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| 26.01.08 |
Canoe report as submitted to the Banbury Guardian
WATERSIDE “A”
There were mixed results for Banbury paddlers in the second of
the winter classics, the Waterside “A” race from Great Bedwyn to
Newbury. The 12 mile race always attracts a high quality field
and there were plenty of internationals on show at the sharp end
of proceedings.
Matthew McLean put in the best individual
performance of the day, placing 9th in a very
competitive Junior K1 race, but it was a bittersweet experience
as he was rammed by a K2 boat at one of the portages, causing
him to capsize, and badly damaging his boat. The incident cost
him at least five minutes. As it was, his time of 2:13:00 would
have been good enough for 25th in the senior men’s
race!
Julian Stone and partner Jenny Illinesi (Elmbridge)
fell foul of the race rules and were disqualified from the Mixed
K2 category for not wearing buoyancy aids.
There were good performances in the
Junior/Veteran K2 race, with Michael Punter and Katie Wood
placing an excellent 11th in2:16:34, followed home
by Graham Warland and Alice Murphy, 13th in a
cracking 2:23:30 and Chris Jones and Kathryn Stone 15th
in 2:40:45.
Megan Wood, partnering Leighton Buzzar’s
Chloe Sillitoe, entered the Ladies’ K2 category, although still
a junior, and they placed a creditable 12th in
2:29:16, two places ahead of Kelly Sapsford and Cathy Johnson
who finished in 2:37:26. Catherine Caton and Sharon Firmin just
squeezed undr the three hour barrier, finishing 25th
in 2:59:15.
|
| 28.10.07 |
Canoe report as submitted to the Banbury Guardian (written by
Rachel) Grey skies, wind and rain
did not daunt Banbury and District Canoe Club’s paddlers at the
weekend: the team proved itself at its home race, bringing in
fantastic results. The choppy conditions and pouring rain did
nothing to defer the Banbury paddlers, and with over 50 racers -
the largest number Banbury has ever put out for a qualifying
race -the club demonstrated why it has risen to become one of
the best in the country.
Arguably, the performance of the day came
from Matthew McLean and Sophie Rooney, who, even after having
their race combined with boats from the highest divisions in
marathon racing as well as their own, stormed through to take 3rd
place in an amazing time of 65 minutes in the Division 4/5/6 K2.
More brilliant results came from the higher divisions for
Banbury, with Julian Stone making a comeback for the season to
be placed 3rd in Division 5 K1, closely followed by
team mate Laura Ferguson who came 5th. Also, in his
first Division 6 race since promotion, Iain Weir left the
competition far behind as he brought home 4th
position in his wobbly C1.
In Division 8 K1 David Stanton put in an
amazing performance, coming home in first position, and with a
time of 39.07, he looks likely to be promoted. He was closely
followed by Callum Chapman, who came 5th, an
excellent achievement, as the choppy conditions were not easy
for canoe (C1) paddlers: the high kneeling position giving no
advantages for stability. However, the C1 paddlers defied the
conditions as Callum was followed home by Tony Gonzalez, who
took 8th place, although he had to work for it, as 12
year old Rebecca Seika chased him to finish in 9th
position.
A strong performance also came from the
Division 9 K1 where Julie Wood powered ahead to take first
position with apparent ease; however, she was pursued all the
way by team mate Mike Palfrey, who, competing for the first time
since completing the 100mile Cheshire Ring race last year, came
home in 2nd position. Just missing out on winning
positions due to the split starts were Peter Button and Paul
Lynes who came 5th and 6th. A surprise paddler
racing in Division 9 was Neville Simmons, who, at 75 years old,
and in his first race for 3 years, since recovering from serious
illness, raced superbly to 12th place, and was
awarded a Banbury Marathon t-shirt for his devotion to the club.
At the other end of the age range, 14 year old Neil Buzzard made
his racing debut, coming home in 28th place, a
promising start for the future.
The good results didn’t stop there for the
K1 team, as Roger Weir placed 4th in Division 7, also
racing in a C1. Francois Plantier, Megan Wood and Dom Murphy
brought home 6th, 7th and 9th
positions, proving that being in one of the biggest divisions of
the day was no challenge for them. Steve Flynn made the decision
to race his own, much wobblier boat and although he tested the
canal water by having a swim, he managed to recover to bring
home a respectable 15th place.
