News
Autumn 2007
Autumn Head News
Our popular Autumn Small Boats Head was held in blustery but dry conditions on Saturday the 10th of November on the River Weaver. The Club welcomed 215 crews from 23 clubs from around the North West and beyond. It was a successful day for Northwich members who won in seven categories.
The first division, for single scullers only, saw 74 boats set off against the clock in a 2350 metre processional race from Vale Royal Lock to Hunts Lock. John Cowan finished third in this division winning Men's Senior 3 in 9min 36sec just 15 seconds behind the winner of the division from Grosvenor RC. Women's Junior 16 sculler Rhian Wynne finished in 11 min dead beating her opposition from The Grange School by 1:04.
64 boats raced in the second division including quadruple and double sculls and coxed fours and pairs. The successful father and son combination of Ian and Phil Silk won Men's Senior 3 double scull in 9:31. The other win was returned by the very experienced Veteran C coxless quad crew of Simon Crouchley, Brian Roberts, Dave Street, Graham Jump and stroke Simon Crouchley in 8.57.
The light was fading fast as the 73 boats in the third division raced at 3pm with NRC gaining 3 more wins, Men's Vet C coxless Four of Simon Crouchley, Simon Tanner, Phil Crump and Doug Pickup in 9:11, the Women's Veteran C composite coxless quad being the fastest women's boat overall stroked by Val Edwards ( Runcorn RC) Clare Briegal, Carolyn MacRitchie, Heidi Hackett (The Grange Sch) finishing in 9.46. and the junior girls Mary Hunt, Rhian Wynne, Amy Fallon, Jane Edwards and cox Andrew Morrison racing Women's Novice coxed four having a very close result against Kings School Chester in 10.27
The GB national squad members returned to club action in the Fours Head on the 3rd of November racing four and a half miles on the Thames in London. A Leander four, stroked by 2007 World Championships bronze medallist Matt Langridge (NRC), won the elite coxless event. Matt now travels with the GB squad for a winter training camp in Spain.
CIRCUIT TRAINING IS BACK!
Don't wait until after your Christmas Binge!
Get your New Year's fitness drive in early!
Get in Shape for the Beach in Summer!
Come to our absolutely cracking
CIRCUIT TRAINING SESSIONS
for some enthusiastic
jumping up and down, running on the spot etc.
EVERYONE WELCOME!
Rowers, Non-rowers, Parents, Friends, People you met down the pub, All abilities.
Excercise as hard or as gently as you like in friendly company.
Mid-Cheshire College Gym in Hartford
Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Juniors - 5pm for 5.15pm
Seniors - 6.45pm for 7pm
Each session lasts 1 hour - £ 1 a time.
Poster
Changing facilities available. Google Map
Go to themain reception door, past the reception desk, through the doors (following signs for gym & fitness suite) and turn left. The gym is straight ahead. The fitness suite is also available for use
More Wins on the Dee
Northwich Rowing Club was well represented with crews from all the squads attending the Dee Autumn Head Race in Chester on Saturday the 27th of October however there were just two wins. Firstly Mary Hunt and Rhianne Wynne, both juniors, but on this occasion racing at the senior status completing the 4000 metre course to win Women's Novice Double sculls. They had a comfortable win setting off at a fast pace, overtaking the opposition from Liverpool Victoria RC and Warrington RC early in the race. Secondly, Mel Wakefield beat Mersey RC's Veteran Women's Novice sculler to win Women's Novice single sculls.
Junior Wins Galore at Agecroft
Northwich RC traveled to Manchester on Saturday 20th of October to race in the very popular & highly competitive Agecroft Autumn Head on the River Irwell. This is an fun race of 3050 metres with lots of bridges and a few obstacles starting in the heart of Manchester and finishing under the footbridge between the Lowery Centre and the Imperial War museum. The weather conditions were perfect for good times with a flat calm river and sunshine.
The club returned with 5 wins, all from junior members.
