City shine so bright with 24 wins at sizzling Summer Regatta

They certainly made home advantage count at Thorpe Meadows, collecting 24 wins and 14 second places racing against some top opposition.

In fact, this year’s event had an international flavour as well with crews from Ireland and Barcelona taking part.

Racing was over a straight kilometre course on the Saturday and a 500m sprint course on Sunday and Peterborough rowers caught the eye on both. Over 20 of them took home a pot on both days of the regatta.

On Saturday, Peterborough’s Henley heroes Sam Tuck and Oliver Salonna showed their class by winning the highest band of the Open double sculls by seven seconds from Broxbourne Rowing club.

The leading ladies from Peterborough were Kate Read, Gemma Singleton, Emma Richardson and Hayley Shipton (and cox Ericha Knowles-Pardoe) who all achieved a fabulous four wins over the course of the weekend.

The ‘oarsome foursome’ won their coxed fours by six seconds on the Saturday then by seven seconds on the Sunday with Knowles-Pardoe also coxing them to victory in the women’s eights on both days.

On the Saturday they were joined by Valentina Futoryanova, Ilektra Apostolidou, Megan Fitzsimons and Lucille Middleton and on the Sunday by Apostolidou, Middleton, Sarah Sheldrick and Izzy Arthur. They won by four seconds on both days.

Another four to win on both days were Forbes Plumb, James Plumb, Neil Gibbons and Piers Casey coxed by Camilla Plumb in the band 2 coxed fours. Casey and Plumb also raced in the open band 2 doubles on both days and on Sunday were just 0.1 of a second away from another win.

As well as her two pots from coxing, Camilla Plumb, a Team GB single sculler, received another two from winning the Women’s band 1 singles on both days.

Chris Elder, Damen Sanderson, Mike King and George Bushell won the Open band 2 coxless quads on both days, finishing three seconds ahead of a fellow Peterborough crew on Saturday and three seconds ahead of Boston Rowing Club 24 hours later.

Benjamin Mackenzie continued his winning streak with comfortable wins on both days in the J18 singles. On the Saturday he crossed the line 12 seconds ahead of team-mate Jack Collins.

There was also double delight for Callum Gilbey, who won the J15 double sculls on Saturday with Ted Smith and on Sunday with Thomas Bodily.

Young Matt Hand, competing in his first regatta, stormed to a convincing victory in the J13 sculls on Saturday and came second on the Sunday, and at the other end of the age scale Tim Lloyd and Keith Blackman won the Masters E double sculls for City’s last Saturday success.

Ian Palmer and Steve Cranfield won twice on Sunday - first in their Masters C doubles and then with Dave Smith and Chris Callow from Leicester and Star Rowing Club in the quads.

Hayley Marsters, Gail Parker, Bridget Lloyd, Jo Canton and cox Ericha Knowles-Pardoe also won twice on the Sunday in the Masters D coxed fours and the Masters D coxed eights. Joining them in the eights were Anita Carter and Leicester rowers Liz Pulford, Sally Horrocks, Angela Holohan and cox Orla Holohan.

Carter also won the women’s Masters E doubles by 10 seconds with Joan Heath.

The remaining wins on Sunday were by the J14 double of Ross Lamont and Tom Calverley and the Women’s band 3 double of Sarah Arthur and Izzy Arthur.

The band 2 eight of Chris Elder, Alex Totty, Dan Heard, George Wilson, Connor Mumford, George Bushell, Mike King, Damen Sanderson and cox Tracey Rushton Thorpe were close to victory, finishing in second place on both days.

Other second places came from: Barry McCann, David Chinn, Doug Barber and Chris Burton (Masters F coxless quads); Henry Barnett and George Woodall (J16 doubles); Thomas Bodily (J15 singles); Connor Mumford and his doubles partner from Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club (Mixed band 2 doubles); Georgina Parker (Women’s J18 singles); Ross Lamont (J14 doubles); James Plumb and Charlie Fowler from Isle of Ely Rowing Club (Open band 2 doubles).