Bedford rowers just miss Redgrave record
Quad sets second fastest time ever at Evesham Head.
A Bedford Rowing Club crew recorded the second fastest time ever at the Evesham Head of the River Race on Saturday, writes Lydia Swift.
The Mens Senior 3 Quadruple Sculls of Michael Hardy, Andrew Hardwick, Chris Hemmingway and Andrew MacCartney finished in 14mins 53secs.
This was a new category record and only multiple Olympic gold medalists Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent have gone quicker – by eight seconds.
Claire Smith and Sarah Keens also broke the course record for the Women's Junior 16 Double Sculls event, winning in a time of 19mins 10 secs, nearly a minute ahead of their opposition.
Smith was then joined by Katherine Allison, Sophie Robertson and Jelena Tomanic to set another course best in the Women's Senior 4 Quads.
The Senior Women's squad picked up a win in the Senior 3 Coxed Fours in 18mins 12secs.
The crew of Claire Higgins, Helen Knowles, Emma Dixon-Kelly and Vicky Rigby, coxed by Lydia Swift, were nearly two minutes ahead of their nearest competition from the host club Evesham.
Tim Coles, Ben Fears, Chris Phelps and John Vendy won the Men's Novice Coxed Four event in 17mins 28ses.
Bedford RC also won five other events, with Chris Hemmingway and Stuart Lewis recording victory in the Men's Novice Double Sculls, and Mike Hardy and Andrew Hardwick winning the Men's Senior 3 Double Sculls.
The men's and women's squads also won their respective Senior 1 Coxed Fours events, and the women's squad won the Women's Senior 3 Double Sculls.
Three crews enjoyed a 100 per cent success rate at the Star Small Boats Head on Sunday.
Mike Harris was the clear winner in Veteran E sculls, a minute ahead of his nearest rival. Lydia Swift won the Women's Senior 4 Sculls and the Veteran E crew of Ian Darnell, Chris Wisbey, Shirle Musselle and Maurice Stanbridge won their Coxless Fours event.
Star Club produced 11 event winners at its own Small Boats Head, writes Ian Rowe.
The Men's Senior 4 Coxed Four had a joint win with Bedford School after both crews recorded the same time of 7mins 30secs.
The Women's squad dominated, with the Novice Four of Jackie Bullard, Jackie Angus, Janet Herbert, Cathy Johnson and cox Lionel Cunningham winning their event alongside the Senior 4 and Senior 3 crews of Claire Ackerman, Evonne Goodge, Janet Herbert, Jackie Bullard and cox Isobelle Gerrard, and Louise Burley, Sarah Hulance, Sally Gurney, Sue Jones and Nicky Durrant.
Further wins were achieved by Joel Grant Jones, one of Star Club's World Class Start athletes, in Senior 3 sculls, Ollie Miller in Junior Sculls, and Ruby Ellam in the Women's Junior 14 singles.
Ruby teamed up with Hannah Miller to win the Women's Junior 14 Double Sculls event as well, the pair having missed out on a win the day before by only five seconds at Hampton Small Boats Head in the Women's Junior 15 event against girls a year older than them.
Dian MacDonald Smith won the Women's Novice Single Sculls and Eva Whiteman picked up the Women's Senior 3 singles.
The day before, Josh Butler and Josh Williamson showed their continued improvement with a determined sixth place in the Men's Junior 18 Doubles in 10mins 13secs, just 12 seconds off the winning time.
****
PIGGOT GIRLS TO THE FORE
Rowers from Bedford High School and Dame Alice Harpur made a splash at the Hampton Small Boats Head.
The best result of the day for Dame Alice Harpur came from Charlotte Burgess in her sculling boat, beating 31 other girls to win the WJ16 event, with Victoria Wallace finishing ninth, Christina Bullard 16th and Jessica Clarke 18th.
All four girls paired up to row in WJ16 Double Sculls, with Charlotte and Victoria finishing fourth and Christina and Jessica 16th, out of a field of 28.
Isabelle Osuch and Amy Elliott took part in the Women's Junior Sculls, finishing fifth and 11th respectively, before pairing up to row in the Women's 2 category, finishing third.
In the WJ17 Double Sculls, Bedford High students Emily and Ellie Piggott recorded an excellent win over a strong field, with Dani Hinkley and Chloe Symmonds a strong fourth in the same event.
Both Piggott girls also recorded excellent results in single sculls, placed second in both the WJ17 and WJ15 respectively.
The WJ15 coxed quad of Rachel Meradith, Grace Hodge, Lucy William and Laura Versnel, coxed by Hayley Thomas, performed with grit and determination to finish third in a field of 30 entries.
High School students also competed at the Star Head in Bedford on Sunday, with the crew of Emily Moore, Edie Jobson, Emily Curtin and Hannah Penton, steered by Philippa Tredget, winning the WJ14 Coxed Quads.
Ellie Piggott won the WJ15 Single Sculls in the second fastest time of the day, beating many older and far more experienced competitors.
Pupils from Dame Alice also did well, with the crew of Carmella Carrea, Sarah Balogun-Lynch, Anna Ploszajski, Hannah Sprake and Lesa Davies winning the WJ15 event.
Crews of Isabelle Osuch and Amy Elliott, and Holly Lang, Kirsten Salusbury, Harriet Peet and Jennifer Akers, also tasted victory, while Charlotte Burgess, Christina Bullard, Victoria Wallace and Jessica Clarke came second in the WJ Coxless Quads.
Following their successes at the recent British trials, Maria Larsen, Isabelle Osuch and Charlotte Burgess have been invited to a Junior GB training weekend at Dorney Lake near Windsor on December 10 and 11.
Maria has also been included in a GB training week at Nantes in France over the Christmas break.
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Weather for Bedford
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
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