Dover Rowing Club had a successful weekend at Herne Bay and Folkestone Regattas where DRC secured 4 wins and one CARA Championship. The first win saw Ella Cook, Holly Hannington, Nikki Leggatt, Emily Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware compete against a second Dover crew of Lily Stafford-Edwards, Zara White, Rhiannon Castree, Janice Bradford coxed by Lee Stampton in the Woman’s Junior four. Ware’s crew got a fantastic start and were able to move ahead of the field. An excellent turn further enhanced their lead which stretched to a commanding multi length as the crew took the easy win. Stampton’s crew of novice rowers acquitted themselves well at the higher level just missing out on points in eighth place. At Folkestone, Dover entered one boat and Bradford replaced E Cook in Ware’s crew. They came home in third place.
Jasper Mallet competed in the Open Junior Sculls at both regattas. Drawn in an unfavoured outside lane at Herne Bay, he started well and worked hard to overcome the disadvantage. Through the turn Mallet was in third but quickly moved into second and started to close on the leading sculler. Sprinting hard he came up short by a couple of inches. Folkestone was a different story, Mallet flew off the line and was in control from the off. He navigated the turn and comfortably held off the Eastbourne Sculler to take his third win of the season. The result secured DRC the CARA Junior Sculls Championship when combined with teammate Chris Hall’s two previous wins.

Open Novice Four saw Sonny Varnes-Stone, Jack Castree, Oliver White, Paul Scoles coxed by Nick Bailey have a steady start into the middle of the field going to the turns. They would eventually come home fifth. At Folkestone Henry Cox replaced Scoles and Ware coxed the crew, which consisted of the Open J16 crew that had finished second in the earlier Quad Sculls event. The young crew charged off the start in the Novice race and were immediately ahead of their rivals, dominating the race they led through the turns. On the return leg the crew continued to extend their lead resulting in a comfortable multi length win. A second Dover crew of Alex Henchy, Steve Bradford, Paul Scoles and Alex Sutherland coxed by Stampton came home seventh. Varnes-Stone, J Castree, O White were joined by E Cook in the Open Junior Four coxed by Bailey finishing eighth.
Woman’s Novice Four saw two crews compete at Herne Bay; Stafford-Edwards, Z White, R Castree, Henchy coxed by Ware and J Bradford, Lucy Castree, Antya Markin, Debbie Thomas coxed by Stampton. Both crews performed well with Ware’s crew finishing fourth and Stampton’s coming home in ninth. At Folkestone J Bradford replaced Stafford-Edwards in Ware’s crew whilst Stampton coxed a crew of Jo Matcham, Thomas, L Castree, Louise Fitzsimmons. Ware’s crew started well and slowly moved into the lead. A sharp turn saw them pull clear of the chasing crews and they drove hard all the way to the line taking the win. Stampton’s crew would finish ninth after a steady performance.
The Novice wins were family affairs as mother and son combination of Z White and O White were joined by siblings J Castree and R Castree in taking the top spots.
Leggatt continued her improvement in the Woman’s Novice Sculls. In the Herne Bay event she had a good start and was well placed. Safely navigating her turn Leggatt was pushing the Herne Bay Sculler over the last 200m but was unable to take the win finishing a close second. The pattern was repeated at Folkestone where Leggatt was chasing down a Shoreham sculler only to miss out on the win by less than a canvas at the finish.
Mallet was joined by Will Coleman in the Open Senior Pairs. Starting well Dover’s pair found themselves chasing the Deal crew. Through the turn Dover’s pair couldn’t close the gap, only beginning to catch Deal in the later stage of the race. They ran out of water coming home second. At Folkestone there was a three way battle for the lead but over the course the Dover pair couldn’t overcome their opponents finishing third.
In the Open Senior Fours in Herne Bay Jon Cook, Coleman, Mallet, Tom Stothart coxed by Ware started well but couldn’t hold onto the two lead crews from Herne Bay and Deal. Despite a good turn, Ware’s crew remained comfortably in third, unable to reel in the leading crews at the line. At Folkestone the venerable Bailey, who at 70 is mixing with top tier coastal rowing, replaced Cook. The crew had a good start but again found themselves dropping to third as they came out of their turn. Closing on the second place Shoreham crew they were not able to come through again finishing in third place.
J16 Woman’s crew of R Castree, E Cook, Hollie Castree, Holly Young coxed by Stampton finished third at Herne Bay, with H Castree securing second in the J14 with Shoreham only missing out on the win at the line. In Folkestone Holly Dunham replaced E Cook in a crew coxed by Ware and they finished fourth. In Folkestone H Castree, Young, Dunham with Alex from Herne Bay coxed by Stampton finished third. Open J16 had H Castree, O White, J Castree, Varnes-Stone coxed by Stampton finish third in their race at Herne Bay.
Stothart competed in the Open Senior Sculls finishing fourth at Herne Bay and third at Folkestone.
Woman’s 40+ had J Bradford, Debbie Thomas, Z White, Leggatt coxed by Stampton finish in a strong fourth place, a performance they would repeat at Folkestone. In the Open 40+ at Herne Bay, S Bradford, Scoles, Markin, J Cook where coxed by Mallet to fifth place.
Leggatt and Hannington competed in the Woman’s Junior Pairs at Herne Bay and Folkestone finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Stothart and Varnes-Stone finished fourth at Herne Bay and Stothart would repeat the performance with J Castree at Folkestone. Varnes-Stone joined Cox at Folkestone finishing ninth in a promising row from young pairing.
The Woman’s Double Scull races Harvey and Young finished sixth at both regattas, with Z White and R Castree finishing seventh and fifth with Leggatt and H Castree coming home eight at Folkestone.

