Rowing club scores victories amid mixed results at Swanage regatta

CHRISTCHURCH Rowing Club had several victories over the weekend at the Swanage regatta which went forward as planned with a shortened 1,500-metre course.

For Christchurch, notable performances came from the men's junior four who were narrowly pipped over the finish line by their Southampton-based rivals.

The women's junior pair of Laura Campbell and Alli Fortt sailed through their heat in first position and valiantly fought their way to second place having been impeded by Itchen and twice by BTC, the eventual winners.

The stewards ruled in favour of the BTC crew, and the Christchurch crew chalked the race up to experience which will undoubtedly fuel their future racing encounters.

Laura Campbell was again in action in the final of the women's masters fours where she was joined by Emma Kelly, Lucy Hart, Sara Glen and cox Vicky Robinson. This crew was brought together especially for the day as a reunion of the crew that won this event at Swanage in 2017.

From the start the Christchurch crew had a commanding lead over rivals Southampton, Lymington and BTC, this stretched out to a comfortable four-length lead. The win for the reunion crew and puts Christchurch into a 4-1 lead in the league.

Next week, Christchurch will race in the Newport regatta with a reconfigured masters crew aspiring to extend their league lead and crews in Men's and Women's Novice, Junior, Senior and Masters looking to secure league wins.