- Women's Junior 14 coxed quad was yet again triumphant, their third consecutive win, on this occasion beating Queens Park High School, Chester decisively. Crew - Lizzie Bennett, Becky Jones, Beth Wynne, Chloe Weston, cox Katy Heeham.
- Rhianne Wynne and Mary Hunt won the WJ16 double scull beating Agecroft.
- Mary also won Women's Novice single against 6 other scullers in the earlier division.
- The Women's Junior 15 double scull won a close race against Royal Chester and The Grange School.
- Junior 16 coxless quad had an excellent race against opposition from Merchant Tailors School and Royal Chester RC, however the boys maintained a strong finish winning against Queens Park High School by half a second! Crew - Alex Riddell, George Clark, Max Andrews, Peter Tobin
Results availiable from Agecroft's Website. The club will next race at the Dee Autumn Head in Chester on Sat 27th Oct.
Chester Long Distance Sculls and Runcorn Sculler's Head
Autumn is the start of the long distance winter season, beginning with the Small Boats Head Races. There have been two races already, at Chester and Runcorn, and the club entered a number of crews at both.
Bright Autumn sunshine greeted an impressive entry of more than 300 crews for the County of Chester Long Distance Sculls on Saturday 7th October which was raced on the River Dee over a course of 5000 meters. This was the first major autumn Head Race in this region and attracts scullers from all over Britain. The club was very pleased to return with wins for our oldest and youngest crews; Women's Composite Veteran C coxless quad ; Heidi Hackett (The Grange School), Carolyn MacRitchie (NRC), Clare Breigal (NRC), Val Edwards (Runcorn RC) finishing in 20 mins 51 seconds and the Women's Junior 14 coxed quad ; Lizzie Bennett, Becky Jones, Beth Wynne, Chloe Weston cox Katy Heeham. The young scullers settled into a good rhythm, maintaining a steady pace to the finish line beating their opposition George Watson's College, Edinburgh by 2.01mins finishing in 22.59 and impressively beat an older WJ15 crew.
Womens Novice Double scullers Kerry Briggs and Laura Hind were beaten by York RC by a mere 4 seconds to finish second of five in their category while Mel Wakefield in her first WNovice single scull long distance race finished fourth out of eight in a very strong group. The men and junior boys entered a number singles doubles and a quad but the opposition proved to be too tough on the day.
Following on from this success the girls were delighted to win another medal at Runcorn Autumn Head on Sat 13th Oct. They raced the shorter distance of 2,500m on the River Weaver completing the course in 9.15, decisively beating their opposition of two crews from Queens Park High School, Chester. "I'm delighted with their progress and they are very keen to compete" said coach Kevin Jump. The seniors and older juniors raced a longer distance of 4,500m with Phil Silk winning Senior 3 single sculls in 20.18 and a composite Northwich/Agecroft Veteran D coxed Four; John Billows, Simon Tanner, George Perrin(Agecroft), Doug Pickup (NRC) finishing in 17.54 beating Trafford RC and Royal Chester RC crews.
Lond Distance Sculls Results from Royal Chester and Photos from Brian Flumen.
URGENT!Regatta Chairman Required!
The Regatta Chairman is an essential position for the finances of the club. Karen has done a great job over the last few years and she has all the tasks listed and a schedule of when they need to be done. This position requires a fair amount of work in the weeks leading up to the regatta (end of May) but not much for the rest of the year. There's also an efficient commitee to share the work.
World Masters Regatta - Zagreb
'All that way for eight minutes rowing!' That’s how I put it to my wife when I got back from Zagreb in Croatia, but of course this was very tongue in cheek; it is easy to dismiss the FISA World Masters as a 'jolly' for a load of old folks who should know better, but anyone who as attended one of these events will tell you how fantastic they are. The scale of the event is its most impressive statistic; something like 4,000 oarsmen and women from dozens of countries all over the world attend.
