Newport Rowing Club made a flying start to the 2026 Hants & Dorset season with a historic home regatta victory.
After making history last season by winning the South Coast Championships, Newport kicked off the new Hants & Dorset campaign in emphatic style as the club hosted the opening regatta of the season on the River Medina.
The Coastal Fours Regatta, held on Saturday 2nd May, saw clubs from around the Solent joined by Island rivals Ryde and Shanklin, with Newport fielding 8 crews for the first time at any regatta.
Early signs of a strong weekend came in the Masters 50 event, where Andrew Hyam, Chris Clarke, Ed Hopper and Harry Hare, coxed by Fiona Brookes, held off a strong challenge from Poole to finish 2nd behind reigning Hants & Dorset champions BTC.
Newport’s Open Novice crew of Fin Gorbutt, Richard McCurdie, Charles Jackson and Val Blake, coxed by Mariana Hare, also impressed in their first ever race, putting in a strong semi-final performance but narrowly missing out on the final.
Both Women’s Novice crews raced hard, with the ‘A’ crew just pipped in their semi-final by eventual winners Poole.
In the Junior status event, Newport’s A and B crews produced strong performances before being eliminated in the semi-finals, but the Junior Senior squad delivered one of the performances of the day.
Coxed by Hants & Dorset 2025 Cox of the Year Mariana Hare, the crew of Ollie Coulson, Boris Hare, Jake Garner and Jude Williams won the Junior Senior race, sponsored by Island Hire Centre, against arch rivals Southampton.
The race was made even more dramatic when Hare became detached from his seat 3 times during the contest, but Newport still had enough determination to win by a length.
In the Senior final, sponsored by Gurit, Connor Garner replaced Hare in an otherwise unchanged crew. Once again coxed by Mariana Hare, Newport took control from the halfway mark and went on to beat Ryde into 2nd and Hants & Dorset champions BTC into 3rd.
It marked a historic moment for Newport, with the club winning a Senior race on the Hants & Dorset circuit for the first time — made all the sweeter by achieving the feat at their own regatta.
Sunday then brought the Small Boats and Junior races, with Newport again fielding a record entry of 5 scullers and 2 pairs across events ranging from Junior 16 to Masters 40+.
All crews produced encouraging performances, underlining the growing strength and depth of the club.
RYDE PICK UP RUNNER-UP SPOTS AT NEWPORT REGATTA
Ryde Rowing Club also produced a number of strong performances at the opening Hants & Dorset regatta of the season.
Ryde Rowing Club, sponsored by Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries, had mixed results across the 2-day event.
On Saturday, Ryde’s Open Senior Fours crew of Paddy Kearney, Will Hall, Joe Roberts and Charlie Watts, coxed by Harry Watts, contested one of the closest races of the day, finishing 2nd after narrowly losing out to Newport in the 3-boat final.
The Senior Women’s Four of Eva Gordon, Alexis Owen, Stella Baisley and Emily Kellerman, coxed by Ruby Read, won their heat before also finishing 2nd in the final by a small margin.
Ryde also boated 2 Women’s Novice Fours for the first time in several seasons. The A crew of Ann Wright, Demi Cranham-Ede, Abby Bird and Clare Gordon, coxed by Rosie Morris, finished 3rd in their heat, while the B crew of Polley Townson, Sandra Barry, Andrea Hazelwood and Darrell Reeve, coxed by Mai Read, finished 2nd in their heat. Neither crew made the final.
In the Women’s Masters 40 fours event, Ryde’s Abi Locke, Maggie Sanderson, Fiona Owen and Lisa Murphy, coxed by Mai Read, finished 3rd in their final.
On Sunday, Ryde’s Open Senior Pair of Paddy Kearney and Joe Roberts finished 3rd in their heat.
In the Open Novice Sculls, Isaac Gibson finished 2nd in his semi-final, just missing out on the final, while Charlie Watts won his heat and came 2nd in the semi-final.
In the Women’s Novice Sculls, Stella Baisley finished 3rd in the final, while Alexis Owen finished 2nd in her heat and Emily Kellerman finished 3rd in hers.
In the Open J16 Boys sculling event, Max Locke finished 3rd in his heat, with Cameron Darcy finishing 2nd in his heat.