The K2 performances for the lower divisions
were also astounding, with Mick Rowlinson and Catherine Caton
finishing in a brilliant 2nd place in Division 9 K2,
backed up by Rachel Murphy and Natasha McLean, who, after having
a collision at the start, managed to pull their way back to
achieve 7th place. The good results continued in
Division 8 K2 with the team of Lucy Ryan and Debbie Anderson
racing home in an amazing time of 36.30 to finish in 3rd
place. They were followed by Seb Raby and Gary Harper who
finished in 4th position after only having paddled
together a few times previously. Also backing up the solid
performance in this division was the father/daughter team of
Vicky and Chris Hills, who finished in 5th position.
In Division 7 K2, Banbury also had excellent results with Alice
Murphy and Katie Wood coming home in 4th position,
ahead of other Banbury crews Phredd and Ian McLean who finished
9th and Melanie Murphy and club chairman Ray Pearce
who finished 10th.
The club’s youngest paddlers played their
part, and the good results came in thick and fast, with Jonathon
Hancox, following up his win at Windsor, to be placed 2nd
ahead of Harry Melling, who came 5th in the Under 10
Boys race. Sister Emily Melling also did well to be placed 3rd
in the Under 10 Girls race. In the Under 12 Boys race, Harry
Mafham, making his first appearance in racing, brought in 3rd
position in a time of 22.10, the same position achieved by
Rebecca Warren in the Under 12 Girls’ race. She was followed by
Charlotte Rowlinson who finished in 5th place. In the
fun race, Molly Brown and Abbie Taylor made their debut in K2,
racing for the first time to finish 2nd.
This is an outstanding performance for
Banbury and District Canoe Club and shows their versatility and
their fearlessness towards the unforgiving conditions of the
day. With results like these coming in thick and fast at every
race, Banbury looks very likely to maintain and improve its
position as one of the top clubs in the country. |
| 14.10.07 |
Canoe report as submitted to the Banbury Guardian (written by
Rachel) Sunny
skies saw Banbury and District Canoe Club’s paddlers out in
force for the Windsor Marathon this weekend, with over 30 boats
on the water.
With Windsor Castle as a spectacular
backdrop in the unexpected sunlight, Banbury lived up to the
regal surroundings to bring in a whole string of fantastic
results: Matt Cooknell and Callum Chapman won Division 7K2,
after a gruelling battle with two other teams, their amazing
sprint finish left the others far behind as they stormed ahead
to take first place. Iain Weir followed this example to take
second place in the Division 7K1 and achieving promotion to
division six.
The results weren’t disappointing in the
higher Divisions either, as Matthew McLean and Sophie Rooney
took home second place in the division 4/5/6K2; the toughest
race of the day. After having done hours of hard squad training
the day before, the pair still managed to achieve top points for
the club. Two was a lucky number for the McLeans, as dad, Ian
also went on to be placed second in Division 8K1, closely
followed by Seb Raby, who came fourth. After their outstanding
performances, they achieved a promotion to division seven, the
second promotion in a row in Seb’s case, as he had only been
promoted to Division eight at the last race, and has now gone
straight up to Division seven. Debbie and Keith Anderson were
struck by lightning in Division 8K2, literally, as they collided
with one of the under twelve lightning paddlers, fortunately
they managed to recover to come home in fourth place, and the
lightning escaped unscathed.
Division 9K1 brought in the positions thick
and fast, with Paul Lynes finishing a remarkable fourth place, a
season’s best, closely followed by Julie Wood and Vicky Hills in
fifth and sixth place. Also bringing in a season’s best were
Melanie Murphy and Graham Warland, finishing sixth in division
7K2.
For the younger paddlers of the club, the
river cruisers proved no obstacle, with Jonathon Hancox winning
the under ten lightning boys race, and Rebecca Warren coming
third in the under twelve lightning girls. This is certainly
Banbury’s strongest performance in a while, paving the way for
many more performances like this one and consolidating Banbury’s
position as one of the top clubs. |
| 16.09.07 |
Hasler Finals. Report as submitted to the Banbury Guardian.
Let's play "Spot the Difference" on Thursday.
National Inter-Club Finals
Fifth best in the country. That’s the proud boast of Banbury
& District Canoe Club after a tremendous team performance
brought them their highest ever placing in the national
inter-club marathon finals, and the scalps of some of Britain’s
biggest clubs to boot.
