By Andy Partridge
On the 26th of February, and after a long wait for a late novice double of Aaron and Matt (the latter of whom apparently had a 90 minute lie-in, resulting in a 70min drive only taking 45), Trafford Head got underway. The day started with a light blanket of rain, calming down and giving sun later on, giving pleasant conditions for all crews on the 3.2km course. The size of the canal and the frequently strong crosswind, however, did cause problems for many crews, with a few slight crashes during the day. Nevertheless, the John O’Gaunt/Lanster Schools’ RA fleet of nine crews earned the top spot in four categories; Elite Singles, Novice Doubles, Im3 Coxed Quads and Women’s Im2 Quads.
The first division of the day contained four Lancaster crews. The two Novice Doubles of Aaron and Matt and Tom and Andy were joined by Steve ‘Captain Pugwash’ Sullivan in his Elite Single and the LSRA Women’s J15 Coxed Quad of Shona, Jess, Emma, Hannah and Rhianne (cox). Despite their damaging a beloved local tree, Aaron and Matt managed to hold it together to post the fastest time in the Novice Double category with 12:52. Tom and Andy weren’t far behind, coming third with 14:22. Steve continued his winning streak in his single with a blistering time of 12:18, placing fourth overall in the division and was the fastest single of the day. The girls gave a sterling performance, posting a time of 14:47, only just coming second to Northwich.
The second division saw the Master’s coxless quad of Glenn, Phil, Martin and Phil and the WIm2 4x- of Amy, Annie, May and Laura race. Two Lancaster Schools’ RA doubles also competed, with the Novice Double of Kieran and Ben joining the J15 Women’s Double of Chloe and Rhianne. The Masters posted a great time of 12:12, coming second by a mere six seconds, meanwhile, the girls’ quad posted a great time of 14.01, the fastest women’s quad time of the day. The boys, despite underrating slightly, delivered a respectable time, coming second in the category with a time of 13:35, followed by the girls posting a time of 15:48 and coming third in their category.
As the day went on, the sun managed to break through, providing a different atmosphere in the third division to previous races this season. The Im3 coxed quad of Glenn, Phil, Martin and Phil employed the fresh coxing talent of rising star Dylan to have a second shot at a victory. They were joined for the division by the Im2 Quad of Steve, Kieran, Aaron and Matt. The Masters won their open category comfortably, posting a time of 12:21. The Im2 Quad did not favour so well unfortunately. Despite a generally fantastic performance, the lightweight quad suffered in the crosswind. A mistimed corner and a reunion for Aaron and Matt with the tree resulted in valuable seconds being lost. Overall they managed a time of 11.18 and a settling for second place behind Liverpool Victoria, they can instead be pleased by placing eleventh overall of every racing crew that day.
The breaking sun in Trafford almost seemed to be signalling the impending regatta season. An illusion that definitely allowed the John O’Gaunt members to deliver some quality performances and as regatta season approaches, hopefully there will be many more wins to celebrate. Meanwhile Aaron definitely enjoyed collecting Steve’s medal at the presentation, creating another illusion that he is an elite sculler.
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