Loughborough Ladies show strength in depth
IN A timeless parkland setting on the banks of the River Severn at Shrewsbury, Loughborough Boat Club demonstrated the strength and depth of its Ladies Squad in the opening Regatta of the Summer season.
With eight different boat combinations, and age groups ranging from 15 to ‘50’, the Ladies crews brought home five winners’ medals.
Tara Johnson and Thomasin Storey achieved a convincing victory in the final of the Womens Junior 15 Double sculls by beating opponents from the UK’s top rowing school, Royal Shrewsbury, on its home venue. Meanwhile, in the Saturday 1,000 metre event, the Open Womens Quad of Becca Hambleton, Matilda Haines, Chloe Garnham and Hannah Ferris beat Warrington, Leicester, and City of Oxford.
The Loughborough crew’s style and potential was picked out by the race commentators who described them as a ‘strong and fast boat with imaginative steering’.
For the Sunday 600 metre sprint, Matilda crewed up with Cathy and Annie Beaumont, and Zoe Hudson, to produce an equally powerful crew that beat Leicester, Trentham, and host club Pengwern. This added to Cathy and Annie’s earlier win in their Double Scull.
The Ladies Masters D crew also rowed competitively and were rewarded for their consistent winter training by three extremely close races, all of which were sideby-side for the length of the course and produced a dramatic spectacle for the watching crowds; the highlight was a win by 1/3 length over Northwich, with the final against Ironbridge being equally close.
The Club’s men were less successful but Mike Targett continues to challenge strongly in his Master’s D single scull, and also brought home a much-deserved medal with his crewmate Jen Smith in their Mixed Double Scull.