Dover Rowing Club sent a reduced squad to Southsea Regatta, the traditional coming together of Coast Amateur Rowing Association (CARA) and Hants and Dorset Amateur Rowing Association. Dover’s leading crew, the Woman’s Junior Four of Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware, were entered in Heat 1 of the event. A good start saw Ware’s crew in the leading four boats. Comfortably through the turns, they consolidated a third qualifying place and progressed to the final behind Itchen Imperial and BTC. The final again saw Dover get a good start as they battled for the lead. After the first quarter of the course Ware’s crew were in fourth place chasing three Hants and Dorset crews. A sharp turn at the buoys set the crew up for the chase to the finish. Putting down their power, fourth became third, then third became second as they rowed through Poole and BTC crews. They hunted down the Itchen Imperial’s crew but were unable to pass them by the finish. Being the leading CARA crew means that they now have three wins in four regattas in the CARA Championship.
The Open Senior Pair of Will Coleman and Jasper Mallet started well and were in the fight for the leading places with Shoreham, Poole and Newport. By the turns Shoreham broke free leaving Dover in a three way battle for second. Poole were slightly ahead of Dover on the run back as they both gained separation from Newport. With 50m to go Dover completed the row through of Poole to secure second place behind CARA rivals Shoreham.

The Open Senior Four saw Mallet, David Powell, Coleman, Thomas Stothart coxed by Ware competing. The start saw Dover slightly hindered by another crew as they targeted the Pompy Grand Trophy. As the field started to spread out Dover’s crew were in the mix and moved to second through the turns. On the home run Shoreham moved clear in first and Itchen and BTC, in the more favoured lanes, rowed through Dover. By the finish Dover were unable to improve their overall position finishing fourth in the race and second amongst CARA crews.
The Woman’s Junior Pair of Cook and Harvey started cautiously and were a little off the pace. Through the turn they started on the return leg in fifth. Pushing hard they were unable to improve their position finishing in sixth; fourth amongst CARA crews.
The Open Senior Sculls saw Stothart hoping to repeat last weeks heroics where he won at Dover. A competitive start saw him in the mix of the top four places. At the turn, after being caught up in congestion, the Shoreham sculler had pulled clear. Having lost time, Stothart dropped to fifth behind Shoreham, Itchen and two Poole scullers, the position he held at the line. Stothart was second amongst CARA scullers.
Nikki Leggatt was seeking her second Novice win. In the heats she had a good run securing third place by several lengths. In the final there was a tough battle off the start with some of the scullers coming close to colliding. Leggatt avoided the problems and was away with a steady start, building speed as she headed into the second quarter of the race. Out of the turn she was slightly off the leading scullers pace and, despite pushing hard, could only manage fifth place overall at the finish; second amongst CARA scullers.
The Woman’s Double crew of Holly Young and Cook were going to need some luck in their race which featured strong Hants and Dorset and Shoreham crews. A fair start saw them in the points battle, mixing with the fifth and sixth place crews. Out of the turns Young and Cook had dropped to eighth, a position they held to the finish. This was an encouraging performance for the young crew.
Woman’s Novice Fours was Young, Evie Holland, Elizabeth Strong, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed Lee Stampton. They performed well in their heat where they started well and were fighting for a qualifying spot. Through the turn they were fighting for fourth place but were unable to hold on for a place the final.
Dover Rowing Club would like to thank Keir Tunca from Challenger Tyres for helping to get them back on the road.

Dover Rowing Club hosted their home regatta at the weekend where they secured four wins and some close second places. The first win of the day came from Tom Stothart in the Open Senior Sculls competing against his teammate Jasper Mallet. Both scullers started well with Stothart moving into second place behind a Deal competitor. Deal led through the turn with Stothart in close pursuit and Mallet not far behind in fourth. On the run home Stothart accelerated closing on Deal and, with less than 200m to go, he rowed through Deal’s sculler establishing a length lead and taking the win. Mallet finished fourth.

