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Isle of Wight: Rowing Portsmouth Grand Challenge Cup

Crew score valuable win but trophy stays at home

Friday, July 18, 2008
Crew score valuable win but trophy stays at home
The winning senior men’s fours crew of Ben Ade, Mike Jenner, Matt Allsopp, Ian Hayden, taking their boat out of the water.
Sport/RowingONE OF the most valuable trophies in British rowing has been won by Ryde Rowing Club but, thanks to that value, it will never be seen in Ryde’s clubhouse.
The club’s crew of Matt Allsopp, Mike Jenner, Ben Ade, Ian Hayden and cox, Bryony Reeve, were triumphant in the final of the senior fours at Southsea Regatta — the largest one-day regatta in the country — last weekend, and, consequently, won the Portsmouth Grand Challenge Cup.
The team qualified for the final with some ease and, in the final, they made a perfect start but, thanks to an incident in which BTC were disqualified, the race had to be re-started.
In the re-row, Ryde again stormed into an unassailable lead and recorded an impressive win.
Sadly though, the trophy’s value means it has to stay in Portsmouth.
For Ryde, there was another fine performance from a coastal junior four of Callum Lowe, Tim Wiggins, Francis Moore, Tom Clark and cox, Bryony Reeve, who completed their sixth win of the season, while Matt Allsopp finished third in the men’s senior sculls.
In the same race, Nick Pike finished fourth and Mike Jenner was forced to withdraw after colliding with a metal buoy.
In the junior pairs, Callum Lowe and Tom Clark qualified for the final but equipment problems meant they too had to withdraw.
However, there was success in this race for Shanklin Rowing Club, whose on-form pair, Paul Grattage and James Thompson, recorded their third-successive victory.
Shanklin’s novice ladies’ four of Emma Sturrock, Sophie Oatley, Emily Stott, Sophie Wade-Smith and cox, Garry Walters, won their heat but in the worsening conditions in the final, were unable to make an impact, coming fifth.
Newport Rowing Club had three crews taking part, with disappointing results.
Their men’s junior pair, Steve Hunns and Andy Howard failed to qualify after technical problems, while the men's junior four of Andy Howard, Daryl Jenner, Kev Bennett, Steve Hunns and cox, Claire Salter, had to wait until 8.20pm for their final and also had to contest with rowing in lane nine.
Nevertheless, the crew enjoyed the club’s best result of the day, coming second behind Coalporters B.
The club is launching an official complaint after their senior fours crew appeared to be hindered by the crew from Herne Bay in the final, preventing them from finishing in the top three.
The crew’s oars were damaged as Herne Bay appeared to steer directly into Newport’s boat.
• There was a welcome return to form for Ryde’s men’s coastal junior four crew of Tim Wiggins, Callum Lowe, Francis More, Tom Clark and cox, Bryony Reeve, at Swanage Regatta, held a fortnight ago.
The crew recorded their fifth championship win of the season, while men's senior pair of Ben Ade and Ian Hayden also won their final.