RYDE ROWING CLUB WIN HANTS & DORSET ARA COASTAL JUNIOR FOURS CHAMPIONSHIP.

Injury and illness had an impact on the Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Clubs entry to the Itchen Imperial Regatta on Saturday (26th July) and as a result for the first time for many years the Club was unable to boat a Men's Senior Four in a Coastal Regatta.

The Club were therefore reliant on their Coastal Men's Junior Four of Callum Lowe, Tim Wiggins, Francis Moore, Tom Clark and Cox Bryony Reeve as their only entry in the Coxed Fours racing and they did not disappoint winning their seventh event of the season, with comparative ease, to secure the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association Coastal Junior Coxed Fours Championship and to guarantee selection as Association Representatives at the South Coast Rowing Championships in Plymouth in September.

The Club had mixed fortunes in the small boat event with a winning performance in the double sculls for Francis Moore and Tom Clark but failure to make the final for the second double of Mike Jenner and
Rachael Brimstone and for the two Men's Junior Coastal Pairs of James Eklund and Jamie Lawson and Tom Clark and Callum Lowe.

The Men's Senior Pair on Ben Ade and Ian Hayden fared better comfortably reaching the final where they were well in contention at the buoy turn but in their effort to move ahead of the rest of the field their steering suffered, in this coxless boat, and they impeded one of the other crews resulting, correctly,  in their disqualification.

In the Single Sculling events Mike Jenner produced the best performance winning his heat and finishing 2nd in the final.

In the Junior Sculls Ben Ade reached the final finishing in 3rd place but Ian Hayden will be disappointed to have lost in the heat. Novice Sculler Callum Lowe also lost out in his heat.

Photo: Men's Coastal Junior Four, Hants & Dorset ARA Coastal Junior Champions, 2008. L to R - Callum Lowe, Tom Clark, Bryony Reeve  (Cox),  Tim Wiggins and Francais Moore.