Sudbury Regatta 2019

The 3rd of August 2019 saw Sudbury Regatta on Friars Meadow at its finest. It was a gorgeous day with brilliant sunshine, blue skies and perfect rowing conditions. A beautiful summers day on the picturesque meadow, now packed full with competitors, boats, trailers, tents and spectators sitting expectantly on hay bales along the river bank waiting for the racing to start.

By 8am competitors were on the water and ready to race in the planned 204 races over 87 events! Sudbury achieved a brilliant set of wins, many excellent semi final races were seen from all crews and Sudbury set some new course records

Wins came from our Juniors in the WJ14 2x from Amy Wallace and Grace Power who won easily in a time of 03:05. In the WJ15.2 1x Evie Prager also won easily in 03:00 and set a new course record. In the WJ18 2x Martha Bullen and Amelia Moule won in 4 lengths in a time of 02:32.

The Mx 4x composite crew of Amelia Moule; Martha Bullen; Byron Bullen and Ben Mackenzie (PCRC), also set a new course record winning by 4 lengths in 02:07. Jen Titterington won as part of 2 composite crews with Lea Rowing Club in the W 8+ and W.1 4x, winning in a time of 01:09 and by 2 lengths in a time of 02:23 respectively (which was a new course record).

One of Sudbury’s new categories, the Parent and Child event saw a great win from Tony and Harry Moule, who looked supreme, winning in 5 lengths in a time of 02:28. Kate and Amy Wallace came through their Parent and Child semi final race to easily win, however they lost in the final against Gillian Lindsay and her daughter Emily from Wimbledon High School. G. Lindsay was a silver medalist at the Sydney Olympiad in 2000, so only losing by 3 lengths was still a great achievement for our Sudbury mother and daughter double!

The Adult squads also gave great performances and set several course records. Callum Power and Lucy Freeman (UTS) won the Mx.1 2x, setting a new course record, by 1 length in a time of 03:01. Mx MasE 2x of Sean Moriarty and Sarah Stirling won by 2 lengths in 02:44, with S. Stirling going on to win the W MasE 1x race by 1ft in a time of 03:01 and setting a new course record.

Robin King and Simon White won the Op MasD/E 2x in 02:30 by half a length (setting a new course record) and Sophie Lovegrove and Jen Ward continued their successes with a win in the W MasD 2x in 02:55 by one and a half lengths.

The Op. MasD/E 4+ of cox Tricia Fincham; Lee Adams; Stephen Nichols; Tim Hysom and Paul Adams also took a very well deserved win in 02:21 by 2 lengths.

The Sudbury Men’s 8 wowed the crowds with their stunning performance in the Sprint Eights. Expertly coxed by Tricia Fincham they took an excellent racing line just pulling ahead at the halfway point with the other crew then pulling almost level again and racing side by side down the second half of the course.

The bank of spectators waited with baited breath to hear from the umpire that, (from bow) Tim Wallace; Robin King; Mark Tyrie; Pete Donovan; Tim Hysom; Stephen Nichols; Paul Adams and Lee Adams had indeed seized their triumph in a time of 01:04, winning by a nail biting quarter of a length!

Sudbury Regatta was once again a tremendously pleasurable and successful event. The club members worked tirelessly over 3 days to ensure that all visiting club’s rowers, spectators and Sudbury Town had an entertaining and memorable event to visit and watch. We thank all of the visiting clubs and rowers for their participation, enthusiasm and brilliant rowing, who helped to make the event such a delightful one and a fantastic day of racing was enjoyed by everyone!