Peterborough City Rowing Club members were the top dogs at Milton Keynes Regatta for the third year in a row, winning the Club Challenge Cup (overall highest scoring club) and the Masters Trophy (highest scoring club in masters events). Both Junior and senior crews travelled to compete over the 500 metre course on the beautiful Caldecotte Lake, leaving with a record breaking 32 wins and 13 seconds places.
The super Saturday got off to a great start when the Women’s band 1 coxed four of Tina Allen, Emma Richardson, Helen Griffiths, Alice Mason and cox Ericha Knowles Pardoe won with an impressive time of 01:47.5, which was 0.3 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes in a nail biting final. Pardoe then coxed the same crew members again along with Kate Read, Gemma Singleton, Sarah Sheldrick and Caroline Calver to win the Women’s Masters B eight against Milton Keynes Rowing club.
Another Oarsome eight was Connor Mumford, Chris Elder, Damen Sanderson, George Wilson, Gemma Singleton, Hayley Shipton, Illektra Apostolidou, Sarah Watson and cox Emma calver who won the Mixed eights category with a time of 01:43.0, which was 9 seconds faster than their opposition, and the time was also faster than the men’s open eights. Singleton, Shipton, Apostolidou and Watson also won a second medal in the Women’s coxless quad.
Knowles-Pardoe also coxed another mixed crew to victory, which consisted of Marcus Harrison, Liam Bellamy, Lucy Gauntlett and Kendall Markham who also beat Milton Keynes Rowing club. Gauntlett and Markham then joined Nia Griffiths and Lily Rose Mace to gain a second win in the Womens band 2 coxed fours. They led the race by 40 seconds, despite this being their first ever win in a sweep boat.
This was the first time racing for many of Peterborough’s promising new athletes and a lot of them came home with wins. These crews included: Devonne Piccaver, who won the Women’s J15 singles by an impressive 14 second lead; Frankie Barnett who won his J18 single; Erin Ansell Crook, Hattie Smith, Lottie Tasker, Sophie Bicknell and cox Natalie Bicknell who were 5 seconds ahead of Thames scullers in the Women’s J14 quad; Erin Ansell Crook and Hattie Smith won the Women’s J14 double; Flo Brill won the women’s J16 single by 12 seconds; Devonne Piccaver and Alice Dovey were 19 seconds ahead of Bedford Rowing club in the Women’s J15 doubles; Alice Dovey won the Women’s J14 single by 19 seconds and James Jayatilaka, Jack Liley, Lewis Jackson, Hugo Carter and cox Emma Calver were 11 seconds ahead of Stow rowing club in the J15 coxed quad final.
Callum Gilbey, Thomas Jackson, Henry Barnett and Thomas Bodily won the J18 coxless quad by just 1 seconds ahead of club mates Finlay Ribbons, Connor ribbons, George Woodall and Ross Lamont. They then raced up to win the Open coxless quad to beat a Peterborough senior crew by 5 seconds.
Further wins followed for Peterborough’s J18 crews – Natalie Bicknell, Charlotte Martin, Lucy Ralphs and Nell Papworth won the women’s J18 coxless quad, leading by 9 seconds ahead of Broxbourne and Bedford, and George Woodall and Connor Ribbons won the J18 doubles by 1 second ahead of Bedford Rowing club.
J16 sculler Nell Papworth won her second medal of the day, when she beat a Thames sculler by 10 seconds in the singles final.
The Women’s J16 coxed quad of Isabel Jackson, Lily Mae Allen, Esme McIntyre, Lydia Hilton and cox Emma Calver won by 5 seconds ahead of Thames scullers, and Hilton joined Grace Niklasson to win the women’s J16 double, 6 seconds ahead of club mates Freya Woodall and Lucy Ralphs.
Lucas Niklasson won his J15 single against a Thames sculler, then joined forces with Tom Calver to win the J15 double by 7 seconds ahead of Bedford Rowing club.
They day consisted of many Peterborough vs Peterborough finals, including Daniel Armstrong winning the J15 band 1 single, 2 seconds ahead of Club mate Tom Calver, and Joe Beesley and Bert Papworth winning the J14 double 25 seconds ahead of a fellow Peterborough crew.
Ross Lamont and Finlay ribbons won the J16 double by 11 seconds ahead of Thames scullers.
Ian Davis and Pete Orme came away with 2 medals each after winning both their Masters E double and pair. Both times they finished 5 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes rowing club.
The Womens double Kate Read and Caroline calver fought for their medal in their final, finishing their race just 1 second ahead of Huntingdon Boat club.
Eric Holt beat Oundle town rowing club in the Masters I singles by and impressive lead of 17 seconds
Masters F coxless quad of Barry Mcann, Doug Barber, Chris Burton and David Chinn won their race by 7 seconds ahead of Milton Keynes crew
Seconds places came from: Liam Bellamy and Marcus Harrison (Open Double; Tom Calver (J15 band 1 single); Lucy Ralphs and Freya Woodall (Women’s J16 double); Clementine Hambly and David Chinn (Mixed masters D double); Bert Papworth (J14 single); Sophie Bicknell and Lottie Tasker (Women’s J14 double); Pete Orme and Illektra Apostolidou (Mixed masters C double); Finlay Ribbons, Connor ribbons, George Woodall and Ross Lamont (J18 coxless quad); Natalie Bicknell and Charlotte Martin (Women’s J18 double); James Ryder (J14 single); Georgie Vassiliades (Womens J14 single); Chris Elder, Connor Mumford, Damen Sanderson and George Wilson (Open coxless quad) and Lily Rose Mace (Women’s J18 singles)
In other news, the daring duo of Georgina Parker and Hannah Bassett braved the Boston Marathon this year, competing over the exceptionally long distance of 49.2 km (30.6 miles). They did exceptionally well winning the Women’s doubles category with an admirable time of 04:46:32.
Overseas, Peterborough crews travelled to Lake Valence in Budapest, to compete over the 1000 metre course at the World Rowing Masters Regatta.
Kate Wallace coxed Gemma Singleton and Kate Read to finish second in a composite Women’s Masters A coxed four, along with two rowers that they had never rowed with before. They were just 2 seconds from winning the title.
Gemma Singleton also joined Hayley Shipton, Damen Sanderson (RAF), Chris Elder, Ilektra Apostolidou, 3 Turkish rowers and a Russian cox to finish 3rd in the Mixed masters coxed eights event.
Kate Wallace coxed Anita Carter, Helen Wallace, Gail Parker, Jo Canton, Susan Brown, Sarah Smith, Helen Bloor and Hayley Marsters to finish third in the Women’s D eights.
The Women’s Masters C eight of Hayley Marsters, Carole Hook, Jo Canton, Gail Parker, Kate Read, Anita Carter, Helen Walters, Sarah Sheldrick were 4th behind the winners who were a German/Hungarian Composite and 2 International Crews putting down the fastest time in that heat from a GB crew.
Anita Carter and Joan Heath finished 4th in the women’s Masters E double, just 2 seconds behind third position.
4th Women’s Masters C eight Hayley Marsters, Carole Hook, Jo Canton, Gail Parker, Kate Read, Anita Carter, Helen Walters, Sarah Sheldrick 4th behind winners German/Hungarian Composite and 2 other International Crews.
Dave Smith, Ben Pickering (both Leicester), Damen Sanderson and Chris Elder finished 5th in the Masters A quad, and Elder and Sanderson joined Gemma Singleton and Illektra Apostolidou to finish 5th in the Mixed masters A quad.
Tim Ellis finished 5th in both the Masters B and C singles, and 6th in the A and D singles.