Last weekend saw Dover Rowing Club competing at the Deal regatta in typically challenging coastal conditions. Jo Johnston and Maria West-Burrows, first on the water in the Ladies Senior Pairs, got off the line in fine style, taking the initial lead. As the race progressed Worthing took control and Dover dropped to 3rd coming to the 2nd turn. A heavy collision between the Shoreham and Folkestone crews meant Dover were able to secure 2nd place at the finish.

The young J14 quad sculls crew of Will Crickson, Rebecca Stothart, Ty Young, George Burrows with Tom Stothart as cox found conditions difficult against the older crews in the straight race. Working hard they remained competitive in the early stages before dropping to 6th on the run into the line.
Men’s Junior Sculls had Chris Hall and Chris Price battle heavily . Hall got off to a good start moving with the lead scullers whilst Price struggled to make early headway. After the first turn Hall was in a 3 way battle for 3rd with Price fighting for the minor places. Hall was third at the 2nd turn and was able to hold position despite the strong challenge from the 4th place sculler. Price coming home 8th.
The Ladies Junior Four of Jen Jordan, Chrissy Purvis, West-Burrows, Mary Newcombe coxed by Tony Burrows were mid field over the start line and had to work hard on the outward leg. Approaching the second buoy the Dover crew were 4th and over a length behind the Deal but a determined challenge saw them close down Deal to level pegging; only missing out by less than a canvas at the line.

The Vet 40’s saw returning Jo Woods at bow, Johnston, West-Burrows, T. Burrows with Newcombe coxing get a slow start leaving them in a hole as they chased the field. Working well together the crew pushed hard throughout the race turning 4th out of the second turn to hold their position to the finish.
With conditions worsening T. Stothart and Hall took to the water for the Men’s Junior Pairs. Dover were 2nd off the start and avoided some of the chaos of clashing blades behind them. The Dover boys pushed through the Bexhill boat to lead at the 1st turn where they kicked on through the middle of the race taking several lengths lead to the 2nd turn. Picking their way through crews heading the opposite direction the youngsters came safely home for their first league win together. This was Stothart’s first win after being runner up in a number of races. The win also help secure Dover’s second place in the Men’s Junior Aggregate competition.
The Men’s Novice 4 launched through huge breaking waves as Ollie Hurrel, Toby Scrivener, Guy Hadfield, T. Stothart coxed by Ollie Scrivener sought a novice win on Stothart’s last opportunity as his earlier win promotes him to Junior status. Despite a strong first few strokes the crew slipped to 3rd in the first quarter of the race behind a composite crew and Worthing. Between the turns they progressed to 2nd and, although Hadfield’s seat derailed at the 2nd turn, they chased down Worthing, piling on the pressure, but narrowly missing out by a canvas in the end.
Johnston found herself facing her Worthing nemesis for the first time this season in the Ladies Open Sculls. Johnson found herself in 3rd after the first 100m but rowed through the Deal sculler to move into pursuit of Worthing’s former international. Keeping in contention through the first turn before steadily losing ground and securing runner up at the finish.

Vet fours 50+ race saw Paul Scrivener, Burrows, Nick Bailey, Andrew ‘Oily’ Bryant coxed by Purvis . With the swell deepening the veteran rowers battled for the lead off the line. The rowers struggled to match the leading two boats after the first turn and came under heavy challenge as they battled to hold on to 3rd place against the Deal crew. The fighting spirit in the crew saw them hold on to their place by half a length.
Burrows and T. Stothart both qualified for the Novice Sculls final by finishing 4th in their respective heats. The final was in worse conditions and simple launching was dangerous. A tired looking Stothart struggled from the start whilst T. Burrows pushed to be in the mix. By the second turn Burrows was 6th and Stothart 7th. Burrows put in a late push in pursuit of the Southsea sculler, closing him down and taking him on the line by the smallest margin to take 5th.
The Scrivener family entered the Men’s Junior Fours with three rowing above their status. Paul, Neil, Toby, Tim, with Ollie coxing found the going tough against the more experienced crews. They were unable to break into the points places coming home 9th.

Dover’s final race saw Johnston / Newcombe and West-Burrows / R Stothart competing in the Ladies Double Sculls. West-Burrows / Stothart had the best start taking the early lead before Shoreham and then Johnston / Newcombe rowed through them. Johnston / Newcombe pushed Shoreham hard down the return leg but were unable to repeat their victory from the Dover Regatta as they came home 2nd whilst West-Burrows / Stothart came home 6th.