The club put out it largest ever team,
with over fifty paddlers taking part in the event, held on the
Thames at Beale Park near Reading, and it was this strength in
depth that lifted the club as paddler after paddler performed
above expectations.
Undoubtedly, the performance of the day
came from Francois Plantier, who continued his meteoric rise
through the divisions with a brilliant fifth place in Division
8. This division provided the club with four of its six K1 point
scorers, as Steve Flynn (8th), Keith Anderson (9th)
and Dom Murphy (10th) all finished strongly, and,
along with Francois, were rewarded with promotion to division 7.
Dan Golder demonstrated what a quality
athlete he is with a battling third place in Division 2, gaining
the satisfaction of outsprintng the paddler who’d baulked him at
the portage.
High-kneeling canoe paddler Callum Chapman
completed the scoring six, with a fine 10th place in
division 9, and must surely be looking for promotion next
season.
Among a plethora of other high-placing K1s
were, in Division 5, Katie Wood, 11th; in Division
7: Alice Murphy, 12th and Tony Gonzalez, 14th;
in division 9; Rebecca Seika, 13th, and Vicky Hills
15th.
The club’s youngest paddlers played their
part, with Jonny Hancox 7th and Harry Melling 16th
in Under 10 boys; Mickey White 12th in Under 12 boys;
Billie White 6th, Amelia Earle 8th and
Emily Melling 10th in Under 10 girls, Becca Warren 6th
and Charlotte Rowlinson 17th in Under 12 girls all
showing that the future of the club is in safe hands.
It was the club’s doubles teams which
provided the lion’s share of the points: Debbie Anderson and
Lucy Ryan’s gutsy paddle earned them an excellent third place in
Division 9, with Phredd McLean and Julie Wood close behind in 5th
and Mick Rowlinson and Catherine Caton 7th; whilst
brothers Roger and Iain Weir steered their high-kneeling canoe
brilliantly to take 3rd in division 7/8, and Laura
Ferguson & Matthew McLean, who’d only ever paddled together once
before, ripped through the fied to take 5th in
Division 5/6.
|
| |
September Sprints Report to the Banbury guardian
Banbury and District canoe club entered a
small but strong team at the Flat-water Sprints National inter-
club regatta. The were many promising individual results
placing Banbury 6th overall.
Rachel Murphy proved how adaptable she can
be when twice at the last minute made up a seat in crew boats,
partnering Matt Cooknell finishing a remarkable 3rd
in boys D 500m and then immediately paddling with Natasha
Maclean in girls D.
Sister Alice Murphy put in a solid
performance to take 2nd in K1 1000 and 4th
500m then partnered Kathryn Stone to take 3rd
Megan Wood and Lydia Oxtoby from Leighton
Buzzard came 3rd girls C K2 1000m. Laura Ferguson
continued her excellent form to take 3rd in Girls B
final one 500m 1000m. Sophie Rooney was 5th in final
two. Sophie teamed up with Katie Wood finishing creditable
9th.in girls B K2
Julian Stone put in a solid performance to
take 1st and 2nd in the boys B K4 and 5th
in K1 1000m. Matthew Mclean reached final two in boys B
Two new paddlers to the event Will Zanelli
and Francoise Plantier proved they could be strong contestants
in the experienced me’ns division both producing personal
bests. Ian Warren put in a solid performance in the masters and
12 year old Rebecca Warren proved she is ready to move up from
the lightnings to Girls D next year.
In the ‘C’ boats event Iain and Roger Weir
prove they are at the top of their field taking 1st
and 2nd in C2 and C4 . Iain was 1st in the
500 confirming his position of most improved ‘C’ paddler of the
year and winning the Adjutants Cup. Roger Weir was 3rd
followed closely behind by Callum Chapman |
| 19.08.07 |
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.Report as submitted to Banbury Guardian
Laura Ferguson confirmed her status as one of the rising stars
of British canoeing by winning the Under 16 Girls’ National
Marathon Championship in emphatic fashion. Tucking in at the
back of the lead group from the start, Laura allowed the others
to make the pace before blasting away over the last lap. In an
event where races are usually won by a few seconds, Laura was
nearly a minute clear of the second girl by the finish.
