Newport, Sunday, 9th July, 2017.

There was a commanding performance from the Wightlink sponsored, Ryde Rowing Club Ladies Coastal Junior Four “A” crew of Courtney Edmonds, Emily Pike, Kate Whitehurst, Lisa Murphy and cox Catherine Murphy at Newport’s Fours Hants & Dorset Championship Regatta on Sunday (9th July). Knowing that a 7th win would secure the Association’s Ladies Coastal Junior Fours Championship and guarantee selection to represent the Association at the South Coast Championships at Dorney Lake in September the crew held nothing back, convincingly winning their heat, semi-final and final. Their Championship win also produced a small piece of Club history as this was one of the few H&D ARA Championships the Club had never won – and is the forty-second championship the Club has won since its first in 1962 and will be the thirty-seventh time the Club will have represented the Association.

The Clubs Ladies Coastal Junior “B” crew of Caroline Beaumont, Kristy Newnham, Abi Locke and Julie Cole with Dan Sanderson coxing suffered from a lack of recent race time, finishing 2nd in their heat – and failing to join the A crew in the final.

For the first time, this season the Club was able to enter a Men’s Junior Senior Four although only one of the crew – Dale Buckett – was actually a Junior Senior oarsman. He was joined by three Coastal Juniors – Joel Smith, James Smith and Max Reeve - who was racing competitively for the Club for the first time for more than two years and they produced an encouraging performance to finish 2nd in their heat – but failed to reach the final.

The young men’s novice four of Austin Smith, Josh Lee, Ben Sanderson and Tom Starkey with an average age of just 15, along with cox Dan Sanderson rowed confidently to win their heat and gain a place in the final where, with Catherine Murphy replacing Dan in the coxswains who was still afloat, they finished in 3rd place.

Ryde R. C. Summary of Crews & results.

Men’s Junior Senior Four. M. Reeve, J. (Joel) Smith, J (James) Smith, D. Buckett (Str), E. McClumpha (Cox). 2nd in heat – failed to make final.

Men’s Novice Four. T. Starkey, B. Sanderson, A. Smith, J. Lee (Str), D. Sanderson/C. Murphy (Cox). Won heat, 3rd in Final.

Ladies Coastal Junior Four.

“A” Crew. C. Edmonds, E. Pike, L. Murphy, K. Whitehurst (Str). C. Murphy (Cox) – Won heat, semi-final and final to secure the Hants & Dorset ARA Ladies Coastal Junior Championship.

“B” Crew. C. Beaumont, K. Newnham, A. Locke and J. Cole (Str), D. Sanderson (Cox) – 2nd in heat – failed to make final.