Appledore Regatta

Clevedon continued their winning form last weekend making it 4 trophies out of the last 3 events with more wins at Appledore's regatta at the head of the Torridge River.

It was clear from the attendance and initial results that other clubs had come well prepared and we were in the mix with the usual suspects in the first races (Ilfracombe, Torridge and the home crews).

The first win of the day came from the Ladies B who fielded their full crew and commanded the race from the start, winning with a clear 3-4 boat lengths over Appledore to the cheers of the assembled Clevedon supporters along the banks of the river. Oars went up to mark the win in the traditional manner.

Next up, Men's Vets who had a more eventful race with some very close competition from the Bude crew. Mark Shopland resorted to an unusual tactic of attempting to break a Bude oar blade with his nose but despite this tactic not working so well, our vets still took control by the last turn and led the way to the finish. Oars up for the second time of the day.

Another highlight for the club were the races for our new U14 crews who had their own firsts during the day: First competitive racing in the U14 category, first back-to-back races for a number of the rowers (our U14s raced in the prior U16 race also) and first buoy turn, an unexpected inclusion in the youth races this year.

What was clear from the shore was that these guys showed such great technique and oar control for their years - a real appreciation of the fundamentals and a strong basis to build on. It was a joy to watch and a credit to the rowers and their coaching team who have put in the hours on the harbour and at Clevedon these recent Thursdays. The results don't truly reflect the performances delivered - fantastic starts in both races and storming back through the field in the U14 race despite having just completed the U16 race for most of the crew. Keep your eye on these guys - they know what they are doing...

All in all this amounted to a 4th place position for Clevedon overall but with just 5 points separating the top 4 clubs it was a close run competition where every position counted. So all eyes on Ilfracombe now next week and hopefully more cause for celebration. Full results below.

Ladies A 4th
Ladies B 1st
Ladies Vets 4th

Men's A 3rd
Men's B 5th
Men's Vets 1st

Under 14s 5th
Under 16s 3rd
Mixed 5th

Clevedon Overall: 4th