Laura was backed up brilliantly by Sophie
Rooney who placed seventh, and Elsa Magniny who was eighth.
Laura also claimed a bronze medal in the K2 championship,
partnering Steph Holmes from Worcester.
Katie Wood, partnering Leighton Buzzard’s Charlotte Creamer, was
a fine second in Under 18 Girls’ K2, over a tough 12 mile
course, whilst Julian Stone and Matthew McLean were 17th
and 18th in the Under 16 Boys’ championship, and
Kathryn Stone was 14th in Under 14 Girls.There were
some strong performances in the divisional races: Alice Murphy
had the race of her life to place 6th in division 8,
backed up by Steve Flynn, 8th, and Dom Murphy, 9th,
whilst Iain Weir was 11th in Division 7. Phredd
McLean and Lucy Ryan were 5th in division 9 K2,
closely followed by Will Zanelli and Catherine Caton in 6th.Matthew
McLean portaged well to claim 5th in Divison 5,
whilst Matthew McLean, Megan Wood and Roger Weir all put in good
performances in a strong division 6 field.
|
| 29.07.07 |
Report as submitted to Banbury Guardian
SOUTHAMPTON MARATHON
Having already qualified for the National Inter-Club finals,
Banbury & District Canoe Club sent only a small team of nineteen
paddlers to the last qualifying event, the Southampton Marathon,
but still managed to place third on the day, thanks to some fine
individual performances.
The race is unusual as it is held on salt water, but the wide
expanses of the estuary held no fear for the club’s youngest
paddlers, as Harry Melling took a fine second place in under 10
boys, with sister, Emily, fourth in under 10 girls.
Matt Cooknell put in a brilliant paddle in Division 7 K1, taking
second place in a time good enough to see him promoted to
division 6. Dom Murphy was second in Division 8 K1 whilst new
recruit, Steve Flynn, made an excellent debut in 6th.
Alice Murphy and Sophie Rooney, normally K1 paddlers, teamed up
to very good effect, taking third place in a highly competitive
division 7/8K2 race. They were well backed up by Ray Pearce and
Chris Hills in 8th.
The club dominated division 9 K1 with an incredible eight
paddlers in the top fourteen. Pride of place went to Francois
Plantier, 4th in only his second race, and David
Stanton, 5th. Both paddlers were promoted to division
8. Wild water specialist Vicky Hills was a fine 6th,
and was chased home by Lucy Ryan (9th), Kathryn Stone
(11th), Kelly Sapsford (12th) and Gary
Harper (14th). Unluckiest racer of the day was Paul
Lynes, who was comfortably in 4th place heading out,
but missed the turn and found himself right at the back of the
field. He battled back gamely, overtaking paddler after paddler
to finish in a very creditable 13th. |
| 22.06.07 |
Directions to the
Reading Marathon. If you are coming from the Oxford
direction, or from M40 Junction 7, pick up the A4074. As you
come into Reading, this is called Woodcote Road, St Peter's Hill
and finally Church Road. Eventually it comes to a junction. At
the junction, turn right, crossing the Thames over Caversham
Bridge. (If you glance to your right as you cross the bridge,
you'll be looking at the venue).
The venue should be signposted from here, but if it's not,
take the first right after the bridge, Richfield Avenue. Now,
the area used for parking tends to vary, but pretty soon, you
should see signs directing you to turn right again, into the car
park. |
| 14.06.07 |
Directions to Falcon Canoe & Rowing Club, venue of the Oxford
Marathon.
Come off the A34 Oxford Ring Road at the Hinksey interchange.
Turn left, and keep going until the next major junction. Now
turn left into the A4144 Abingdon Road. Soon you'll see traffic
lights ahead of you, with the Fox and Hounds pub on your right.
Keep in the right hand lane and turn right at the lights, into
Weirs Lane, which soon becomes the B4495, Donnington Bridge
Road. Come over the bridge (you'll see the Thames), then take
the first left (very small road) into Meadow Lane. About 200
metres along there is a car park on your left, with a high
barrier at the entrance. Park in here. You
might want to get there early though, as there is a car boot
sale taking place next door, so parking will be tight. We're
going to get there about 9.00am, just in case.