Rough conditions met crews racing at Deal with the Novice Woman’s four getting the worst with the addition of torrential rain. Dover’s crews were Ella Cook, Lily Stafford-Edwards, Zara White, Emily Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware, and Antya Markin, Lucy Castree, Rhiannon Castree, Evie Holland coxed by Lee Stampton. Ware’s crew had the better start and were leading through the first turn. A three way battle developed down the charge to the second turn with them falling to third. However, a great turn and hard push saw Dover roar to the line, rowing through both the leading crews, to take the win by over a length. Stampton’s crew put in a solid performance in a large field coming home twelfth.

The Open Senior Four saw a Deal heavy entry to compete against the Dover crew fresh from winning at Hastings last week. Jasper Mallet, Will Coleman, Chris Hall, Tom Stothart, with Ware coxing, got a great start and were initially neck and neck with a Deal crew heading to the first turn. Entering the turn first Dover’s crew opened a gap over Deal and led the field to the second turn. Another great turn and a big push carried Dover through the chasing pack leaving them with a comfortable lead at line.
Open Junior Sculls saw Hall and Mallet competing. Mallet had an excellent start and took the initial lead. Hall’s steady start saw him build speed as he moved to the first turn where he took the lead. Rowing long and steady Hall increased his lead ahead of a three way battle for second which saw Mallet fighting hard. After a good second turn, and a moment to sight a clear path to the finishing line, Hall came in for an easy win. Mallet would come home in fourth.
Woman’s Junior Four of E Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Harvey coxed by Ware were competing with Janice Bradford, Holland, Z White, Stafford-Edwards coxed by Stampton. From the start Ware’s crew were battling Shoreham’s A crew for the lead, with Stampton’s fighting for points. Through the first turn Ware’s crew were a little behind the leading Shoreham. Moving through the second turn close on the tail of Shoreham, Dover were forced wide by another Shoreham crew costing them the chance of the win. Stampton’s crew came home in eighth.
The Woman’s and Open Pair races had good performances from both crews with Hannington and Leggatt putting in a strong row. Overcoming an early collision with an errant Eastbourne crew, they competed hard to the second turn, but were unable to improve on third. New pairing of Cameron Mackintosh and Jack Castree had a great first race also overcoming a brief collision to close down on the leading crews. Finding real speed, which indicates a strong future, until a couple of deep strokes disrupted their progress. Closing hard on Eastbourne heading for the line they finished fourth.
Under 16 girls race saw Holly Young, R Castree, Hollie Castree, E Cook coxed by Stampton securing a good third place whilst Jess Clements came home fourth with a Herne Bay crew.
Leggatt had another good performance in the Novice Woman’s Sculls securing third place as did the pairing of Coleman and Mallet in the Open Senior Pair.
Masters 40+ of Jon Cook, Steve Bradford, John Castree, Paul Scoles coxed by Stampton would also finish third. Masters 50+ saw Jon Cook, Stampton, Nick Bailey, Roy from Herne Bay coxed by Mallet take Fourth. Masters Womans 40+, J Bradford, Markin, Z White, Leggatt coxed by Stampton finished fourth.
Open Senior Sculls saw Stothart finish fourth.
Open U16 had Riley Danko, Oliver White, Henry Cox, Jack Castree coxed by Ware come fourth after a tight fight with Shoreham. In the open U14 Danko, Jess Clements, Holly Young, Holly Dunham coxed by Stampton were eighth.
E Cook and Harvey took sixth in the Woman’s Double Sculls.
Open Novice Four crew of Jack and John Castree, Cox, O. White coxed by Stampton finished seventh whilst Scoles was eighth with Shoreham.
Bailey coxed Open Junior Fours of O White, Jack Castree, Cox and Mackintosh to tenth place.

