Bideford Blues rowing section were competing at Exeter Regatta on Saturday 13th July over the 400 m sprint course on the river Exe.
Conditions were great on the day except for the temperatures in the late twenty degrees and touching thirty degrees. The racing started at 10:30 with races every 3 minutes until the last race at 18:30.
The winner on the day was Annie Cook in the ladies novice scull keeping up her good form of late. Charlie White and Milo George were looking to win the men’s novice double scull lying in joint first place with Totnes when, just as they were about to hit the finish line, Milo clipped the dock side with his scull turning the boat over, leading to the pair being placed second by the line judge.
There were second places for Hannah and Jessica Myers, Annie Cook and Zoe Robertson in the ladies novice quad losing to Dartmouth by a canvas. Also placed second were the ladies’ junior 16 quad of Shannon Monaghan, Charlotte Berry, Kirsty Snow and Abbie Lawson losing to the Reds by half a length.
Annie and Jessica then teamed up together to place second in the women’s novice double sculls, Zoe and Hannah sat in with Mio and Oli Roberts-Key to came second in the mixed senior c four. Charlotte and Kirsty also picked up second in the ladies junior 16 double sculls.
The men’s master D four of Steve Clements, Nigel Cann, Colin Neil and Chloe Pennington won their age final by a length and half from Totnes and Exeter which then placed them in the masters row-off final against Bideford Reds and Teign scullers who were competing at masters E an age category above them. This meant they had to give a 3 seconds start to them and then try and catch them up. The Blues got off to a clean start catching Teign scullers and passing them only to lose to the Reds by a canvas on the finish line. All the other crews on the day were knocked out in their heats.