Newport Rowing Club have made history with their first-ever championship win, as Island crews including Ryde and Sandown & Shanklin impressed at the season-ending Newport Regatta.
The 2-day event marked the climax of the Hants & Dorset season, with Coxed Fours raced over the 1450m straight course on Saturday (9th August) and small boats and junior events over 1000m on Sunday. Perfect conditions and strong crowd support made for a fitting championship finale.
For Newport, the Junior status Fours showdown with Southampton was the race everyone was waiting for. Level on four wins each going into the regatta, the home crew’s season had been a rollercoaster – early sinkings at Shanklin and Southsea left them trailing 3-1 with five races to go, before a run of victories brought them back into contention.
Southampton hit back at Itchen Regatta last weekend to set up a winner-takes-all race on home water. In the final, Newport blasted out of the start, half a length ahead within 100 metres. By halfway the lead was a full length, and another push saw them pull further clear.
Southampton’s late surge couldn’t close the gap, with Newport crossing the line two lengths ahead to claim their first-ever four-man championship crown. The victorious crew of Boris Hare, Connor Garner, Jake Garner, Eric Williams and Nathanile Hamilton, coxed by Mariana Hare and coached by Nick Salter, will now represent Hants & Dorset at the South Coast Championship in Plymouth on 6th September.
Wightlink-sponsored Ryde Rowing Club also enjoyed success, winning 2 fours events. In the Open Junior Senior Fours, the “A” crew of Joe Roberts, Paddy Kearney, Will Hall and Isaac Gibson, coxed by Mai Reed, took victory in the final. The “B” crew of Ben Robotham, Joe Bird, Yogi Ashworth and Charlie Watts, coxed by Harry Watts, finished third.
Ryde are now expected to join Newport at next month’s South Coast Championships. The Women’s Coastal Junior Four of Abi Locke, Fiona Owen, Alexis Owen and Emily Kellerman, coxed by Ruby Reed, were comfortable winners, having already secured the H&D Championship earlier in the season.
Other Saturday results saw Ryde’s Women’s Novice Four place second in their heat, missing the final, while a composite Open Novice Four with Shanklin finished second in their final.
Sunday’s small boat and junior events brought mixed fortunes for Ryde. Highlights included an impressive debut for the Open J14 Coxed Quad of Harry Watts, Dexter Robson, Rosie Morris and Lenny Cranham-Ede, coxed by Mai Reed, who finished third in their final. In the Open Novice Single Sculls, Isaac Gibson was third and Charlie Watts second in their finals after both won their heats. Women’s Novice Single Scullers Stella Baisley and Emily Kellerman each won their heats, finishing second and third in the final. Joe Bird claimed second in the Boys J16 Single Sculls final after winning his heat, while Alexis Owen was second in the Girls J16 Single Sculls final, also after a heat win.
Sandown & Shanklin Rowing Club also produced a strong showing. In the Fours event on Saturday, the junior men and women’s crews both gained second places in their semi-finals, while the newly-formed Novice women’s crew of Mel Cockayne, Hayley Broadhead, Evie Selway and Annabelle Steward, coxed by Jane Bailey, impressed by qualifying for the final, where they finished third. The masters women’s crew also achieved a third place.
Returning on Sunday for the Junior and Small Boats Regatta, Sandown & Shanklin fielded an impressive 13 crews. The club enjoyed 2 wins, with Esme Walters and Anna Scott – already crowned Hants & Dorset champions – dominating their Pair final against BTC to win by two lengths and claim their fifth victory of the season. The J16 Girls Quad of Evie Selway, Annabelle Steward, Rose Collier, Lottie Pettit and cox Stella Gamble also won by a similar margin, leading from start to finish.
Two boys’ quads competed in the J14 and J16 events, both finishing close seconds in their finals. These results proved crucial as the club secured the Junior Aggregate trophy. In Novice Sculls, despite strong performances, Arlo Adds, Esme Walters and Melody Cockayne did not progress to the finals, while Simon Nevitt narrowly missed out after pushing Ryde hard in the semi-final. Several younger scullers gained valuable experience in the J16 Singles, with Layla Katirewa returning to secure third place in the final.
With Newport celebrating history and Ryde and Sandown & Shanklin all claiming multiple victories, the Isle of Wight’s rowing talent now turns attention to the South Coast Championship Regatta in Plymouth on 6th September.