In case you, like me, could not easily place Croatia on a map, it is one of those 'new' nations to come out of the Balkan conflict. Although it had a troubled past it is now stable and properous and sits more or less between Italy and Albania, with a long stretch of fabulous coast line at the top of the Adriatic Sea. As a nation they are sporting mad, and we shared our hotel with (amongst others) the Croatia National Ladies squad; what a treat that was, but that's another story!
Northwich have been represented with crews at the FISA Masters for several years now without a break. This year Dave Street and Steve Parry entered a number of single and doubles events, and Ian Silk, Dave Frazer, Dave Wilson and Andrew Simpson entered two 4+ events, coxed by James Morrison. Doug Pickup also attended in a mixed club crew in both 4 and 8 events.
I freely confess that the buzz hearing the starter call out the crew lined up at the start as 'Great Britain' when they came to us is great. More sobering is the role call of other crews; when you realise how far some have come you begin to understand how competive the rowing is; when you have travelled from Australia or Japan you want to make sure your 1000 metres is the best you have ever done.
For those considering attending, think no more and commit yourselves. Rowing is great and the atmosphere friendly and competitive,
so start your planning now. Next year is in Lithuania, up near the Baltic, and if past events are anything to go by will again be a grand occasion.
We hope to encourage some Ladies and Mixed crew's for 2008, and maybe even a combined crew from other clubs to try and extend the
rowing opprtunities. Ask the Vet members for more details.
Report from Andy Simpson.
George Musker Awards
Northwich Rowing Club members and friends were joined by Vale Royal Borough Council Mayor, Councilor Doug Shingler and his wife to celebrate the annual George Musker Awards and boat naming ceremony on Sunday 23rd September when members are recognised for their services and achievements on and off the water.
The George Musker replica oar, is the coveted and prestigious prize, given in recognition for "elitism in the sport of rowing". This year the joint winners are Matt Jump and Jamie Leighton. Their arduous winter and challenging summer season regime climaxed with the double scullers qualifying and racing at Henley Royal Regatta in July in the "Double Sculls Challenge Cup".
The George Musker Trophy, a decorated and inscribed oar, was introduced in 1980 to commemorate George Musker, Boatman at the club for 40 years. George spent the whole of his working career lasting more than 50 years associated with the River Weaver. He was introduced to the rowing club by his father in law, William Dutton, helping him to keep the boats and boathouse in good order and succeeding him in 1930 as the club's Boatman. On his death in 1979 aged 87 the club introduced the annual award, a fitting tribute to George's expertise, efficiency and loyalty over the years. This year the club very proudly named a veteran squad coxed four boat George Musker, his name and memory continues on the River Weaver. Background to the Awards
Other prize winners were:
- Rachel Hooper & Mike Bulmer - Chairman's Award
- Mike Palfreyman - The Simon Crouchley Coaching Award
- Ellie Preece - The Eddy Philips Junior Award
- Simon Crouchley - The Eddy Philips Veteran Award
- Jonty Moore - The Denis Mills Coxing Award
- Laura Hind - The Bill Cotton Award
- Carole Riddell - The Grange School Endeavour Trophy
The Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 25th Sept 2007 and the key committee members were returned to office for another year, Simon Bannister - Chairman, Laura Hind - Secretary, Andrew Mallins - Treasurer and John Baxter - Captain.
Wanted: Veteran Rower and Cox
One of our veteran crews is looking for a new oarsman.If you are an old rower (45+) and would like to get back into a boat contact Dave Frazer on 07799 137083 (updated: sorry wrong number previously) or 01606 781298. They race Vet C, D and E and they've just returned from racing at the World Masters Regatta in Croatia. They usually and train on Sunday mornings and one or two evenings during the week
And if you like shouting at big men in lycra, the same crew are also looking for a cox. Experience desired but not necessary as training will be given. You don't have to be a particularly small, any size will do, just enthusiastic and able to commit to a couple of hours on Sunday mornings and one or two evenings during the week.
Triathlon Triumphs!