When you
are parked, walk through the woods and you'll arrive at the
riverbank and Falcon's boathouse. There will be plenty of people
in Banbury shirts!
|
| |
CANOE REPORT 06.05.07. As submitted to
the Banbury Guardian.
Basingstoke Canal Marathon.
Despite only having a small team, through some paddlers being
unavailable and others electing to compete in non-scoring events
elsewhere, Banbury & District Canoe Club put up some strong
performances in the Basingstoke Canal Marathon - the firt
Southern Region Hasler race of the Spring. As is usual for
Basingstoke there were huge fields in every race, and the narrow
canal made for very testing conditions.
No-one coped better with the chop than
young Matthew McLean. In his first scoring Division 6 race
since promotion, he made up for a slow start by working through
the field to sit with the lead pack and claim an excellent third
place and instant promotion to Division 5.
Dan Golder used all of his experience to manipulate the Division
3 field, and finished a strong second to gain promotion to
division 2, whilst Ian McLean and Chris Hills won division 9 K2
and look sure to be promoted. They were well backed up by Mick
Rowlinson and Catherine Caton in seventh.
Sisters Katie and Megan Wood had a fine paddle in their first
Division 5/6 K2 race, finishing strongly to claim 5th
place, whilst Julain Stone was 6th in Division 5 K1.
11 year old Rebecca Seika put in a brilliant performance to take
4th in Division 9, just missing promotion, whilst
just behind her, Phredd McLean finished strongly to take 7th.
Keith Stone was 38th.
The biggest field of the day was Division
7/8 K2, and Banbury did outstandingly well to have two boats up
near the front, with Melani Murphy and Graham Warland 6th
and husband and wife team Keith and Debbie Anderson 12th.
Alice Murphy continues her return to fitness with ninth place in
Division 8, whilst 11 year old Kathryn Stone and veteran, Peter
Button had a sprint finish for 15th place, with
beauty just holding off age. Poor Julie Wood was knocked in by
another boat at the start, but bravely got back in and
continued.
Julie wasn’t the only victim. Dom Murphy and Ian Warren both had
their boats hit from behind at the start, losing valuable time,
but still managed to place 9th and 11th
respectively in Division 8, whilst Rachel Murphy, paddling with
Tasha McLean actually had her paddles knocked from her hand. The
girls recovered well to finish 12th in Division 9 K2.
Rebecca Warren continued her recent good
run of form by taking third place in the under 12 girls' race in
a time good enough for second in the boys' race. |
| 25.03.07 |
Report as sent to Banbury Guardian.
CANOE REPORT Fifteen
year old Banbury paddler Laura Ferguson put in an astounding
performance when racing for Great Britain on Saturday. Laura
had been moved up an age group to gain experience, and was
competing in the Under 18 age group at the Gent
International Marathon in Belgium. What followed was, to say
the least, unexpected, as Laura raced brilliantly over the
18 kilometre couse to take the silver medal, beaten only by
her K2 partner, Steph Holmes. Laura's time of 1.46.15 would
have placed her in the top 25 in the men's event.
Whilst Laura was racing in Belgium, the club's long-distance
team were slugging it out on the last of the winter classic
races, the gruelling Waterside D, from Devizes to Newbury,
which contains 35 portages over its 34 miles.
Once again, Debbie Anderson's portage skill was to prove
vital in the Ladies' K1 race, as she made up time on the
land to finish third, in a time fast enough to beat some of
the Ladies K2 teams.
In Senior Men's K2, Roger Hiley and Nat Spring put in their
best performance to date, finishing 9th in what is the most
competitive category. They came home in just under six
hours, an excellent performance given the strong headwind.
As the distances get longer, Ray Peacre and Chris Hills come
into their own and they should be most pleased with
their eighth place in veterans K2.
Attntion now turns to the "big one", the 125 mile clsssic
from Devizes to Westminster, which takes place over the
Easter weekend. The Banbury club website
www.banburycanoe.org.uk will be updated hourly
throughout the night to record the teams' progress.
|
| 05.03.07 |
Report as sent to Banbury Guardian.
CANOE REPORT - Waterside B
Flood conditions on the River Kennet made for interesting
paddling, as Banbury & District Canoe Club’s long distance team
took on the 18 mile classic Waterside B race.
The long, narrow, racing boats are designed for speed, not
stability, and there were plenty of impromptu swims as the cross
currents took their toll, though all the Banbury boats survived
intact.