In the Woman’s Junior Four Dover had two crews Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware were competing against Janice Bradford, Alex Henchy, Zara White, Rhiannon Castree with Lee Stampton as cox. Ware’s crew had the better start and were soon leading the race and pushing away from the rest of the crews. Leading through the turn, and pursued by Eastbourne, Ware’s crew continued to pull away securing the win by a margin deemed easy by the umpires. Stampton’s crew would come home seventh.
In the new CARA league Junior Senior Woman’s event, Dover entered their first ever boat, featuring Camelia Hunga, Lily Stafford-Edwards, Leyla Abbasova, Ware coxed by Mallet. A steady start from the new combination would grow into a pursuit of the leading Herne Bay crew. Into the turns it was Herne Bay, Dover and Herne Bay B but things would change on the return leg as everything clicked in the Dover boat. Rowing through Herne Bay, they powered away finishing 13secs ahead at the line.
In the Mixed Pairs Dover entered three crews E Cook / Will Coleman; Hannington / Stampton; Harvey / Mallet. There were mixed fortunes off the start with Harvey / Mallet suffering a broken footplate, whilst the Cook / Coleman paring were fighting for the lead. A strong Folkestone pair led into the turn followed by Cook / Coleman with Hannington / Stampton a little behind. Pushing hard on the return leg Cook / Coleman clawed back the gap to go stroke for stroke with Folkestone with the Dover crew edging it by a canvas for the win. Hannington / Stampton were fourth.
Woman’s Junior Pairs saw E Cook / Harvey competing against Hannington / Leggatt and Z White / R Castree. Cook / Harevy were impeded at the start so were a little off the pace with the other two Dover crews starting well. At the turn it was Herne Bay first and second and Dover in a tight third and fourth between Cook / Harvey and Hannington / Leggatt. Accelerating on the run to home, Cook / Harvey were overlapping Herne Bay by the line, finishing second. Hannington / Leggatt were fourth and White / Castree were sixth.
In the Open Junior Sculls Dover had Coleman and Paul Scrivener competing. Coleman had the better start but didn’t feel he was fully firing. At the turn Deal were leading with Shoreham, Folkestone and Coleman in close order. On the return leg Coleman moved strongly towards the Shoreham leader as Deal drifted back. At the line Coleman secured second place and P Scrivener was seventh.
There were two Dover crews in the Open Junior Fours Harley Scrivener, Ollie Scrivener, Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Charlotte Cox, faced off against Oliver White, Henry Cox, Peter Regan, Jon Castree coxed by Purvis. A great start from Cox’s crew who had been promoted from Novice last week saw them battling for the lead on the outward leg. Maintaining momentum through the turn they came out in second to Shoreham who started pulling away. Cox’s crew took a comfortable second place at the line. The Purvis Crew finished eighth.
The Mixed Fours race saw five Dover crews Hanga, Harvey, Coleman, Stothart coxed by C Cox; Rachel Bailey, Stampton, Hayley Crocker, Nick Bailey coxed by P Scrivener; Jess Clements, Oliver White, H Cox, Elizabeth Strong coxed by Purvis; Evie Jones, Evie Holland, Mallet, Varnes-Stone coxed by E Cook, the fifth crew was a family affair with Hollie Castree, Lucy Castree, Jack Castree, Jon Castree coxed by Rhiannon Castree. It was the C Cox coxed crew which had the best start and was part of a four way battle at the turn with Folkestone and two Eastbourne crews. C Cox’s and Folkestone broke the Eastbourne crews early in the home leg with Folkestone eventually taking the win and C Cox’s crew second. The Purvis crew had a good sixth place finish with the P Scrivener crew in seventh, Castree’s in tenth and Cook’s crew in eleventh.
The Woman’s Senior Four crew was a reunion of Dover’s dominant woman’s crew of the 2000’s; Ashleigh Stevenson, Kayleigh Stevenson, R Bailey, C Cox coxed by Ware They had a great start and were in a battle at the turn with Deal for second place. On the home run Deal managed to hold them off in a tight contest. The crew split into pairs for the Woman’s Senior Pairs. Bailey / C Cox finished third with the Stevenson boat in fourth.
