Category: Rowing

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.

Saturday 29th June saw the Blues head to Wimbleball Lake, high up on Exmoor. Competing for the Club was a strong junior and novice squad.

First out was the mixed novice four of Oli Roberts-Key, Owen Godwin, Sophia Craddock and Freyja Heddinson with cox Zoe Robertson, placing second behind Castledore. Junior 16 sculler Charlie White was next out also picking up a second place behind a sculler from Exeter.

Oli and Owen then teamed up with Jack Harty and Milo George, both home from university, to row in the men’s novice four and they also picked up a second place. The ladies’ novice quad of Zoe Robertson, Annie Cook, Hannah and Jessica Myers also placed second for their efforts. Annie and Jessica then went out in the novice double but also missed out on a victory, gaining second.

The newly formed men’s junior 16 quad of Charlie White, Declan Monaghan, A Batley and J Ireland with cox Tina Robertson raced to a third place in their maiden outing. Also placing second was the ladies’ junior 16 quad of Shannon Monaghan, Charlotte Berry, Kirsty Snow and Abbie Lawson, Jo Moulder in the ladies junior 16 scull and Megan Harty, Hannah Myers, Jack Harty and Milo George in the mixed senior c four.

The men’s novice double of Owen and Charlie were placed second but not before having to re-row after racing all the way down the course neck-and-neck with Dart Totnes for the lead only to be washed out by a returning umpires boat just off the finish line which stopped the race. The crews went back to the start line to race again but this time the Blues lost out by one foot.