Blog Posts

WS 2019-20 Race 5: Leighton Buzzard Results

28/1/2020

The penultimate race of the series was hosted by Leighton Buzzard CC and was thankfully free of the snow experienced at Leighton Buzzard's first Winter Series (2018) or the ice which caused the cancellation of the 2019 event. Even the rain held off until the race was over.

One hundred competitors took part.

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 final race in the series will be held at Leaside on 9 February, when all the perpetual trophies and series awards will also be presented.

WS 2019-20 Race 4: Chelmsford Results

12/1/2020

Chelmsford put out their biggest team of the series to date for their home race, bringing the total entries to 126 paddlers. The line up included Chelmsford stars Keith Moule and Emma Russell who each won their respective races and were the fastest paddlers over the 8 and 5 mile courses.

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.

The penultimate race of this series will be taking place at Leighton Buzzard on Sunday 26th January.

WS 2019-2020: Mid-Series Results

6/1/2020

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.

Things to bear in mind are

To be eligible for series awards, paddlers/crews must enter at least three races.
Final scores are the sum of your best 5 scores across the 6-race series.
Points are not transferable between classes.
Points are not transferable between crew boats in the same class - stick with the same doubles partner!

Class perpetual trophies
For each class there is also a perpetual cup/shield to take home for the year, and some classes have more than one perpetual trophy associated with them:

Class 9 (Senior doubles) has an overall winner's trophy and a Ladies trophy
Class 4 (Ladies K1 & advanced C1) has separate trophies for Junior K1, Senior K2, Vet K1 and C1
Class 3 (Junior K2 & MC2) has trophies for K2 and MC2
Class Red (u14FK1 & novice C1) has separate trophies for K1 and C1
Class GP has separate trophies for boys, girls, men and women
Class Yellow (u12 K1) has two trophies - top boy and top girl

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.

WS 2019-20 Race 3: HYMB Results

16/12/2019

Lovely paddling weather was enjoyed by the 101 competitors who gathered at Herts Young Mariners Base at Cheshunt for the last Winter Series race before Christmas.

The most popular class was, as usual, the senior doubles, with a total of 17 entries. No fewer than five of these were MC2s, with the canoeists all electing to compete over the 7-mile course with the senior K2s rather than 5 miles against the junior K2s.

There was also a good number of entries for the Mens Vet class which featured a close finish between Almir Balla and second-placed Doug Herbert, with just 9 seconds between them.

Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2) - James Walkinton & Will Stroud (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Lewis Duffield (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Almir Balla (BAD)
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) - Jamie McAdam & Jamie Gaulton (BSF)
Class 2 (u16 F K1) - Hannah Gallagher (IND)
Class 1 (TC2) - Andy Porter & Blaize Green (CLM)
Class Blue (u14 M K1) - Rupert Tideswell (CAM)
Class Red (u14 F K1) - Sienna Payne (CLM)
Class GP - Mo Moule (CLM)
Class Yellow (u12 K1) - Cassian Payne (CLM)

Chelmsford CC, were the overall winners, with Bishops Stortford CC second and Leighton Buzzard CC third. The same pattern is repeated in the league positions of the three clubs at this half-way point in the series.

The team of 6 from the Royal Hospital School, all participating in the senior doubles, again dominated the points for unranked juniors, putting them into third position in the Dick Grieve league, behind Bishops Stortford CC and Chelmsford CC.

Chelmsford CC is currently in the lead for the Bob Porter Trophy, awarded for participation by under 12s.

The full race results are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr.

The next race will be at Chelmsford on 12th January.

WS 2019-20 Race 2: Cambridge Results

2/12/2019

It was a bright but chilly day for the Cambridge marathon and the race proved as popular as ever, with pre-entries at one point approaching 180 competitors. A few were unable to make it on the day leaving 154 participants - still a very high turnout.

Numbers of doubles entries on the long course, which up to 10 years ago did not routinely make double figures, have been steadily rising over the last few years.

