Dee Trophy victory for Stirling rowers
Stirling Rowing Club made history on Saturday when they won the Championship of the Dee Trophy at the North East Regatta – the first club outside Aberdeen to do so in 39 years.
A team of 24 rowers and 14 boats headed up to the shores of the Dee and Stirling got off to a great start with a win for the Women’s Novice Coxed Quad with a team of girls under the age of 15, many of whom were competing at their first regatta.
This was followed by wins across Junior, Senior and Masters (Veteran) categories for both men and women with many of the team winning multiple events.
A strong second half saw Stirling win with 98 points with Aberdeen Boat Club finishing in second place with 83 points for a great start to the regatta season.
In the 24-strong team, the club had three generations of one family racing - club president David Plank (69), his son Kevin (42) and grandchildren Rebecca (13) and Ollie (11) all enjoyed competing together for the first time.
Winners from the regatta are as follows: Restricted category quad - G Hall, G Duff, R Duncan, K Plank; Open double sculls - G Hall, K Plank; Women’s Open double sculls - L Arnott, N Firth; Open single scull - G Hall; Women’s single scull - N Firth; Restricted category single scull - R Duncan; Women’s restricted category single scull - M Francis; Women’s Novice coxed quad - R Plank, M McGarva, E Culley, J MacLennan, O Plank; Women’s Novice double sculls - M McGarva, E Culley; Novice double sculls - C Hartley, N McGuire; Women’s Novice single scull - E Culley (M McGarva second); Women’s Novice coxed fours - L Arnott, S Engstorm, M Francis, N Firth, S Brett; J15 single scull - R Duncan; Masters coxed four W Brown, K Plank, N McGuire, G Henderson; Masters pairs - W Brown, K Plank; Masters double sculls - G Duff, G Henderson; Women’s Masters single scull - S Engstorm; Masters single scull - W Brown; Mixed double sculls - G Hall, N Firth.
The next regatta is at Strathclyde Park on April 2829 where Stirling will compete against crews from across the UK. Visit www.stirling-rowing. org.uk for more information on Stirling Rowing Club.