Quick change as girls take top honours

Rowing

Herne Bay ARC enjoyed plenty of success as Eton Dorney hosted this year’s Rowing South Coast Championships. The race of the day went to Bay under-14 girls, who took a punt at the double sculls river race and claimed a comfortable win to be crowned south coast champions. Heidi White and Poppy Webb, who contested five races during the day, had to jump immediately into the double boat straight from finishing second in the J16 girls’ quad race along with Megan Davies and Beth Ling. White and 14-year-old Webb, along with Davies and Niamh Kelly also contested the under-14 girls quads, finishing second in their heat and fourth in the final, although first of the Coastal Amateur Rowing Association (CARA) clubs. Webb and White’s fifth and final race was the ladies’ junior four championship race in which they scraped fourth place along with Scarlett Bates and Emily Noyes. The Perry-french twins Lewis and Bradley, Will White and Tommy Jeffries were fourth in the under-16 boys crew but first out of the CARA clubs. They were overall CARA men’s under16 quads league winners. The last junior race of the day saw the Perry-french brothers, both 13, Will White, 12 and 14-year-old Guy Thomas finish sixth in the under-16 boys’ race. The ladies’ novice four came second in their heat and third overall in the final. Zoe Tyler was in stroke, with Georgia Shelton, Megan Davies and Beth Ling in bow position. The men’s lunior four of James Dawkins, Harry Taylor, Luke Taylor and Manuel Marques were second to Shanklin in their heat until the last few metres when they were pipped to a place in the final by Bexhill. The Masters Championship race saw Liz Taylor, Stuart Webb, Darren White and John Cox finish fifth overall, with rivals Folkestone taking first. The men’s senior four of Will Campbell, Dan Richie, Tom Wilkinson and Ryan Hosking also claimed fifth place behind Folkestone.