Fabulous five wins extend lead

The local club’s latest fine performance extended Bexhill’s lead in the Coast Amateur Rowing Association (CARA) league to 33 points after the first seven regattas of the 2014 campaign.

Another perfect day for racing saw Bexhill’s crews take a 1-2 in the men’s senior pairs and sculls. Doug Holdaway and Matt Hellier finished ahead of Phil McCorry and Greg Anderson in the former event, with Mark Mitchell coming first and Kieran Cahill second in the latter.

The men’s novice sculls crew of Lee Dunstall, Adam Baker, Lewis Sealy and Will Knapp rowed their best race of the season to take a deserved victory - Bexhill’s third of the day.

The vet 50+ crew of Andy Wilson, Mark Cowling, Bob Balchin and Clive Bingham claimed Bexhill’s fourth win and put the crew 4-2 ahead in the championships for this category.

In the men’s junior sculls, Phil McCorry led to the turns in a real battle with an Eastbourne sculler and on the way back just missed out on second place by a foot.

The ladies’ novice four had an awkward start, but gained ground well to finish third. The ladies’ senior pair finished fourth, while the men’s junior senior crew battled hard to cross the line a close third.

The top race of the day saw Mitchell, Cahill, Hellier and Holdaway get off to a flyer at the start and lead into the turns in the men’s senior fours. A poor turn, however, saw them come out second and they had to battle back to earn Bexhill’s final victory of the day by half a length.

The Coast Amateur Rowing Association league - which involves coastal clubs from Worthing in West Sussex to Herne Bay in north Kent - continues this weekend at Dover on Saturday and Eastbourne on Sunday.

See tomorrow’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.