Woman’s Novice Sculls saw Nikki Leggatt finish third after a tight battle with Herne Bay.
Woman’s Novice Fours saw a mixed Southsea / Dover crew of B Doick, Abbasova, Hanga, F Barcley coxed by Ware third in the final after winning their heat with Coleman as Cox. Aine Baines, Michelle Meakins, Crocker, Alex Tilley coxed by Chris Purvis also qualified finishing ninth. The following crews narrowly missed out on the final Young, Jess Clements, Strong, Holland coxed by Ware; Louise Fitzsimmons, Zara Meakins, Rosie Minkler, H Castree coxed by Coleman; Fiona O’Neil, Lucy Castree, Amy Wren, Anna Gordon coxed by Purvis. Chrissy Purvis won Cox of the Day for an excellent turn showing awareness of other crews in the Novice Fours Heat
Open Novice Fours O White, Regan, H Cox, Jack Castree coxed by Purvis were third with Paul Scholes, Hanga, Chris Wong, Damion Napier coxed by Stampton in ninth.
Open Senior Pairs featured Coleman and Stothart finishing third in a tight finish. Jack Castree and Varnes-Stone were third in the Open Junior Pairs; both rowers missed out on the Novice Sculls final finishing fifth and seventh in the heats.
Open Senior Four of Stampton, Mallet, Coleman, Stothart coxed by Ware were third.
Jon Cook, Scholes, Wong, Napier coxed by Purvis finished fourth in the Open Masters Four 40+. Bradford, Purvis, Z White, Leggatt coxed by Mallet were fourth in the Women’s Masters Four 40+.
J16 Open Quad Sculls saw Riley Danko, O White, H Cox, and A Biddle (Southsea) finishing fourth coxed by Stampton. J16 Girls Quad Sculls saw two crews Strong, H Castree, Young, R Castree coxed by C Cox fifth; Izzy Vickers, Holly Dunham, Zara Meakins, Jess Clements coxed by Purvis were sixth.
Open Masters Four 50+ P Scrivener, Steve Woods, Stampton, Nick Bailey coxed by Purvis were seventh.
Open Double Sculls saw Stothart and Danko finish seventh. Woman’s Double Sculls saw E Cook, / Young finish seventh, Jones / Holland finish ninth and Strong / Bradford in tenth.
Captain Will Coleman and Dover Rowing Club would like to thank all our sponsors and helpers that made the regatta possible.

Dover Rowing Club secured five wins at a fantastic performance at Folkestone Regatta. The Woman’s Junior Four of Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey and Venessa Ware were at the core of the success. In their race they competed against Janice Bradford, Alex Henchy, Zara White, Lily Stafford-Edwards coxed by Chrissy Purvis. Ware’s crew were slow off the start but soon galvanised to push through the field in the 100m before the turns. Purvis’ crew had the better start and were secure in the middle of the field. Out of the turn Ware had Herne Bay on the outside bringing pressure as both crews pulled away from the field. Ware called for a hard thirty strokes entering the last 300m which saw Dover’s crew break free and move away from Herne Bay to take the win by two lengths. Purvis’ crew finished in the points in fifth place.
In the Woman’s Junior Pairs the four split into two crews with Leggatt and Hannington facing E Cook and Harvey. The Leggatt / Hannington combination had the stronger start establishing a solid lead over E Cook / Harvey and a Herne Bay pair. A decision to realign their route to avoid a course hazard by Leggatt / Hannington saw the race become tight across all three boats. It was the E Cook / Harvey pairing that started to open up a lead rowing long and strong. Relentlessly, the gap grew as E Cook / Harvey dominated the return leg to take the win with Herne Bay establishing control of second place and Leggatt / Hannington secure in third.

