Hexham hosted the last Sunday League meeting of 2023 on Sunday 1st October 2023. After four rounds of sculling and sweeps splash and dashes that took place at Tyne, Cambois, Berwick and Talkin Tarn, skills were the focus for the last round. The crews were challenged to square blade, rigger dips, turn through 360 degrees, backing down onto a buoy, swap two blades and roll ups before sprinting to the finish line and performing an emergency stop to finish, when the clock stopped. Each crew rowed twice and the combined time was used to determine the team places and, therefore, points scored. There were, of course, a good few time penalties awarded for skills not performed to standard or, in one case, not performed at all!
The fastest individual round on the day was a pretty swift 7 minutes 04 seconds by the Berwick open crew (Berwick Expeditionary Crew), who also posted the fastest combined time of 15.03. The Hexham women’s crew (Hexquisite) had the second fastest combined time overall, zipping around in 15.28 to grab the maximum 8 point on offer. Hexquisite competed in four of the five rounds, and if they had been able to field a crew in all five, would have been in with a good chance of winning the series.
The Hexham open crew (Hextraordinary) learnt a lot on the first row and put that into practice in a much tidier second and posted a combined time of 16.32 coming in third amongst the open crews. That was enough to see them secure second place in the series, three points behind Berwick Expeditionary Crew, and a fitting send off for Katharine as it was her swansong before heading off to Dublin shortly.
Team Hexham put on an amazing show, and thanks to Ben for setting up the course, Sam, Kev and Catherine for running the catering, with unbeatable meal deals, and Julie, Jill and John for officiating and Pam for umpiring (and some skills coaching the week before). Hexham crews over the summer were Kirsty, Lorraine, Shor, Gill and Justine (women) and James, Katharine, Hannah, Jonathan, Phil, Tim and Chris (open). Huge thanks to Beverley and Rob for coxing and Justine for trailering to Tarn. The biggest thanks to Kirsty for organising Hexham crews for each round, liaising with other clubs and for recruiting and marshalling volunteers to tidy up the clubhouse and run last Sunday so smoothly.
Sunday League is a great introduction to competitions for new, returning or recreational rowers and offers a chance to row in a wide range of rivers (and Talkin Tarn) in the region, enjoying excellent hospitality and, this year at least, in some lovely weather.