The Cambridge race saw the largest doubles entry yet with 30 boats taking part in Class 9, necessitating a split start. Amongst these was a team from the Royal Hospital School who, being composed mainly of novice juniors, were the highest scoring team of the day for Dick Grieve points by a wide margin.

The home team were able to muster a large team themselves and secured a very well-deserved second place overall, behind the inevitable winners Chelmsford CC.

Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2) - James Walkinton & Thomas Stanway (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Lewis Duffield (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Mike Martin (LBZ)
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) - Jamie McAdam & Jamie Gaulton (BSF)
Class 2 (u16 F K1) - Imogen Hunter (CAM)
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)

The full race results are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr and also a time-lapse video shot from one of the K2s (Sze & Panrucker) is on You-Tube.

The next race will be at Herts Young Mariners Base on 15th December.

WS 2019-20 Race 1: Stortford Results

7/11/2019

Despite Stortford having to announce that it was unable to provide on-site parking for everyone this year, the opening race of the Winter Series still attracted 131 competitors. Ten clubs participated as teams, and 6 more were represented amongst the Independent entries.

The senior doubles race was as usual the biggest field, with 17 boats participating - including, for the first time, an MC2. There was also a larger than usual field of 11 entries in the K1 Open class, which was dominated by Chelmsford CC who took all of the first 6 places. The boys u16 K1 race had a particularly good turnout of 14 boats, including entries from almost all of the participating teams.

Canoes were very much in evidence, thanks to a healthy 6 entries in the TC2 class, where numbers have been dwindling for the past few years.

One of the stand-out performances of the day came from Wokingham CC paddler Ali Kabeer paddling as an Independent, who smashed the boys K1 record for the short course with his time of 25:57. The record previously stood at 27:52, set in 2013 by Tim Gannicott Porter of Chelmsford. Ali of course won gold in the u14MK1 class. See the updated list of course records.

Class winners were:
Class 9 (Senior K2/MC2) - Matthew Johnson & Leah Falltrick (CLM)
Class 8 (K1 Open) - Peter Wilkes (CLM)
Class 7 (Vet M K1) - Joe Surrage (BSF)
Class 6 (u18 M K1) - David Gurney (CLM)
Class 5 (u16 M K1) - Sebastian Tideswell (CAM)
Class 4 (16+ K1 & Adv C1) - Lauren Avery (CLM)
Class 3 (u16 K2 & MC2) - Jamie McAdam & Jamie Gaulton (BSF)
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 & C1) - Sienna Payne (CLM)
Class GP - Mo Moule (CLM)
Class Yellow (u12 K1) - Cassian Payne (CLM)

The full race results are on the Winter Series results page. There are also a few photos of the race on Flickr here. The next race will be at Cambridge on 1st December.

SS 2019, Regatta 4: B. Stortford

11/9/2019

There was an excellent turnout of 51 paddlers for the final regatta of the summer, representing four clubs. Apart form a light head wind it was good paddling weather.

The 500m and 200m K1 heats took place in the morning. A large majority of the competitors also paired up for a fun 200m K2 in the afternoon.

The K1 class winners on the day were:
u10 Girls - Libby Gaulton (BSF)
u10 Boys - Cally De Silva (HYM)
u12 Girls - May Perrin (CLM)
u12 Boys - Cassian Payne (CLM)
u14 Girls - Sienna Payne (CLM)
u14 Boys - Jamie McAdam (BSF)
u16 Girls - Franchesca Williamson (CLM)
u16 Boys - Chris Blackmore (CLM)
u18 Girls - Josie Pretious-White (BSF)
u18 Boys - Finn O'Brian (LEA)
u23 Ladies - Beth Holme (CLM)
u23 Men - Sam Daley (HYM)
Sen Ladies - Catherine Robinson (BSF)
Sen Men & Paddle-Ability - Alex Scott (HYM)

The winners of the classes across the whole of the FRA Summer Series were:
u10 Girls - Libby Gaulton (BSF)
u10 Boys - Cally De Silva (HYM)
u12 Girls - May Perrin (CLM)
u12 Boys - John Morris (HYM)
u14 Girls - Eilidh White (BSF)
u14 Boys - Jamie McAdam (BSF)
u16 Girls - Franchesca Williamson (CLM)
u16 Boys - Chris Blackmore (CLM)
u18 Girls - Josie Pretious-White (BSF)
u18 Boys - Finn O'Brian (LEA)
Sen Ladies - Catherine Robinson (BSF)
Sen Men - Alex Scott (HYM)

The full results from the day's racing and for the series can be found on the Summer Series results page.

