CONDITIONS on the river Dart for the penultimate regatta of the 2010 West of England ARA Championship ten regatta series at the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta improved as the long programme progressed, writes Hilary Bastone.

Having escaped the torrential rain of the previous day organisers were thankful for a dry day but the outgoing tide and the strong crosswind caused havoc on the start line.

However, as soon as the tide turned the wind dropped and the umpires soon made up a half hour deficit on race timings to finish the regatta on time.

The regatta attracted its usual massive entry with 17 clubs from around the region, along the south coast and the Midlands producing almost 250 entries competing in 62 races.

Dart Totnes were again amongst the trophies but Bexhill crews prevented the club from dominating the points trophies.

Whilst Dart Totnes won the sculling trophy, Bexhill won the trophy for fours and pairs.

Dart Totnes won fifteen events, Dartmouth two and Paignton picked up their second win of the season.

The main Championship event, the Men's Senior A coxed fours, not rowed at the vast majority of regattas this season because of a lack of entries, attracted five entries with Torquay, Falmouth and Exeter competing with two crews from Bexhill.

This race produced the performance of the day and surely an indication of the likely winners of the South Coast Championship at Wimbleball on September 11.

The two Bexhill crews made the early running from the 2000 metre start at Noss on Dart and both Torquay and Exeter kept in contention. But by the time the crews at reached the halfway mark at the Higher Ferry it was obvious that there was only going to be one winner. The Bexhill A crew were 'truly awesome' in the words of seasoned rowers who witnessed the race. They went on to win by a distance from Bexhill B with Exeter third a further length behind.

At Men's Senior B coxed fours, also off the 2000 metre start, Bexhill provided two more fine crews but they were out-rowed by the Dart Totnes crew of James Lovering, Steve Clarke, Ryan Gallimore, Meyrick Tooley and cox, Louise Hawkyard, who won by a length from Bexhill B with Plymouth a further four lengths down in third place.

It was also a Bexhill crew making the running in the final of the Men's Senior C coxed fours. There were two failed attempts to get the race away off the 1000 metre start with collisions just off the start, firstly between Shoreham and Dart Totnes and then Worcester and Shoreham. At the third attempt the race went off superbly with Bexhill inflicting the first defeat of the season on the Dart Totnes crew of Ryan Gallimore, Tim Whittet, Barnaby Stentiford, Steve Clarke, and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth. Bexhill won by three quarters of a length from Dart Totnes who were one and a half lengths from Dartmouth's Matt Sheldon, Chris China, Liam Boyd, David Langmead and cox, Marie Dayment, who were third.

The Men's Novice coxed fours produced a three length win for the Dart Totnes crew of Alex Woodward, Matt Vincent, Ben Bryon-Edmonds, Elliot Legg and cox, Fiona Hollingsworth, from Exeter with Teign Scullers Mark Eastman, Mark Treais, Nic Bourne, Ian Matthews and cox, Jacinta Jackson, third.

Dart Totnes also won the Men's Under 18 coxed fours with the crew of Sam Richardson, Elliot Legg, James Lovering, Simon Kerswell-Jensen and cox, Louise Hawkyard, winning by three lengths from Bideford Blues and Shoreham third.

In the Men's Championship coxed quadruple sculls Plymouth were distance winners from Bideford Blues at Under 16 with Paignton's Tom May, Lewis Lyden, Lewis Bayley, Jack Wills and cox, Jane Perry, third and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Luke Reiser, Fraser Tooley, Tom Larcombe, Callum Jones and cox, Dakota Ferrara, won from Bideford Reds and Plymouth.

In the Ladies Championship coxed fours Falmouth were two length winners at Senior A from the Dart Totnes crew of Tracy Axten, Julie Prout, Suzanne Hutchings, Clare Cornell and cox, Julie Hogg, with Worthing third and at Senior B Exeter were three length winners from Worthing with Dartmouth's Jenny Pichowski, Anna Lloyd, Lisa Jeffrey, Suzie Bowden and cox, Marie Dayment, just a further canvas behind in third place. Bexhill won the Senior C by two lengths from Plymouth with Dartmouth's Jenny Pichowski, Fiona Dayment, Lisa Jeffrey, Suzie Bowden and cox, Marie Dayment, third just a further canvas down and the Novice final was won comfortably by Bideford Blues who were four lengths from the Dart Totnes crew of Ru Wimalasiri, Debbie Keane, Iris Tapper, Mary Foord-Weston and cox, Phoebe Clark, with Shoreham a further one and a half lengths behind in third place.

At Under 18 it was a two boat final with Exeter beating the Dart Totnes crew of Jessamy Larcombe, Jade Knight, Louise Hawkyard, Emma Reiser and cox, Phoebe Clark.

Dart Totnes won both of the Ladies Championship coxed quadruple sculls with Jessamy Larcombe, Jade Knight, Louise Hawkyard, Emma Reiser and cox, Dakota Ferrar, taking the Under 16 by three quarters of a length at Under 16 from the West of England ARA Champions, Bideford Blues, with Exeter a further five lengths behind and at Under 14 the Dart Totnes crew of Fiona Hollingsworth, Verity Phillips, Katie Prior, Lucy Chudley and cox, Phoebe Clark, raced to a five length win from Plymouth with Paignton's Ashleigh Harper, Poppy Disney, Ella Collins, Rachael Tucker and cox, Jane Perry third.

In the Championship single sculls there were wins for Elliot Barton of Dart Totnes at Men's Senior A; Page of Shoreham at Men's Senior B; Guppy of Bexhill at Men's Senior C; McCorry of Bexhill at Men's Novice; Todd of Plymouth at Men's Under 18; Dawson of Plymouth at Men's Under 16; Fraser Tooley at Men's Under 14; Sam Tilley of Dartmouth at Ladies Senior C; Burke of Exeter at Ladies Novice; Jackson of Bideford Blues at Ladies Under 18 and Under 16; and Verity Phillips of Dart Totnes at Ladies Under 14.

In the supporting events there were local wins for the Dart Totnes crew of Lizzie Broad, Rose Willoughby, Georgie Cleasby, Rachel Burridge, Tracy Axten, Julie Prout, Clare Cornell, Suzanne Hutchings and cox, Julie Hogg, at Ladies Open eights; Dartmouth's Sam Tilley and Fiona Dayment at Ladies Open coxless pairs; Paignton's Jack Wills and Tom May at Men's Under 14 double sculls; Devon Cleal and Christie Rhys-Brown of Dart Totnes at Ladies Novice double sculls; Phoebe Clark and Harriet Pope of Dart Totnes at Ladies Under 14 double sculls; and Peter Atkinson of Dart Totnes at Men's Masters single sculls.