RYDE ROWING CLUB’S COASTAL JUNIOR FOUR TAKE WIN AT SOUTHSEA REGATTA

Crews and scullers from Ryde Rowing Club competed with success at Southsea Regatta on Saturday (17th August) – the last regatta of the Hants & Dorset ARA season. Southsea is also and the only Coastal Regatta where Clubs from the Hants & Dorset ARA and the Coast Amateur Rowing Association meet – providing a useful guide to the South Coast Championship Regatta, which this year is hosted by the Hants & Dorset ARA at the Royal Victoria Park, Netley, Southampton on Saturday, 14th September – probably the next event the Ryde Club competes at. Ryde had a men’s Coastal Junior Four of Ben Robotham, Isaac Gibson, Joe Roberts, and Yogi Ashworth – coxed by Ruby Read – competing, who rowed exceptionally well, finishing 2nd in their heat to qualify for the final, which they won in a close race to secure the Hants & Dorset ARA point, making them one of 2 runners-up for the Hants & Dorset ARA Championship. Further success came for the Clubs young Girls J16 Coxed Quad of Mai Read, Lottie Pettitt, Emily Kellerman, Alexis Owen – coxed again by Ruby Read – who won their race with comparative ease.

The Women’s Junior Coastal Four of Abi Locke, Emily Kellerman, Alexis Owen, Mai Read – and Ruby Read coxing once again- also rowed exceptionally well to finish 3rd in the heat to qualify for the final, where they once again finished in 3rd place. The Men’s Novice Four of Ruben Rook, Fin Diffey, Lucas Georgiou and Max Locke – coxed by Lottie Pettitt – were awarded 2nd  place in their final but launched a protest as the winning crew had taken their buoy – but the protest was not upheld – leaving Ryde in 2nd place – but the first Hants & Dorset ARA Club to finish, giving them the Championship point and a share in the Hants & Dorset ARA Novice Fours Championship. The Club also boated a Boys J16 Coxed Quad of Max Locke, Isaac Gibson, Lucas Georgiou, Joe Roberts, Fin Diffey and Dexter Robson Coxing who finished 5th in their final. In the coxless pairs events, the club’s Senior Pair of Paddy Kearney and Will Hall finished 6th in their final, the Men’s Coastal Junior Pair of Isaac Gibson and Joe Roberts rowed well to finish 3rd in their final, and the young Ladies Junior Pair of Alexis Owen and Emily Kellerman finished 8th in the final. In the single sculling events, Will Hall finished 4th in his heat qualifying for final where he sculled well to finish in 3rd place – the club’s other Novice Sculler, Paddy Kearney, also qualified for the final with a 3rd place in his heat but could only manage 6th in the final, and in the Women’s Novice Sculls, Lottie Pettitt finished 5th in her heat and did not qualify for final, and Ryde’s other Women’s Novice Sculler, Mai Read, suffered a similar fate.