SS 2019, Regatta 3: Cheshunt HYMB

20/7/2019

There was perfect summer paddling weather and a lovely relaxed atmosphere at the Herts Young Mariners Base for the third regatta of the season.

As usual there were two sets of 500m heats on the river, then everyone transferred to the lake for two sets of 200m heats.

After the lunch break it was time for the K2 and K4 racing.

You only have to look at the photos to see how much the paddlers - who ranged from high division paddlers to youngsters brand new to the sport - all enjoyed racing the crew boats.

Eventually, everyone was persuaded to get off the water, so that they could collect their medals.

The class winners were:
u10 Girls - Libby Gaulton (BSF)
u10 Boys - Cally Da Silva (HYM)
u12 Girls - May Perrin (CLM)
u12 Boys - Jack Gaulton (BSF)
u14 Girls - Eilidh White (BSF)
u14 Boys - Jamie Gaulton (BSF)
u16 Girls - Kathryn Comben (CLM)
u16 Boys - Ben Clayton Harris (LEE)
u18 Girls - Josie Pretious-White (BSF)
u18 Boys - Finn O'Brien (LEA)
Sen Ladies - Catherine Robinson (BSF)
Sen Men & Paddleability - Alex Scott (HYM)
C1 - Daniel March (CLM)

The full results can be found on the Summer Series results page.
Photos of the event can be found in this Flickr album.

The final event in the series will be the Stortford Regatta on 8th September, when the award for the series will also be presented. To be eligible for a series award you need to have attended at least two regattas in the series. See the current standings on the Series results page.

SS 2019, Regatta 2: Chelmsford

17/5/2019

The second Sprint Regatta of the season took place at Chelmsford in fine dry weather.

Thanks to some inconveniently located nesting swans, the distances for the K1 heats were curtailed to 300m and 100m, but this did have the advantage of concentrating the racing to the stretch in front of the clubhouse and making a good spectacle for those watching from the bank.

After lunch there was a demonstration K4 race between some of Chelmsford's own paddlers. The day was rounded off by a relay event between teams drawn up on the basis of the morning's results, although not itself contributing to the class awards, this event proved very popular with almost everyone staying to take part and getting caught up in the excitement.

Class winners were:
u10 girls: Libby Gaulton (BSF)
u12 girls: May Perrin (CLM)
u12 boys: John Morris (HYM)
u14 girls: Sienna Payne (CLM)
u14 boys: Jamie McAdam (HYM)
u16 girls: Kathryn Comben (CLM)
u16 boys: Jonathan Pirmuhamedov (CLM)
u18 boys: David Gurney (BSF)
Sen Ladies: Catherine Robinson (BSF)

See the Sprint Series results page for the full results.

SS 2019, Regatta 1: Leaside

14/4/2019

Leaside kicked off the 2019 sprinting season by hosting the first of the FRA summer regattas at their base in Hackney. Five clubs were represented.

There were 500m and 200m heats before lunch, and then a 3K in the afternoon which was won by Finn.

Class winners were:
u10 boys: Cally De Silva (HYM)
u12 girls: Zahra Lynch (LEA)
u12 boys: John Morris (HYM)
u14 girls: Nicole Pirmuhamedov (CLM)
u14 boys: Philip Levkovskyy (EAL)
u16 girls: Franchesca Williamson (CLM)

u16 boys: Jonathan Pirmuhamedov (CLM)
u18 boys: Finn O'Brian (LEA)
u23 ladies: Serin Arif (LEA)
u23 men: Lawrence Minter (HYM)
Sen Ladies: Catherine Robinson (BSF)
Sen Men: Alex Scott (HYM)