Sunday saw Dover Rowing Club’s Regatta held in glorious conditions within Dover Harbour. Despite the works currently taking place the regatta was over the full course, thanks to the assistance of Dover Harbour Board.
The first race saw the Dover J14 crew of Will Crickson, Rebecca Stothart, Ty Young, George Burrows coxed by Tom Stothart in their first ever race. The youngsters worked hard against older crews as they fought for 2nd place before eventually settling for an excellent 3rd.

Dover’s Men’s Novice Four were the next crew to race. Jon Cook, Toby Scrivener, Guy Hadfield, T Stothart coxed by Cameron Mackintosh got a great start and soon locked in pursuit of the strong Bexhill four. The novices were unable to close the gap at the buoy turn so they pursued Bexhill on the return leg, but were unable to overhaul them coming in comfortably 2nd.
The Ladies Open Sculls saw Jo Johnston, Lizzie Foley and Antonia Reed competing. The race was dominated by the Folkestone Sculler from the off which left the Dover rowers fighting within the pack for 2nd. The Scullers were all close at the turn but as they rowed the return leg they fell to the middle of the field; Johnston finishing 4th, Foley 5th and Reed 8th.
Ladies Novice Four saw Claire Beaumont, Reed, Jodie Lott, Amy Lewington coxed by Mary Newcombe. A slow start saw the ladies towards the back of the race and, although the crew fought on to try and improve their position turning in 7th, they were unable to improve their placing on the return leg.
Men’s Junior Sculls saw Chris Hall and Chris Price competing. An eventful start saw Hall having to stop after a collision blocked his path leading him having to chase the field. Price’s start was more straightforward and he led Hall through the mid course buoys but was overhauled at the turn by the younger rower. Both scullers were unable to break into the top three on their return runs and had to settle for 4th and 5th respectively.
A strong and experienced crew competed in the Open Veteran Fours 50+ race; Johnston, Tony Burrows, Nick Bailey, Andrew ‘Oily’ Bryant coxed by Foley. Dover’s crew shot off to an early lead holding off Herne Bay’s boat. They turned first but came under pressure in the first half the return leg where Herne Bay rowed through, leaving Dover to take 2nd place.
The Men’s Novice Sculls saw three Dover rowers enter the qualifying heats. In heat one T. Stothart rowed a controlled race to maintain a qualifying position and conserve energy coming home 4th. In the second heat Mackintosh and T Burrows both struggled to maintain qualifying positions finishing 7th and 8th respectively. In the final Stothart was in the mix on the outward leg before falling back after the turns to finish 6th.

The Ladies Senior Pairs crew of Johnston and Maria West-Burrows found themselves in a straight battle with a strong Shoreham pairing from the off. Dover’s crew quickly fell into chase mode with Shoreham maintaining their early advantage. After the turn they tried to apply pressure but found Shoreham too strong.
The Men’s Junior Pairs saw T. Stothart and Hall in action again. The pair had a good start and were in the fight with the leading crews. At the buoys the Dover boat turned 2nd with three other boats on their heels. In the dash back the lead boat consolidated their advantage while the Dover crew dropped to 3rd at the line.

Ladies Junior Fours crew of Foley, Chrissy Purvis, West-Burrows, Newcombe with Johnston as cox had a rough ride from the start. With a large field crews bunched to get a clear run through the mid course buoys. The ladies found themselves clashing blades with two crews before being hit at the turn leaving them in 9th on the return. A clear run and rowing strong and long saw the Dover crew row through 5 boats to secure 4th place in a very challenging race.
With 3 novice rowers making up the Men’s Junior 4’s boat it was going to be a challenge for the crew to be competitive. Cook, Scrivener, T. Stothart, Hall coxed by Johnston had a good start and were in the middle of the field on the outbound leg. It was only in the last quarter that their challenge fell away leaving them in 6th.

