Victory at Exeter Regatta 2011

Saturday 9th July 2011 saw a large contingent of Minerva Bath rowing club heading down to the South West in search of Silverware.

The mornings racing was devoted to the 4+ events. It was a positive start from the women's squad with both the Novice crew, consisting of Jeanette Muller, Emily Porter, Arianna Granziera and Sarah Moon, and the Senior B crew of Helen Atherton, Beth Smith, Elaine Hoyes and Vicky Fieldhouse, making it through to the finals with ease, both under the expert coxing of Anne Crozier. The novice crew had a hard battle on their hands in the final, finishing second by half a length to the A crew from Dart Totnes. The Senior B women built on a strong start to win, beating off crews from Dart Totnes and Bideford Reds.

The men's squad had crews entered in both the Senior A and B category and both faced straight finals against the South wests finest. The senior B crew of Ali Willet, Mike Glanville, Dave Connell and Rich Wiles-Teoh faced a challenging race against the seasons WEARA leaders Dart Totnes. At the half way point the race was close but Dart Totnes opened the tanks in the second half of the race to gain victory. The senior A composite crew of Jake Tempo, Reading's Aodhan Kelly, Alex Wildy and Charlie Jackson also faced a Dart Totnes crew. The crew's training sessions paid off and they were able to power through their opposition to an easy win in this blue ribbon event to the raucous cheers of the Minerva Bath supporters and the delight of the crowds along Exeter's historic quay.

The senior A scullers faced a tough challenge against commonwealth competitors. Steve Lister and Jake Tempo found themselves in the repechage having placed second in their heats against scullers from Exeter and Dart Totnes. They found themselves battling against another strong competitor from Torquay. It was an exciting race for those watching, with less than a second separating the crews at the finish but sadly seeing the Minerva competitors missing out on the final. Alex Wildy, in the Senior B scull also had a tough race, beating crews from Bideford and Plymouth to make the final, finishing second to a sculler from Exeter.

The sculling continued in the last session of the day with the doubles. Helen Atherton and Elaine Hoyes faced a straight final against two Exeter crews. A strong start put them into contention but the Exeter A crew proved too strong and pulled away from the Minerva double. The junior J18 double of Max Higgins and Charlie Falkus produced a comfortable victory in the heats against crews from Plymouth and Castledore and went on to win the final by over a length.

The mixed events saw mixed fortune. The senior B crew of Jeanette Muller, Mike Glanville, Dave Connell and Sarah Moon, faced a fight to get to the final but grit and determination won through. They faced further tough opposition in the final, a neck and neck race saw the crew having to wait for the announcement before celebrations on their victory began. The senior A mixed crew of Ali Willet, Aodhan Kelly, Arianna Granziera and Vicky Fieldhouse were left waiting at the start for sign of their opposition. In the end they were left to face a row over for an unsatisfactory victory.

And finally to the 8's. The men's squad faced the Dart Totnes Senior A/B combination from the fours earlier in the day and they knew they had a tough battle on their hands. A difficult start put the crew behind and despite pushing hard they were unable to gain ground on their opposition, finishing second. The women entered into the Senior C category. The novice 4 was joined by Elaine Hoyes, Helen Atherton, Sue Lees and Laura Cowen, enjoying her first ever race. A clean start saw the crew facing a tight battle against the crew from Exeter, with both crews level at the half way point. Anne Crozier as cox demanded more from the Minerva rowers who responded, picking up the rating and the power and driving away from the Exeter crew who were unable to respond. A comfortable win of over half a length and a 100% record for Laura.
Another great day of racing over and thoughts turn to the next regatta.