Peterborough City train driver steams to a notable rowing success and a race round-up from the club

Peterborough City Rowing Club’s senior and masters Winter racing season concluded with a win for Ian Palmer and a third-place finish for a Masters eights at the Vesta International Masters Head of the River Race in London.

Palmer, a Peterborough-based train driver, stroked a composite crew to an emphatic success in the Masters C Open quad event by 47 seconds. They beat 11 other crews, including international opposition from Holland and Italy. The other crew members were Chris Callow (Star Club of Bedford), Alex Barnett (Hollingworth Lake in Greater Manchester) and Dave Smith (Nottingham)

A winning Peterborough City crew at the Lincoln Head, from the left, John Canton (cox), Andrew Manning, David Wells, Alistair Brown, Ondrej Cervinka, Barry McCann, David Gray, Steve Ackerman and Kenny Low.

placeholder image — A winning Peterborough City crew at the Lincoln Head, from the left, John Canton (cox), Andrew Manning, David Wells, Alistair Brown, Ondrej Cervinka, Barry McCann, David Gray, Steve Ackerman and Kenny Low.

The Palmer quad completed the 6,800-metre course, rowed in the reverse direction to the Boat Race on the ebb tide, in 20 mins 18 seconds.

The crew are now looking to defend their titles at the British Masters in June and Henley Masters in July before tackling the World Masters in Barcelona over its Olympic course in September.

Peterborough City's Ian Palmer (right) in action in London for his winning composite crew.

City’s strength and depth at Open Masters E level (average age 55-59 years old) was on display in London with the club fielding two eights at the International Masters event.

A crew of Keith Blackman, Jack Ward, Simon Dennis, Steve Tuck, Robert Dennis, Al Ryder, Karl Stapleton, Tom Miller and Ericha Knowles-Pardoe (cox) claimed third place, improving considerably on their 10th place last year. They overtook two crews in a ‘Head’ race when teams start at regular intervals and race against the clock.

The second crew was fresh from a win in Lincoln and finished 15th. Steve Ackerman, David Gray, Barry McCann, Ondrej Cervinka, Alistair Brown, David Wells, Andrew Manning and John Canton (cox) competed in both events with Ruairi Moore replacing Kenny Low in London.

Elsewhere Kate Read also notched a third place in the Women’s Head of the River race Masters C eights.

City’s Tim Ellis won the single scull event at the Lincoln Head over 3500m on the River Witham. Ellis won the Masters D-F-G combined category on both absolute time and the handicap, beating rowers 10 years younger. He is now targeting the Nottingham Masters Regatta in May over 1000m before bidding for success in the Masters F Lightweight categories at the British Masters Regatta in June and the Scullers Head on the Tideway in September.

City’s Women’s Masters E quad scull of Audrey Jones, Debbie Hunt-Pain, Anne Grange and Julie Evison-Williams finished second in Lincoln.

City’s senior men’s eight sought to test themselves against strong competition on the Thames at Kingston Head on 15 March before tackling the Head of the River Race in London on 22 March.

City’s senior eight finished 19th in a field of 200 at the Kingston Head on the Thames. They then finished fifth of 25 in the Medium Club Category at the Head of the River race in London.

Rowers involved in the events were Dean Gosling, Tom Calver, James Marshall, Kristian Woolf, Al Ryder, Joe Haracz, Mike King, Chris Elder, Josh Seagrave and Tracey Rushton-Thorpe (cox).