Dover left the best to last as they put out three crews in the Ladies Double Sculls. Regular crew of Johnston/Newcombe were competing with new pairings of West-Burrows/R. Stothart and Lott/Reed. Johnston/Newcombe in the outside lane went out strongly with West-Burrows and J14 Stothart also moving toward the front of the field. Johnston/Newcombe turned first and found themselves racing a ferry back across the harbour as they completed an excellent day for Johnston taking the win by several lengths. West-Burrows/Stothart completed a points finish in 6th place with Lott/Reed all smiles as they finished 7th.

Dover Rowing Club would like to than its sponsors and supporting organisations:
A&S Self Storage Ltd, Andy Tibbles – A.T. Garage Services, Dover Marine Services Ltd, Dover Sea Sports Centre, Dover Water Sports, K.R. Gavin Removals, Kent Stonemason, Mariner III – Malcolm, Sharp and Enright, Riverside Catering Services, David Newman & Julie Hall,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 G Johnings, Mrs M Johnings, Mrs M. Squibb, Jane Forryan, Mr R Purvis, Mr C Townley, Miss S Walmsley-Preece, R Newcombe.

Press Coverage: Dover Express and East Kent Mercury

Thanks to Dover Harbour Board and Dover Lifeguards Club for their cooperation

The weekend saw Dover Rowing Club in action in Bexhill for the Hastings and Bexhill Regattas. Conditions for the Hastings regatta were extremely challenging and the event was cancelled after 9 events. The only Dover Rowers to race were Chris Price and Chris Hall in the Men’s Junior Sculls. Price, a light weight rower, struggled to make progress and abandoned early, whilst Hall pushed on making the turn in 3rd place despite waves breaking over his shoulder. Hall then caught a runner out of the turn pushing him a length ahead of the home rower, an advantage that he maintained to secure 2nd place.

The Bexhill Regatta, on Sunday, had calm conditions throughout the day. Dover’s first crew to compete was the Men’s Junior 4’s featuring disabled rower Jon Cook in his first CARA regatta where he rowed with Austin Mills, Tom Stothart, Hall and Jo Johnston coxing. The crew, containing 3 novice rowers, competed well and overhauled a number of crews after a slow start. At the turn the crew moved into 4th place which they comfortably held to the finish.
Hall’s Junior Sculls race was not without incident. The young rower was preparing to make his push with 400m to go when the rower in front of him capsized forcing him to stop and manoeuvre around and leaving him in 5th overall. Hall then raced with Stothart in the Men’s Junior Pairs but issues with a foot plate slowed them off the start leaving them chasing the field. By the buoy they were battling for third with the Herne Bay pair on their inside. The race was neck and neck with the boys missing out finishing in fourth.
Dover’s Ladies Junior 4’s crew was Jen Jordan, Chrissy Purvis, Maria West-Burrows, Mary Newcombe coxed by Johnson. The Dover boat got off to a fine start from an outside lane and shadowed the strong Shoreham crew until the turns where Shoreham extended their lead with Dover 2nd away from the buoys. The tougher outside water gradually took its toll as the ladies crew could not hold off the boats on their inside dropping back to 4th by the finish.

Dover’s Ladies Senior Pair of West-Burrows and Johnson were surprised by the quality of their field as they struggled to make headway on the outbound leg leaving them in 7th after the turn and despite their best efforts were unable to improve their position. Johnson was Dover’s last Rower on the water as she competed in the Ladies Single Sculls. Johnson, who had campaigned for this event to return to full CARA status, got off to an excellent start battling a younger Shoreham opponent for the lead. Disaster struck at the 800m mark as Johnson capsized gifting the race to the Shoreham sculler. Johnson regained her poise and set off in pursuit of the other scullers moving up to 3rd after the turn but was unable to row down the 2nd place competitor.

The weekend saw Dover Rowing Club in action in the traditional preseason regatta, the Viking Shield, hosted by Folkestone RC. With new crew combinations formed in the off season this regatta gives them their first opportunity to compete.

The Men’s Junior Pairs saw new partnership of Tom Stothart and Chris Hall starting well. They found themselves fighting for second place on the outward leg as the buoy turn approached but the leading Shoreham boat over shot their turn and the young Dover crew seized the opportunity making a tight turn and springing out to a couple of lengths lead. They fought hard and held on to take the win by a clear length.

Novice Sculls saw Dover scullers Stothart, Tony Burrows and Paul Scrivener comfortably come through qualifying rounds. In the final P Scrivener flew off the line to take the lead which he held for most of the first leg with Stothart mid field and Burrows at the back. P Scrivener struggled to maintain contention after the turn dropping back to finish 7th a little ahead of Burrows who was 8th, with Stothart leading them and taking 5th.

