Dear Everybody,

You will have seen the short form already (I hope), and I also hope that this will not be much longer.  Milly (W.J15.1x),  got Rob’s usual position of first race of the day (8:38), so the trailer departure from the club was at 6 (aarrgh).  She won her first round but met a former (and faster) opponent in the semi.  Josh (J12.1x), racing in his (very) new boat, did not scull as well as he wished, and lost his first round by a length.  I then raced my semi in MasF.1x, which was not strongly contested by my opponent from Upton (of which more later), and so proceeded to the final against a chap from Liverpool Victoria, who, John informed me, was a known quantity, and a successful sculler.  I treated him with caution, got away well at the start, and by halfway the outcome was decided.  So, first pot of the day.

Gillian and Stuart went out first round in Mxd.MasD.2x (translation: mixed masters D double sculls – and a very hot ticket item, it would appear – Graham and I would not have liked to face such opposition, regardless of the chromosome mix).  Then Graham and I had our semi in MasF.2x, against a pair from Bewdley who who had defeated at Ironbridge.  They were better prepared for us this time, and were a length and a half up at halfway.  But, as Graham would say (and frequently does) “The harder I train, the luckier I get.”  So we got lucky, and they faded and we rowed through, but it was a good race, and our oppo were cheerful in their defeat.  It is worth noting that the master’s pool is not a large one, and at small regattas like Stourport there is a strong social component to the racing.  They all become friends, which is delightful.

Our final was against another former oppo, Upton (we had defeated them at Nottingham Masters & Club, and their bowman was my first opponent of the day).   Unlike Bewdley, they were not very experienced, but they sculled well, and were not discouraged to lose to us again.  So, second pot.

Lucy (W.J12.1x) then raced a heavier opponent in her first round, but was not successful.  She sculled well (as always), but the unevenness of the maturation process is beyond any coaching, and certainly no fault of Lucy’s.  

And finally the men’s coxed four (MasC.4+) beat an Upton crew by half a length (Graham and I were stood chatting to a group of Upton supporters at the time, which was embarassing, but in a good way).  In the crew were Stuart, Gary, Andrew, Paul, and Jeremy (cox).  Master’s rowing is non status, with one exception.  In the case of a rower who has never had a regatta win, a win in a masters event (mixed crews excepted) is treated as a novice win.  Thus Paul has gained his first recognised regatta win (he has won previously in mixed crews), and is no longer a novice, the last of the current men’s squad so to do.  It is worth noting that this was Jeremey’s first regatta win as a coxswain, which he did in old-fashioned style, as the speaker system in the borrowed boat was SNAFU, and he communicated with his crew as nature intended.  Well done all.