Dartmouth Amateur Rowing Club

  Celebrating 140 years of Success 

                      Est 1869

Torbay Regatta

TORBAY Royal Regatta had to be abandoned because of worsening water conditions but all of the programmed Championship events, with the exception of the Men’s Under 16 single sculls, were rowed. Nine supporting events were not held.

There had been doubts about the sea conditions the previous evening and preparations were made in case there was an early morning cancellation but following a 6am course inspection the course was pronounced rowable.

 The course, normally from Abbey Sands to Hollicombe Head, was reversed but from Preston Sands to Hollicombe Head to overcome the worst of the sea conditions. But in the end the eighth regatta in the 2010 West of England ARA ten regatta Championship series had to be called off after 25 of the 35 events had been completed.

 Mid-course umpire David Godfrey said, “The weather was atrocious, overcast with driving misty rain throughout the regatta. A strong wind was blowing down the course, thankfully after the course was switched, with crews rowing from Paignton towards Torquay. Despite the conditions all the crews handled the choppy water conditions well.”

 Dart Totnes continued their good season by winning their seventh Championship of the day and nine events. Hosts Torquay picked up three wins and Dartmouth two.

 With no Men’s Senior A or Senior B coxed fours programmed the main Championship event was the Men’s Senior C coxed fours. The Dart Totnes crew of Tim Whittet, Simon Kerswell-Jensen, Steve Clarke, Meyrick Tooley and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth, maintained the club’s unbeaten record at this status this season with a three length win over Torquay’s Chris Akers, Paul Dallyn, Jamie Dawe, Nick Cleasby, Paul and cox, Ian Wilson, with Bideford Reds a further length down in third place.

 The Men’s Novice coxed fours also produced a win for Dart Totnes with the crew of Alex Woodward, Matt Vincent, Ben Bryon-Edmond, Simon Kerswell-Jensen and cox, Steve Clarke, three length winners from Paignton’s Michael Wrenn, James Bradley, Michael Lister, Rob Harris and cox, Jane Perry, and at Men’s Under 18 coxed fours the Dart Totnes crew of Sam Richardson, Sam Pettit, Elliot Legg, James Lovering and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth, were three length winners from Dartmouth’s Richie Jeffs, Nick Crang, Chris Ely, Mike Tilley and cox, Marie Dayment.

 In the Men’s Championship coxed quadruple sculls Plymouth were three length winners from Bideford Blues at Under 16 with Paignton’s Lewis Lyden, Michael Wrenn, Lewis Bayley, Poppy Disney and cox, Jane Perry, third and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Luke Reiser, Tom Larcombe, Fraser Tooley, Callum Jones and cox, Dakota Ferrara, were three length winners from Bideford Reds.

 In the Ladies Championship coxed fours there was not scheduled race at Senior A but the Senior B race was again a close call with just over a length between the first three boats. Dartmouth’s Jenny Pichowski, Anna Lloyd, Lisa Jeffrey, Suzie Bowden and cox, Marie Dayment, were winners by a canvas from Bideford Reds with the Dart Totnes crew of Lizzie Broad, Kathy Lovering, Heather Jolly, Georgie Cleasby and cox, Maggie Hawkyard, a further length behind in third place. At Senior C Exeter were one length winners from Plymouth with Dartmouth’s Jenny Pichowski, Chrissy Rugg, Lisa Jeffrey, Suzie Bowden and cox, Marie Dayment, a further one and a half lengths down in third place.

Torquay’s Izzy Shaw, Ali Bennett, Charlotte Smith, Sarah Vosper and cox, Rus Bammens, were half length winners at Ladies Novice from the Dart Totnes crew of Ru Wimalasiri, Debbie Keane, Jess Topley, Mary Foord-Weston and cox, Jordan Hall, with the Paignton crew of Nicole Veale, Beth Hogan, Zara Haggerty, Laura Morrisey and cox, Jane Perry, third a further half length behind. Dart Totnes had taken an early lead and at around 100 metres had a good three quarters of a length lead over Torquay with Paignton a further length behind. Dart Totnes then moved out of position and encroached on Torquay’s water and despite continuous warnings from the mid course umpire continued with this course. Left with no alternative to avoid a clash of blades the Torquay coxswain, Russ Bammens, decided to forfeit a quarter of a length and pull inside the Dart Totnes crew to maintain a straight line to the finish. This was an ideal time for the Torquay girls to assert their authority on the race and on instruction from the coxswain took a length from the Totnes crew in ten strokes and held on to win.

