Steve shares this latest news from Ryde Rowing Club. Ed
Squalls and heavy rain showers made for challenging conditions for the crews and scullers from the Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club who competed at the BTC Rowing Club’s Annual regatta held at Western Shore, Woolston, on Saturday (22nd July, 2017) – in spite of which they all reached their respective finals and the Club came away with three Trophies.
Eighth win of the season
The Coastal Junior Ladies crew – who have already been crowned Hants & Dorset ARA Champions and selected to represent the Association at the South Coast Championships in September – continued their dominance of this event – the crew of Catherine and Lisa Murphy, Kate Whitehurst and Courtney Edmonds – with coach Micky Jenner coxing, taking their eighth win of the season.
With the championship done and dusted all four then competed in the Coastal Junior Pairs event with Kate and Courtney finishing third and Catherine and Lisa finishing in fourth place in the Final. Courtney then competed in her first Ladies Novice Sculls event – producing a stunning performance – to win the final convincingly.
Outstanding performance
The Club’s Boys J16 Four – of Josh Lee, Tye Cameron, Austin Smith and Ben Sanderson with Dan Sanderson coxing – with an average age of just 15 – then competed in the Men’s Novice Fours event and produced an outstanding performance to finish second in the Final.
They then had to come ashore – where Josh Lee was replaced by Freya Drage – and – because of a scheduling error by the regatta committee – had to immediately take to the water again to race in the J16 event – where they once again produced an exceptional performance finishing just half a length behind the winning J16 Boy’s crew – to take the J16 Mixed Fours title.
Men’s Coastal Junior Four
The Men’s Coastal Junior Four of Joel Smith, Dom Douglas, Ben Toms and Jacob Redstone with Dan coxing once again qualified reasonably easily for their final where they suffered an equipment failure and finished well down the field.
Dom and Joel then competed in the Men’s Coastal Junior Pairs event where they finished in fourth place in their final – with Joel then completing in the Men’s Novice Sculls where he comfortably qualified for the final – where his busy racing schedule finally took its toll and he finished in sixth place.
Men’s Coastal Junior Sculler
It proved to be a frustrating day for Men’s Coastal Junior Sculler Dale Buckett as he tried to secure another point in his event to take a lead in this Championship.
Having easily qualified for the final he had the bad luck to get an inside draw in the final, where, the shallow water, in the fast dropping tide as the end of the regatta drew near – may have cost him victory – as he eventually finished in second place.
Dale then competed with Courtney Edmonds, Kate Whitehurst and James Smith with Micky Jenner coxing, in the final event of the day – the mixed fours where they finished in second place.
