Bideford Regatta

THE final regatta of the West of England ARA ten regatta Championship series attracted a good entry including a few South Coast crews checking out the opposition for the coming weekend’s South Coast Rowing Championships at Wimbleball.

Overcast weather with the occasional shower and a light breeze meant that water conditions were good over the 1200 metre course between the old and new bridges on the river Torridge at Bideford.

Dart Totnes continued their magnificent run to win the Championship of the day and twelve events. Dartmouth picked up a couple of trophies and Torquay one.

Withdrawals from the main Championship of the day, the Men’s Senior A coxed fours, left Southampton Coalporters to row over for the trophy. At Men’s Senior B coxed fours Southampton Coalporters, the Hants & Dorset ARA Champions, gave the Dart Totnes crew of James Lovering, Sam Pettit, Steve Clarke, Meyrick Tooley and cox, Louise Hawkyard, a hard race with Dart Totnes just edging out Coalporters by two feet with Poole, the Hants & Dorset runners-up, third some further three lengths behind. This was a good win for Dart Totnes ahead of the South Coast Championships. Exmouth were surprise winners at Men’s Senior C coxed fours, a status at which Dart Totnes have been so dominant this season. The Dart Totnes crew of Sam Richardson, TimWhittet, Ryan Galimore, Elliot Legg and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth, lost by three quarters of a length with Torquay’s Paul Dallyn, Nick Cleasby, Jamie Dawe, Chris Akers and cox, Ian Wilson, third. The Dart Totnes crew of Alex Woodward, Matt Vincent, Ben Bryon-Edmonds, Elliot Legg and cox, Will Hawkyard, had a close race at Men’s Novice coxed fours pipping Coalporters by a canvas with Exmouth two lengths behind in third place and at Men’s Under 18 coxed fours the Dart Totnes crew of Sam Richardson, Elliot Legg, Alex Rowe, Simon Kerswell-Jensen and cox, Chelsea Cleal, were two length winners from Dartmouth’s Richie Jeffs, Nick Crang, Chris Ely, Mike Tilley and cox, Marie Dayment, with Bideford Blues third.

In the Men’s Championship coxed quadruple sculls Plymouth were easy winners from Bideford Blues and Bideford Reds at Under 16 and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes A crew of Lucy Chudley, Tom Larcombe, Fraser Tooley, Callum Jones and cox, Dakota Ferrara, were two length winners from Bideford Reds with the Dart Totnes B crew of Luke Reiser, Joe Oswald, Tom Parry-Jones, Toby Wilkinson and cox, Maggie Hawkyard, third.

In the Ladies Championship coxed fours Bideford Reds beat Poole at Senior A. The Senior B race was a Championship decider. Before the race Dartmouth and Bideford Reds led the Championship on nine points each, Exeter were on eight points and Dart Totnes on six. Exeter took the race, and the Championship, by the ‘scruff of the neck’ winning by a massive five lengths from Exeter B with the Dart Totnes crew of Kathy Lovering, Natasha Prior, Heather Jolly, Georgie Cleasby and cox, Maggie Hawkyard, third leaving Dartmouth’s Jenny Pichowski, Chrissy Rugg, Anna Lloyd, Suzie Bowden and cox, Marie Dayment, and Bideford Reds out of the placings and Championship contention. Poole won the Senior C by three lengths from Exeter with Bideford Blues third and the Dart Totnes crew of Iris Tapper, Jade Knight, Jessamy Larcombe, Louise Hawkyard and cox, Chelsea Cleal, were five length winners from Bideford Reds and third placed Exeter at Novice. Exeter won the Under 18 by four lengths from Bideford Reds.

Dart Totnes won both of the Ladies Championship coxed quadruple sculls. At Under 16 the crew of Jessamy Larcombe, Jade Knight, Emma Reiser, Louise Hawkyard and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth, again beat the Champions Bideford Blues, this time by a staggering five lengths, with Castle Dore third and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Fiona Hollingsworth, Lucy Chudley, Harriet Pope, Katie Prior and cox, Dakota Ferrara, beat Plymouth by a distance with the Paignton A crew of Ashleigh Harper, Poppy Disney, Ella Collins, Rachael Tucker and cox, Tom May, third despite breaking a blade mid-course.

In the Championship single sculls there were wins for James Lovering of Dart Totnes at Men’s Senior B; Simon Kerswell-Jensen of Dart Totnes Men’s Senior C; Bolding of Castle Dore at Men’s Novice; Wilmington of Exeter at Men’s Under 18; Dawson of Plymouth at Men’s Under 16; Callum Jones of Dart Totnes at Men’s Under 14; Sam Tilley of Dartmouth at Ladies Senior C; Newson of Castle Dore at Ladies Under 14; and Jackson of Bideford Blues at Ladies Under 16 and sculled over for the trophy at Ladies Under 18.

In the supporting events South Devon wins were Dartmouth’s Jenny Pichowski, Anna Lloyd, Yorkie Lomas, Terry Wallis and cox, Marie Dayment, at Mixed Senior A coxed fours; father and son, Maurice and Ryan Dunn of Dart Totnes at Men’s Novice double sculls; Verity Phillips and Phoebe Clark of Dart Totnes at Ladies Under 15 double sculls; and Nick Cleasby of Torquay at Men’s Veteran single sculls.

