South Coast
Rowing Championships. Saturday, 16th September
It was a frustrating but ultimately successful
day for the Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club at the final event of the
summer season - the South Coast Rowing Championships Regatta, held at
Dartmouth,
Devon, on Saturday the 16th September.
It had been a difficult trip to
Dartmouth
for the Club on the Thursday before the event with problems with their ageing
minibus that took much of Friday to resolve and leaves a large question mark
over its future. The Club are indebted to the AA and to Lymington Rowing Club
who towed their trailer back on the Sunday, relieving some of the strain on the
Minibus.
It was a frustrating Regatta for the two Crews
from the Club, who as runners-up for their respective Hants & Dorset
Championships had been invited to represent the Association against the
Champions and runners-up of the Coast and West of England Amateur Rowing
Associations. In the Men’s Senior Fours - for the famous Bidiford Bowl - the
Clubs Men's Senior A Crew of Mike Jenner, Matt Allsopp, Ian Hayden and Nick
Pike, coxed by Penny Glazzard started well but still found themselves in 4th
place at the half way stage. But the crew had a sensational second half rowing
through the field to come within a length of Bexhill, who won the event, to
claim second place - the Hants & Dorset Champions BTC trailing in last place.
For the Men's Junior Senior Crew, again coxed by Penny Glazzard with Adam
Drockett, Matt Evans, Dave Squibb and Sam Cocker rowing it was another 2nd place
- in their Championship race - again behind Coast ARA Club Bexhill - by just
over a length - and again they comfortably beat the Hants & Dorset Champions
from Itchen. While obviously disappointed not to win both these crews achieved
results that were better than predicted and were a credit to the Club and
Association.
The Club has an excellent record in the Open and
Invitation events at the South Coast Championships - as the book published to
celebrate the events 50th anniversary, this year shows - over the fifty years
Ryde are the second best performing Club, across all three Associations, in the
Open and Invitation events with 18 wins in spite of not competing in the event
until 1975. This year the Club maintained its reputation with two more wins.
The first came in the Men's Open Senior Fours
where the Clubs "B" Crew of Con and Christy Sullivan, Ollie Bottrell, Steve
Salter and Cox Claire Salter - first convincingly won their heat and then went
on to take the final in similar style. The Men’s Senior C Crew of Mike Palin,
Chris Walker, Matt Bull and Lee Bennett coxed by Bryony Reeve, who were well out
of practice found their heat tough going and failed to make the final.
The three Ryde Junior Ladies crews entered were
all unfortunately drawn in the same heat making it virtually impossible for them
all to make the final. The A Crew of Aimee Dibbens, Hayley Edwards, Rachael
Brimstone, Kim Salter and Cox Adam Edwards won the race followed by the B Crew
of Jodie Cocker, Chloe Attrill, Steph Goody, Clare Salter
and Cox Matt Bull in second - the C Crew of Sophie Draper, Rachael Whitmarsh,
Anne Other and Fran Poole, with Bryony Reeve coxing just missing out. In the
final it was again the A Crew that emerged as the stronger crew winning the race
by just over a length from the B Crew - with the other Clubs trailing in their
wake.
The Men's Junior Crew of Jamie Lawson, James
Eklund, Tom Foad and Tom Clark with Bryony Reeve coxing first competed in the
Men's J18 Coxed Fours in the inaugural South Coast Junior Regatta - held in the
morning - where they finished 3rd - with less than half a length separating the
first three crews. In the South Coast Regatta in the afternoon they competed in
the Open Junior heat - doing exceptionally well to make the final where they
found the older and larger opposition to strong for them finishing in 5th place.
The Clubs two wins and a second place in the Open
and Invitation events gave them the aggregate shield for these events for the
fourth time.
The Club would like to record its thanks to
Kingston University, Itchen Imperial Rowing Club and Canford School for the loan
of boats - as the program layout was such that at one point the Club had six
crews on the water at the same time.
The Clubs next competition
is the Itchen Junior Regatta on Saturday, 30th September where the
Clubs Junior section will be out in force.
