News

Summer 2008

News from Hollingworth Lake and Ross-on-Wye Regattas

The 2008 North of England Sprint Championship Regatta hosted by Hollingworth Lake RC took place on Sat the 30^th of Aug at Littleborough up in the Dales of Lancashire. This regatta, held on Hollingworth Lake, is a very popular event, attracting clubs from across the country, giving a high standard of competition for the rowers and scullers of all ages. The course is a sprint, raced over 500 metres, in a multi lane format which in itself can be a new experience for many athletes.

Northwich RC's junior boys entered a number of races gaining valuable experience, returning one win in the Senior 4 Double Scull: Alex Riddell and Max Andrews. The J16 boys won the qualifying heat, despite trailing in third position at the half way marker, coming through to win by a length. The final was a very exciting race against Liverpool Victoria S4 men. The boys fought hard and raced well over the course gaining vital distance at the halfway marker where they lifted the rating and powered the boat to the finish, winning the race by half a second!

The crews had been competing south at Ross on Wye last weekend. All crews managed to win their heats but sadly not the final races. One win was returned by the junior boys racing in a composite crew Runcorn RC/ Northwich RC S4 Double Sculls: Will Frisk and Matt Evans. The boys had a very satisfying days racing beating Dart Totness RC double in the final. The race was a real battle over the 750 metre course with the boys pushing themselves to the limit to cross the finish line, a mere 2 feet ahead.

London 2012 - 4 Years and counting

Northwich Rowing Club members joined other sports clubs representatives from the Vale Royal region, at Wyvern House, Winsford on Sunday 24th Aug, to mark the transition of ownership of the Olympic Games from Beijing to "London 2012". Alex and Carol Riddell, Max Andrews, Tom Curwell and Carolyn MacRitchie were in attendance for the launch of a special flag to mark the occasion. The flag was raised at a precise moment in the afternoon across Great Britain. The Vale Royal Borough Mayor Councilor Malcolm Gaskill & Mayoress, Jo Gaskill joined in the activities. It isn't often you can say you played badminton with the Mayor! The count down to 2012 has begun!

Congratulations Matt Langridge - Olympic Silver Medallist!

Sunday 17^th August will be imprinted on the minds of Northwich RC's members for a long time to come. That was the day Matthew Langridge (Honorary NRC member) and his colleagues in the Men's Eight won a Olympic SILVER medal!

Club members gathered at the club in the morning to share in the exciting build up to the blue riband event of the Olympic regatta, the final of the Men's Eights.

A thrilling race was anticipated with GB hoping to win gold. GB men's eight looked impressive in winning their heat. They knew today that Canada would be the main opposition.

Canada had a very fast start and led after 10 strokes. GB pushed them all the way with real determination, but Canada dominated the race to the finish. At 1500m the GB crew clawed back an overlap. With 500m to go, Canada led with GB just ahead of the USA, both crews clawing their way back. The tussle behind the Canadians was immense, Great Britain eventually came out on top, just a few feet ahead of the USA to take the Silver.

What a superb achievement and a fantastic performance!

We in the club house were shouting and willing the Eight to victory with every stroke they took, everyone of us feeling the pain but urging them on. Many of us who have known Matt since he was a Junior, learning to row on the Weaver, instantly shared his disappointment in coming home in second place. This was mirrored on the faces of his crew mates who had all been hungry for a Gold.

Great Britain finish top of the medal table for the regatta - A Great result for British Team. Watch out London 2012 we will be back.

Watch the race on the BBC Website.

Bacon Buttys and Gold Medals - 10am - Sunday, 17^th August.

On Sunday morning Northwich Rowing Club could have its first Olympic Champion.

The club will be open for everyone to come down and cheer Matt Langridge on.

Bacon buttys will be on the menu and, although it's a bit early, the bar will be open for celebratory drinks.

The 8's final is scheduled for 17.30 in Beijing, I think that makes it 10.30 here.

Hope to see you all there cheering loud enough to be heard in China!

Warrington Regatta

Crews from Northwich Rowing Club had a successful visit to the regatta of local rivals Warrington, racing on the Mersey on Saturday the 2^nd of August.

