Dover Rowing Club were in action at Herne Bay at the weekend. The early conditions were far from ideal as the Junior Scullers took to the water. Dover was represented by Chris Hall, Chris Price and Robin McCorkell. The conditions took their toll with 3 capsizes and an abandonment but the Dover scullers coped well. Hall reached the buoy turn in joint 3rd with McCorkell and Price not far behind. Unfortunately Hall had to move to avoid kayaks that had entered the course to assist a capsized opponent leaving him in finishing 4th with McCorkell 6th and Price in 8th.
The Vet 40+ Fours race saw Chrissy Purvis, Maria West-Burrows, Tony Burrows, Jo Johnston with Saffron Walmsley-Preece at cox. The start saw Dover’s boat along with the two inside them having their bows bucked high and clear of the water by an unexpected wave. The experienced crew brushed off the difficult start and pursued the field but were a little behind at the turn and, try as they might, they could not progress into a points place finishing in 7th. Antonia Reed subbed into Herne Bay crews in both the Ladies J16 Quads and Novice Fours finishing 3rd and 7th respectively.
The Novice Men’s Sculls saw Tony Burrows, Tom Stothart, Cameron Mackintosh and Harry Platts entering the heats. With conditions still poor neither Burrows nor Stothart qualified from the 1st heat and, with Mackintosh narrowly missing a 4th place spot in heat 2, it fell to Platts to qualify in 3rd place. In the final Platts, who has only recently returned to rowing after his 1st year at UCL, put in an excellent performance from the outside lane and worked hard in the improved conditions to finish 4th.
The Men’s Novice Four saw Michael Scales, Stothart, Guy Hadfield, Mackintosh with Hall as cox. It was obvious from the start that Bexhill had two strong boats leaving Dover’s crew battling for 3rd at the turn chasing Worthing and holding off Eastbourne. Despite a hard push 4th was the best Dover could manage as Worthing held on.
Dover Junior Ladies Four were on the water next with Lizzie Foley, Purvis, Jen Jordan, West-Burrows with Johnson coxing. This crew combination had little practice in preparation for the event with West-Burrows in stroke for the first time. A brilliant start saw Dover’s ladies in contention on the outward leg turning in 3rd. They worked hard together down the return leg gaining clear water in securing 3rd.
The Men’s Junior Pair of McCorkell and Hall saw them in midfield in the first 200m before they moved steadily through the field and by the turn they were 2nd. The Dover boys moved wide to get a clearer run at the Shoreham crew whilst holding off the fast charging Bexhill crew on the inside. McCorkell and Hall were unable to catch Shoreham but were able to secure 2nd by a couple of lengths.
Ladies Doubles Sculls saw Dover enter two crews Johnston and Walmsley-Preece / West-Burrows and Reed. Johnston and Walmsley-Preece took an initial lead in their outside lane but were chased down by Shoreham by the turn. An unexpectedly strong performance from the Worthing double saw them push past the leading Dover crew leaving them to take 3rd. West-Burrows and Reed were unable to hold onto the last points place finishing in 7th.
The last race saw a new combination of Platts, Chris Husk, Hadfield, Hall coxed by Mackintosh entering the Men’s Junior Fours. The crew were left at the start as they were unable to hear the ‘go’. Driving hard they ate up the metres by the turn coming out 4th behind a Bexhill crew. Young Mackintosh then drove them forward drawing neck and neck with Bexhill with 500m to go. It remained tight to the line as Bexhill took it by less than a canvas with Dover in 4th.

