Milton Keynes Regatta and Scullers Head

By Sarah Watson

Peterborough City Rowing Club members were the top dogs at Milton Keynes Regatta for the fourth year in a row, winning the Club Challenge Cup (overall highest scoring club). Both Junior and senior crews travelled to compete over the 500 metre course on the beautiful Caldecotte Lake, leaving with an impressive 13 wins and 9 seconds places.

The super Saturday got off to a great start when Claire Widdowson, Gina Gould, Sarah Watson and Bianca Manganiello won by 11 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes Rowing Club.

The ladies also left with a second medal, as Watson and Manganiello later won the Women’s pairs event by 3 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes rowing club, 

and Widdowson and Gould joined Joshua Seagrave and James Marshall to win the Mixed quads event against a City of Oxford/Wolfson Coll Boat club composite crew. 

Seagrave and Marshall also left with a second medal when they joined Damen Sanderson, Will Kerry and cox Anouk Bosma to win the Coxed Fours event by 7 seconds ahead of Huntingdon Boat club.

The Open coxless quad Reuban Wild, Ben Moore, Dean Gosling and Kristian Woolf won their first ever win at the weekend, crossing the line 7 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes Rowing Club.

The Womens Masters D double of Susan Genever-Jones and Emma Coxall won against club mates Anne Grange and Debbie Hunt-Pain in a City vs City final.

The Women’s Masters F double of Anita Carter and Joan Heath won by 8 seconds ahead of Oundle Town Rowing club.

The Juniors also excelled at the event, including Isaac Malcolm who took away two medals. He won the J15 singles event by 13 seconds ahead of Bedford Rowing club, and he also joined forces with William Tee to win the Open J16 double by 1 second ahead of Bedford Rowing Club in a nail biting final.

Lara Treharne won the Women’s J16 singles event by 1 seconds ahead of St Neots rowing club.

Evelina Xanthopoulou & Ffion Humphries won the Women’s J15 double by 7 seconds ahead of Bedford rowing club

Emma Dennis won the Women’s J15 single by just 1 second ahead of club mate Bosma

Jasmine Chesher won the Women’s J14 single finishing 30 seconds ahead of Oundle Town Rowing club.

Second places came from Billy Hynes and Leo Esposito (Open J14 2x); Kaia Compo and Neve Davies (Women’s J16 double); William Tee (Open J16 single); Anouk Bosma (Women’s J15 single); Nick Bosma (Open J18 single); Anne Grange and Debbie Hunt-Pain (Women’s Masters C double); Adam Taylor and Nick Bosma (Open J18 double); Will Kerry (Open Masters B single) and James Marshall who was just 0.5 seconds from Bedford Rowing Club in the Open singles event. 

City rowers also excelled at the first head race of the season at the Scullers Head of the River race, which took place over the famous Boat Race course on the Tideway (6.84 km).

Rob Dennis won the Masters Novice category with an impressive lead of 2 minutes 51 seconds ahead of Auriol Kensington Rowing Club.

Peterborough sculler Anna Robotham represented London Rowing Club at the event and finished second in the women’s Masters lightweight category.

Tim Ellis did a great job finishing fourth in the Masters Lightweight category. He was also the fastest Masters E racer there, and faster than all of the Masters D competitors.

Chris Elder also had an excellent row, finishing 15th in the Open seniors event, and finishing 61st on the day overall.