Dartmouth Amateur Rowing Club

  Celebrating 140 years of Success 

                      Est 1869

54th South Coast Championship Wimbleball

THE 54^th South Coast Championship Regatta and 5^th South Coast Junior Regatta attracted a large entry for the one day event over a 2000 metre course at Wimbleball Lake, a man-made reservoir set high in the hills of Exmoor near Dulverton. The Junior Regatta events were held over a 1000 metre course.

The predicted weather forecast was accurate with no rain but the variable cloud provided the occasional sunny spell. The stiff breeze gave a nice tailwind down the course but water conditions were perfect and on occasions there was hardly a ripple.

Clubs from the three affiliated associations; the Coast ARA of Kent and Sussex, the Hants & Dorset ARA and the West of England ARA covering Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, from Herne Bay in the east to Falmouth in the west, entered the regatta which marks the climax of the regatta season along the South Coast.

The six Championship events are for the Championship and runners-up from the three Associations but the Juniors and those not selected are provided with the opportunity to enter a vast selection of supporting events. The Junior Regatta attracted 146 entries, the open events 99 and the Championship events 33 which necessitated 73 races.

South Devon crews performed well but the stars of the event for the West of England ARA were the Dart Totnes Men’s Junior coxed four who won their Championship in style with the Dart Totnes B crew fifth in the same event. Other Championship contenders were Torquay who were sixth at Men’s Senior coxed fours and the Dart Totnes Men’s Junior/Senior coxed four who were fourth in their event.

Dart Totnes also won the Ladies Novice coxed fours and five events in the Junior Regatta.

Bexhill were favourites for the major Championship event, the Men’s Senior coxed fours, following their outstanding performance at the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta and for much of the race Bexhill led from BTC Southampton. However, the Bexhill crew were rowing at a high stroke rate and when at 1500 metres BTC upped there rate Bexhill were unable to respond and BTC went on to win by a length with Southampton Coalporters a further three lengths down in third place. Exeter were fourth, Herne Bay fifth and Torquay sixth. Torquay’s Ian Wilson, Gary Letori, Nick Cleasby, Mike Cresser and cox, George Lowe, were a late inclusion to represent the West of England ARA and it was a tall order to expect this Masters crew, not in regular training, to produce a placing. However, there was much to admire in their spirit, determination and application. A fine example to the younger generation.

In the Championship Men’s Junior/Senior coxed fours Coalporters made light work of the challenge winning by a distance from Exmouth with Poole a further length behind in third place. The Dart Totnes crew of Alex Rowe, Elliot Legg, Ryan Galimore, Simon Kerswell-Jensen and cox, Louise Hawkyard, put in a very creditable performance, particularly for a crew that had stepped up a status, to take fourth place with Herne Bay fifth and Deal sixth.

The Championship Men’s Junior coxed fours produced the result of the season for Dart Totnes to put the cream on a spectacular year for the club. The Dart Totnes A crew of James Lovering, Sam Pettit, Steve Clarke, Meyrick Tooley and cox, Maggie Hawkyard, were drawn in lane 3 with Shoreham in 2 and Lymington in 1. The Dart Totnes B crew of Alex Woodward, Matt Vincent, Ben Bryon-Edmonds, Tim Whittet and cox, Simon Kerswell-Jensen, who had stepped up a status from Novice, were drawn in lane 6 with Bexhill in 5 and Christchurch in 4. The tension was gripping as the crews sat on the start line, the starter dropped the yellow start flag and they were off. But straight off the start Shoreham cut across the Dart Totnes A crew and crashed into the side of their boat pushing them into Christchurch. The race was stopped and crews sent back to the start with Shoreham receiving an official warning from the umpire. As they lined up for the re-start it was noticeable that coxswain Maggie Hawkyard had left plenty of room between Dart Totnes A and Shoreham. The race re-started and again Shoreham headed towards the Dart Totnes A crew but they were able to give them a wide berth as the umpire remonstrated with the Shoreham coxswain. The Dart Totnes A crew were soon clear of Shoreham and could concentrate on their race and at 100 metres led from Bexhill which had been extended to a length at 500 metres. However, at 1200 metres where there was a kink in the course both Bexhill and Christchurch came back at the Dart Totnes A crew and Bexhill led briefly. At 1500 metres the Dart Totnes A crew re-took the lead but were chased down the final 500 metres by Christchurch. Dart Totnes A crossed the finish line one and a half lengths from Christchurch with Bexhill half a length behind in third place. Lymington were fourth, the Dart Totnes B crew fifth and Shoreham sixth. However, Christchurch protested that they had been impeded by Dart Totnes at the 1500 metre mark but the umpire dismissed the protest stating that there was no impediment and that Christchurch were off station.