Exeter won the Ladies Under 18 by three quarters of a length from the Dart Totnes crew of Jessamy Larcombe, Jade Knight, Louise Hawkyard, Emma Reiser, and cox, Steve Clarke.

In the Ladies Championship coxed quadruple sculls Bideford Blues were three length winners from Paignton’s Nicole Veale, Beth Hogan, Holly MacMahon, Laura Tucker and cox, Ella Collins, at Under 16 with Plymouth one and a half lengths behind in third place. Unfortunately for the Dart Totnes crew, who were in contention, Emma Reiser clipped the top of a wave with a sculling blade in the rough conditions and the blade snapped leaving them out of the race. At Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Harriet Pope, Fiona Hollingsworth, Verity Phillips, Phoebe Clarke and cox, Dakota Ferrara, won by four lengths from the Paignton A crew of Ashleigh Harper, Poppy Disney, Ella Collins, Rachael Tucker and cox, Jane Perry, with the Paignton B crew of Libby Hogan, Lydia Hooker, Holly Hulme, Louise Manning and cox, Alice of Blues, third.

In the Championship single sculls there were wins for Nick Cleasby of Torquay at Men’s Senior A; Simon Kerswell-Jensen of Dart Totnes at Men’s Senior C; Todd of Plymouth at Men’s Novice and Under 18; Fraser Tooley of Dart Totnes at Men’s Under 14; Sam Tilley of Dartmouth at Ladies Senior C; Mansell of Exeter at Ladies Novice; Jenner of Exeter at Ladies Under 16; and Payne of Exeter at Ladies Under 14.

In the supporting events there were wins for Maurice Dunn and Jordan Hall of Dart Totnes at Men’s Novice double sculls; Plymouth at Men’s Under 18 double sculls; Exeter at Ladies Under 16 double sculls; Peter Atkinson of Dart Totnes at Men’s Veteran single sculls; and a scull over for Torquay’s Otis Watkins and Josh Ramsey at Men’s Under 14 double sculls.

Attention now turns to the river Dart and the penultimate regatta of the 2010 West of England ARA Championship series at the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta on Thursday (August 26). The regatta has attracted its usually large entry with 17 clubs from around the region, along the south coast and the Midlands producing over 230 entries competing in 62 races. First race is at 9.50am and the final race at 6pm.

Torbay Royal Regatta results:

Championship events:

Men’s Senior A coxed fours    No race

Men’s Senior B coxed fours    No race

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

Men’s Novice coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Paignton

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

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

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

Ladies Senior A coxed fours    No race

Ladies Senior B coxed fours  1 Dartmouth 2 Bideford Reds 3 Dart Totnes

Ladies Senior C coxed fours  1 Exeter 2 Plymouth 3 Dartmouth

Ladies Novice coxed fours  1 Torquay 2 Dart Totnes 3 Paignton

Ladies Under 18 coxed fours  1 Exeter 2 Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Bideford Blues 2 Paignton 3 Plymouth

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

Men’s Senior A single sculls  1 Nick Cleasby – Torquay 2 Peter Atkinson – Dart Totnes

Men’s Senior B single sculls    No race

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

                                                2 Chris China - Dartmouth

Men’s Novice single sculls  1 Todd – Plymouth 2 Mackie – Exeter

                                              3 Mike Tilley - Dartmouth

Men’s Under 18 single sculls  1 Todd – Plymouth 2 James Lovering – Dart Totnes

                                                 3 Richie Jeffs - Dartmouth

Men’s Under 16 single sculls    No race

Men’s Under 14 single sculls  1 Fraser Tooley – Dart Totnes 2 Callum Jones – Dart Totnes

                                                 3 Luke Reiser – 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 Hutchings – Exeter

                                                 3 Reinoso-Maset - Plymouth

Ladies Novice single sculls  1 Mansell – Exeter 2 Lizzie Broad – Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 18 single sculls    No race

Ladies Under 16 single sculls  1 Jenner – Exeter 2 Jackson – Bideford Blues

                                                 3 Emma Reiser – Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 14 single sculls  1 Payne – Exeter 2 Blackoe – Plymouth

                                                 3 Verity Phillips – Dart Totnes

Supporting events:

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

Men’s Under 18 double sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Dartmouth B 3 Dartmouth A

Men’s Under 14 double sculls  R/O Torquay

Ladies Under 16 double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Plymouth B 3 Plymouth A

Men’s Veteran single sculls  1 Peter Atkinson – Dart Totnes 2 Nick Cleasby – Torquay

                                               3 Ian Wilson - Torquay

Championship of the day:

1 Dart Totnes