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The last Hants & Dorset Championship Regatta of the 2009 season took place on
the River Itchen, Southampton on Saturday (15th August) hosted by the Itchen
Imperial Rowing Club.The Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club were still in
contention for the Men's Senior Fours Championship but had to win to draw level
with BTC and force a row-off. Unfortunately illness had forced a change in the
crew of Russell Page, Matt Allsopp, Nick Pike and Mike Jenner with Cox Bryony
Reeve and they struggled in their semi-final to finish 2nd to a much improved
Poole crew ending their challenge. However they finish the season as runners-up
to BTC for the Men's Senior Fours title and for the 6th time in seven years the
Club has been invited to represent the Association in the Men's Senior Fours
South Coast Championship event, at the South Coast Championship Regatta in
Folkestone on 5th September.
The Clubs domination of the Men's Senior Sculls event this season continued with
all three finalists coming from the Ryde Club ensuring that the Club would win
all the Men's Senior single sculls races this season. Four different Ryde Senior
Scullers have won Championship Points this season with Mike Jenner leading the
chase for the Association Championship by just one point from four times
Champion, Nick Pike. These two were in the final along with Matt Allsopp - who
finished 2nd splitting the two contenders for the title - and giving Mike Jenner,
the winner, his first Hants & Dorset ARA Sculling Championship.
This turned out to be the only win for the Club at this Regatta with Junior
Sculler, Tom Clark, already crowned the Hants & Dorset Champions just missing
out by less than half a length in his final. The Men's Senior Pair of Russell
Page and Matt Allsopp, in another Hants & Dorset Championship that the Club has
already retained, missed out in their semi-final - the same fate suffered by
Callum Lowe in his Novice Sculls event and with his partner Ben Churchill in the
double sculls.
The Men's Junior Senior Crew of Allan Evans, Novice oarsman John Gedling, Callum
Lowe and Tom Clark with Bryony Reeve Coxing were beaten in their semi-final by
island rivals and Championship contenders Shanklin - and they then raced in the
Men's Senior Fours with Ben Churchill replacing John Gedling but were beaten in
their heat.
The Mens Novice Four of Donát Debreceni, Curtis Lowe, John Gedling, James Cleary
with Dale Buckett coxing while continuing to improve will be disappointed with
their defeat in their heat. Sam Corney also raced in the Men's Novice Fours in a
composite crew with BTC - and they did well to reach the semi-final and Donát
Debreceni raced in a J16 Men's composite crew for Itchen Imperial making the
final.
The Club can be well satisfied with a Hants & Dorset seaon that saw them win
three Hants & Dorset Championships and as runners-up in two more with
twenty-seven Championship points won by the Club and Association representative
honours for the Men's Senior Four.
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