Although there were no wins for the Wightlink-sponsored Ryde Rowing Club, the team produced a strong set of results when they competed at the Itchen Imperial Rowing Clubs Regatta on Saturday (13th August).
The regatta, staged over a 1600m course on the River Itchen in Southampton, has a 3 boat race format requiring heats and semi-finals and a final in most of the events.
There were good performances from the club’s 2 Coastal Junior Ladies crews, both fighting their way through to the semi-finals. The ‘A’ crew of Kristy Newman, Lisa Murphy, Ayesha Russell and Catherine Murphy – with Allan Evans coxing – went out to a crew from Southampton who went on win the event after beating the Ryde ‘B’ crew of Courtney Edmonds, Emily Pike, Julie Cole and Kate Whitehurst – coxed by Karen Crook in the final.
The 2 Murphy sisters – Catherine and Lisa – then competed together in the Ladies Coastal Junior Pairs with no great expectations as this was a new event for them, but they reached the final comfortably before narrowly loosing out to the Hants & Dorset ARA Champions from Lymington.
The Men’s Coastal Junior Four of Dom Douglas, Jacob Redstone, Ben Toms and Joe Groves – with Karen Crook in the Coxswains seat once again – showed an improved performance to reach the semi-finals where they were narrowly defeated. Jacob and Joe then competed in the Men’s Coastal Junior Pair, going one better than the 4 to reach the final where again they suffered a narrow defeat finishing in second place.
Men’s Novice sculler James Smith, competing in the single for only the second time, sculled well to win his heat before being narrowly defeated in the semi-final.
Featured photo: Ladies Coastal Junior Pair of Lisa and Catherine Murphy