Men’s Junior Senior 4’s saw P Scrivener, John Cook, Guy Hadfield, Neil Scrivener coxed by Olly Scrivener. The crew had a strong start and were fighting for places until Cook in his first race caught a monster crab springing his blade from the gate and leaving them to trail behind the field finishing 5th.

The veterans race had P Scrivener, Burrows, Nick Bailey, Jo Johnston coxed by Mary Newcombe competing against a strong Folkestone crew on home water. In a tight race the Dover crew were unable to force their way into the top two places finishing in 3rd place.

Ladies Junior 4 featured Jen Jordan, Chrissy Purvis, Maria West-Burrows, Newcombe coxed by Burrows. Dover’s crew found themselves in a battle with the three Folkestone boats. After the turn Dover repeatedly clashed blades with the inside Folkestone boat until Dover’s ladies managed to pull clear finishing the race in 5th.

Stothart, Cook, Hadfield, Austin Mills coxed by O Scrivener raced next in the Men’s Novice 4’s. An unfortunate foot injury hampered Cook in this race that featured one of the largest fields of the day leaving the Dover crew coming home in 7th.

Experienced crew of West-Burrows and Johnston competed in the Ladies Senior Pairs. The ladies crew pursued the Shoreham boat from the start and maintained contact after the turn but were unable to overhaul their opponents, finishing 2nd.

In the Men’s Junior 4’s Dover had a mixture of Novice and Junior rowers. Stothart, Hall, Hadfield, Mills coxed by O Scrivener worked hard to stay in contention on the outbound leg but lost ground after the turn coming home in 4th.

Chris Price and Hall both qualified for the Junior Sculls final. Hall suffered from being in the previous race and was unable to defend the Keith (Butch) Thomsett Memorial Trophy he won last year coming home in 5th with Price in 7th.

The last race of the day had Johnston and Newcombe compete in the Ladies Double Sculls race. The lead Shoreham boat leapt out to an early lead with Dover’s crew caught in a three way battle for second. The turn proved crucial as Dover lost ground and had to settle for 4th.

Dover Rowing Club ran a full Capsize Drill on Saturday at Dover Leisure Centre for its members and our friends from Deal, Folkestone and Herne Bay Rowing Clubs. The importance of water safety was emphasised by Dover Captain Tony Burrows in his welcome speech before the rowers were divided into groups to participate a variety of different drills.

The event activities included:
• Recovery using throw line
• Treading water
• 100 metres swim
• Capsize and recovery
• Buddy rescue

Well done to everyone one that completed the Capsize Drill. Thanks go to all involved in organising and assisting in the event particularly Jacky Silk, Tony Burrows, Maria West-Burrows, Jo Johnston and the boys in the deep end Thomas Stothart and Chris Hall

This week saw Dover Rowing Club members involved in international and county indoor rowing competitions. Dover’s diminutive powerhouse Chris Price was in action in the Senior men’s light weight 2km, 30 – 39 years, in the European Indoor Rowing Championships held at Stade Sebastian Charlety, Paris. Price was hoping to improve on his time from the British Championships but found himself off his desired pace. After initially hitting his early split times he fell behind his target finishing in 7 minutes 16.7 seconds, securing 14th place.

Earlier in the week Dover’s Junior section was in action in the Kent School Games. Dover’s DGSB contingent of Cameron Mackintosh, Thomas Stothart, Austin Mills and Chris Hall had qualified 2nd in the relay for the Boys U18 competition, 20m behind the King’s School Canterbury team they had beaten narrowly in 2016. Hall and Mills also qualified for the individual 2km finals with Hall highest placed in 5th. Mary Newcombe qualified in the relay event for the Girls U18 competition in the history making first girls team to represent the Boy’s Grammar School at rowing.

In the finals Hall managed to improve 2 places to take 3rd in a personal best time of 6 minutes 54 seconds with Mills also setting a personal best of 7 minutes and 4 seconds. Stothart, having narrowly missed out on the individual competition final, formed part of the team combined event with Hall and Mills. Stothart posted a personal best time of 7 minutes 8 seconds helping to secure a DGSB victory for the Dover District Team. Newcombe also posted a personal best of 8 minutes 12 seconds in the team combined event with her team to taking 3rd place.

