Itchen Junior Regatta, Saturday, 29th September, 2018.

Wightlink sponsored Ryde Rowing Club took a large squad of fifteen juniors, some making their competitive debuts for the Club, to Itchen Imperial Rowing Clubs Junior Regatta on Saturday (29th September) which is raced over a straight 300m course on the River Itchen in Southampton in a range of boat types and ages for boys, girls and mixed crews.

 The Club produced two winning performance, both from their successful Boys J16 squad where Austin Smith and Tom Starkey won the double sculls event and the J16 coxed for of Tye Cameron, Tom Starkey, Ben Sanderson, Austin Smith and cox Dan Sanderson won the closest race of the day, beating the host club – Itchen - by the smallest of margins - of less than a foot - in what will be their last race in this age group.

 There were several other encouraging performances from this young and relatively inexperienced squad.

 The mixed J12/J13 Coxed Quad of Dan Sanderson, Frankie Leftley, Poppy Starkey, and Bonita Hunnybun – the Clubs youngest crew on the water – with experienced Coxswain Austin Smith steering sculled exceptionally well to finish 2nd in their final.

 A Mixed J14 Coxed Quad of Poppy Starkey, Harry Jones, Frankie Leftley, Emily Davies and cox Dan Sanderson finished 2nd in their final as did a mixed J15 Coxed Quad of Paddy Kearney, Freya Drage, Jonah Lewin, and Gully Roghan coxed by Dan Sanderson once again and a mixed J15 double scull of Freya Drage and Jonah Lewin who were all racing against all boy opposition.

 In the boys J16 Coxed Quad the crew of Paddy Kearney, Jonah Lewin, Freya Drage and Gully Roghan with Dan Sanderson coxing finished second in their heat just missing out on a place in the final.

 Harry Jones also raced in the J14 Single sculls finishing 3rd in his heat and three of the J16 boys competed in their age groups single sculls event – with Austin Smith finishing 3rd in his heat after equipment failure and Tye Cameron and Ben Sanderson finishing 2nd in their respective heats – all three failing to make the final with the same fate befalling Poppy Starkey and Emily Davies in the J14 Girls double sculls and the Boys J14 double scull of Harry Jones and Dan Sanderson.