Roger Hiley and Nat Spring put in an outstanding performance,
finishing 10th in the Senior Men’s K2 in an
astonishing 2.43.18, showing that they can really mix it with
the “big boys”.
Junior international Laura Ferguson was the only junior lady to
enter the K1 race, due to the conditions, so she was put in with
the junior boys … and beat most of them, placing 6th
in 3.14.57, a time which would have been good enough for 5th
in the Senior Ladies’ Race.
Ray Pearce and Chris Hills reaped the benefits of their hard
training with a pleasing 14th place in Veteran men’s
K2 in 3.07.56. Mick Rowlinson and Catherine Caton, despite
having to stop for 15 minutes because of rudder problems came
home 15th in Mixed K2, in 3.44.17; a very good
performance for a novice pair. Melanie Murphy and Graham Warland
paddled strongly in the early part of the race, but were forced
to retire at 14 miles after breaking their rudder.
Debbie Anderson’s return to form after illness continues, as she
placed 8th in Senior Ladies K1, suggesting that she
could do well in the Devizes to Westminster race at Easter. |
| 25.02.07 |
CANOE REPORT 25.02.07
It’s been another busy week for Banbury & District Canoe Club. Fresh from being voted “Club of
the Year” by the British Canoe Union, the club was visited by Times journalist Robert Crampton,
who is writing a feature on Rivers Access. He was taken for a paddle on the River Cherwell by
club members. The article will appear in the Times Magazine this Saturday (3rd March).
Paddlers put in some gritty performances on Sunday's 12 mile race
from Aldermaston to Reading. Thameside 1, with its 13 portages,
proved especially tough this year, with portages extended to
avoid fallen trees and a really strong flow on the Thames for
the last couple of miles upstream. Fastest performance of the
day came from Julian Stone who completed the course in just
under two hours to come in 8th in the junior men's K1. Veteran
long distance pair Ray Pearce and Chris Hills came in just
seconds over the two hours, followed minutes afterwards by
Graham Warland and Melanie Murphy who claimed a pleasing fifth
place in the mixed doubles. In their first long distance race
Megan Wood and Matthew McLean came home in a time of just over 2
hours 18, while Katie Wood came in just behind them, to
be placed second in the junior ladies K1. Veteran-Junior
partnership Chris Jones and Kathryn Stone (at 11 years, the
race's youngest competitor) came home in 2 hours 24 - knocking
18 minutes of their last year's performance.
The club has more titles to add to its collection, after the final
event in the Midlands duathlon series. Duathlon is a demanding
event consisting of running and paddling and Roger Weir has
proved unbeatable this winter. He was first overall in the short
course rankings, and alos picked up prizes as first junior, and
first open canoe paddler. His younger brother Iain was third
overall, an third open canoe paddler. Sophie Rooney was first
junior lady. The club placed 6th overall in the team
competition; third ladies team; second junior team, and first
open canoe team.
|
| 21.02.07 |
Following Chris & Dom's paddle up the Cherwell with journalist,
Robert Crampton, there will - if all goes according to plan - be
an article in the Times magazine on Saturday March 3rd.
Autographs later ... |
| 13.02.07 |
Message from Ian Warren:
We need to get
the kitchen emptied by Monday 19th when the
builders will be in.
I will bring
some boxes from work and put them in the
clubhouse on Thursday evening.
|
|
| 11.02.07 |
Report as submitted to the Banbury Guardian:
CANOE REPORT
Banbury Paddlers were out in force at the
weekend, competing in both Wild Water and marathon races.
Rebecca Warren has made a remarkable start
to the wild water season, winning the first four Under 12 races
of the year, including two wins at the weekend, on the Rivers
Goyt and Irwell in Manchester. Also on the Irwell, Vicky Hills
won the Under 18 ladies category with ease, and Megan Wood
placed second in Under 16 girls.
The marathon squad headed south, for the
first classic of the season. Waterside “A” is a gruelling paddle
from Great Bedwyn to Newbury, and includes 21 portages in its 14
miles. As usual, the race attracted a huge field, with
international paddlers out in force.
Roger Hiley and Julian Stone did
exceptionally well to place third in the Veteran/Junior K2
category in 2.17.29, whilst teenager, Sophie Rooney, partnering
a paddler from Leighton Buzzrad, was an excellent 8th
in Senior Ladies K2 in 2.25.26.
