Season Race Report 2021

After months of lockdown, racing started again in May when Harry Moule competed at the Junior Sculling Regatta. The event was held over 2000m at Eton Dorney, the Olympic Rowing course, and was a closed door event with no spectators allowed. Harry raced in the J16 single sculls category finishing sixth out of seventeen in the time trial which gained him a place in the A final. In an excellent race Harry finished third to take a place on the podium for a bronze medal.

Peterborough Spring Regatta was next on the calendar and two Sudbury crews attended. Racing over the 1000m four lane course, Harry Moule and Byron Bullen competed in the men’s open double sculls event and came second in the time trial taking them into the A final which they won convincingly. Amelia Moule and Martha Bullen raced in the women’s double sculls event. They had an excellent row in the time trial, winning by 16 seconds. In the A final the Sudbury crew took command early on and won by a huge margin.

Harry Moule attended a J16 Trial run by GB Rowing held at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, the course was 1500 metres, six lanes. Conditions were challenging with a strong tail wind and extremely choppy water. Harry raced well in the conditions and achieved third in the B final.

In July Amelia Moule and Martha Bullen represented Sudbury at the prestigious Henley Women’s Regatta competing in the aspirational doubles category – a large event of 33 crews. The time trial was raced on the Friday morning over a shortened 1400m course. The Sudbury crew had an excellent row finishing in fifth position. The top twelve boats qualified for places in the regatta. In the heat, the Sudbury scullers beat Kingston RC by a very significant 17 seconds taking them through to the next round. In the quarter final Sudbury raced a crew from Greenbank Falmouth RC. The race was close from start to finish both crews showing great strength and determination but the Greenbank crew crossed the line first with less than half a second separating the crews.

The Junior National Championships was held on a very hot July day at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, this time racing over the full 2000m course. Harry Moule raced in a field of thirty-one J16 scullers and raced well to finish in eighth position in the time trial. In the semi-final Harry held on for third place which saw him through to the A final where he finished in sixth position – a huge achievement in a very high class event.

At St Neots Regatta, Sudbury RC was represented by Robin King and Simon White in the masters double scull event. Evie Prager in the women’s Junior 17 single sculls, Raph Franke in the J17 single sculls, Jess Wilby in the women’s J16 single sculls, Raph and Evie in the mixed double sculls event. The only win of the day was for Harry Moule and Byron Bullen in the men’s open double sculls event.

August saw the return of the Sudbury Regatta which was well represented by the home crews, five of those winning their events.

Harry Moule raced in the J16 single scull event winning the semi-final which took him into the final against Maidstone RC. Both scullers raced well, steering the course perfectly, and after a very quick race the Maidstone sculler crossed the line first, both scullers broke the course record which was held by James Rudkin, bronze medallist in the mens eight at Tokyo 2020.

Martha Bullen and Amelia Moule raced in the women’s double sculls event having three races in close succession, winning them all to take victory, also breaking the course record. Jennie Ward and Sophie Lovegrove won the final of the women’s masters D/E double sculls. Victoria Burgess and Morgan Moriarty won the mixed double sculls event. Amelia Maskell won the women’s single sculls event. The women’s J18 double sculls event was won by newly formed crew of Elodie Nicholson and Antonia Mitchell. Other Sudbury members who raced were Karl Hillman and Cillian Rew in the men’s novice single sculls event, Byron Bullen in the Mens single sculls, Emily Norfolk and Jess Wilby in the WJ16 doubles, Evie Prager and Raph Franke in the Mixed double sculls, Robin King and Simon White in the masters doubles, Emilia Santamaria- Crew and Eloise Bozwood-Davies in the women’s J17 doubles, Sophie Brown in the women’s single sculls and women’s novice coxed quad of Debbie Nott, Amanda Ashton, Rachel Bassett, Jess Brown and Pippa Kerry (cox).

Peterborough Summer regatta was held over two days and again was well represented by Sudbury RC. There were two wins on Saturday the first for Harry Moule in the J16 single sculls event. Harry came second in the time trial behind a Norwich sculler who he had never beaten in previous races. In the final Harry used his skill, strength and determination to overcome the Norwich sculler and went on to achieve victory, a second off the course record.