Port of Bideford Regatta results:

Championship events:

Men’s Senior A coxed fours  R/O Southampton Coalporters

Men’s Senior B coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Southampton Coalporters 3 Poole

Men’s Senior C coxed fours  1 Exmouth 2 Dart Totnes 3 Torquay

Men’s Novice coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Southampton Coalporters 3 Exmouth

Men’s Under 18 coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Dartmouth 3 Bideford Blues

Men’s Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Bideford Blues 3 Bideford Reds

Men’s Under 14 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Dart Totnes A 2 Bideford Reds 3 Dart Totnes B

Ladies Senior A coxed fours  1 Bideford Reds 2 Poole

Ladies Senior B coxed fours  1 Exeter A 2 Exeter B Dart Totnes A

Ladies Senior C coxed fours  1 Poole 2 Exeter 3 Bideford Blues

Ladies Novice coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Reds 3 Exeter

Ladies Under 18 coxed fours  1 Exeter 2 Bideford Reds

Ladies Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Blues 3 Castle Dore

Ladies Under 14 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Dart Totnes 2 Plymouth 3 Paignton A

Men’s Senior A single sculls    No race

Men’s Senior B single sculls  1 James Lovering – Dart Totnes 2 Sam Pettit – Dart Totnes

                                                3 Meyrick Tooley – Dart Totnes

Men’s Senior C single sculls  1 Simon Kerswell-Jensen – Dart Totnes 2 Todd – Plymouth

                                                3 Alex Rowe – Dart Totnes

Men’s Novice single sculls  1 Bolding – Castle Dore 2 Ey – Exeter 3 Long - Exmouth

Men’s Under 18 single sculls  1 Wilmington – Exeter 2 Todd – Plymouth

                                                 3 Mike Tilley - Dartmouth

Men’s Under 16 single sculls  1 Dawson – Plymouth 2 Roberts – Plymouth

                                                 3 Pearce - Exmouth

Men’s Under 14 single sculls  1 Callum Jones – Dart Totnes 2 Tom Larcombe – Dart Totnes

                                                 3 Fraser Tooley – Dart Totnes

Ladies Senior A single sculls    No race

Ladies Senior B single sculls    No race

Ladies Senior C single sculls  1 Sam Tilley – Dartmouth 2 Reinoso-Maset - Plymouth

Ladies Novice single sculls    No race

Ladies Under 18 single sculls  R/O Jackson – Bideford Blues

Ladies Under 16 single sculls  1 Jackson – Bideford Blues 2 Emma Reiser – Dart Totnes

                                                 3 Corbett - Plymouth

Ladies Under 14 single sculls  1 Newson – Castle Dore 2 Verity Phillips – Dart Totnes

                                                 3 Dart - Plymouth

Supporting events:

Men’s Open eights  1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Minerva Bath 3 Dart Totnes

Men’s Veteran coxed fours  1 Bideford Blues 2 Exmouth

Mixed Senior A coxed fours  1 Dartmouth 2 Minerva Bath

Mixed Senior B coxed fours  1 Minerva Bath 2 Bideford Reds

Mixed Senior C coxed fours  1 Bideford Blues 2 Exmouth 3 Exeter

Mixed Novice coxed fours  1 Bideford Blues 2 Exmouth 3 Torquay

Ladies Under 14 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Exeter 2 Bideford Reds 3 Dart Totnes

Mixed Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Bideford Blues A 2 Bideford Blues B

                                                                  3 Bideford Reds C

Men’s Open double sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Exmouth B 3 Exmouth A

Men’s Senior C double sculls  1Plymouth 2 Dart Totnes

Men’s Novice double sculls  1 Dart Totnes 2 Dartmouth 3 Torquay B

Men’s Under 18 double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Dart Totnes 3 Plymouth

Men’s Under 16 double sculls  1 Exmouth 2 Plymouth B 3 Plymouth A

Men’s Under 14 double sculls  1 Plymouth A 2 Castle Dore 3 Torquay

Ladies Open double sculls  1 Bideford Reds 2 Exmouth

Ladies Senior C double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Minerva Bath 3 Dartmouth

Ladies Novice double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Torquay 3 Tiverton

Ladies Under 16 double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Plymouth 3 Bideford Blues A

Ladies Under 15 double sculls  1 Dart Totnes A 2 Exeter A 3 Dart Totnes B

Ladies Under 14 double sculls  1 Castle Dore 2 Dart Totnes A 3 Dart Totnes B

Men’s Veteran single sculls  1 Nick Cleasby – Torquay 2 Peake – Bideford Reds

                                               3 Byrnes – Bideford Blues

Men’s Under 15 single sculls  1 Bolding – Castle Dore 2 Rowland – Bideford Reds

Ladies Under 15 single sculls  1 Mackie – Exeter 2 Jenner – Exeter 3 Rice - Exeter

Championship of the day:

1 Dart Totnes 2 Exeter 3 Plymouth

Ends