Crews from the Wightlink-sponsored Ryde Rowing Club competed in the South Coast Rowing Championships at the Royal Victoria Country Park in Southampton on Saturday.
This event is the culmination of the season where the champions and runners-up from the 3 South Coast Rowing Associations – the Coast Amateur Rowing Association, the West of England Rowing Association and the Hants & Dorset Rowing Association – meet to decide the overall champions at each status and this is supported by the open events and Junior Regatta.
This year’s event was hosted by the Hants & Dorset ARA and proved to be a very successful and well organised Regatta with great credit to the organising committee which included Ryde’s Steve and Josie Bull.
Ryde’s Men’s Senior Four of Matt Allsopp, Mike Ewing, Alex Miller and Tom Hammond – coxed by Jo Ewing – were selected to represent the Hants & Dorset ARA – the 39th time a crew from the club has represented the Association. However, they will have been disappointed with their 4th place in the event.
Ryde did have some success in the open events where the club’s Men’s Junior Senior Four of Joel and Austin Smith, Dale Buckett and Ben Sanderson – coxed by Emily Faithfull – very comfortably won their event.
The Novice B Crew of Bradley Whiting, Seb McKeown, David Baer and Paddy Kearney – with Emily Faithful coxing – finished in 2nd place in the heat to qualify for the final where, with Cayman Adams coxing, they finished in 4th place.
The club’s Novice A Crew of Will Hall, Gulley Roughan, Tom Kerver and Dan Sanderson – with Cayman Adams – coxing again finished 4th in their heat failing to make their final.
The Ladies Coastal Junior Four of Beth Walpole, Julia Clarke, Stella Baisley and Niamh Murphy – with Mai Mackay coxing – also finished 4th in the heat failing to make the final.
The Boys J16 crew of David Baer, Elliott O’Sullivan, Bradley Whiting and Dan Sanderson – with Mai Mackay coxing – once again raced in a Coxed Quad in the Junior Regatta – raced over the shorter 1000m course – finishing 3rd in their heats to qualify for the final where they finished in 6th place.
