On Sunday 23rd June, junior rowers headed to a foggy and slightly eerie Hayle for the Under 14 Championships 2024.
Hayle Pilot Gig Club, well known for their annual U14 event, had readied their BBQ for the morning rush of nervous parents. Proud supporters of junior rowing, MKM Building Supplies, had set up their colourful gazebo showcasing lots of colourful crafts and goodies. Gigs arrived bright and early and people started to line the banks to spectate.
As always, Copperhouse Pool proved an unparalleled venue for U14 rowing with safe waters for quality competition and excellent spectating opportunities for supporters. However, the event was not without health and safety incidents, unfortunately a young Brixham rower broke their arm on the shore, meaning the crew had to find a fill in and become a composite crew.
On the water, the day progressed smoothly with Hayle club members up to their waists in water all day to help the young rowers with rapid changeovers.
Pendeen, St Mary’s A, Newquay A and Helford A all achieved sub 4 minute times during the first round. These front runners showed an incredible calibre of rowing that promised hot competition through the day.
In Round 2 St Mary’s A pushed the whole way, achieving the fastest time of the day with 3 minutes and 47 seconds.
In the quarter finals the racing was so close that Hayle A, Helford A and Brixham A finished in a dead heat, resulting in a race off! In a very tight race, Hayle A crossed the line only 1 second ahead of Helford A and progressed to the semi finals.
In the semi finals St Mary’s A and Pendeen proceeded through comfortably but Newquay A and Fowey A had a nervous wait to find out who had the fastest time. With just 3 seconds between them, Fowey A narrowly missed out to Newquay A who achieved a time of 4 minutes and 1 second.
Hayle laid on a Composite Final to accommodate the crews who had rowers from different clubs. It was a fantastic addition to the regatta and meant that more rowers had the opportunity to race again! The composite final included ‘HPF’, Brixham B and Dart who won by a convincing lead.
The Plate Final brought a lot of excitement to Copperhouse Pool, with some very enthusiastic racing. The crews enjoyed the opportunity to race again in a final of their own. The Plate was won by Newquay B.
Finally after a long day of racing it was time for the fastest crews to take to the stage. St Mary’s A were favourites to win, setting the fastest time earlier in the day. The race was incredibly close with St Mary’s A and Pendeen neck and neck from the start. St Mary’s had a boat length lead by half way with Newquay still in contention for second place, sitting on the rudder of Pendeen. However, Pendeen chose their moment with about a minute to go when they began to pull through St Mary’s A. They made a huge push in the final 20 strokes, seizing victory!
Pendeen cox, Dan Mugglestone said “It feels really great! They’ve put in a lot of work to be here today, all through the winter they were training no matter what the weather. We were unsure of where we were going to be when the racing started so we are so proud of the rowers for the result today. Sometimes they looked a little nervous on the start line but I just told them to smile and enjoy it. As long as we’re enjoying it, that’s our main goal”.
All three St Mary’s crews picked up some silverware. St Mary’s C were awarded the Sportsman Award, St Mary’s B picked up the Fastest Girl’s Crew title and St Mary’s A were awarded the Ted Gundry Timekeepers Trophy for having the fastest recorded time of the day, as well as placing second overall.
Congratulations to all the crews and the hard working coaches behind the scenes putting the training hours in on the water.
Thanks must also go to Hayle Pilot Gig Club and all the hard working volunteers who made the day so special, we are already looking forward to next year!
Watch all the racing as it unfolded here courtesy of the GigRower Stream Team.
Photo credit: Charlotte Stevens
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