Oar-some ladies: Bewdley's veteran's novice quartet of Sarah Ray, Jane Wagstaff, Sonia Grinnall, Linda Withey and cox Jo Atkinson won their race at Evesham Regatta.
ROWING: Bewdley made a great start to the 2008 Regatta season with a fantastic win in Evesham on Sunday.
The West Midlands season traditionally starts with the Evesham Regatta and over 500 crews from all around the country travelled to the town to race side-by-side on the River Avon.
Bewdley's women's veteran novice four of Sarah Ray, Jane Wagstaff, Sonia Grinnall and Linda Withey, coxed by their coach Jo Atkinson, entered their first race as a crew.
The ladies had trained in an eight-man boat all winter and were disappointed when Evesham RC were unable to offer them any competition in their chosen race.
However, four of the crew decided that they still wanted to race and changed boats at the last minute to race in the coxed four event instead.
The change of boat did not unsettle them and they secured their first win and silverware together by overcoming Ross Rowing Club by one and three quarter lengths over the 500 metre course.
The awesome foursome will now be looking ahead to the National Veteran Championships, which are to be held in Nottingham in June.
Posted on 08 May 2008 by bezza
Clubs Strong Turn Out
Kidderminster Shuttle, 20 March 2008
BEWDLEY RC showed strength in numbers at the Head of the River Race, which was held over the reverse boat race course on the River Thames on Saturday.
For the first time in three years the club fielded three eight-man crews in the senior two, three and novice categories.
The time-trial event welcomed eight-man crews from the country's best clubs to compete over the 4.25 mile course.
Last year the tournament was cancelled because of treacherous conditions but with perfect weather the 2008 event went without a hitch.
The novice boat, comprising of Jack Barker, Jon Brookes, Steve Price, Toby Wiesand, Jeff Neilson, Duncan Pratchett, Dan Leedham-Green, Scott Mitchell and coxed by Lorna Pritchard - all of whom started rowing only last year at the club's pub and club event - were very impressive and finished sixth in their section.
Club member Alex Holden-Smith was part of the Oxford Brookes University crew which finished seventh overall and were awarded the Halliday Trophy, while Simon Barbour, racing with a Reading University crew, finished 24th.
Bewdley's women completed the same course two weeks earlier.
They came 75th out of the 236 boats competing on the day and narrowly missed out to the higher status crew of local rivals Stratford.
The club will focus on the shorter knockout regatta and preparations for the pub and club event, which will be held at the beginning of Bewdley Carnival week on Saturday, May 31.
l Rowing power: Bewdley's second eight man boat. Crew (back to front): Joshua Hart; Craig Robinson; Andy Ray; Ben Bevan; Simon Collingridge; Matthew Collier; Matthew Thomas; Richard Jackson ; Owen Lawther (cox).
Posted on 23 Mar 2008 by bezza
Donation to Bewdley Rowing Club
Just saw this in The Shuttle from 8 January 2008:
MEMBERS of Bewdley Rowing Club are set to receive a donation of almost £100 from the town's councillors.
The club requested a sum of £99 to help pay for new boats for the Bewdley Regatta, the club's largest fundraising event, which was cancelled last year due to the summer's torrential downpours.
During the town's council meeting yesterday, Conservative Wyre Forest District Councillor, Stephen Clee, said: "The Bewdley Rowing Club has brought a great deal of tourism to this town, so I agree that we should donate the money."
