BTC Rowing Club Coastal and River Head of the River Race. Saturday, 23rd March, 2019.

BTC Rowing Club Coastal and River Head of the River Race. Saturday, 23rd March, 2019.

Ryde Rowing Club competed in their first event of the season on Saturday – the BTC Rowing Clubs Coastal and River Head of the River Race. The Wightlink sponsored Club had a young and relatively inexperienced team afloat several making their racing debuts for the Club - but produced an encouraging set of results. The event was raced over two divisions over a three and a half mile course on the River Itchen, Southampton raced in reasonably good conditions.

The newly formed Men’s Novice Four of Paddy Kearney, Jonah Lewin, Charlie Walford and Gulliver Roghan coxed by Dan Sanderson competed in the first division in a river four finishing in 2nd place. Also racing in division one was Harry Jones in his first race as a Coastal Novice sculler and did well to finish in 3rd place in his event.

In the 2nd division a very young Girls Four of Poppy Starkey, Freya Drage, Niamh Edwards and Emily Davis and once again coxed by Dan Sanderson competed in the Girls J16 Coxed Quad – racing above their age group – and did exceptionally well to finish in 2nd place.

The Clubs Coastal Junior Four had made the decision to race in small boats as they completed their winter training cycle – with Tom Starkey and Ben Sanderson racing in the open men’s double where some steering difficulties led to a 4th place finish. Austin Smith and Tye Cameron raced in the Men’s Novice Sculls in River boats with Austin finishing 2nd and Tye 3rd.