A big thanks to Andy Burfitt from Teign for providing us with the following update.
On a crisp and sunny Saturday, River Teign Rowing Club played host to the third round of the South Devon Winter League. Despite the chilly conditions, the event unfolded on the River Teign, utilising Hearne Field Pavilion as the central hub for the day’s festivities.
Crews from Brixham, Dart, Paignton, Salcombe, Yealm, and Teign descended upon the venue to compete in a series of exhilarating races. The action kicked off with boats launching from Coombe Cellars slip, setting the stage for a day of intense competition.
Photo credit: Lucy Thomas
Junior Event: Brixham Displays Dominance
The first race of the day featured the junior category, with Brixham securing a strong lead from start to finish. The real battle unfolded for second and third positions, with Dart and Teign fiercely contending. Notably, 12-year-old Ethan, in his inaugural regatta, displayed remarkable tenacity, propelling Teign to a narrow second place over Dart by a mere 0.5 seconds.
Novice Race: Dart Impresses with Novice Rowers
The novice race provided an opportunity for rowers with less than 12 months of experience to showcase their skills. Dart emerged victorious, leaving Salcombe in second and Brixham in third, demonstrating the prowess of their developing gig rowing skills. Teign fielded two boats in this event as the hosts. The novice races are hugely popular with new gig rower numbers growing in South Devon.
Women’s A: Teign just sneaking through
The Women’s A race witnessed a closely contested battle among Salcombe, Brixham, and Teign.
Decisions on the buoy turns led to Brixham’s disqualification, paving the way for an exciting 1-2 finish with Teign and Salcombe taking the top spots. Teign just overtook Salcombe in the last 50 metres.
Women’s B: Teign Secures another victory
In the Women’s B race, Teign continued their winning streak, leaving Salcombe and Dart to cross the finish line in a dead heat, sharing second place. An impressive performance from Teign B in fourth place, which was made even more special considering the boat mostly contained novice rowers with just a year’s experience.
Women’s Vets and Super Vets: Teign Dominates
The Women’s Vets and Super Vets races were hotly contested, with Teign taking the lead in both categories. Yealm secured second place in the Vets, while Salcombe claimed the runner-up spot in the Super Vets race. The Super Vets race was very exciting with three of the top five crews in the world on show.
Men’s Events: Dart Clinch Three Victories
As the day progressed, the men took to the water. Dart showcased their dominance in the Men’s A, B, and Vets events, securing a hat-trick of victories. Salcombe and Teign offered spirited competition, claiming second places across the board.
Men’s Super Vets: Dart Complete the Sweep
In the final race of the day, the Men’s Super Vets, Dart completed a clean sweep of the men’s events, capping off an impressive performance. As the water flowed back to the sea the days racing ended.
Overall results
1st Dart 22 Points
2nd Teign 22 Points
3rd Salcombe 32 Points
4th Yealm 36 Points
5th Brixham 41 Points
6th Paignton 54 Points.
The day proved to be a resounding success, marked by seamless changeovers and thrilling races. Special appreciation was extended to Combeinteignhead Parish Council for facilitating the use of Hearne Field Pavilion and to the management of Coombe Cellars Pub and Restaurant for generously providing their car park. Thanks were also given to all participating clubs for contributing to the event’s success, and to the dedicated members of the River Teign Rowing Club for their invaluable efforts in organising, directing traffic, cooking and serving refreshments, umpiring, race officials and post-event clean-up.
The next fixture of the South Devon Winter League will be held on the 3rd of February, hosted by Dart. Good luck to all crews competing!
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