Hastings Regatta saw the return to competition for Dover’s Captain Will Coleman and Chris Hall which inspired a great team performance from the Dover Squad following the foreshortened Worthing Regatta the previous day.
An untested crew of Jasper Mallet, Coleman, Hall, Tom Stothart coxed Vanessa Ware entered the blue ribbon Open Senior Four. Their start was steady, but the power grew quickly and by 200m Dover’s crew were escaping the crowd and moving into a clear lead. A well executed turn saw them pulling away from the rest as they drove to the line to take the win by several lengths.

Open Junior Sculls saw Mallet compete against Hall. Mallet got a fantastic start and shot out from the middle of the field whilst Hall took a slow steady start as he adjusted to the single scull. Hall started to close on Mallet using long powerful strokes and took the lead off the turn establishing a good lead on the outside, only to have Mallet come charging back. Hall would hold off his younger teammate to take the win with Mallet completing a Dover one two.
Open Senior Pairs saw Coleman and Mallet have a good start which set them into a battle with the leading crews. Blocked at the turn by another crew they lost ground, but a hard push on the return leg saw Dover’s crew take a clear second place at the line.
The Woman’s Junior Four comprising of Janice Bradford, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Ware had a good start which saw Dover’s finest in the leading three boats. A good turn saw them exit in second but in a duel with Eastbourne. Dover initially looked to have broken their opponents but a late surge from Eastbourne saw a tight finish which finally went Dover’s way for a well deserved second place.
Leggatt took on the Woman’s Novice Sculls seeking to improve on a good third place at Worthing. Starting well Leggatt was in the first half of the field and was steadily moving up coming out of the turn in third and hunting the Southsea sculler. She pushed really hard and was overlapping her opponent at the line securing a second third place.
After a frustrating fifth place at Worthing Tom Stothart put up a determined fight in the Open Senior Sculls. Fighting hard Stothart was third through the turn and would hold that position to the line.
Woman’s Novice Four with Evie Holland, Antya Markin, Bradford, Harvey coxed by Mallett had a steady row through the heats finishing fourth. In the final, a good outward run was undone by a poor turn dropping the crew to eighth place at the finish.
Master 40+ had Bradford, Markin, Steve Bradford, Leggett coxed by Hannington start well. Although a little behind after 1000m, a great turn sent the crew up to sixth which they held to the line.
Leggatt and Hannington took third place in the Woman’s Junior Pairs at Worthing Regatta.

Dover Rowing Club were in action in the annual joint regatta between CARA and Hants and Dorset associations, held at Southsea. Southsea Regatta has been a frustrating regatta in recent years with a number of close second places but no wins.
Jasper Mallet was drawn in the unfavoured outer lanes in the rough water of the day in the Open Junior Sculls. A great start saw him ease out into a slight lead as he passed the 500m mark and he was in a clear lead at the turn. It is after the turn that the inside lanes gain the advantage over the rougher outside lanes, but Mallet handled his boat well and maintained the lead at 1500m. The inside sculler from Poole started to rapidly close but Mallet remained poised and was able to maintain his lead to the line, giving Dover their first win at this regatta for over ten years.