One of the closest races of the day saw the women's Senior 3 coxed four of Helen Waterman, Nicola Watts, Rhian Wynne, Clare Briegal and cox Jonty Moore row through hosts Warrington in the last 100 metres of a closely fought final to take victory by just a few feet.

The Senior 4 double scull of Junior rowers Alex Riddell and Max Andrews also saw victory in the final, beating a crew from Liverpool Victoria Boat Club by 2 lengths.

On Sunday 21 women rowers from the women's squad at Northwich Rowing Club spent the morning on a training camp at the Grange School Boat House at Acton Bridge, where with the help of several experienced senior coaches they were put through their paces as the club looks to develop its squad ready for next year's season.

Clean Up Day Part 2- Sunday, 7^th September

The last Clean-up day was really successful, however there are a few bits left to finish off. We hope that you may spare an hour or so to come down to the club and pick up a paintbrush or the like as we endeavour to spend a morning completing the much needed maintenance work on the boathouse and clubhouse. It should not take long if everyone lends a hand.
We will be lighting the BBQ at lunchtime and hope to make it into a social occasion as well. Come down in your scruffs, bring your painting head and help get the club back into shape!

Matt Jump - 2012 Olympic Hopeful

A great article on page 2 of the Northwich Guardian this week about Matt Jump. In an interview he discusses his progress in flatwater canoeing and when he realised he'd been wasting his time in a rowing boat. The Article

Clean Up Day - Sunday, 20^th July

On Sunday 20th July, the club will NOT be open for rowing. However, we hope that you may spare an hour or so instead to come down to the club and pick up a paintbrush or the like as we endeavour to spend a day doing some much needed maintenance work on the boathouse and clubhouse. We will be lighting the BBQ at lunchtime and hope to make it into a social occasion as well. Come down in your scruffs, bring your painting head and help get the club back into shape!

If you are able to help out, please do! The club is for all of us to use and it needs all of us to help maintain it! Hope to see you there

Vet D Gold Medallists at Henley

Northwich RC had crews represented in two venues over the weekend, the Thames and the Trent. The Veteran men attended Henley Veteran's Regatta on Friday and Saturday. This regatta has been held on the weekend following Henley Royal Regatta since 1994. Hosted by Upper Thames the regatta has grown into an internationally recognised event for veterans and masters crews. Competitors, some of whom are former Olympic medal winners, come from all over the world to compete with crews from UK clubs. The course is 1000 metres upstream between Temple Island and Upper Thames RC.

A Vet D NRC composite crew, currently Vet D National Champions, returned with Gold medals, now recognised as the Best Vet D crew in the country! Made up of very experienced oarsmen, the crew was the victor on Saturday meeting Crabtree, the Cambridge Old Blues, with an Olympian at stroke, in the final. NRC had a good start despite difficult conditions caused by blustery cross winds. They led the race winning by a length in 3 min 14 seconds. A resounding victory!

The crew also entered Vet C racing on Friday morning in the heats against Sudbury winning by a length. In the afternoon they faced Nottingham RC, the current Vet C National Champions, in the quarterfinal. This proved to be a close race with Nottingham gaining on NRC's lead. However, with 100 m to go Northwich responded by lifting the rating, winning by a canvas! Unfortunately, in the semi-final on Saturday, the crew was beaten by Crabtree Vet C who had 4 USA international oarsmen in the boat. They were the eventual winners of Vet C beating Molesey composite, who had Sir Steve Redgrave in their boat!

VET D crew: Robert Jepson, Simon Crouchley (NRC), Geoff Sims (NRC), Ray Smith, George Perrin, Paul Clay, Matt Hackett, Doug Pickup (NRC), cox Jonty Moore (NRC)

A marvelous, memorable racing weekend for the veterans and a proud moment for the club!

Junior Boys Win at Burton Regatta

The junior boys traveled to Burton Regatta on Sunday and were blessed with sunny, summer weather to win all three races entered over the Sprint course of 450 metres on the River Trent.

