Dover Rowing Club delivered a terrific eight win performance at Deal Regatta whilst securing the Senior Aggregate and sharing the Novice Aggregate with Bexhill and Deal. Dover came second by a point in the Grand Aggregate and were second in the Women and Junior Aggregates.
The Open Senior Sculls saw Tom Stothart and Will Coleman competing. Stothart flew off the start with Coleman in pursuit. He led through the first turn with Coleman second and a growing distance from the rest of the competitors. A steady second turn from Stothart set him up for the short run home to take the win with Coleman close behind in second. In the Open Senior Four two crews competed: Jasper Mallet, Will Coleman, Jake Cornwell, Tom Stothart coxed by Vanessa Ware, and Emily Harvey, Ella Cook, Lee Stampton, Holly Hannington coxed by Ashleigh Stevenson. After a strong start from both crews it was the Ware crew that pulled away from the field and led through the turns. Pulling away from the Worthing crew in second they had a four length lead going into the second turn before pushing to the line for an easy win. Stevenson’s crew finished in a points position in fourth.

The Open Senior Pair of Coleman and Stothart would start well and would gradually pull ahead at the turn with Deal in pursuit. On the run to the second turn Dover started to create distance. They turned with a clear lead but were faced with an oncoming crew requiring both boats to change lines to avoid significant contact. The rest of the run to the line was uneventful delivering a clean sweep of the Open Senior titles.
Further contribution to the Senior Aggregate came from Woman’s Senior Four and Pairs. Two crews competed in the Woman’s Senior Fours: Rachel Bailey, Charlotte Cox, Stevenson, Lily Stafford-Edwards coxed by Paul Scrivener raced against Megan Chester, Camelia Hanga, Jess Porter, Ware coxed by Jaynali Patel. Both crews got away well and found themselves chasing Shoreham. Scrivener’s crew moved to second and gapped the chasing boats through the turns, comfortably securing second. Patel’s crew would come home fourth just behind Worthing. R Bailey and Cox finished third in the Woman’s Senior Pair.
The Woman’s Junior Senior Four crew were Chester, Hanga, Porter, Ware coxed by Coleman. From the start it was a battle between Dover and Shoreham with Dover taking the turn first. Running to the second turn Shoreham put in a burst to close the gap. Dover turned well and pulled away from Shoreham to win by a length and a half.
The Open Junior Four saw Harley Scrivener, Ollie Scrivener, Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Stevenson. They quickly took a narrow lead over Bexhill and the outside Shoreham crew. Through the first turn Dover held the lead and started to pull away from Bexhill with only Shoreham left in the battle for first. Holding a length lead going into the second turn Stevenson executed an excellent turn allowing her crew to pull a couple of lengths clear at the finish. This was a great performance for a crew who had only recently moved up from the Novice category.
In the Woman’s Junior Four Dover’s Championship crew of Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Hannington, Harvey coxed by Ware faced off against Janice Bradford, Lucy Castree, Alex Henchy, Rhiannon Castree coxed by Chrissy Purvis. Ware’s crew rapidly pulled clear of the field, shaking off Shoreham by the first turn. A second comfortable turn led to the sprint home for a commanding seventh win of the season. Purvis’ crew secured a points finish in fifth.
Woman’s Novice Four saw three crews competing: Aine Baines, Michelle Meakin, Hayley Crocker, Alex Tilly coxed by Purvis; Chester, Bryony Doick (Southsea), Jess Porter, Evie Jones coxed by Coleman; Debbie Thomas, Abigail Sirmon (Southsea), Elizabeth Strong, Evie Holland coxed by Stampton. It was a Coleman’s crew who had the best start and were soon moving into the lead. Through the turn they moved clear and were able to maintain a comfortable rate through to the finishing line. Stampton’s crew performed well coming home in third place with Purvis’ crew in seventh.
Woman’s Novice Sculls saw Leggatt as Dover’s sole competitor. A steady start saw her grind out a lead heading towards the first turn. Comfortably round, she established her lead allowing her to control the race and, despite her opponents attempts to close the gap, taking a well judged win.
Masters 50+ saw P Scrivener, Stampton, Nick Bailey, Leggatt coxed by Purvis impeded at the second turn by Folkestone but still able to finish second behind Hastings.
Woman’s Junior Pair had E Cook and Harvey against Leggatt and Hannington with Cook and Harvey getting the better placing coming home in second with Leggatt and Hannington in fifth.
In the Open Junior Sculls Coleman battled hard but couldn’t keep contact with Shoreham finishing second with club mate P Scrivener in eighth.
The Junior Pair saw H Scrivener and O Scrivener battling Southsea for second place with one final push seeing them miss out on second by a bow ball. Varnes-Stone and Jack Castree finished eighth.
Woman’s 40+ featuring Bradford, Purvis, Hanga, Leggatt coxed by Stampton had a bad start but fought back to be in contention. Around the second turn they charged down on Herne Bay but missed second place by a whisker.
J16 Woman’s Quad of Hollie Castree, Jess Clements, Strong, R Castree coxed by E Cook fought hard to take third place in the straight line race.
Master 40+ Jon Cook, Stampton, Bailey, Jon Castree coxed by Paul Scrivener had a great race finishing third.
The Woman’s Double Sculls saw Harvey and E Cook face off against Evie Holland and Evie Jones, with the Harvey / Cook combination finishing third and the Holland / Jones tenth.
J14 Mixed Quad Izzy Vickers, Toby Cook, H Castree, Riley Danko coxed by Ware finished fourth in a good performance from this young squad.
Open Novice Four: Chris Wong, Mark Warby, James Cane, Jon Castree coxed by Cox, would finish sixth.
Open Double Sculls saw Stothart and Danko racing against Varnes-Stone and T Cook, with Stothart / Danko finishing seventh and Varnes-Stone / Cook finishing eleventh.