Dartmouth Amateur Rowing Club          

Est 1869

Bideford Regatta

The final regatta of the 2008 West of England ARA ten regatta series, the Port of Bideford Regatta, was held over a 1200 metre course on the river Torridge between the new and old Bideford Bridges.

The forecast of high winds and heavy rain was misguided as the regatta, which started at 8.30am, was held in near perfect conditions with just the occasional squall to ruffle the water.

Dart Totnes were again dominant winning the Championship of the day for the sixth time this season. Ironically on the other three occasions, Paignton having been cancelled, the other Dart club, Dartmouth, have been the winners. Dart Totnes ended the day with twelve event wins, Paignton with two and Dartmouth with one.

With both the major Championship events, the Men’s and Ladies Senior A coxed fours, not being held through lack of entries, the Men’s Senior B coxed fours took on the mantle of the premier race but this was devalued without the unbeaten Exeter crew and the withdrawal of Paignton. The Dart Totnes veteran crew of Mick Rolley, Alan Langmaid, Steve Lamkin, Nick Price and cox, Steve Grimes, ran out comfortable winners by three lengths from Dartmouth’s B crew of Chris China, Liam Boyd, Vaughan Bowden, David Hart and cox, Marie Dayment, who were a further length from the Dartmouth A crew of Matthew Isaac, Phil Langman, John Hart, Terry Wallis and cox, Michael Tilley.

In the Men’s Senior C coxed fours Southampton Coalporters A crew beat their B crew with Exmouth third and at Men’s Novice coxed fours the Dart Totnes crew of Steve Clarke, Matt Vincent, Laurie Budden, Sam Pettit and cox, Will Hawkyard, were three length winners from Bideford Reds. Exmouth won the Men’s Under 18 coxed fours by half a length from Bideford Reds with Bideford Blues a further three lengths down in third place.

Dart Totnes won both of the Men’s Championship coxed quadruple sculls. At Under 16 the crew of Elliot Legg, Sam Pettit, Drew Parkinson, Ember Lagdon and cox, Louise Hawkyard, were easy winners from Bideford Reds A with Bideford Reds B third and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Izzy Rendle, Louise Hawkyard, Sam Richardson, Simon Kerswell-Jensen and cox, Chelsie Cleal, were five length winners from Bideford Reds with Torquay’s Charlie Mott, Emily Hodgkins, Zoe Dinsdale, Katie Cudmore and cox, Richard Cudmore, third.

In the Ladies Championship coxed fours Falmouth beat Bideford Reds by three lengths at Senior B with Exeter third and Bideford Reds A won the Senior C from Exeter A with Bideford Reds B third. Novice was won by Exeter by three lengths from Castle Dore with Bideford Reds third and at Under 18 Exeter won by just a canvass from the Dart Totnes crew of Clare Gardner, Christie Rhys-Brown, Amy Kirkup, Jacqui Gibbard and cox, Rob Crouch-Jones, with Dartmouth’s Hanna China, Chrissy Rugg, Sam Tilley, Fiona Dayment and cox, Marie Dayment, third.

In the Ladies Championship coxed quadruple sculls Exeter won at Under 16 by three lengths from the Dart Totnes crew of Clare Gardner, Christie Rhys-Brown, Amy Kirkup, Emily Murphy and cox, Rob Crouch-Jones, with Bideford Reds third and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Emily Bibby, Jess Larcombe, Izzy Rendle, Louise Hawkyard and cox, Chelsie Cleal, were five length winners from Bideford Blues with Bideford Reds third.

In the Championship single sculls Elliot Barton of Paignton sculled over at Men’s Senior B and also won the Men’s Senior C; Turp of Wimbleball won the Men’s Novice; Bowyer of Exeter won both Men’s Under 18 and Men’s Under 16; Conway of Falmouth won Ladies Novice; Wesson of Exeter won Ladies Under 16; and Sam Tilley of Dartmouth sculled over at Ladies Under 18.