At Championship Ladies Senior coxed fours Southampton Coalporters won for the fifth time in six years beating Greenbank Falmouth by a length and a half with Worthing a further five lengths down in third place. Bideford Reds were fourth, Poole fifth and Hastings sixth.

The Championship Ladies Junior coxed fours was won by Lymington a length from Bexhill who were three lengths from third placed Exeter. Poole were fourth, Plymouth fifth and Herne Bay sixth.

BTC Southampton won the Championship Veteran over 40 coxed fours by a distance from Christchurch who were half a length from Eastbourne who just pipped fourth placed Worthing by a canvas.

In the Open events the Dart Totnes Ladies Under 16 crew of Jessamy Larcombe, Jade Knight, Emma Reiser and cox, Dakota Ferrara, performed with maturity beyond their years to win the Ladies Novice coxed fours against older opposition.

In the Junior Regatta there were wins for Dart Totnes with Alex Rowe and Simon Kerswell-Jensen at Men’s Under 16 double sculls; Lucy Chudley, Katie Prior,Verity Phillips, Phoebe Clark and cox, Dakota Ferrara, at Ladies Under 14 coxed quadruple sculls; Tom Parry-Jones, Jo Bryant, Emily Edwards, Jasmine Hladkij and cox, Maggie Hawkyard, at Mixed Under 13 quadruple sculls; Emily Edwards and Jasmine Hladkij at Ladies Under 13 double sculls; and Phoebe Clark at Ladies Under 13 single sculls. Dart Totnes were also runners-up for the Junior Regatta points trophy.

Thr trophies and medals were presented by Ed Coode, 2004 Olympic gold medallist with James Cracknell, Steve Williams, Matthew Pinsent and twice a gold medallist at the World Rowing Championships.

South Coast Championship Regatta results:

Championship events:

Men’s Senior coxed fours  1 BTC Southampton 2 Bexhill 3 Southampton Coalporters

                                           4 Exeter 5 Herne Bay 6 Torquay

Men’s Junior/Senior coxed fours  1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Exmouth 3 Poole

                                                       4 Dart Totnes 5 Herne Bay 6 Deal

Men’s Junior coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes A 2 Christchurch 3 Bexhill

                                           4 Lymington 5 Dart Totnes B 6 Shoreham

Ladies Senior coxed fours  1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Greenbank Falmouth 3 Worthing

                                            4 Bideford Reds 5 Poole 6 Hastings

Ladies Junior coxed fours  1 Lymington 2 Bexhill 3 Exeter 4 Poole 5 Plymouth 6 Herne Bay

Veterans over 40 coxed fours  1 BTC Southampton 2 Christchurch 3 Eastbourne 4 Worthing

Points:  1 Hants & Dorset ARA 33pts 2 West of England ARA 12pts 3 Coast ARA 9pts

Open events:

Men’s Senior A coxed fours  1 Itchen Imperial 2 Christchurch 3 Ryde

Ladies Senior A coxed fours  1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Exeter 3 Christchurch

Men’s Senior B coxed fours  1 Westover 3 Newport

Men’s Senior C coxed fours  1 Southampton A 2 Itchen Imperial 3 Christchurch

Ladies Senior C coxed fours  1 Christchurch 2 Bideford Blues 3 Shoreham

Men’s Novice coxed fours  1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Southampton A

                                            3 BTC Southampton

Ladies Novice coxed fours  1 Dart Totnes 2 Itchen Imperial 3 Shanklin

Veteran 40+ coxed fours  1 Poole/BTC 2 Bexhill 3 Bideford Reds/Bideford Blues

Veteran 50+ coxed fours  1 Lymington 2 Southampton Coalporters

                                          3 Bideford Reds/Dart Totnes

Men’s Novice double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Poole

Ladies Novice double sculls  1 Exeter 2 Tiverton

Men’s Senior A single sculls  1 A Page – Shoreham 2 M Jenner – Ryde

Ladies Senior B single sculls  1 J Cropper – Bexhill 2 H Dixon – Shoreham

                                                3 E Kelly – Christchurch

Men’s Senior C single sculls  1 D Wilmington - Exeter 2 A Wilkins - Greenbank Falmouth

