There was a much depleted team from Wightlink-sponsored Ryde Rowing club for the last Regatta of the Hants & Dorset ARA season, hosted by the BTC Rowing Club in Southampton on Saturday.
The high winds forecast led to the BTC Rowing Club making an early call to switch the regatta venue from Western Shore – a very open stretch on Southampton Water – to the far more sheltered Coalporters Rowing club course on the River Itchen. The last minute change meant a much earlier start and the cancellation of all but 1 of the small boat events, leaving Ryde with just 1 crew to compete at the regatta.
Ryde Rowing Club are grateful to sponsors Wightlink Ferries, who were able to switch the club’s minibus and trailer carrying Ryde’s and Shanklin Rowing Club’s boats to an earlier ferry to allow then to reach the regatta in time for the earlier start.
The 1 remaining Ryde crew still in the regatta, the Ladies Junior crew of Kristy Newnham, Lisa Murphy, Ayesha Russell and Catherine Murphy – with Mick Jenner coxing – comfortably won their heat and finished 2nd in the final, narrowly loosing to the Hants & Dorset ARA champions from Poole.
The strong performance from the Ryde Junior Ladies Crews since their promotion from Novice status earlier in the season led to the Hants & Dorset Rowing Association extending an invitation to the club to represent the Association at the South Coast Rowing Championships at Herne Bay in September, if 1 of the other 2 South Coast Rowing associations fail to fulfil their quota – which would be the 35th time the club has represented the Association at the Championships.
The Association Council meeting that extended this invitation also confirmed that Ryde Rowing Club’s 3 wins in the Men’s Novice Sculls this season made them Hants & Dorset ARA Champions at this status for 2016 and the 2 wins at Ladies Novice Fours gave them a share in the Ladies Novice Fours Championship – taking the total of Hants & Dorset ARA Championships won by the club since their first in 1962 to 41.