Senior 4 Coxed Four - Matt Evans, Peter Morton, Fraser Dodd, Dan Edge and cox Jordon Dodd beat Churchill College, winning against Trent RC in the final by three quarters of a length.
Novice Double sculls - Max Andrews and Alex Riddell were delighted to their win their novices, beating Trent RC by 3 lengths in the semi final and Burton Leander in the final. It was a hard fought race, won by 2 lengths against the home crew, on a challenging course for the visiting crew.
Junior 15 Double sculls - Sam Coverley and Shane Dickinson won their race in a straight final against Doncaster School Rowing Association. The boys are certainly on a roll having been successful at Ironbridge and Runcorn over the past few weeks.

News from Runcorn Regatta

Northwich RC junior squad attended the Runcorn Junior Regatta on Sat the 5^th of June to compete in the Round Robin knockout event with gold, silver and bronze medals for the winners. This Regatta raced over a 300 metre straight course, is very popular combining the element of fun with competition for juniors especially the younger girls and boys who haven't had the experience of Regatta racing. Clubs from across the Northwest region were in attendance.

Despite the blustery, windy conditions the scullers all enjoyed the challenging day with Northwich RC returning two wins.

Silver medal - Junior 15 Boys double sculls, Sam Coverley and Shane Dickinson, beating two Liverpool Victoria RC crews, however losing in the final race to a stronger crew from the home club Runcorn.
Bronze medal - Junior 14 Boys double sculls, Felix Hemstead and Cieran Hyndes racing very well against crews from Liverpool Victioria RC and Warrington RC.

Full results and lots of pictures on Runcorn's website

Old Boy's Canoe Triumph

Northwich Rowing club old boy, Matthew Jump won a medal in the C2 class Paddle Canoe at the 4^th National British Canoe Union Regatta at Holme Pierrepont held this weekend, the 5^th & 6^th of July. Matt and Radek Sikorski were delighted with their win on both days in the C2 class. The strong South African squad was in attendance this month.

Matt and his fellow team members have been going from strength to strength in their development and progress with the sport. Matt has had his contract confirmed for a further nine months which is wonderful news. It was only a year ago when Matt and Jamie Leighton were competing at Henley Royal Regatta in a double scull! Here he is winning in a new sport on the water!

Redgrave's Raw Recruits

The reality television show, featuring NRC's Paul Rafferty, will finally be shown on ITV4 at 8pm of the 17^th and 24^th of July in the build up to the Olympics. The program follows the selection, training and transformation of a group of wayward Liverpool lads into an elite rowing crew with goal of competing at Henly Royal Regatta. Paul, along with Sir Steve Redgrave, was part of the coaching team.

Quiz and BBQ

We'll be holding the next quiz night at 7.30pm on Friday the 27^th of June at the rowing club. These events have been very popular. There will be BBQ food under the gazebo. Everyone is welcome, the bar will be open. Cash prizes - £1 per team member, teams of four or less. Come down and show how brainy you are!

Canal and River Festival - 21^st& 22^nd of June at Anderton Boat Lift

Northwich Rowing Club will be one of the many attractions at the 2008 Canal and River Festival on Saturday the 21^st & Sunday the 22^nd of June at Anderton Nature Park. The club will have a racing rowing boat on display with information about the club. There will also be an Ergometer Challenge in the club's tent.

Volunteers are needed to man the tent over the weekend. If you can spare just a couple of hours please get in contact with Claire Briegal.

There will be Barbeque at 6.30 pm on Friday evening, the 20^th, on the banks of the Weaver run by the club with all the proceeds going to club funds. We'd like a few volunteers to show off their barbie skills. Please come along and eat a few burgers and hot-dogs, you can row them off on Saturday morning.

The site will be open from 10 am til 5 pm. Admission is FREE, so come along! Over the weekend there will be lots of attractions, including:

Wild Over Waterways, especially for the children.
Cheshire Year of Gardens Events Arena, featuring woodcarver, wildflower planting and a chance to make exotic blooms for our festive garden. (Just Sunday I think)
Colourful working and pleasure boats.
Many stands and stalls.
Face painting.
Mersey Morris Men.
Brass bands.
Horse Harnessing Demonstration.