                                                3 L Todd - Plymouth

Men’s Novice single sculls  1 A Barnes – Lymington 2 A Mungles – Greenbank Falmouth

                                              3 Q Lloyd - Shanklin

Men’s Veteran single sculls  1 J Kerr – Greenbank Falmouth 2 A Peake – Bideford Reds

                                               3 T Bull - Lymington

Points:  1 Southampton Coalporters 13pts 2 Itchen Imperial 11pts 3 Christchurch 10pts

South Coast Junior Regatta:

Men’s Under 18 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Dartmouth 3 Southampton

Ladies Under 18 coxed fours  1 Exeter 2 Christchurch 3 Deal

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

Ladies Under 18 double sculls  1 Itchen Imperial 2 Eastbourne

Men’s Under 18 single sculls  1 D Wilmington - Exeter 2 L Todd - Plymouth

                                                 3 J Kelly - Christchurch

Men’s Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Itchen Imperial 3 Coalporters

Ladies Under 16 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Bideford Blues 2 Dart Totnes 3 Itchen Imperial

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

Ladies Under 16 double sculls  1 Christchurch 2 Ryde

Mixed Under 16 double sculls  1 Newport B 2 Newport A

Men’s Under 16 single sculls  1 J Dawson – Plymouth A 2 J Roberts - Plymouth B

                                                 3 W Nunn - Southampton

Ladies Under 16 single sculls  1 A Jackson - Bideford Blues 2 N Gray - Poole

                                                 3 A Jenner - Exeter

Men’s Under 15 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Plymouth 2 Bideford Blues 3 Herne Bay

Ladies Under 15 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Exeter 2 BTC Southampton 3 Bideford Reds A

Men’s Under 15 double sculls  1 BTC Southampton 2 Dart Totnes 3 Bideford Blues

Ladies Under 15 double sculls  1 Exeter B 2 Exeter C 3 Exeter A

Men’s Under 15 single sculls  1 T James - Plymouth 2 J Smith - Christchurch

                                                 3 Jordan Hall - Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 15 single sculls  1 I Mackie - Exeter A 2 A Jenner - Exeter B

                                                 3 Z Robertson – Bideford Blues

Men’s Under 14 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Ryde 2 Christchurch 3 Dart Totnes

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

Men’s Under 14 double sculls  1 Coalporters 2 Bideford Reds B 3 Bideford Reds A

Ladies Under 14 double sculls  1 Coalporters 2 Dart Totnes 3 Exeter

Men’s Under 14 single sculls  1 M Aldridge - Christchurch 2 Fraser Tooley - Dart Totnes B

                                                 3 Callum Jones - Dart Totnes

Ladies Under 14 single sculls  1 B White – Christchurch 2 S Maxwell – BTC Southampton

                                                 3 Z Blackoe – Plymouth

Mixed Under 13 coxed quadruple sculls  1 Dart Totnes 2 Itchen Imperial 3 Plymouth

Ladies Under 13 double sculls  1 Dart Totnes 2 Plymouth

Men’s Under 13 single sculls  1 R Adler - Plymouth A 2 S Fisher - Plymouth B

                                                 3 K Foster - Wimbleball

Ladies Under 13 single sculls  1 Phoebe Clark - Dart Totnes 2 M Payne - Exeter

Points:  1 Plymouth 47pts 2 Dart Totnes 43pts 3 Exeter 42pts

Ends

Pics attached.                                                                                      Photos: Hilary Bastone.

Pic.037.    Richie Jeffs (left) and Chris Ely (right) of Dartmouth who were third in the Men’s Under 18 double sculls at the South Coast Junior Regatta held at Wimbleball.

Pic.043.    Mike Tilley (left) and Nick Crang (right) of Dartmouth who competed in the Men’s Under 18 double sculls at the South Coast Junior Regatta held at Wimbleball.

Pics.076 and 077.    Dartmouth Ladies coxed four.

Pic.015.    Mike Tilley.