An impressive 4 victories sealed Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club’s best Hants and Dorset regatta performance of the season so far at Milford-on-Sea.
In the J14 Quad event, Olivia Mumberson, Alex Collier, Josh Batchelor, Digby Ridgwell and cox Paul Gamble were pushed all the way by a strong BTC crew but held their speed and form to cross the line first in a thrilling race.
Esme Walters enjoyed a standout day, storming to victory in the Novice Single Sculls by over 100 metres before teaming up with Anna Scott in the Junior Ladies Pair. In a close-fought contest, a strong course and excellent turn paid off, giving them their 2nd win of the season.
The Novice Men — Huseyin Yolcu, Sam Meadowcroft, Isaac King, Fin Diffey and cox Esme Walters — have had some close races this year and finally made it their day at Milford. From the outside lane, they made a powerful start, gained an early edge and with another solid turn held off a determined Newport crew to secure gold. This hard-earned win also sees the crew promoted to Junior status.
The Girls J16 Quad of Annabelle Steward, Lottie Pettitt, Evie Selway, Rose Collier and cox Arlo Adds secured 2nd place, while the Boys Quad of James Travers, Sam Meadowcroft, Isaac King and Fin Diffey pushed winners Poole right to the line in a tight finish.
The Mixed Quad of Martha Eggleton and Poppy Lawrence — joined by 2 Lymington RC rowers — impressed with a 3rd place despite never having raced together before. Theodora Travers and Evie Crew also enjoyed their doubles debut, finishing 3rd in a competitive field.
There were plenty of encouraging performances just outside the podium places too, with the Novice Ladies, Masters Ladies, Boys J16 Double and Arlo Adds in the Novice Sculls all finishing fourth, while the Junior Ladies Four, Girls J16 Double and Girls J16 B Quad placed fifth.
Next weekend promises more excitement, with 13 crews heading to the British Championships in Nottingham and 5 crews racing closer to home at Coalporters Regatta in Southampton.
STRONG SHOWING FOR RYDE ROWING CLUB AT LYMINGTON REGATTA
A strong contingent from the Wightlink-sponsored Ryde Rowing Club headed to Milford-on-Sea on Saturday (12th July).
In the Open Junior Senior Fours, Ryde fielded 2 boats. The ‘A’ crew of Will Hall, Paddy Kearney, Joe Roberts and Charlie Watts, coxed by Mai Reed, raced well to secure 2nd place in the final. The ‘B’ crew — Isaac Gibson, Cameron Darcy, Ben Robotham and Yogi Ashworth with Harry Watts coxing — finished 3rd in what was their first outing of the season.
The Open Junior Four of Cameron D’Arcy, Ben Robotham, Yogi Ashworth and Joe Bird, with Harry Watts as cox, were well placed at the turn but an incident led to their disqualification.
In the Women’s Junior Fours, Abi Locke, Fiona Owen, Alexis Owen and Emily Kellerman, coxed by Ruby Reed, placed 2nd in their heat to reach the final — where they went one better, taking the win and earning another Hants & Dorset ARA Championship point for the Club.
The Women’s Novice Four of Niamh Murphy, Clara Jenkins, Demi Cranham-Ede and Lorna Worthington, with Mai Reed coxing, finished 6th in their final, while the J16 Boys Coxed Quad of Cameron D’Arcy, Joe Bird, Max Locke and Charlie Watts, coxed by Harry Watts, placed 7th.
In the small boats, the Women’s Senior Pair of Stella Baisley and Lisa Murphy finished 5th in their final before going on to race in the Women’s Double Sculls, where they finished 3rd.
Ryde’s J16 Boys Double Sculls pairing of Max Locke and Joe Bird put in an exceptional performance to win their event convincingly. Meanwhile, the Girls Double Sculls of Eve Gordon and Alexis Owen crossed the line in 4th place.
The Club also had two Novice Single Scullers competing. Isaac Gibson placed 3rd in his heat and repeated the result in the final of the men’s event, while Stella Baisley finished 4th in the women’s final.
NEWPORT ROWING CLUB CREWS PUT IN STRONG PERFORMANCES AT LYMINGTON RC REGATTA
6 crews from Newport Rowing Club travelled to Milford-on-Sea.
The day began with the J16 mixed quad of Fin Gorbutt (cox), Fiona Brookes, Freddie Hollis, River Szawiel and Mariana Hare. Rowing up an age category and entering a boys’ race with a mixed crew, they performed well to secure 5th place out of 8 starters.
The Women’s Novice crew – Fiona Brookes (cox), Grace Garner, Helen Hopper, Hannah Tuberville and Julia Coulson – achieved their second consecutive second-place finish. In a dramatic finish, the leading Lymington crew stopped short of the line, believing they had won, which allowed Newport to close the gap significantly before Lymington recovered to cross just ahead.
The Open Junior Pair of Jake Garner and Nathaniel Hamilton started strongly and were contending for the lead at the buoy turn. Unfortunately, they turned too tightly and missed the buoy, costing them valuable time. Despite this, they pushed hard to claim third place.
The Open Masters 40 crew – Mariana Hare (cox), Paul Gamble (Shanklin), Chris Clarke, Ed Hopper and Julie Clarke – faced competition from crews nearly 20 years younger. They put in a determined effort to finish 4th out of 5.
Newport’s Open Novice crew – Fiona Brookes (cox), Freddie Hollis, Max Gasper, Jude Williams and River Szawiel – also secured second place for the second regatta running. They gave the winning Shanklin crew a tough challenge but narrowly missed out on first place.
Rounding off the day, the Junior Open 4 of Mariana Hare (cox), Boris Hare, Connor Garner, Jake Garner and Nathaniel Hamilton started well and held their own in a competitive field. Choppy conditions affected their usual pace and they finished in 3rd place.
