Stourport's First-time Win at Tideway Regatta ... 1974

Stourport's First Time Win at Tideway Regatta 1974
Stourport Boat Club won Senior C Fours at Barnes and Mortlake regatta last Sunday, beating Weybridge and Globe Rowing Clubs in a closely fought final. The same crew had just taken part in the final of Senior C Eights in which a combined Stourport-North Staffs. eight rowed well in appalling conditions to finish one length behind a strong Ealing Grammar School eight.
Stourport's first race in the four matched them against Carmel College of Wallingford, who led for 750 metres before this young crew rowed through to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The three boat final was another exciting race, Stourport managing to maintain their early 1/2 length lead for the full 1000 metres, never more than 3/4 length separating the three crews. This was an excellent result for a provincial club so early on in the season, and one which puts Stourport in the top bracket of Senior C Fours, all of whom should be winning Senior B Fours by the end of the season.
The Senior C Eight, after only two outings, had to cope with very rough conditions, the like of which are never met on the Severn, and they did well to finish within a length of the powerful Ealing Grammar School crew, most crews would have given up after their disasterous start, through which the school crew grabbed an early lead, but Stourport's application brought them through with flying colours.
The club was also represented at Evesham Regatta by three scullers, though all of them met defeat in their first race. Pete Lloyd in Senior C Sculls met a competent Bewdley sculler in one of the first races of the day, and the effects of running up Stagborough morning and night as part of Nick Birkmyre's training programme left him well behind after 500 metres. Richard Lloyd had a row over in his first race of Novice Sculls, but then met a Star Club sculler who went on to win the event, gaining verdicts of 3 lengths or over. At 500 metres, Richard was still ahead on the stagger, but in negotiating some oversize bouys he lost the lead and subsequently the race by 3 lengths. Tom Edwards came the closest to winning a race when he crossed the line first against Avon County in Senior B Sculls, only to hear the race was to be re-rowed due to an obstruction to his opponent. Again the Stagborough Hill took its toll, and Tom could not hold off his opponent's spurt at 500 metres, leaving him to scull home alone. The training these scullers are doing at the moment will show its benefit at pre-planned 'peaks' later on in the season, so these results do not reflect best performances.
Crew names
Winning Senior C Four:- bow, Mick Edmonds; 2, Pete Lashford; 3, Keith Barwise; stroke, Phil Downes; cox, Mark Cook.
Finalists in Senior C Eights:- bow, J.Noake; 2, C.Barber; 3, K.Barwise; 4, C.Munn; 5, P.Lashford; 6, M.Edmonds; 7, P.Downes; stroke, E.Mol; cox, M.Cook.
Scullers:- Senior B, Tom Edwards; Senior C, Peter Lloyd; Novice Restricted, Richard Lloyd.
R. Lloyd Report May 1974