We, as river users, are keen to support the weekend which hopes to promote the Weaver as a worthwhile destination by ensuring that residents, local authorities, statuary bodies and volunteer organisations are aware of its beauty and diversity, but also the threat to its infrastructure due to lack of maintenance and funding. More info on their website.

Quad Conquer at Loughborough

Northwich Rowing Club was once again racing at Holme Pierrepont, The National Watersport Centre at Nottingham, attending Loughborough Regatta on Saturday 14^th of June and the National Veteran Championships on Sunday the 15^th of June.

It is an ideal opportunity for crews of all ages and abilities to race at this multi-lane venue; the first time for many. The weather over the past few weeks has been the cause of numerous cancelled events here, predominantly due to high winds causing horrendous conditions. The weather was still an issue this weekend with crews having to battle against blustery, cross winds.

The club was delighted to return with a win for the Women's Junior 14 coxed Quad of Becky Jones, Lizzy Bennett, Beth Wynne, Chloe Weston and cox Katy Heeham. They had a hard fought race against strong opposition in a straight final. Despite a poor start the crew raced well against The Grange School RC and Ross RC who were the close contenders over the 1000 metre course. The battle was taken all the way with Northwich raising the rating in the final 200 metres to win against Ross RC by a length.

Earlier in the day two of the crew, Becky Jones and Chloe Weston, had raced to a comfortable win in the semi-final of the WJ14 double scull having lead from the start. Unfortunately, the final in this category was only 30 minutes after their victory in the quad and the girls struggled with their race. Had they had time to recover this crew may have had a different outcome.

Rhian Wynne competed in the WS3 single scull but unfortunately came second in the final. She is now all the more determined and hopes to do well when she competes at the prestigious Women's Henley Regatta on the 21^st & 22^nd of June. All these junior scullers will be focusing their attention and channeling their energy into training for the National Championships of Great Britain in early July.

The club was also very pleased to return a win for Northwich Veteran men in a VetD Eight on Sunday racing at the National Veteran Championships. It is a wonderful event for veteran rowers and scullers, attracting a huge entry from across the UK. The Northwich composite crew had a good row in the penultimate race of the day, with a very exciting finish, narrowly beating Walbrook RC by two thirds of a length. Crew: Vet D coxed Eight: Robert Jepson, Paul Clay, Peter Meaney , Geoff Sims, George Perrin, Simon Crouchley, Matthew Hackett, Doug Pickup, cox Jonty Moore.

124^th Northwich Regatta

This premier sporting event held on at Spring Bank holiday Mon 26^th May, at the rowing club on the river Weaver it is a high quality, busy event attracting crews from around the country. The club prides itself by making the regatta a successful and enjoyable day for spectators and competitors alike.

This year the event was run as a single day event on Monday over the Sprint course of 500 metres. Racing commenced at 9am and the day was completed at 6.30! The club welcomed Vale Royal Mayor Councillor Malcolm Gaskill & Mayoress, Jo Gaskill to make the presentations at the end of a very successful event!

The weather was once again cool with very strong, gusting head winds making the course difficult to row in such challenging conditions. However the rowers and scullers of all ages starting at 11 years old were not deterred and bravely fought against the wind making winning all the sweeter!

NRCs 124^th regatta was well attended by visiting crews from within the NW region; Liverpool Victoria, The Grange School, Trent RC, Hollingworth Lake, Trafford RC, Liverpool Uni RC, Chester Uni RC, Agecroft RC. along with Stoke Rowing Assoc RC, Bangor & Salford Universities. And the spectators were entertained with some exciting races and very close finishes.

The club returned 10 wins. Chloe Weston and Becky Jones racing in the WJ14 double did particularly well racing three different crews from their main rivals the Grange School to win their first summer regatta. This crew is now in training for the National Championships in July.

The Eights races are always exciting to watch and Northwich women were pleased to win two; WS3 eight against The Grange School in a hard fought race and Womens Novice eight, made up of junior girls enjoying the experience of sweep oar rowing, beating Bangor Uni in the semi final and winning the final against Salford uni with a very exciting close finish winning by a length.

