Local rowers Sol Chamberlain-Hyde and Xavier Jebb share British Rowing Four Nations Beach Sprint Series crown

LYMINGTON’S Sol Chamberlain-Hyde and Christchurch’s Xavier Jebb have been announced as joint-winners of the U19 Open Solo of the British Rowing Four Nations Beach Sprint Series.

Sol, who turned 17 within the event series timeframe, and Xavier equalled the same number of points across the grand slam competition.

Everything was to play for on the beach over the last few weeks, with rowers all over the UK competing.

Lymington Amateur Rowing Club’s Sol equalled the most points to win the U19 title despite only competing in two out of the four events, while Christchurch Rowing Club’s Xavier started brightly as the only competitor at the first regatta – the Jersey Beach Sprint Championships.

Competitions were held in Jersey, England, Wales and Scotland, playing host to established names and newcomers to the format.

Championship trophies were awarded for the top open and women’s solos at senior and junior levels across the four events.

At the English Beach Sprint Regatta, 17 rowers competed, with Sol taking first place ahead of Madoc Gundry of Lea RC and Fergus McKeown of Kings Chester RC, while Xavier placed fourth at his second competition.

Sol dominated the event from time trials to finals – the side-by-side racing results for the top four followed the order established in the time trials.

In the main final, Sol, the junior reserve for the England Beach Sprint team last year, and newcomer Gundry boated almost simultaneously, but the Lymington sculler was the first away.

Despite taking a buoy wide, Sol’s race back to the beach was clean – not so for Gundry, who was caught by a wave before finishing less than two seconds behind the Lymington teenager.

The two local rowers went head to head again at the Welsh Beach Sprints, with Sol finishing in second ahead of Xavier and Edward van Lopik winning.

British Rowing Olympic pathway manager Tom Pattichis said: “It’s always exciting when we come to the beach, and this year’s regatta was no different.

“The athletes gained valuable experience across some pretty tough conditions, and it was excellent to see some new faces competing.

“The Four Nations competitions form part of the selection process for the GB Beach Sprint team, and based on the racing we saw over the weekend, we’re excited to see what the rest of the season brings.”