Evesham Regatta report and results

Posted on May 6, 2007 | Filed under Rowing

Thousands of rowers from all over the south and west of the country descended on Evesham for the annual Rowing Club Regatta. There was a packed programme of racing over the two-day event which saw nearly 600 races being held on the river Avon.

On Saturday the 1,000 metre regatta course provided rich pickings for nine Evesham crews. Ben Farrar, Jon Farrar, James Crumpton and Josh Pendry (coxed by Jack Lazenby) won the senior 4 coxed four, sponsored by The Evesham Journal. The crew went through three rounds beating crews from Warwick and Bristol Ariel before meeting Bradford on Avon in the final, and winning by three lengths. The win at senior level meant the boys, who normally row at J16, has ‘won their novices’ and will be awarded their club colours at the end of season dinner later in the year. The crew has now set its sights on a medal at the National Schools Regatta at the end of May.

There was a stunning victory for Oli Staite in the junior 18 single sculls race. Staite, who is a junior 16 sculler, reached the final of the event having won the heat against a competitor from Staines. Staite had fallen behind the strong competitor from Hereford Boat Club but put in a massive effort in the final strait which brought him level. The two scullers battled it out in the last 200 metres and finished in a dead heat. They then turned around and headed back to the start for a re-row. The second race was almost the same as the first with the Hereford sculler taking an early lead and Staite saving his effort for the final 300m, this time crossing the line two lengths ahead to win the race.

Further wins for the boys included a win in the J16 single sculls for Rory Sullivan and a singles win for Eddie Surman at J13. The boys J13 quad of Lewis Giles, Eddie Surman, Robert Bonham, Andre Roberts (coxed by John Rowland) also won their event.

There were three wins for junior girls’ doubles crews on Saturday. The WJ16 double of Abi Penrose and Tash Symonds beat a crew from Staines by one-and-a-half lengths, while at WJ15 Chloe Bryan and Helen Stirrup beat a crew from Claires Court School by the same distance. Yasmin Tredell and Aimee Rutherford proved unbeatable in their newly-formed doubles crew winning two rounds to get to the final and an easy win against Hinksey Sculling School. Colleen Penrose was on top form in the WJ15 single sculls which she took with a 2.5 length lead in the final against Claires Court School.

Evesham Regatta Sunday results round up

Sunday’s racing was “fast, furious and frenetic” according to Evesham Rowing Club’s race commentator Robin Walker. Evesham won a further six events over a 500 metre course from Workman Bridge, past Abbey Park and the clubhouse itself. Two of the club’s youngest juniors Olivia Walklett and Lewis Giles won the WJ13 and J13 single sculls events, respectively. Both had raced two heats - and won convincingly - before coming up against tough opponents in the final. In the end Giles won easily against a competitor from Llandaff, while Walklett battled it out against a competent sculler from Worcester, coming through to win by one-and-a-half lengths.

Two other Evesham juniors won singles events over the 500m course. Aimee Rutherford had a tough battle in the final against a competitor from Bridgnorth Rowing Club but put in a gutsy finish to give her a half-length lead over the finish line.

Colleen Penrose picked up her second pot of the weekend with a win at women’s novice single sculls. She won the final convincingly with a two-and-a-half length lead over a novice sculler from Cheltenham Ladies College. She too will be awarded her club colours later in the season.

Penrose also picked up a pot as the cox in the WJ15 quad event. The crew of Ruth Whyman, Lucy Palmer, Chloe Bryan and Helen Stirrup treated the crowd to a thrilling neck-and-neck final against a crew from Avon County Rowing Club. The girls managed to put in a push on the line that put them just a canvas ahead to win their silver goblet.

There was also a win for the Senior 2 women’s double of Tina Bonham and Teresa Roberts. They competed against a crew from Llandaff over the Sunday 500 metre sprint course and won easily.

Zac Purchase at Evesham Regatta

Sunday afternoon saw Abbey Park fill up with crowds who had gathered to watch World Champion Zac Purchase in action at Evesham Rowing Club’s regatta. Purchase, who won the World Championship lightweight single sculls event last year (and set a new world record in the process) was in town to honour a promise to a young Evesham rower.

Lawrence Sullivan, aged 13, met Purchase last September at the grand re-opening of Evesham Rowing Club. On hearing that Purchase was looking for a new doubles partner the youngster, who attends Prince Henry’s High School, offered his services and suggested that they try out the new crew at Evesham Regatta. Purchase agreed and, true to his word, turned up on Sunday to give the youngster a row.

Purchase was once a member at Evesham Rowing Club and on hearing that his old boat, Bob Bailey, was still in use requested that the double be used for the race. Purchase and Sullivan faced strong opponents in the form of the 2006 J15 National Champion double scullers Oli Staite and Rory Sullivan. As the race got underway the crowd cheered and applauded the crews down the course in what must have been a record time for this distance at Evesham. It was a great opportunity for club rowers to appreciate at close quarters just how technically proficient a GB rower has to be. Lawrence Sullivan, for his part, kept his composure, despite admitting to being “very nervous”. After the race, which he and Purchase won by three feet, Sullivan commented that he had never travelled so fast in a sculling boat before.

Purchase kindly stayed on after the day’s racing to present silver goblets to the winning crews. Purchase is currently preparing for the World Cup series which starts later this month. He is training with a doubles partner, Mark Hunter, although Lawrence Sullivan has said he is available should Hunter pull out!

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