The WS3 coxed four kept their composure in a very close sprint beating Bradford ARC by half a length. Rhian Wynne had a convincing win in her WJ16 single scull despite a bad start powering her way to the finish line beating Warrington RC by 2 lengths. The junior boys produced some exciting moments for members of the crew as well as the cheering spectators winning the Senior 4 coxed fours against Agecroft RC in a straight final. It was a hard fought race and neither crew was willing to give in with NRC the victors by 1 foot! The junior boys won the Senior 4 double scull and veteran sculler Simon Crouchley winning VetC single both against Mersey RC.

Nathan Jump, aged 11, in his first Regatta season racing in a single scull, was not deterred by the daunting weather conditions. His opponent from Trafford boated but changed their mind and returned to dry land. Nathan completed the race to win his first regatta medal in Junior 12 single sculls. Cliff Salt, aged 91, NRC President, coxing the Womens Vet C/D Four unfortunately was not victorious this year but non the less wonderful to have him competing in our Regatta!

WINNING CREWS

Women's Senior 3 8+: Helen Waterman, Clare Briegal, Lydia Barstow, Marie Farrow, Alison Heley, Carole Riddell, Ellen Preece, Sian Murray and Cox Jonty Moore.
Women's Novice 8+: Lorna O'Farrell, Claire Campbell, Jane Edwards, Lucy Joynson, Amy Fallon, Mary Hunt, Ellen Preece, Rhian Wynne and Cox Andrew Morrison
Senior 4 4+: Alex Hunns, Peter Morton, Matt Evans, Fraser Dodd and Cox Andrew Morrison.
Women's Senior 3 4+: Lydia Barstow, Marie Farrow, Alison Heley, Carole Riddell and Cox Jonty Moore.
Women's Senior 4 4x+: Ellen Preece, Laura Hind, Lydia Barstow, Claire Briegal and Cox Jonty.
Senior 4 2x: Alex Riddell and Max Andrews.
Women's J14 2x: Chloe Weston and Rebecca Jones.
J12 1x: Napthan Jump.
VetC 1x: Simon Crouchley.
Women's Senior 3 1x: Rhian Wynne.

Shrewsbury Regatta - Womens 4+ are Severn Stars

On the 10^th and 11^th of May Northwich Rowing Club traveled south to compete in the glorious spring sunshine at Shrewsbury Regatta on the River Severn. This is a very popular event attracting crews from around the country at the start of the Regatta season. Crews are hungry for competition and look forward to the change to racing over shorter distances, namely 1000 metres on Saturday and 600 metres on Sunday. The club entered 12 crews with all the squads being well represented on both days and was delighted to return three wins, all competing on the sprint course on Sunday.

The Women's Senior 4 coxed Four started their racing early in the morning, beating Derby RC B and Ross RC to reach the afternoon final against Derby A. In a hard fought race with a nail biting finish, our girls won by a mere canvas. It was made all the more exciting as Carole Ridell, at stroke, came off her seat on the fourth stroke but regained her composure well and continued rowing to the winning line. Crew: Marie Farrow, Nicola Watts, Alison Reed, Carole Riddell and cox Jonty Moore

The Women's Junior 16 Double Scull was a victorious against Liverpool Victoria RC. The girls had a good start and lead the way to the finish. Crew: Lucy Joynson, Rhian Wynne

The Women's Junior 14 Double Scull, the final saw two Northwich crews battling against each other. 'A' crew Becky Jones and Chloe Weston beat Stourport RC to race against tema mates Lizzy Bennett and Beth Wynne in the 'B' crew. In a well-matched close race the 'A' crew just crossed the line first. Crew: Rebecca Jones, Chloe Weston

This was the first major regatta for two Junior 12 scullers, Liam Street and Nathan Jump. Unfortunately they were beaten by Leicester RC but not discouraged and will return ready to fight another day! The club will attend Chester Regatta next weekend.

Matthew Langridge wins Silver in the GB 8 at the Rowing World Cup

Matthew Langridge was in the newly reshuffled GB Eight that won a silver medal at the Munich World Cup Regatta this weekend. Australia led from the start over 2000 metres in a very close race. It was a storming sprint to the finish saw that saw GB take the pressure up a notch and close the gap on Australia and pip China to second place.