Pywell and Plumb pot trebles as City members make home advantage count

Over the two days of competition, which saw 580 boats take to the water on Saturday and 550 on Sunday, the city club achieved 25 wins and 15 second places.

Five Peterborough crews won their event on both days and Anastasia Pywell and Camilla Plumb both came away with an impressive three pots.

Pywell won her Women’s Tier 2 singles on both days and she was also a member of the victorious Women’s Tier 2 coxed four on Saturday.

In her first singles final she pipped a York City sculler by a second and on Sunday won her final by two seconds from a Deben Rowing Club member.

Pywell and Plumb were joined by some Norwich rowers in a composite four and their winning time in the final was a rapid 3:47.5. They were the only crew in their event to get under four minutes.

International Plumb also stormed to a convincing win in the Women’s Tier 1 singles on Sunday and got her third pot of the weekend when she coxed the Open Tier 2 eight to victory.

The crew members were Piers Casey, Alex Totty, Neil Gibbons, Stuart Holmes, Rohan Khosla, Tim Halliday, James Plumb and Forbes Plumb.

Other City rowers to win their event on both days were Rebecca Clephan and Kristina Cowley (women’s doubles), Hannah Bassett and Georgina Parker (Women’s J16 double sculls) and Steve Cranfield and Ian Palmer (Men’s Tier 1 composite quad).

Junior sculler James Toynton triumphed twice on the Saturday. He took the honours in the J15 singles then rowed up an age group to win the J16 singles as well.

And he did so in style - winning his J15 final by five seconds and the J16 final by a seven-second margin.

Thomas Bodily caught the eye on his way to victory in the J14 singles, winning his final with a time that beat all scullers from the age category above him.

There were three other City successes on the Saturday.

Benjamin Mackenzie and Jack Collins smashed the opposition in the Open J16 double sculls, Anna Robotham won the Women’s Tier 1 singles, and Tristan Devereaux won the Open Tier 3 doubles with his brother Sebastian from the Leander club.

City’s roll of honour on a super Sunday started with Sarah Watson winning the Women’s J18 singles. She finished her final four seconds clear of a Cambridge 99 sculler.

Harry Masterson won the J16 singles, pipping clubmate Benjamin Mackenzie by two seonds in the final.

At the other end of the age scale, City enjoyed three Masters wins. Tim Ellis won the D/E single sculls, Joan Heath and Anita Carter the Women’s Masters E doubles and Keith Blackman and Tim Lloyd the Men’s Masters E doubles.

Forbes Plumb and Piers Casey won the Open Tier 3 doubles, beating Leeds Rowing Club by four seconds in the final, while the Tier 2 coxed four of Mike King, George Bushell, Alex Totty and Damen Sanderson beat Norwich Rowing Club in their final by a second.

Completing a highly successful weekend for the club, the Women’s Tier 1 eight of Hayley Marsters, Carole Hook, Gemma Singleton, Gail Parker, Sarah Smith, Emma Richardson, Kate Read, Sarah Sheldrick and cox Serena Ward came home first, five seconds ahead of Milton Keynes Rowing Club.