AN unusually high tide caused delays in the Dee Autumn Head on Saturday but it didn’t stop Chester crews performing well.
Organisers Grosvenor Rowing Club had six victories in the 4km race. The club’s Veteran C quads took victory against stern opposition from Northwich.
The women’s eight crew of Claire Sayle, Emma Davison, Mel Graham, Rhiannon Seys Llewellyn, Laura Magee, Virginia Allan, Fiona Claymore, Grace Neal and cox Alex Newton won their category and the men produced the fastest quad. The crew comprised Paul Johnstone, Iwan Jones, Chris Hudson and Mark Devaney.
There were further Grosvenor victories for the men’s senior three coxed four of Mark Edney, Brian Black, Pete Dean, Tim Goldsbrough and cox Sarah Armstrong, the women’s Veteran D double of Maria Labedzka and Su Wine, and Steve Walker in the Veteran E single scull.
Queen’s Park High School RC’s Chris Thomas was first in the Junior 16 singles, while Marcus Adam was second in the J18 singles. In the mixed J14 quads, Queen’s Park’s Caitlin Jones, Tayler Dyke Woods, Richard Pilling, Peter Young and cox Ellen Russell beat their rivals and clubmates Numhom Sudsok, Danny Carter, James Cahill, Jonathon Fowles and cox Molly O’Brien-Manley.
Caroline Wither and Emma Clark earned a stylish win and Lucy Adam and Joy Roberts were second in the WJ15 doubles. In the competitive J16 coxless fours Ozzy Ghobadi, Tom Young Joe Rowlands and Chris Thomas came second for Queen’s Park.
Royal Chester RC came away from the event with a handsome haul of medals, despite the best efforts of the river.
The high tides resulted in a few floating obstacles for crews to negotiate and the J15 double team of Tom Dodd and George Lowrie collided with a log, causing George to lose a scull. Despite taking 20 seconds to recover from the incident, they rowed on to win their division.
Hugo Norris sculled brilliantly to take the J14 singles medal and Sam Jackson and Marcus Longmuir won in J16 doubles.
Sam and Marcus then teamed up with Pat Stephens and Callum McGuicken to win the J16 quad sculls division, posting the fastest time in the afternoon race, just 51 seconds slower than the winning J16 eight crew.
The veteran crews did their bit too, winning the Veteran E coxed four, Veteran E eights and Veteran G/H double scull duo Jim Higgins and John Carruthers were also winners.
