Peterborough Spring Regatta 2021

Bert and Dan

 

By Sarah Watson

Peterborough rowers returned to racing at the weekend at their Spring regatta, where clubs travelled to compete side by side over the 1000 metre course. Over the two days Peterborough members took home an oarsome 8 wins and 11 second places.

It was a triple triumph for Harriet Drake-Lee who took 3 wins for Peterborough. On Saturday she joined forces with Charlotte Bolton to win the Women’s J18 double with a comfortable 5 second lead. She then had success in her J18 single, qualifying third fastest in the time trials but then pulling out all the stops to row the fastest time of 03:59 in the final, 4 seconds ahead of club mate Ellie Cooke in second. The following day she raced in the women’s band 1 category and won again, closely followed again by Cooke in second.

Drake-Lee, Bolton and Cooke then joined forces with Tom Sharrock to take second place in the Open coxless quads event, just 3 seconds short of victory behind Lincoln rowing centre.

Ian Palmer took home 2 wins for Peterborough, comfortably taking the lead by 8 seconds in his Masters D single. He also joined Dave Smith from Leicester rowing club to win the Masters C double, then the following day they finished second in the Open band 1 double.

Kate Read also mastered her single in the Women’s Masters B event, taking the lead by 4 seconds ahead of Bedford Star rowing club.

The fastest female sculler of the weekend was Ella Darrington, who won her J16 single with an impressive time of 03:58, 4 seconds ahead of Gloucester rowing club.

The J16 double Bert Papworth and Daniel Armstrong mirrored this, also winning their event 4 seconds ahead of Gloucester rowing club.

Lydia Hilton and Grace Niklasson were just short of a win in the Women’s J16 double as they finished 3 seconds behind Bewl Bridge rowing club. Niklasson also came second in the J16 women’s coxless quad alongside Lily Mae Allen, Esme McIntyre, and Isabel Jackson.

Other crews that achieved second places over the weekend were Gemma Singleton, Keely Watson, Hayley Shipton and Sarah Watson (Women’s Band 1 coxless quad); Al Ryder (Open Band 2 single); John Canton, Doug Barber , Joe Smith and Owen Green (Masters G coxless quad); Wiktoria Szubzda, Erin Ansell-Crook, Lottie Tasker, Sophie Bicknell and cox Peggy Papworth (Women’s J15 coxed quad); Matt Hand (J16 single); James Garfield, James Ryder, Hugo Carter, Joe Beesley and cox Adam Taylor (J15 coxed quad).