The weekend saw a hard core of Dover rowers competing at the Southsea Regatta, the traditional contest featuring clubs from CARA and Hants & Dorset divisions. Chris Hall was the 1st on the water in the qualifying for the Men’s Junior Sculls. In lane one Hall started well keeping a long steady stroke. He reached the turns in a convoy of the four leading boats taking the inside buoy and turning in 4th place, the last qualifying spot. Although seemingly under pressure in the last 300 m from the 5th placed rower, Hall responded indicating that he had plenty in reserve. In the final Hall was drawn in the unfavoured outside lane. Seeking better water he battled to a more central position at the turn. Coming out of the turn the in 4th Hall worked hard to hold off the inside Bexhill rower but the inshore water proved better leaving Hall finishing in 5th overall and 4th from CARA.
Cameron Mackintosh and Tom Stothart went head to head in neighbouring lanes in heat 1 of the Men’s Novice Sculls. The two rowers came close to making contact from the start, with Mackintosh opting to take evasive action to open space for Stothart. They found themselves towards the back of the field at the turn but fought each other on the return leg with Stothart taking 7th and Mackintosh in 8th. Hall and Stothart formed a new partnership in the Men’s Junior Pairs. A solid start saw the crew in the middle of the field in their heat coming out of the turn but they dropped to 7th at the finish.
The Ladies Double Sculls saw two Dover crews take to the water, Jo Johnston and Mary Newcombe / Maria West-Burrows and Megan Barter. West-Burrows and Barter got a excellent start with Johnston and Newcombe moving steadily through the field. By the turns Johnston and Newcombe had moved into 2nd place looking to hunt down the leading Shoreham crew. West-Burrows and Barter who started in the outside lanes turned in the middle of the pack whilst steadily working to the inside. With Dover’s leading crew unable to catch Shoreham leaving them in a comfortable 2nd place, West-Burrows and Barter held their own in the points battle taking 6th in the race and 5th in CARA.
Johnston and West-Burrows combined in the Ladies Senior Pairs. After a bad start, where Dover’s crew were behind the line as the racing commenced, the ladies worked hard to catch the field. The experienced rowers gradually improved their position reaching 7th in the overall leaving them 5th in the CARA points standings. Newcombe and Barter, another new pairing, performed well in their first race together. Their solid start allowed the Astor girls to remain competitive racing out of lane one. Working in harmony the inexperienced duo maintained contact with the leading crews to the turns where they were hit by another boat. Newcombe and Barter worked hard to find themselves amongst the points taking 6th place overall and 4th amongst CARA crews.
Johnston renewed her rivalry with Worthing’s unbeaten sculler in the Ladies Novice Sculls. The race followed the familiar pattern with the Worthing sculler establishing an early lead leaving Johnston in a fight for 2nd place. At the turn a Southampton sculler was neck and neck with Johnston and it was only in the last quarter that Johnston’s challenge fell away leaving her in 3rd overall and second in CARA.
The Open Double Sculls, which is only raced at Southsea, saw DGSB pairing of Hall and Stothart racing against the ladies crew of Johnston and West-Burrows. The boys crew got off to an strong start placing them in the leading crews whilst Johnston and West-Burrows quickly found themselves in a battle with the other ladies crews in the race. On the return leg Hall and Stothart were battling for 3rd eventually losing to the inside Bexhill crew but kept their focus in holding off the late charging Shoreham boat to secure 4th overall and 3rd amongst the CARA crews. Johnston and West-Burrows came in 10th securing the top position for a ladies crew.
Dover Rowing Club would like to thank Deal and Herne Bay Rowing Clubs for assistance in taking boats and equipment to Southsea.

Dover Rowing Club were in action at Deal for the Deal and Cara Regattas at the weekend. Poor lane draws in rough conditions saw disappointment for Dover on a frustrating 1st day, followed by improved results on day 2, with the ladies crews leading the way. Dover Junior Ladies; Lizzie Foley, Saffron Walmsley-Preece, Maria West Burrows, Petra Matthews-Crow coxed by Jo Johnston, followed a solid 4th place on Day 1 with a powerful start on Day 2. In their 1st races together this year they reached the turns 1st and were fighting Shoreham down the return leg, but were unable to hold them off settling for the runners-up spot in a tough race. Ladies Novice Four on Day 1 featured Megan Barter, Antonia Reed, Claire Beaumont, Amy Lewington coxed by Foley. The ladies, drawn in the rough on the outside, slowly moved up the field as they fought for a lane closer to the shore. A blocked buoy turn saw the crew drop from competing for 2nd to 5th as they went wide to take next turn. Day 2 had Mary Newcombe replace Barter and Johnston taking the coxes seat. The regular crew got off to a good start in a two way race with Shoreham but by the mid point it was clear that Shoreham had the measure of the Dover crew who comfortably took 2nd.