Carolyn MacRitchie and Kate Litherland were joined on this occasion by Samantha Hatton and Sally Barlow to compete in the NW Triathlon at Nantwich on the 16th Sept 07. This is a hugely popular Triathlon with nearly 1000 competitors made up of men and women of all ages and abilities, some seasoned Tri athletes but many taking part for the first time. The weather conditions were calm when racing started at 8.30, however as the morning progressed the wind picked up becoming very strong and gusting, making the bike section harder for everyone. We were all very pleased to run over the finish line, another race under our belts!
Kate raced the 'Sprint', similar distances to the one she did in July with Carolyn at Manley Mere - 600m swim (in an outdoor swimming pool), 20k bike and 5k run. She had a very fast result finishing the course in 1:20:14 - overall 27th out of 187 women. Great result!
The other three raced the 'Fun', a shorter version with a 300m swim and 2.5 k run. Sally and Samantha both novice Tri athletes, in their first race had a very good result and really enjoyed the experience. Sally finishing 10th in 1:07:18 and Sam 23rd in 1:11:22 out of 86 women. Carolyn finished 45th in 1:17:15, beaten to second place in her age category by 39 seconds.
Samantha had a traumatic morning before racing even started when her bike was wrecked falling off the car on the way to the venue. Fortunately she wasn’t fazed by the accident completing the course on an unfamiliar, borrowed bike.
Jamie Leighton turns to Triathlon!
After a very grueling winter and summer rowing regime culminating with Henley Royal Regatta, Jamie decided to use his fitness and test himself with a Triathlon. As a novice, he chose a somewhat challenging one, namely the Saddleworth Triathlon set in the Saddleworth Moor area of the Peak District on 26th August 07! 400m swim in a pool, 36.1k bike, 5.2 run. As you might imagine the bike section was extremely tough with some very steep gradients followed by very fast descents! For his first attempt at this sport he did extremely well by finishing 19th out of 101 in 1:53:51, many of his fellow compotators being experienced members of Tri clubs. Is he up for another one? Watch this space ...
Matt's World Championship Medal
Wonderful news, Northwich's Matthew Langridge and his partner Colin Smith won bronze in the Men's Heavyweight Pair at the Rowing World Championships in Munich. This win is all the more sweet and satisfying following their bad luck with injury and illness over the past few weeks.
Matt, previously World Junior Champion in a single scull, and Colin Smith won two World Cup regattas earlier in the Summer, one in the pair, one in the 'super' eight, but the World Champs are a huge step up, second only to the Olympics in prestige and competiveness.
Fifth at halfway, with 600m to go Langridge and Smith wound up the tempo, pushed past Serbia and France, to be third, with a quarter of the race remaining, and held on to take bronze behind winners Australia and silver medallists New Zealand. "At 1000m I looked around and saw everyone there and I thought 'this is our part of the race'", said Langridge afterwards. "Then it was just a case of hanging on".
Stourport Regatta
Members of Northwich RC's Veteran squad traveled to Stouport Regatta, held over two days on the 11th and 12th of August. Following the awful flooding this summer with many rivers closed to rowing and many regattas being cancelled it was a treat to be able to compete at this event on the River Severn The club returned with a win for the Vet C coxed Four comprising of Dave Annells, Steve Warren, Steve Parry, Dave Street coxed by Liam Street aged 11.
Veteran squad members have been in training over the summer months in preparation for the World Rowing Masters Championship Regatta which they will be attending this year in Zagreb, Croatia from 6-9 Sept 07. This is a very popular event which attracts a huge entry from around the world. The age of rowers and scullers, men and women, range from 29 yr to over 80 yr. The entry this year has been so large the organizers have had to start a day early to accommodate everyone. The atmosphere at this annual event is always friendly but charged with intense competition and rivalry. It is an opportunity for club athletes to compete against former World and maybe even Olympic winners. Dave Frazer, Ian Silk, Dave Wilson, Andy Simpson cox James Morrison will race Vet C & D coxed Fours Steve Parry and Dave Street will race Vet B & C single and double sculls.