Tom Stothart had a good start in the Open Senior Sculls and was in the mix through the outward leg of the race, turning in fourth place in a tight field. The return leg became more challenging and saw Stothart drift off the pace, finishing in sixth.
Holly Hannington and Nikki Leggatt were in their first CARA race as a pair. A solid start saw them struggle initially, leaving them chasing the field. Improved steering from their Viking Shield race, saw them turn in eighth. Though pushing hard to improve their position, Dover’s pair were unable to improve place at the finish.
Alex Henchy joined with three Shoreham Novice Women and had to go through heats to qualify for the final. Performing well as a scratch crew, they turned in a qualifying position and finished the race in third place. The final proved more challenging and the composite crew found themselves towards the back of the race at the turn, finishing in eighth place.
Leggatt entered her first single sculls race in a fine boat. A nervous start in the difficult conditions saw her down the field. Building in confidence, she gradually improved her position, moving up to ninth at the finish.
Things didn’t go to plan for Dover Women’s Junior Four comprised of Henchy, Leggatt, Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Mallet. In the heat the crew struggled to set down their power in the conditions and found themselves slip out of the qualifying positions. After the turns the gap was too great to make up and Dover’s crew came home in seventh.

Dover Rowing Club have been in action in a unique Shoreham regatta when conditions and a higher tide meant the turn buoys were lost under water. The normal 2km course having to be replaced with a straight 1.2 km course.

Dover sent a two man raiding party featuring Jasper Mallet and Tom Stothart. Mallet had the better of the conditions but a poor start, struggling to get a good rhythm and putting himself under pressure in the Open Junior Sculls. Once he found his stride he quickly pushed into first place at half way. With 200m to go, Bexhill and Deal drew level with Mallet winning the sprint over the last 50m, easing out to a canvas win.
Stothart got the roughest conditions in the Open Senior Sculls. Four crews including Stothart, were neck and neck up to the 600m mark. Battling heavy conditions with the risk of capsize Herne Bay pulled ahead with Stothart on their stern and both crews entering a two way battle. Stothart came home second by a length at the finish.

Dover Rowing Club were in action at the weekend in the 100th Viking Shield Regatta in Herne Bay against six other CARA clubs. The main event is the Open Senior Pairs where crews compete for the Viking Shield and the right to host next year’s regatta. Jasper Mallet and Will Coleman competed for Dover. Their start was near disastrous as a wave knocked Mallet from his seat but his calm head meant he immediately regained it and they set off, chasing down the other crews. At the halfway point on the 2km course Dover’s crew had regained ground and made a sharp turn coming out in the lead. A hard push saw them extend their lead over Folkestone’s pair to gain a comfortable win as they crossed the line, securing the shield for the first time in decades for the club.

The Open Senior Four featured Jon Cook, Coleman, Mallet, Tom Stothart, coxed by Lee Stampton. They had a clean start moving quickly into their rhythm as they charged down the course. Through the turn they took advantage of the inside line and steadily increased their lead over Herne Bay to secure the win.
Stothart competed in the Open Senior Sculls event which saw a steady start parlay into a mid course lead. Comfortable through the turn, he made the run home look easy as he completed the clean sweep of the Open Senior titles.
Holly Hannington and Nikki Leggatt were nervous at the start of the Woman’s Pairs race. Heading off the line, pointing at the end of the pier, the pair followed an uncertain course towards the buoys. Despite this their power was clear. Coming out of the turn first, they powered down the course moving to a middle line and comfortably securing the win. This confidence boasting win bodes well for the coming season.
Dover had two crews in the Woman’s Novice Four. The more experienced crew of Ella Cook, Alex Henchy, Zara White, Lily Stafford-Edwards coxed by Stampton and Antya Markin, Debbie Thomas, Janice Bradford, Anna Gordon coxed by Cameron Mackintosh. The Stampton crew had a fantastic start moving rapidly into the lead with Macintosh’s crew starting well. Through the turn Stampton’s crew were being pushed by Herne Bay but were able to break the host clubs hearts as they steadily pulled away towards home, comfortably winning the race. Mackintosh’s crew had a great run finishing tenth in the largest field of the day.
Mallet scored the sixth and final win for the club in the Open Junior Sculls race. A great start saw him head into the turn ahead of the Deal sculler, although digging his blade in a little too deep gave Mallet a scare. Showing his maturity he recovered quickly and steady extended his lead to comfortably take the win.
There were some excellent performances from the age group crews in the U14 and U16 races. The U14 Quad Sculls crew of Riley Danko, Jess Clements, Hollie Castree, Holly Young coxed by Mackintosh took a good second place. U16 Girls Quad Sculls crew of Young, H Castree, Rhiannon Castree, E Cook coxed by Stampton came home in third. The U16 Sculls Quad Boys crew featuring Danko, Oliver White, Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone coxed by Mallet, finished second after a late charge failed to catch the leaders.
There were encouraging performances in the Woman’s Double Sculls with E Cook and Z White taking second and Hannington and R Castree taking third.
The Woman’s Junior Four of E Cook, J Bradford, Chrissy Purvis, Hannington coxed by Mackintosh raced well but couldn’t chase down the home crew, finishing second.
Thomas, Purvis, J Bradford, Leggatt coxed by Stampton raced well in the Woman’s Masters 40+ coming home fourth.
The Masters 50+ had a good outing with J Cook, Damion Napier, Steve Bradford, Paul Scholes coxed by Mallet finishing fourth.
A young Open Novice Four crew featuring O White, J Castree, Alex Sutherland, Varnes-Stones coxed by Mackintosh battled their way to seventh in their first sweep race.