The two Ladies Double Sculls crews of Johnston and Walmsley-Preece / Burrows and Barter failed to negotiate the buoy turns on Day 1. Day 2 saw a stronger performance with Johnston and Walmsley-Preece hunting Shoreham from the start with Burrows and Barter also having a excellent start. Johnston and Walmsley-Preece easily secured 2nd place with Burrows and Barter taking 6th. Ladies Single Sculls saw Johnston take 2nd place on both days with Reed finishing 3rd and 5th, whilst Walmsley-Preece only completed on day 2 where she took 3rd. The pattern for 2nd places continued for the ladies as they secured the 2nd place in the overall Ladies Aggregate Competition; their highest place this season.

The top placed men’s crew were Robin McCorkell and Chris Hall who had a race to forget on day 1 commencing with gaffer tape being applied to a hole in the bow of their boat discovered as they were preparing to launch. Their boat was then pushed sideways by a Southsea boat who were driven forward on top of a wave and then they were blocked at the turn. Their 4th place was all the more impressive for it. On Day 2 McCorkell and Hall found themselves in the outer lanes but a hard driving start put them in contention with the inside Southsea crew. Moving inshore at the 1st turn the Dover boys chased hard but were unable to pass Southsea coming in a close 2nd

Hall racing in the Senior Sculls completed well to pick up 6th place on Day 1 and 5th on Day 2. The Ladies Senior Pairs saw West-Burrows and Johnston manage well on both days rowing consistently taking 4th and 5th in their races. J14 Mixed Quad saw Barnaby Brown, Finlay Kerr-Martin, Finlay Evans, Georgia Shelton (Herne Bay) coxed by Paul Scrivener laboured early on before finding a good rhythm, leaving the inexperienced crew coming home 4th. The Men’s Junior Sculls had three Dover rowers with Hall, Chris Price and newly promoted McCorkell. Hall coped best in the 1st day conditions fighting hard from the outside lanes to secure 5th place with McCorkell in 7th and Price in 8th. All three rowers took points on day 2 with McCorkell taking 4th holding off Hall in 5th with Price not far behind in 6th.

Veteran 40+ Fours saw West-Burrows, Victor Evans, Tony Burrows, Johnston coxed by Hall. With Evans making his return to competition after several years, the crew gelled quickly and were in line to take 3rd place before Burrows suffered a back spasm slowing the boat which finished 4th. Nick Bailey joined forces with rowers from Folkestone, Deal and Shoreham to form a scratch crew for the Vet 50+ race. Their lack of practice together showed as they struggled to stay in contact with the lead crews coming in 4th

Novice Men’s Four race on day 1 saw Dover enter two crews; the ‘Scriveners’, Toby Scrivener, Ben Scrivener, Guy Hadfield (Scrivener) and Lewis Scrivener, coxed by Ollie Scrivener were racing the DGSB crew of Michael Scales, Austin Mills, Tom Stothart, Cameron Mackintosh coxed by Hall. With both crews hopeful of a win it was the Scriveners who started the better in the unfavoured outside lane. It became clear that Bexhill had two strong returning university crews leaving the Dover crews chasing. Despite excellent buoy turns from the young Scrivener cox the family crew could only manage 3rd place with the school boys crew in 4th. On Day 2 the DGSB crew gained a place in the Scriveners absence securing 3rd.

In the Men’s Novice sculls Burrows, Mackintosh, Stothart and Paul Scrivener failed to qualify from the heats on day 1. Day 2 saw Stothart regaining his confidence after recent capsizes pushing hard from the start and holding 4th at the halfway point only to drop back one space to take 5th overall with Mackintosh in 8th. Men’s Junior Senior Race saw Toby, Ben and Lewis Scrivener joined by Neal Scrivener with Ollie coxing, racing against Paul Scrivener, Chris Husk, Hadfield, Hall coxed by Mackintosh. It became a race for pride for the two crews as they battled each other with the Scrivener boat losing out to the their teammates as the Dover boats came in 8th and 9th. J16 Ladies only competed on Day 2 with Taylor Warren, Megan Barter, Antonia Reed, Mary Newcombe coxed by Hall. The young crew were unable to compete with the speed of the Shoreham boat and found themselves pushing for 3rd which they secured after Deal suffered a technical issue.