There was a remarkable performance from
Catherine Caton, who, only four weeks after starting to paddle,
completed the course in just under three hours, partnering the
experienced Mick Rowlinson.
Ultra-distance specialists Ray Pearce and
Chris Hills were 19th in Veteran K2 in a solid
2.22.21, whilst 12 year old Kathryn Stone partnered by Chris
Hills put up a fine 2.43.06 in Junior/Veteran K2.
Melanie Murphy and Graham Warland were 14th
in mixed K2 in 2.31.54 despite stopping to fix a broken rudder.
Debbie Anderson put in a fine K1
performance to place 12th in senior ladies in
2.55.02. Sprint specialist Carl Warland started brightly, and
was well up the senior men’s field, but found the distance too
much, dropping back to 23rd in 2.37.08. Dom Murphy
had a race to forget, springing a leak in his boat on the second
portage, and limping home 33rd in Veteran men’s K1. |
| 10.02.07 |
Message to all
paddlers, from Julie.
Information for members
1.
I am required to place a notice on the first aid box with all
those members who have an allergy, or medical condition. If you
would rather i didn't put the information on the outside, please
let me know by the end of February.
2.
Those of you who have been attending circuit training, I am
afraid it is payment time! Please could you let me have your
money when it is convenient - £10 for adults, £5 for children
and £25 for a family. If you are not sure if you have paid,
bring your cheque book along and I shall tell you!!!
3.
I have been asked recently for more hoodies and cotton tee
shirts. I will be placing an order with the clothing company,
but only for those items that are ordered - I don't have the
space to store extra kit I am afraid. Please can you contact me
by the end of February if you would like one or two of the
items. The costs will probably be the almost the same as last
year, which is: Hoody - £14.50 and £16.00 and the tee shirts -
£7 and £8. Sizes come in various standard sizes. Don't forget
that I hold a stock of breathable tee shirts and also caps and
hats. If there is any other item of clothing that you would
like me to investigate, please do not hesitate to contact me.
julie@hookiewood.freeserve.co.uk |
| 06.02.07 |
Naughty, naughty. Australian Junkie sprinter Nathan Baggeley
seems to moe of a peddler than a paddler these days.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/SPORT/Olympic-kayaker-Baggaley-on-drugs-charge/2007/02/06/1170524089420.html |
| 31.01.07 |
The Anjali Dance Company,
to which Frances Weir belongs, are performing their new show
Something Wild at the Mill in Banbury on 22nd February,
kicking off their national tour. For more details, contact
info@anjali.co.uk or look
at the website
www.anjali.co.uk or book tickets from the Mill 01295 279002 |
| 30.12.06 |
Details
of Roger's White-Knuckle Welsh paddle.
Builth Wells
to Llyswen,
20km, grade
II to III (IV) no portages.
This is
probably the
best introduction to "moving
water" in the UK.
I'm going to
do this as an Open boat
trip, but if anyone wants to
do this in a kayak and can
look after themselves they
are welcome.
Please let me
know soon if you want to
come.
You will need
:-
- First Aid
Kit
- Dry
clothes in a dry bag
- Lunch &
hot drink
- Helmet,
PFD,
- Boat &
Paddle
- 6ft
survival bag
- head
torch
Meet at the
Bus station in Abergavenny
at 0900hrs.
Roger
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| 27.12.06 |
The Cherwell Trash
will take place, as usual, on New Year's Day, setting off at
10.00, so get there for about 9.40. Plastic boats or canadians
only - and be prepared to get very mucky. Contact Dom if you
want to book a boat dompmurphy@hotmail.com |
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Newsletter.
December 2006
Christmas Social
The club’s Christmas social will be this Thursday, December 21st,
at Cropredy Village Hall. Could everyone bring some food to share,
please. There will be the usual Alternative Awards Ceremony, and plenty
of silly games and merriment (if you know any good silly games and
merriments, be prepared to share them). We will, of course, be doing the
cereal box game.
The hall
will be open from 6.30pm for setting up, and the social itself will
start at 7.00pm. See you there.
New
Year’s Paddle(s)
More things going on this New Year than you can shake a stick at!