Dover Rowing Club made their second visit this year to the Itchen river in Southampton, in the BTC Head Race 2025. Club Captain Will Coleman and Jasper Mallet joined together to race in the River and Coastal Pairs races over the 5km course.

The Men’s River Open Pairs race saw Dover’s crew pitted against a pair from the University of Portsmouth. Both crews got a strong start as they raced with the tide and by the midpoint Coleman and Mallet had pushed out to a significant lead. Dover’s crew successfully navigated the bridges and passed four other boats. Kicking on to the finish Coleman and Mallet crossed the line with a clear win in a time of 19 minutes 08 seconds. Their opponents finished in a time of 20 minutes 17 seconds.

In the second division race against the tide, Dover faced a host BTC crew in the Senior Pairs Coastal boats. Dover’s pair set off in pursuit of BTC and were maintaining close contact until, at the second bridge, they got caught behind a Woman’s Quad crew who they could only pass once they cleared the bridge. Now behind and chasing, the Dover crew started to feel the fatigue of the earlier race. At the line Coleman and Mallet finished second in a time of 21 minutes 08 seconds. BTC finished in 20 minutes 26 seconds.

Dover Rowing Club’s Junior squad competed in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships. The Championship was run virtually for the first time leading to 7834 entries overall. The competition pitched clubs, state and private schools against each other.
DRC Captain Will Coleman was very impressed with the performance of the young rowers who competed across various age categories. Dover’s 15 competitors submitted 18 entries resulting in an initial racking of 80th and narrowly beating local rivals Folkestone. When the rankings were examined they had been skewed by strong individual entries taking the higher places when compared to club and school team entries. Removing the single rowers from the list, and looking only at the team / club entries in the competition, Dover’s squad ranked 54th nationally.

The Dover squad consisted of:
Year 7: Riley Danko
Year 8: Hollie Castree, Holly Dunham, Erin Sanders, Oliver White
Year 9: Holly Young, Jess Clements
Year 10: Rhiannon Castree, Henry Cox
Year 11: Jack Castree, Sonny Varnes-Stone, Orla Sanders, Ella Cook
Year 13: Evie Holland, Alex Sutherland
There were some stand out performances with Henry Cox finishing 14th in a field of 548. He completed 1434m in 5 minutes, with an excellent 250m split of 01:44.5. Ella Cook was 19th out of 190 after completing 1519m in 6 minutes, with a split of 01:58.5. Jack Castree was 37th recording 1671m in 6 minutes, with a split of 01:47.7 and Sonny Varnes-Stone 56th with 1575m and a split of 01:54.3 out of 238.
The Club would like to thank Jacky Silk for completing all the admin for the competitors.