Local winners in the supporting events were the young crew Steve Clarke, Merryck Tooley, James Lovering, Ollie Garton, Matt Vincent, Ember Lagdon, Laurie Budden, Sam Pettit and cox, Will Hawkyard, of Dart Totnes at Men’s Open eights; Mick Rolley, Alan Langmaid, Simon-Gifford-Mead, Steve Lamkin and cox, Steve Grimes, of Dart Totnes at Men’s Veteran coxed fours; Nick Price, Mick Rolley, Jan Woodruff, Nicky Pettit and cox, Steve Grimes, at Mixed Senior C coxed fours; Maurice Dunn and Ian Wilson of Torquay at Men’s Open coxless pairs; James Lovering and Merryck Tooley of Dart Totnes at Men’s Under 16 double sculls; Sam Richardson and Simon Kerswell-Jensen of Dart Totnes at Men’s Under 14 double sculls; Chrystie Rhys-Brown and Clare Gardner at Ladies Under 16 double sculls; and Izzy Rendle and Jess Larcombe of Dart Totnes at Ladies Under 14 double sculls.

Port of Bideford Regatta results:

Men’s Senior A coxed fours No race

Men’s Senior B coxed fours 1 Dart Totnes 2 Dartmouth B 3 Dartmouth A

Men’s Senior C coxed fours 1 Southampton Coalporters A 2 Southampton Coalporters B

3 Exmouth

Men’s Novice coxed fours 1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Reds

Men’s Under 18 coxed fours 1 Exmouth 2 Bideford Reds 3 Bideford Blues

Men’s Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Reds A 3 Bideford Reds B

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

Ladies Senior A coxed fours No race

Ladies Senior B coxed fours 1 Falmouth 2 Bideford Reds 3 Exeter

Ladies Senior C coxed fours 1 Bideford Reds A 2 Exeter A 3 Bideford Reds B

Ladies Novice coxed fours 1 Exeter 2 Castle Dore 3 Bideford Reds

Ladies Under 18 coxed fours 1 Exeter 2 Dart Totnes 3 Dartmouth

Ladies Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Exeter 2 Dart Totnes 3 Bideford Reds

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

Men’s Senior A single sculls No race

Men’s Senior B single sculls R/O Elliot Barton – Paignton

Men’s Senior C single sculls 1 Elliot Barton – Paignton 2 Turp - Wimbleball

Men’s Novice single sculls 1 Turp – Wimbleball 2 Wilmington – Exeter 3 Long - Exmouth

Men’s Under 18 single sculls 1 Bowyer – Exeter 2 Chris China – Dartmouth

3 Pearce - Exmouth

Men’s Under 16 single sculls 1 Bowyer – Exeter 2 Elliot Legg – Dart Totnes

3 Povey – Bideford Reds

Ladies Senior A single sculls No race

Ladies Senior B single sculls No race

Ladies Senior C single sculls No race

Ladies Novice single sculls 1 Conway – Falmouth 2 Masyx - Plymouth

Ladies Under 18 single sculls R/O Sam Tilley - Dartmouth

Ladies Under 16 single sculls 1 Wesson – Exeter 2 Jess Phillips – Dart Totnes

3 Jacqui Gibbard – Dart Totnes

Supporting events:

Men’s Open eights 1 Dart Totnes 2 Dartmouth 3 Bideford Reds

Ladies Open eights 1 Bideford Reds 2 Exeter B 3 Dart Totnes

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

Mixed Novice coxed fours 1 Plymouth 2 Bideford Blues

Mixed Senior C coxed fours 1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Blues

Men’s Open coxless pairs 1 Torquay 2 Dartmouth 3 Bideford Blues B

Men’s Open double sculls 1 Exmouth 2 Wimbleball 3 Dartmouth

Men’s Under 16 double sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Plymouth 3 Exeter

Men’s Under 14 double sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Plymouth

Ladies Open double sculls 1 Bideford Reds 2 Dartmouth B 3 Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 16 double sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Exeter 3 Reading

Ladies Under 14 double sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Bideford Blues B 3 Torquay

Ladies Under 14 single sculls 1 Jackson – Bideford Blues 2 Weller - Reading

1 Dart Totnes 44pts 2 Exeter 28pts

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