Woman’s Novice Sculls saw Leggatt, Harvey, E Cook and Z White competing. Leggatt had a steady start before settling into a flowing rhythm, whilst Harvey, Cook and Z White found the race a little more challenging. Leggatt had a good turn and dominated the return leg to secure an impressive win with Harvey finishing seventh, E Cook eighth and Z White in ninth.
E Cook would swap to the cox’s seat guiding Rhiannon Castree, Alex Tilley, Jasper Mallet, Will Coleman in the Mixed Four. They were competing with Lee Stampton, Charlotte Cox, Hayley Crocker, Nick Bailey coxed by Purvis. Cook’s crew dominated off the line pushing away from the field. Purvis’ crew were steady in their pursuit. A solid turn allowed Cook’s crew to control the race home securing a comfortable win with Purvis’ crew finishing seventh.
Dover had two crews in the Open Novice Four. Ware, coxing Sonny Varnes-Stone, Jack Castree, Ollie Scrivener and Harley Scrivener, raced against Oliver White, Paul Scholes, Raj Kumar, Jon Castree coxed by Stampton. From the start it was a two horse race between Ware’s crew and Bexhill’s four with Stampton’s crew a little off the pace. A better turn moved Ware’s crew into the lead but the battle continued with Bexhill ever present on their outside. Entering the last 200m Dover started to ease away to take the win. Stampton’s crew would finish in ninth.

Varnes-Stone and Cameron Mackintosh competed in the Open Junior Pairs. A great start saw the pair enter into a tight battle with a Herne Bay crew. Nothing could split them out of the turn so it was a hard race back which saw Herne Bay slowly gain the upper hand as they went on to take the win. Dover’s crew finished second well ahead of the remainder of the field.
Coleman was joined by Paul Scrivener in the Open Single Sculls race. Coleman scorched off the line taking the early lead with P Scrivener towards the back as he adjusted to the higher category after progressing from novice. By the turn a young Shoreham Sculler had caught Coleman and took the lead. Pushing hard Coleman was unable to hold onto Shoreham and settled for second, with P Scrivener in eleventh.
In the Woman’s Senior Four Ashleigh Stevenson, Cox, R Bailey, Ware coxed by Stampton started well but struggled to hold onto the leading Shoreham crew finding themselves in a battle with Deal for second. Through the turn Dover slipped down to third position which they held to the line.
The Open Senior crew of Stampton, Mallet, Coleman, Tom Stothart coxed by Ware performed well to finish fourth. Coleman and Stothart were fourth in the Open Senior Pairs, with Stothart also fourth in Open Senior Sculls.
J16 Girl’s Quad featured two crews Hollie Castree, R Castree, Holly Young, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed by Coleman, finishing fourth, and Izzy Vickers, Elizabeth Strong, Zara Meakins, Jess Clements coxed by Stampton in sixth. J14 Mixed Quad Izzy Vickers, H Castree, Riley Danko, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Stampton finished fourth.
Woman’s 40+ Bradford, Anna Gordon, Z White, Leggatt coxed by Ware were fourth. Antya Markin, Dee Murphy, Fiona O’Neill, Amy Wren coxed by Stampton finished ninth. Open 40+ Jon Cook, Scholes, Stampton, Jon Castree coxed by Purvis finished fourth.
Senior Woman’s Pair saw Cox and R Bailey finish fourth.
Open Junior Four O White, Mackintosh, Jack Castree, Varnes-Stone coxed by Ware finished fourth.
Stothart and Danko competed in the Open Double Sculls finishing fifth.
Woman’s Novice four had heats with Aine Bains, O’Neill, Crocker, Tilley coxed by Cox qualifying in fourth place for the final where they finished seventh. In the heats Young, Strong, Evie Holland, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Coleman were fifth. Evie Jones, Murphy, Tilly Bingham, Charlotte Barnes coxed by Ware were seventh. Rosie Minkler, Lucy Castree, Wren, Gordon, coxed by P Scrivener were seventh.
In the Woman’s Double Sculls heats Jones / Holland and E Cook / Young would both finish sixth.
The woman’s squad secured second in the overall women’s aggregate competition behind Shoreham.