COALPORTERS REGATTA, 18th JUNE, 2005.

Ryde Rowing Club, sponsored by Wightlink IW Ferries, travelled to Southampton, to compete at the Southampton Coalporters Rowing Club Regatta on Saturday and came away with three impressive wins.

The Men’s Senior Four of Ben Ade, Matt Allsopp, Mike Jenner and Ian Hayden, coxed by Catherine Hume dominated the Senior Fours event to claim their first Championship point of the season. In their heat they easily beat the home Club Coalporters and a strong Lymington Crew and in the traditional twice round final - over an extended course of 3000m they convincingly beat current championship leaders Christchurch and Lymington by more than seven lengths. Interestingly this is believed to be the first time a Ryde Senior Crew has won a Championship Regatta without a member of the Pike family being in the crew!

However more success for the Clubs Senior Oarsman came in the Men’s Senior Sculls with Nick Pike winning his heat and the final in some style to take his second Championship point of the season to take the lead in the battle to retain his Hants & Dorset Championship. Mike Jenner, who has shown much improved performances this season, made it a one, two for Ryde - with the third Senior Sculler, Matt Allsopp, narrowly missing out on a place in the final - having the misfortune to be up against Nick Pike in his heat.

Ryde's third win of the day came from their young Ladies Novice four of Kim Salter, Sarah Lamb, Sophie Draper and Rachael Brimstone, coxed by Jasmine Burr-Hersey who beat Coalporters and Southsea in their heat for a place in the final where they too dominated the race beating another Southsea crew and Christchurch to win by four lengths. Another win, hopefully at the next Regatta at Woolston will take them to Junior status.

The Ladies Novice B Crew of Rachael Middle, Amy Dibben, Hayley Edwards and Rachael Whitmarsh found the going a little more difficult struggling of the start in an awkward cross wind and strong tide but they settled well and looked to be getting back on terms until seat problems left them missing out on a place in the final.

The Men’s Junior Four of Sam Cocker, Matt Evans, Ben Churchill and John Sullivan coxed by Jamie Lawson, who had won in both their previous races this season faced tougher than expected opposition in their final after a comfortable victory in their heat. In a close final the Coalporters crew won with Ryde second and Southsea in third.

Jamie Lawson the Junior Crews coxswain received one of the two nominations for the best performing Coxswain at the Regatta. He then rowed with Tom Cleary, James Eklund and Ian Dyer, with cox Catherine Hume, in the Men’s Novice Four but they were unable to match the pace of the older and bigger crews they were up against and finished third in their heat missing out on a place in the final.

Novice Scullers Ben Churchill and Ben Ade both had difficult heats to manage in their event and finished second and third respectively failing to make the final.

However this excellent set of results nearly won the Club a third aggregate shield of the season - but they just missed out to hosts Coalporters.