Cherwell Trash
First of all, on New Year’s Eve (Sunday 31st, if you weren’t
sure …) will be the annual Cherwell trash. The silliest paddle of the
year and not for the faint-hearted or fastidious. A trundle along the
Cherwell, negotiating fallen trees and other obstacles, and probably
getting filthy in the process. Plastic boats and open canoes only –
helmets are a must! We may need to modify the route, as the river is
flowing strongly at the moment. No decision will be made until we’ve
held the ceremony of The Counting of the Bricks, wherein Mr Jones
assesses the level of water in the river.
And, Chris,
we’d better do a recce and a spot of extreme gardening beforehand.
Soar
Valley Resolution Race
If you don’t fancy trashing up the Cherwell, there’s a race in Leicester
on the same day. Details attached.
Roger’s New Year’s
Day White-Knuckle Paddle
Mr Hiley is planning a little open canoe paddle along the River Wye on
New
Year’s Day,
starting from Builth Wells. He promises some lumpy water. More details
when he gives them to me!
The
McLeans ‘At Home’.
The McLeans are holding a get together on Christmas Eve. All club
members are invited (invitation is pinned up in the clubhouse). Phone
Phredd & Ian to let them know you’re coming.
Hi
ho, Hi ho …
So, once you’ve stuffed yourselves silly over Christmas, you’ll need to
find a way to burn off the calories, won’t you? Yes? Good! There’s going
to be a working party on Saturday morning (December 30th), to
clear the area around the old boat racks and shift all the rubbish left
over from the BWB works. We’re hiring a skip. Turn up any time after
9am; bring a spade and any other tools that might be useful. Anyone got
any spare paving slabs or similar that we can put down between the car
park and the outdoor loo?
The
Loo.
How wonderful to have an inside loo at last. Thank you to Neville and
Julie for putting up the frosting on the windows, and to Neville for
putting in the cupboards. All we need now is the knitted dolly to sit on
the spare loo roll.
Heaters.
If you turn the heaters on, please make sure that they’re switched off
again afterwards by using the override button by the light switches by
the kitchen.
Water Supply
We’ve got a few drips from the new taps in the kitchen, so the supply is
turned off at the ball valve on the wall to the left of the sink. Just
use a screwdriver on the valve to turn it on.
Pool
Sessions
Thank you to all the coaches who have helped with the pool sessions over
the last three weeks, and to Julie for collecting the money. The
sessions went very well, and a lot of people made a lot of improvements.
We’ll be booking some more sessions in the New Year. More details when I
get them.
Website
The website package has been upgraded, so, fingers crossed, it won’t
keep crashing toward the end of the month due to lack of bandwidth.
We’ve got extra space so we can expand the photo gallery among other
things. We’ve also got a discussion board to put on news items and
anything else of interest. It’s open to all, but treat it with respect
please.
Club
Magazine
The Winter issue of On the Bank is looking a bit sparse at the
moment – I’ve only had one article for it so far! (Thanks, Alice). Let’s
have some bits and pieces, folks. Race reports, musings, whimsy,
articles about sea kayak weekends or camping trips, coaching points,
poems, pictures, new members’ impressions of the club … anything. Go on
- pretty please.
Paddlesport Polo.
Attention, juniors. The first paddlesport event of the new year is canoe
Polo. The event is designed for beginners, so don’t worry if you’ve
never played polo before – come along and have a go. It’s open to anyone
8-16. it will be held, as usual, at Willink Pool, Burghfield Common,
near Reading. It’s a long way to go, but I’ve managed to negotiate so
that all of our games will be on just two nights rather than three. The
dates are: Saturdays 20th and 27th January 2007.
And
Finally …
Whilst I was claring out some old newsletters, I found the following,
from back in May. I thought it was worth repeating …
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((.......)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
As you may know, whilst training for the DW, Ray abstained totally from
beer. Within minutes of his finishing the race, Ray had consumed his
first pint in five months. I think a few more followed, judging from the
two e-mails I received from him that evening.
First e-mail.
(Received 4.50pm.)
It was quite touching to get back to a round of applause at the club.
Feeling quite good now after some good nosh and gooder beer!
Viva la Hooky
Ray
Second e-mail.
(Received 8.20pm.)
Seeing boats paddle out of the water, the is hooky taking effect!
Cheers
Bottoms up
Slang
Making up for lost time!
Ray
Cheers
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