In the relay sprint Mackintosh stepped aside to allow a higher ranked DGSB rower take his place in the team as they looked to overcome the strong King’s team. In the frantic 4 minute race sharp changes and a determined effort saw the DGSB squad complete 1349m securing an 8m winning margin for their 2nd team victory. Newcombe’s relay squad secured their 2nd medal taking 3rd overall.

Dover Rowing Club would like to congratulate all Dover District Rowers for their performances in the Kent School Games.

Dover Rowing Club held their end of season meal and awards ceremony at Cullins Yard. There was a good turnout from the active rowers at the club for the awards that covered both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Sarah Goodwin Trophy for Most Improved Novice Male Rower was awarded to Robin McCorkell for the 2015 season and Thomas Stothart for 2016. Both young rowers had performed well in Dover’s Novice crews whilst successfully learning to scull to a competitive level. In the Ladies division Most Improved Novice trophy was awarded to Lisa Burnett in 2015 and Mary Newcombe for 2016. Burnett won her two Novice races in successive regattas with different crews whilst Newcombe scored the only win for a novice lady in 2016.

The Cox of the Year Award was presented to Chris Hall for 2015 and Cameron Mackintosh in 2016. Hall, possibly the tallest cox in CARA, drove several crews to victory and worked with new Canterbury Christ Church University crews in training whilst Mackintosh worked to safely develop younger rowers in training and has shown willingness to cox any crew at short notice.

The Captain’s Award for winner 2015 was David Newman with the 2016 award being shared between Jo Johnston and Maria West-Burrows. Newman took on the Press Officer role for the Club at the start of the 2015 season. Johnston has worked as Junior Co-ordinator, West-Burrows has taken on the Vice Captain’s role this season and they have both worked hard for the club through the year. Johnston and West-Burrows also took the Club Man Award for 2015 and 2016 respectively for their overall contribution to the club.

The popular Rower’s Rower award, the only one selected by club wide vote, was shared between Mackintosh and West-Burrows. The Loyal Supporters award went to Toni and George Burrows and the Dover Regatta Prize was awarded to Ollie Scrivener who coxed his families Men’s Novice Four crew to victory on home water.

Anyone interested trying out rowing for the first time, or who are looking to return to the sport, should contact Dover Rowing Club using the details on the Club’s website.

The weekend saw Dover Rowing Club compete at the British Indoor Rowing Championship held at the Lea Valley VeloPark. Dover entered 4 competitors, Chris Price, Guy Hadfield, Chris Hall and Robin McCorkell, and there was also a strong representation from the Coast Amateur Rowing Association in an event featuring several Great Britain Rio Olympic medalists.

First to perform were Price and Hadfield in the Masters 30-39 Light Weight Men’s 2km class. First time competitor Hadfield went off strongly rating at 35 strokes over the first quarter, completing it in 1 minute 41.9 seconds pulling ahead of Price who managed a respectable 1 minute 48.8 seconds. During the mid 1000m Hadfield slowed a little whilst Price maintained consistent splits. Hadfield pushed hard in the last 500m pushing his stroke rate to 36 and finishing off with a 1 minute 43.1 second split to complete the race in a personal best time of 6 minutes and 56 seconds in 10th place. Price improved in his last sector to finish in 7 minutes 13.6 seconds, taking 15th overall.

Chris Hall was next up in the highly competitive Sixth Form Boy’s 2km race. Hall had broken his personal best representing Dover Schools Area in the Kent Schools Games qualifying rounds earlier in the week and completed the first sector in 1 minute 42.3 seconds. He felt his third sector had dropped behind his target for the day but pushed hard in the last 500m to break his personal best finishing in 6 minutes 55.8 seconds, 6th in his heat and 27th overall in one of the largest fields of the day.

The final competitor was McCorkell racing in the Under 23 Men’s 2km. The Gonville and Caius student started comparatively slowly to the rest of the field leaving him in 11th after the first 250m but moved up the field steadily with his first sector split of 1 minute 36.8 seconds. He moved into 5th by 1250m where he entered a battle with a Royal Navy Rower switching between 4th and 5th place. Eventually McCorkell finished 5th in Dover’s fastest time of day, 6 minutes 28.1 seconds.