There was a strong showing for Dover Rowing Club at their weather affected Regatta at the weekend. The first race saw the Ladies Sculls and the Veteran Sculls race combined. Dover had a strong entry featuring Jo Johnston, Mary Newcombe, Antonia Reed and Lizzie Foley racing Ladies sculls and Tony Burrows in the Vet’s race. Johnston took an early lead in the ladies race reaching the turn 1st and showing her experience in the tough conditions. Burrows recognised that he wasn’t able to catch the other Veteran rower so moved to support the young rowers as they struggled in the rough water at the far end of the course, helping to reassure them. With Johnston securing 1st the remaining ladies battled through with Newcombe taking 2nd, Reed 3rd and Foley 4th.
The Men’s Novice Four saw two Dover crews; the DGSB crew of Michael Scales, Austin Mills, Tom Stothart, Cameron Mackintosh with Newcombe at cox and the Scrivener family boat featuring Toby Scrivener, Neil Scrivener, Guy Hadfield (Scrivener), Lewis Scrivener with young Ollie Scrivener as cox. The younger crew got off to the better start as both Dover crews chased Worthing. At the turn the Worthing crew maintained a small lead but, as the young Dover crew fell away, the power in the Scrivener boat began to tell. In the last 500m it was the Scrivener’s who moved into the lead and held off a late charge from Worthing. The DGSB crew came home in a comfortable 3rd place.
The Ladies J16 Quad crew of Taylor Warren, Reed, Megan Barter, Newcombe coxed by Saffron Walmsley-Preece battled hard gradually improving through the field for 2nd. The Senior Sculls saw Chris Hall struggle to compete with the leading competitors as he fought for the minor places coming home in 5th.
In the combined Mens J16 and J14 race Dover’s J14’s crew of Luke Hill, Finlay Kerr-Martin, Finlay Evans, Barnaby Brown were coxed by Walmsley-Preece. The youngsters worked hard, showing good co-ordination, given their lack of experience, in what was their 1st race. Chasing the older crews they coped well in the conditions finishing 3rd overall and 1st in the J14 race.
The Ladies Novice four crew of Claire Beaumont, Amy Lewington, Reed, Newcombe coxed by Foley had a slow start leaving them in the lower part of the field. However, the crew steadily worked through the field arriving at the buoys in 4th place as the lead crews were exiting, leaving them several lengths behind. Pushing hard Dover on the outside fought through to be neck and neck at the finish where they finished 2nd by less than a length. Barter subbed into a Worthing crew for the Ladies Novice four and finished in 5th.
The Junior Sculls saw Chris Price and Hall competing for Dover. A strong outward leg saw Price lead Hall as they sat in the middle of the field. Hall found the rougher conditions to his favour as he battled forward passing Price and moving into the top three. He progressed into 2nd at the 500m mark and held off a Deal rower in a spirited battle to the line. Price was unable to hold on to 5th place dropping to 6th in a tight finish.
The Men’s Novice Sculls had seen a large entry requiring heats. Three Dover Scullers fell prior to the final with Burrows and Mackintosh failing to make the top four and Stothart capsizing near the turns. The final saw Paul Scrivener, Harry Platts and Robin McCorkell competing. McCorkell set off powerfully leading from the outset, whilst Scrivener was also competitive with Platts towards the back of the field. By the turn it was obvious that it was McCorkell’s race to lose as he drove his boat forward to secure his 2nd novice win and promotion to Junior level. Paul Scrivener took 4th place with a lot of water in his boat and Platts finished 7th. Deteriorating conditions lead to the Regatta being halted leaving several strong Dover crews missing out.

Dover Rowing Club would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for sponsoring Dover Regatta: A&S Self Storage Ltd, A.T.Garage Services, Dover Express, Dover Harbour Board, Dover Lifeguards Club, Dover Marine Services Ltd, Dover Sea Sports Centre, East Kent Mercury, K.R. Gavin Removals, The Hunting Edge, Kent Stonemason, Mariner III – Malcolm, Sharp and Enright, Mrs J.M. Bailey, Mr N.J. Bailey, Best Godmother Ever, George & Toni Burrows, Mr N.J. Cooke, Mr W Darlington, Mr K.C. Goodwin, Mr C. Holman, Mrs Johnings, Mr D. Newman, Mr C. Price, Mrs M. Squibb and Mr S Woods. Special thanks go to the family of Reg Kent who presented the new Men’s Senior Sculls trophy in his memory.