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May I introduce the ladies?
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By Neil Lewis/Lindsay King
Durham Veterans and Juniors Regatta, 29 September 2001.
Course: 750m Conditions: Calm and cool.
Northern Sculling Series, Durham Head, 6 October 2001.
Course: 1800m from weir to DARC boathouse.
Conditions: Calm and cool
Northern Sculling series, Tyne Head, 13 October 2001.
Course: 5000m Scotswood to Newburn.
Conditions: Warm and flat calm.
Hexham Rowing Club owes its continued existence to one person, Bob Manning. He kept the club afloat so to speak in the lean 1980s, and carefully coached and cajoled it back to health, getting it boats in the process. There is now a band of little helpers in place and he is trying to step back a bit. Can he though? He is still chief coach, but not racing himself until recently, never gets a mention in regatta reports.
Until now. Over the last few months he has become Bob 'Svengali' Manning, and is regularly to be seen on the water surrounded by beautiful women. Look at the accompanying picture; look at his grin. There you will see him in celebratory mood, drinking to their triumph with his ladies in the Durham ARC bar. This was 30 minutes after their first ever competitive outing in a coxed four, (Bob coxing) at the DARC Veteran and Junior Regatta a fortnight ago. This had been their target event since they started rowing less than a year hence. Training, technique, strategy, diet and visualisation were all part of Bob's coaching package. They didn't win, that would have been a bonus, race experience was the aim this time. But they only lost to a much younger crew by a boat length. Their triumph lay in conquering their nerves, mastering a technical sport in later life, realising they had skill, that they were a sleek unit, and that they indeed had potential, and it was fun. Bob has given them these things and they think the world of him for it. How does he feel? He asked me later in the day "What did they say? Did they enjoy it? Didn't I always tell you they had potential? My ladies - weren't they great?". Now I've gone and embarrassed everybody, but heh, at our level, this is what sport's all about.
Another relative newcomer competing at Durham was George Doody. Always technique training, and learning in every race, he was beaten this time by Jaggard of the host club in the Veteran C class single sculls. Jaggard raced in his Lola, they make racing cars and fast boats, but George was in no way outclassed, and is looking forward to the challenge of the region's winter sculling series. It began last Saturday, again at Durham.
The Northern Sculling Series consists of 6 races on consecutive weekends on our major rivers. Each race is against the clock and may have up to 200 boats competing. At Durham everyone rows from the town's boat club to sit, bobbing amongst the competition for anything up to an hour before haring back again, line astern hopefully having negotiated the dreaded and narrow Elvet Bridge. Get it wrong and you either hit it or in choosing the wrong arch get swept onto the outer bank of the bend that follows. Big boats go first at 25-second intervals. Christer and Brown were ours, and in their words not mine,
"Hit the ##### bridge, and stopped long enough under it to write our names!" So competitive these boys, so gutted, although Brown found solace in the fact that they were the fastest Hexham boat of the day. I mean really, David, the rest of the squad were a women's double of Liddle and King, and three old men, Mulholland, Doody and Lewis in singles. None of them hit the bridge. The circus moves on to Newburn, racing about 5 miles on the Tyne on October 13, through big, highly visible, wide bridges.
The Tyne appeared to suit the crews better, a longer course, excellent weather conditions and calm water. Most crews achieved an improvement in performance.
After their Durham embarrassment, Brown and Christer were so motivated to improve that they managed a remarkably good time, overcoming the consistentcy problems of Durham. They won their category with an overall position of 19th out of 74 crews.
At Durham, the ladies' equivalent crew of Lindsay King and Lucy Siddle were happy with their time, but they failed to stand out, when compared with some of the excellent junior women they competed against.
Ar Tyne, a newcomer, another Lucy (Hall) replaced Siddle in the boat. King and Hall covered the course in 23 minutes and this was a good performance, considering they had never been in a boat togetehr and it was hall's first ever head of the river race.
In the singles division, Hexham offered John Mulholland, George Doody, Roddy Findlay and Lucy Siddle.
Mulholland is a good bet for events of this kind and he was disappointed with his position after the Durham Head. Tyne saw him improve, but he faces fierce competition from Durham ARC's veteran rowers. His time of 20.33.9 gave him a third place, within his category, as these old men take it very seriously.
Findlay competed in his first head, with Siddle competing for the first time by herself, giving the men strong competition, narrowly beating Findlay (48th and 49th respectively) with Doody in 58th position.
Competing in single sculls is the ultimate challenge for these heads. Although competitors are given final positions, it is a race against the clock and for these scullers it becomes a very personal challenge.
Hexham now looks forward to South Hylton, Tees and Berwick heads in the coming weeks.
As we move into winter, we will of course see a change in weather conditions, which will culminate in the choppy waters of the Tweed, a final test for all.
Previously published by Hexham Courant
29 Sep 2001
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