Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2) - James Walkinton & Will Stroud (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Matt Johnson (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Mike Martin (LZB)
Class 6 (u18 M K1) - David Gurney (CLM)
Class 5 (u16 M K1) -  Sebastian Tideswell (CAM)
Class 4 (16+ K1) - Caroline Banson (NOR)
Class 3 (u16 K2) - Joseph Galliers & Ollie Power (LBZ)
Class 2 (u16 F K1)  - Amelia Thompson (CLM)
Class 1 (TC2) - Andy Porter & Blaize Green (CLM)
Class Blue (u14 M K1) - Ali Kabeer (IND)
Class Red (u14 F K1) - Sienna Payne (CLM)
Class GP - Deborah Wilkes (CLM)
Class Yellow (u12 K1) - Cassian Payne (CLM)

Lydia Oxtoby, Leighton Buzzard's wildwater star, presented the medals.

The overall club result on the day could not have been closer. Hosts Leighton Buzzard CC finished only one race point shy of Chelmsford's winning total. Most significantly, by finishing ahead of Bishops Stortford CC Leighton Buzzard are now in a good position to take overall second place for the series.

The full race results, including series positions to date, are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr, and Chris Sze's video from his boat Go-Pro is on You-Tube.

The event was notable for several close finishes. Tim Gannicott-Porter came in just 3 second behind Keith Moule to take silver in the K1 Open race, in his bid to become the first person in twenty years to claim the series trophy for this class other than Keith Moule or Danny Beazley.

There was an even closer photo-finish on the 5 mile course in the girls u16 K1 race between Hannah Gallagher (Gold, 47:41) and Franchesca Williamson (Silver, 47:42).

Wokingham's Ali Kabeer continues to battle it out with Cambridge's Rupert Tideswell for dominance of the Boys U14 K1 class, Ali taking the gold on this occasion.

Chelmsford's Sienna Payne (u16 girls) and Cassian Payne (u12s) each clocked up their fourth consecutive win in their respective classes. The mixed u12s class was particularly well supported, with a total of 15 entries.

Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2) - James Walkinton & Will Stroud (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Keith Moule (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Mike Martin (LZB)
Class 6 (u18 M K1) - David Gurney (CLM)
Class 5 (u16 M K1) -  Sebastian Tideswell (CAM)
Class 4 (16+ K1) - Emma Russell (CLM)
Class 3 (u16 K2) - Joseph Galliers & Ollie Power (LBZ)
Class 2 (u16 F K1)  - Hannah Gallagher (IND)
Class 1 (TC2) - Andy Porter & Blaize Green (CLM)
Class Blue (u14 M K1) - Ali Kabeer (IND)
Class Red (u14 F K1) - Sienna Payne (CLM)
Class GP - Mo Moule (CLM)
Class Yellow (u12 K1) - Cassian Payne (CLM)

The medals were presented by Chelmsford's Emma Russell who is a member of the GB Sprint Team.

The event was won by the host club with Leighton Buzzard second and Bishops Stortford third.

The full race results are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr, and you can also experience the race in video from the K2 paddled by Chris Sze and Richie Winstanley on You-Tube.

At this half-way point in the series, a brief explanation of how the series trophies work may be of interest. You can check how you and your club are doing by looking at the Winter Series results page.

Class 1st, 2nd, 3rd
For each class, paddlers/crews accrue points at every race, and the top three will win first, second and third-place awards to keep, in the form of engraved glasses.

There are also three series trophies for team performance: the Club Winter Series Trophy, the Dick Grieve Trophy and the Bob Porter Trophy.

Winter Series Club Trophy
The winning club for each each race gets 10 league points, 9 for second place etc. The total points across the series determine the eventual winner. It's always Chelmsford CC - or has been for as long as anyone can remember! There is usually a good tussle for second and third places.

Dick Grieve Trophy
The trophy given to the Winter Series in memory of Dick Grieve was originally for the best Boy Scouts team. Some years ago it was decided to re-purpose the award in tune with the original spirit of recognising groups who nurture young novice paddlers and get them racing.
A second set of race points (marked D. Grieve on the race results) is awarded to novice junior paddlers, as if they were the *only* competitors in each race. All adults (18+) and any junior who has achieved a Hasler ranking of division 8 or above is ineligible. Just like the main club trophy, there are 10 Dick Grieve league points for the winning club at each race, 9 for second etc and the winner of the Dick Grieve league, takes the trophy for the year.
A club cannot win both the club trophy and the Dick Grieve trophy, so if Chelmsford do end up top of this league it passes to the next highest scoring club.

Bob Porter Trophy
Getting the youngest paddlers out padding in all weathers is a feat in itself. This trophy rewards the club which fields the most entries in u12 K1 (Yellow class) across the series. It's a simple as that.

Awards Presentation
The presentation of the awards for all of these races takes place at the final event, which is traditionally held at Leaside. There are a vast number of trophies to keep track of and maintain, so please help us by getting yours back promptly when the next series opens.