Dover Rowing Club had a successful start to the 2025 season competing in the Southampton Coastal Head of the River Race and the Adur Head.
At Southampton, Senior Pair Jasper Mallet and Will Coleman, started well chasing down the two BTC crews setting off before them in time trial format. Rowing a good course, Dover’s crew were progressing well when they caught a Junior Pair from Worthing already on the course. Poor steering from Worthing led to a collision which held Dover’s crew up, leaving them to come home fourth in a time of 19 min 32 sec. At the Adur Head the Dover pair had a storming race, determined to make up for the disappointment in Southampton. Racing with the tide in their favour, they rapidly closed down the Bexhill crew in front of them and started picking off the Men’s Double crews released earlier in the time trial. Eating through the doubles, the Dover crew crossed the line in second, after being released in seventh, easily securing the first place result in the Senior Pairs in a time of 14 min 29 sec.

Tom Stothart competed in the Senior Sculls events both days. Stothart had been battling illness leading into the events and had to work hard to fulfil his potential. This paid off with a strong second place in Southampton, finishing in 18 min 54 sec. On the Adur, Stothart was looking good for the win as he powered down the course. Misfortune set in at the start of the final 750m straight when his fixed shoes separated from their footplate. Despite this challenge, Stothart managed hold on for second place in a time of 14 min 37 sec.
Dover had two crews in the Woman’s Double Sculls, Emily Harvey and Janice Bradford racing against Holly Hannington and Alex Henchy in her first ever race. Competing against crews with better knowledge of the course, the new combinations acquitted themselves well, with Harvey / Bradford coming home in fifth in 23 min 42 sec and Hannington and Henchy in sixth in 24 min 55 sec. Hannington and Harvey combined for the Double Sculls on the Adur. Their race was against the tide and saw them face strong cross winds. A determined performance saw them home in second place behind a strong Shoreham crew in a time of 20 min 27 sec.
Nikki Leggatt made her debut in a sculls race on the Adur after working hard in the off season to prepare for the challenge. Despite the strong cross winds, Leggatt performed well placing third behind two Shoreham scullers on their home course, in a time of 21 min 55 sec.
A late seat change saw the Woman’s Novice Crew having to race in the Junior category. The crew of Bradford, Leggatt, Henchy, Harvey coxed by Hannington, performed well with a strong start and a hard driving finish where they secured an excellent third place in a time of 16 min 42 seconds.

Dover Rowing Club held their annual Dinner & Dance, which included the end of season awards, at the Holiday Inn Dover.

Talented junior rower Ella Cook was awarded the Most Improved Junior and the Best Performance of the Year awards. This season Cook progressed into the adult squad performing well as a novice. Cook’s first race saw her win with a Novice Four crew for which she won the Best Performance Award.

The Club Rower’s Rower, voted for by the membership, was Will Coleman the club’s new captain for his performance during the season and support for the development of the members.

The Most Improved Rowers awards went to Emily Harvey for taking her first CARA win in the Novice category as well as her excellent progression with her sculling, for which she received the light hearted ‘Tears to Cheers’ award. Chris Wong received the men’s award for his continuous improvement in training.

Damion Napier received the Club Person of the Year award. Damion has been involved in dealing with some challenging work as part of the Club committee and supported members over the season.

Freya Emmerson won Coxswain of the Year for her coxing and coaching during training.

Janice Bradford received the Role Model of the Year Award for endless enthusiasm and encouragement for all those around her.

Cameron Mackintosh was awarded Novice Sculler of the Year. Mackintosh progressed from Novice to Junior during the season through his determined effort to improve after a series of second place results.

Tom Stothart received the Teamwork award for his organisation of the Learn to Row course and open days, and his coaching through the season.

Outgoing Captain Maria West-Burrows gave the Captain’s award to her partner Tony Burrows.

Further light hearted awards were issued to Holly Hannington for the ‘Most Epic Crab’ when racing at Southampton, Nikki Leggatt the ‘Better Late Than Never Award’, Kira Roberts for ‘Best Cheerer of the Year’, Mackintosh, Eddie Briggs, Napier and Wong the ‘Most Likely to Need a Life Jacket’, ‘Best Choir’ was presented to Hollie and Rhiannon Castree, Holly Young, Erin and Orla Sanders, and Anna Gordon received the ‘Best Dressed Rower’.

Thanks go to Emily Harvey for organising the event, Jacky Silk for preparing the awards, Damion Napier for providing equipment and the staff at the Holiday Inn for a lovely evening.