent racing with 50 competitors ranging from school year 7 up to masters. The year 12 & 13 events saw Shanklin’s Fred Giemza-Pipe win the year 13 race in the fastest time of the day for 2k in 6.26.4, a new personal best, and Joe Roberts win the year 12 race. The girl’s equivalent races were won by Shanklin rowers, Esme Walters and Theodora Travers respectively, with both setting new personal best times for this distance. The year 11 boy’s race was contested by 6 rowers, with Shanklin’s Louis Sheasby winning from clubmate Carter Horrix in 2nd and Isaac Gibson of Ryde collecting the bronze, whilst in the girls’ race,  Evie Crew took the top spot. The year 10 events saw victories for Charlie Watts of Ryde and Shanklin’s Evie Selway whilst the year 9 girls’ event had an all-Shanklin field of 6, with Annabelle Steward taking the plaudits from Immy Burfitt, Izzy Bounds and Rose Collier, second, third and fourth split by just 11 metres over the 4-minute race. The adult events were also hotly contested, with Faye Faber of Newport winning the Ladies’ Masters Race, recording the fastest time of the day in the women’s events, from Lisa Atkin and Julie Clark in second and third, whilst in the Men’s Masters 40, Simon Nevitt won in a new personal best from John Langborne and Harry Hare in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Masters’ 50 was won by Kev Faithfull from Andrew Tapsell and Paul Gamble, and the Men’s Open race was won by Newport’s Nathaniel Hamilton, with Paddy Kearney of Ryde 2nd and Chris Waters, also of Newport, 3rd. There were also wins for Freddie Bounds and Digby Ridgewell in the year 7 & 8 boy’s events, Connie Batley-Smith in the year 8 girls’ race, and Rosie Morris of Ryde in the year 7 girls’ race, with all 4 experiencing an indoor rowing competition for the 1st time.