Bewdley Regatta 2025

Phil T who now has a 100% winning record with two wins in his first two rowing races

Sunshine, sprinting, and just a hint of shallow-induced suspense — Monmouth Rowing Club took to the River Severn this weekend for the always-entertaining Bewdley Regatta, and what a weekend it was!

Spread over two glorious (and mostly dry!) days, the regatta saw crews battle it out over 800m on Saturday, followed by a speedy 600m sprint on Sunday. With the usual curves of the classic Bewdley course already keeping coxes on their toes, the recent dry spell dialed up the drama, leaving the river levels teasingly low and the shallows lurking like hidden booby traps.

Mens E4+ of Tim, Julian, Alex, Jonathan and Bonita winning their event on the Sunday

This regatta was also a brilliant opportunity for the Men’s, Women’s, and Club squads to come together in new combinations — including plenty of mixed crews — showing the depth and flexibility of the club. Sculling was particularly strong across the weekend. Phil, in his first-ever rowing competition, won not one but two medals: one in his single and another in the quad alongside Ben, Sarah C, and Darren.

Phil, Sarah, Darren and Ben with CoB Cox after their Low CRI Op Mas 4x+ win over Bewdley

Lottie, who only picked up a scull for the first time last year, stunned us all by winning her events on both days, navigating multiple rounds like a seasoned pro. There were even a couple of all-Monmouth finals, with Bonita and Sara going head-to-head in their singles on both Saturday and Sunday — Bonita taking the honours both times, but with smiles all round. It’s clear that sculling is becoming a real strength for the club, even if getting boats in and out of the water is currently a bit of an exercise in creative problem-solving, thanks to the extra-low river levels.

Lottie learned to row last year and won her Low CRI event both days, racing quartes, semi and finals

Elsewhere, the men’s coxed four of Tim, Julian, Alex, Jonathan and cox Bonita powered through the competition to win their events on both days. There were several impressive victories in mixed events too, with Tim, Julian, Ewart, Bonita and Sara clocking up wins in multiple 4+ finals, and also joining forces with our hosts from Bewdley in a lively mixed eight.

The Mixed Monmouth and Bewdley winning Eight

The E4+ with official mascot Faustus

Not to be outdone, Jonathan and Alex rounded off the racing weekend in a pair — though after an enthusiastic start, they may have been lured by the promise of landscaping glory, as their race ended rather unceremoniously in a bush. Nature wins again.

Special thanks must go to Kathryn and her City of Bristol colleagues, who not only helped with loading (the true heroes of any regatta), but also provided excellent coxing support across the weekend. Kathryn was OiC loading this weekend and she has definitley inhertited Liz's trailer loading gene.

Monmouth members Kathryn, Jamie and Richard, joined forces with City of Bristol for the weekend with comfortable wins for the women's coxed four in both their semi and final. The mixed eight saw off Ross but fell to Stratford (ft Tim) in the final who showed that training might not actually be cheating.

Huge thanks to Bewdley Rowing Club for hosting a well-run and welcoming regatta — even if their river does like to keep us guessing! And hats off to our Monmouth rowers, coxes, coaches, and cheer squads who made the weekend such a success.

Bonita, with possibly a record six wins

All always, special mentions must go to the towers and supporters. Phil not only towed on Saturday, but also come up specially on Sunday to bring the boats home. Debbie was also our number one fan, shouting supporting from the club balcony. Also thanks to Martin Evans for some great pictures.

The full results can be found on the Easy Regatta website for Saturday and Sunday

Now, back to training... and maybe checking the forecast for rain?

Another great weekend for the club

See you on the water and at Stourport in two weeks time.