The second win was for the Womens coxed four which was a new venture for Amelia Moule, Martha Bullen, Evie Prager, Elise Richmond and Cox Peggy Papworth. The crew looked outstanding as they won their time trial and again were victorious in the A final. Other crews to compete with some very commendable results were Morgan Moriarty and Sam McLoughlin in the men’s double sculls event – third in the A final. Evie Prager in the women’s J18 single sculls – second in time trial and third in the A final. Raph Franke, Morgan Moriarty and Sam McLoughlin all in the men’s single sculls event. Jess Wilby in the women’s J16 single sculls – sixth in the time trial, fourth in the B final. The men’s open quad of Harry Moule, Byron Bullen, Matt Allen and Kiwi Nick was a new combination and raced well in a very competitive event finishing fourth in the A final.

On Sunday, the club trialled some more new crew combinations. Harry Moule and Byron Bullen raced in the men’s open coxless pair event and were third in the B final. Two ladies crews competed in the Womens coxless quad event – Amelia Maskell, Victoria Burgess, Zoe Rogers and Lotte D’Hane finished fourth in the A final. Amelia Moule, Martha Bullen, Elise Richmond and Devanne Piccaver finished second in the A final. Amelia Maskell and Lotte D’Hane also raced in the women’s double sculls event, Sophie Brown in the women’s open single sculls, and the only win of the day was Amelia Moule and Martha Bullen in the women’s double sculls who won convincingly in a very strong event of 27 crews.

Cambridge Autumn Regatta was the last regatta of the season and was well attended by Sudbury RC. Amelia Maskell competed in the women’s single sculls event, winning her heat. Adaptive rower Sophie Brown was without any adaptive opposition so also rowed in the women’s single sculls category. Elodie Nicholson and Antonia Mitchell competed in the Womens double sculls event. Womens Novice coxed quad of Amanda Ashton, Jess Brown, Rachel Bassett, Jackie Lloyd and Victoria Burgess (cox) raced well but just lost out to Milton Keynes RC. Morgan Moriarty raced in the men’s single sculls event winning his heat and losing out by a very narrow margin in the final. Harry Moule won the heat and semi-final in the J17 single sculls but lost out in the final to Peterborough. Sean Moriarty and Jeremy Milbank raced in the masters double sculls event winning their heat to take them into the final where they raced against a very experienced St Ives crew who went on to win. Morgan Moriarty and Victoria Burgess won the Mixed double sculls event. Harry Moule and Byron Bullen won the men’s open coxless pair event against City of Cambridge RC on their home river. Amelia Moule, Martha Bullen, Lily Arkwright and Evie Prager won the women’s coxless quad event against a very experienced Peterborough crew – Lily celebrating her first win. The newly formed women’s J18 coxless quad of Jess Wilby, Elodie Nicholson, Evie Prager and Emily Norfolk rowed well to win the event, a debut win for Jess and Emily. Jennie Ward and Sophie Lovegrove competed in the women’s masters D/E double sculls event winning the heat to take them into the final again higher age category Leicester RC. The Sudbury crew had a deficit of four seconds but had an excellent row, pushing past their opposition and holding on for victory, their second win of the season.

Sudbury had a fantastic set or results last weekend, when they attended lea regatta winning pots in every event they entered. A special one for new comer, Tilly griffin who won her first pot in the women’s quad along side Victoria Burgess, Amelia Maskell and Zoe Rodgers. An impressive come back for Sam McLoughlin who won in men’s single, as well as Amelia Maskell in her single. Pots were up for grabs in the mixed double sculls for both Victoria Burgess and Morgan Moriarty, who gain special merits with the commentators for being in so many of the divisions as he too competed in the men’s singles only to be knocked out by 1/3 of a length to a Lea rower who attended Henley this year. It’s safe to say that everyone who competed was extremely happy with the performances and chuffed with their gleaming pots too.

The next race will by the Scullers Head of the River race on the Thames.