St Neots Rowing Club made a strong showing at the Peterborough Spring Regatta, sending crews from all squads to compete over the challenging one-kilometre, four-lane course.
The competition kicked off with our junior rowers taking on the single sculls.
Despite facing a very competitive field, they delivered strong performances.
Following the juniors, it was time for our senior men's and women's squads to take to the water.
The women's quad, which included two junior girls, put in a solid effort to reach the final.
Both of our men's fours won their heats with impressive rows. In the men's doubles, the duo of Wigmore and Willies narrowly made it to the final, while the new pairing of Rooney and Sparrow gained valuable experience from their first race together.
In the finals, the women's quad showcased significant improvement, securing second place.
The men's double also improved their performance, earning an excellent second place by defeating two crews that had beaten them in the heats.
The men's four, featuring men's captain Rob Stirling, faced tough competition in their final and ultimately finished second.
The first win for St Neots came from the men's coxed four in the top-level race. With expert coxing by Laura Haden-Smith, the crew dominated the competition, securing a decisive victory.
The afternoon saw further success with Jarman and Vuylsteke leading from start to finish to claim their second win of the day in the men's coxless pair. The junior squad continued to show great commitment and progress in their races.
Although the men's eight put in a valiant effort, they unfortunately did not make it to the final.
Sunday's Highlights
Sunday saw the senior squads return to action, joined by the masters rowers.
The masters women's quad, featuring St Neots rowers Dixon and Echveste, performed brilliantly in the open category, finishing second behind Leeds University. Dixon and Echveste then teamed up with Olivia Corner and Laura Haden-Smith in the women's coxless fours event, missing second place by less than half a second.
The women's masters coxed-four delivered a thrilling performance in their final. With a strong start, they maintained their lead throughout the race, thanks to excellent coxing by Ali Brown.
The crew of Tackley, Logan, Leatham, and Maltarova held on for the win. The men's masters eight, despite a last-minute change of cox, took charge of their race from the start. Under the guidance of cox Mitchell-Dwelly, the crew of Chapman, Neil, Williams, Copperwheat, Stead, Zwetsloot, Rickwood, and Korolev secured the final win for the club.
Marlene Taylor, the club's masters captain, praised the squad's performance: "It was a fantastic weekend for the masters squad, marked by two impressive victories from crews who had been working hard in the months leading up to the event.
"Both teams took control of their races, demonstrating immense grit and determination to secure their wins."
Overall, it was a weekend of great results across the entire club. The focus now shifts to the Huntingdon Regatta and the Cambridge Bumps.
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