Torquay scullers take on the best in the South Coast Rowing Championships

Torquay scullers take on the best in the South Coast Rowing Championships

By Hilary Bastone

The 2025 South Coast Rowing Championships were held on the river Plym at Plymouth held over two days with the Junior Regatta on Friday and the Senior Championships on Saturday.

The event attracted 265 entries from the clubs of the three member Associations; Hants & Dorset ARA; Coast ARA (Kent and Sussex); and the West of England ARA (Devon, Cornwall and Somerset). The Championship events were made up of Championship winners and runners-up of their respective Association.

The regatta started with reasonably calm conditions over the 1000 metre course on the first day but as forecast the wind strengthened and by the second day the wind was extremely strong.

A decision had been taken in advance of the regatta to use coastal rowing boats, which are broader and stronger than fine boats and this decision proved to be the correct one. Championship races on the second day were held over 1500 metres.

The Men’s Senior coxed fours, which always is the supreme event, as crews race for the magnificent Bideford Bowl. The race was indeed outstanding with an extremely close finish with just two or three lengths separating winners BTC Southampton from second placed Deal and third placed Dover.

Paignton were absent from the Regatta but Torquay did boat their two young scullers on the first day. Will Jackson-Heritage competed in the first heat of the Men’s under 16 single sculls but failed to make the final. Sophie Evans competed at Women’s under 16 single sculls winning her heat to progress to the final where she was roundly beaten by scullers from Southampton Coalporters, Southampton and Dart Totnes.

On the first day, Dart Totnes won six events, including the Championship Ladies under 18 coxed quadruple sculls.

The trophies and medals were presented to the winners by double Olympian and Plymouth club member Chloe Brew.

South Coast Rowing Championships results:

Championship events:

Men’s Senior coxed fours 1 BTC Southampton 2 Deal 3 Dover

Men’s Junior Senior coxed fours 1 Itchen Imperial 2 Bexhill 3 Eastbourne

Men’s Junior coxed fours 1 Newport 2 Worthing 3 Spouthampton

Men’s Masters coxed fours 1 Eastbourne 2 BTC Southampton

Women’s Senior coxed fours 1 BTC Southampton 2 Southampton 3 Shoreham

Women’s Junior coxed fours 1 Shoreham 2 Ryde 3 BTC

Women’s Masters coxed fours 1 Shoreham 2 Lymington 3 Herne Bay

Open events:

Men’s Open Senior coxed fours 1 Poole 2 Christchurch 3 Shoreham

Men’s Open Junior Senior coxed fours 1 Plymouth 2 BTC Southampton 3 Ryde

Men’s Open Junior coxed fours 1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Lymington 3 Southsea

Men’s Open Novice coxed fours 1 Plymouth B 2 Ryde 3 Herne Bay

Men’s Open Masters 40+ coxed fours 1 BTC Southampton 2 Christchurch 3 Southampton

Men’s Open Masters 50+ coxed fours 1 BTC Southampton 2 Christchurch 3 Dover

Women’s Open Senior coxed fours 1 Southampton Coalporters 2 Itchen Imperial 3 Ryde

Women’s IOpen Junior coxed fours 1 Itchen Imperial 2 BTC Southampton 3 Christchurch A

Women’s Novice coxed fours 1 Poole 2 Herne Bay 3 Eastbourne

Junior Regatta:

Championship events:

Men’s under 18 coxed fours 1 Shoreham 2 Southsea 3 Lymington

Men’s under 16 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Shoreham A 2 Southampton Coalporters 3 Lymington

Men’s under 14 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Shanklin 2 Shoreham 3 Deal

Women’s under 18 coxed fours 1 Dart Totnes 2 Plymouth 3 Shoreham

Women’s under 16 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Poole 2 Southampton 3 Southampton Coalporters

Women’s under 14 coxed quadruple sculls 1 Shanklin/Lymington 2 Shoreham

Supporting events:

Men’s coxless pairs 1 Dart Totnes 2 Southampton 3 Christchurch

Men’s Open double sculls 1 Plymouth A 2 Lymington B 3 Lymington A

Men’s Open single sculls 1 James Burridge – Dart Totnes 2 Tom Mann – Christchurch 3 Clyde Dickinson - Southampton

Men’s Novice single sculls 1 Alex Breese – Lymington 2 Tom Self - Herne Bay 3 Liam Palmer – Southampton A

Men’s under 18 single sculls 1 Ned Middlewick – Falmouth 2 Oliver Brew – Plymouth A 3 Fred Crowe – Southsea A

Men’s under 16 single sculls 1 C Watts – Ryde 2 Ethan Foley – Southampton Coalporters 3 Mason Lloyd - Southampton

Men’s under 14 single sculls 1 Dewi Thayer - Shoreham 2 Digby Ridgwell - Shanklin A 3 Josh Batchelor - Shanklin B

Men’s Masters 40+ single sculls 1 Tom Faith - Shoreham 2 Martin Burridge - Dart Totnes 3 Jon Osborn – Eastbourne

Women’s coxless pairs 1 Southampton Coalporters A 2 Southampton Coalporters B 3 Lymington

Women’s Open double sculls 1 Dart Totnes 2 Southampton 3 Lymington B

Women’s Open single sculls 1 Isobel Burridge – Dart Totnes 2 Melissa Shaw – Shoreham A 3 Louise Florence – Southampton

Women’s under 18 single sculls 1 Esther Cope – Dart Totnes 2 Izzy Wakeley – Lymington C 3 Jaz Allen – Southampton Coalporters

Women’s Under 16 single sculls 1Freya Nall – Southampton Coalporters 2 Summer Marvin – Southampton A 3 Greta Woolaston – Dart Totnes

Women’s under 14 single sculls 1 Annabel Phillips – Southampton Coalporters 2 Connie Batley-Smith – Shanklin 3 Evie Hosegood - Plymouth

Mixed Open coxed quadruple sculls 1 Itchen 2 Lymington 3 Plymouth A