A TEAM of juniors from Chester Canoe Club travelled to the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham for the National Sprint Championships and came away with a victory and a handful of podium places.
In the under 12 boys lightning events, Evan Thompson had a very good weekend, winning the 500m K2 final.
Despite a sixth-place finish in the K1 500m final, in the K2 race he teamed up with a paddler from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire to win the final and was second in the K4 race in a mixed crew.
In the 1,000m K1, he finished fifth in the final, second in the K2 and seventh in a mixed K4 crew.
In the U18 girls category Jenny Swallow and Caroline Rowlands competed in the K1 500m and both went through to the final, with Jenny finishing fifth and Caroline eighth.
Jenny was selected to race in the junior racing squad which finished second in the women’s 500m K4 event.
In the K2 500m the girls teamed up to finish third.
They then entered the U18 1,000m events and again they qualified for the final of the K1, with Jenny placing sixth and Caroline seventh before they secured a second bronze in the K2.
In the U14 girls section, Elinor Holland and Marsha Hayes were making their National Championships debuts.
In the 500m K1 event the girls were in a field of over 40 competitors, with Elinor making the third final and finishing fourth.
Both girls then teamed up with Amy Wignall of Runcorn and Emma Ricketts of Anker Valley in the K4 events where they finished sixth in the 500m race and fifth in the 1,000m race.
Jessica Colston made her debut in Nottingham, competing in the U12 lightning girls class.
In the K1 500m, Jessica made the final and finished ninth. In the K2 she and her partner from Gailey CC came sixth and she also finished sixth in the K4 event as part of a mixed crew.
David Hatton was the only Chester entrant in the U10s lightning category, finishing fourth in the K4 1,000m in a mixed crew and fifth in the K2 1000m.
