It’s trophy time for Arun’s bowlers
One of the Olympics’ newest sports is to be demonstrated in Bosham.
Beach sprint rowing will for the first time be part of Bosham Sailing Club’s rowing regatta, ahead of its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.
Eighteen elite athletes will give a fast and furious demonstration of the new sport in Boshamthissaturday.among the rowers will be world and European Beach Sprint medal winners and prospects for the 2028 Olympics.
Beach sprint rowing is an extreme and unpredictable sport. It involves competitors sprinting down the beach into the water where they jump aboard their five-metre-long shells and row for 250 metres, slaloming between buoys, before heading back to the shore.
The winner is the rower that’s first to leap out of the boat and race back up the shore and hit a buzzer at the finish line.
The format began as an informal row-and-run event in Bari, Italy in 2011 but since then has featured in competitions around the globe.
In 2023, the Olympic Committee announced that beach sprint rowing would be included in the 2028 Los Angelesolympics.
The beach sprint races will be demonstrated at the Bosham Sailing Club Winter Swift Rowing Regatta.
Other events will see more than 60 rowers from clubs in the Three Harbours (Chichester, Langstone, and Portsmouth) compete in quad and doubles sculling and sweep races. London’s Lower Thames Rowing Club and UCL Bentham Boat Club will also participate in the regatta. All will be competing to become ultimate Champion Club of the Swift Series.
"Bosham Sailing Club is thrilled to be able to offer this unique opportunity for spectators to see a new sport and its elite athletes up close,” said BSC'S captain of rowing, three-time World Lightweight Sculling Champion and Commonwealth Gold medal winner Peter Haining.
Programme (times TBC): 8am: Rowers and support crews briefing at Bosham Sailing Club; 9am-11am: Winter Swift Racing Regatta with the course running between Bosham Quay and Cobnor; 11.15am-12.15pm: Beach Sprints start and finish line is on the foreshore Shore Road, Bosham.
At Arun Indoor Bowls Club, the ladies played the gents in the Osbourne Trophy match.
The gents again came out on top, although it was a close run thing with the score 8374.
Last week the club held the Colin Knight Trophy game, an annual match for a trophy donated in the memory of Colin, who was one of the most successful bowlers at Arun and played for the England team for some years.
The game is played with mixed teams of three bowlers, each team playing a maximum of eight ends, each playing three games.
After almost eight hours of bowling, in third place was Team S – Ricky Corkett, Frances Paine and Barrie Fitch. Second place went to Team B – Terry Hayes, Norman Burchfell and Evie Wakeford. First were Glyn Ball, Richard Softly and Kay Dady.
DONNINGTON
Donnington sent two teams to play Lavant SMBC, the first time in many years they have played there.
Donnington captain was Paul Morris. Lavant captain was Bernard Wallsgrove. Tea was provided by Tony Bleach.
Donnington’s Janine Banham, Alison Beal, Paul Morris and skip Mike Beal faced Eric Holes, Norman Haywood, Tony Bleach and skip Terry Haigh, with Lavant pulling away to win.
And Donnington’s Steph Baverstock, Adrian Hawley, Sue Coley and skip Allan Banham faced Clare Beadmore, Gerald Terry, Bernard Wallsgrove and skiptony Boxall. Lavant also won on this mat.
Both teams’ captains said they hoped to meet again before too long.