Stourport Regatta 2025

Our Stourport squad

Monmouth Rowing Club at Stourport Regatta – 500m of Fun, Friendship, and Fierce Racing

This Sunday saw Monmouth Rowing Club head to the River Severn for the Stourport Regatta – a sprint-tastic 500m dash upstream (yes, upstream – a change in direction from previous years, just to keep us on our toes). The weather was slightly overcast, but the atmosphere was bright and buzzing, with all three of our main squads mixing together to form a day of excellent club racing.

From the very first race, it was clear we were in for some close, hard-fought battles. Lottie and Ed kicked things off in style with a brilliant win in the Mixed Open Double, while Ed doubled down (pun intended) with a win in the Junior singles – proving that short-course racing is just as much about grit as it is about glory.

Lottie and Ed winning the Open Mixed Double

One of the standout moments of the day came in the Mixed Open Eight (which contained members from all the squads - Alex, Tim, Ewart, Kathryn, Jamie, Bonita, Elaine, Sarah and Cox Sue) where Monmouth going off at rate 44 edged past Furnivall Scullers in the first round by a nail-biting three feet, before meeting Ross in the final. While Ross took the honours, it was the kind of race that gets the heart rate up just watching.

In the final against Ross

The final stages of the day brought a very special moment – a Monmouth vs Monmouth showdown in the Masters Mixed Quad final. Both crews boasted married couples (Kathryn/Jamie and Sarah/Darren), but it was Sue, Sarah, Darren, and Tim who claimed the win. For Darren, it was a particularly sweet moment – his first-ever victory at Stourport and you could hear him shout for joy as he crossed the line in nearby Bewdley.

Keeping the family theme the Smith household will need a bigger mantle piece to show off all their wins, with Sue in the quad, her son Ed in the single and double and they were supported by Dad Pete who is learning to row.

Sue, Sarah, Darren and Tim beating Kathryn, Bonita, Alex and Jamie in the final if the Mixed Masters Quad

Other great Monmouth highlights included:

• Eric and Ewart in the double, flying down the course with style.

• Chris, Mike, John, and David powering the Maters H4- down the Severn

• George and Harry in the 2-, proving that two’s company, especially when it’s racing flat out.

• Sue and Dawn in another great race in the. Women's Masters 2-.

Ed on his way to winning Open Junior 1x

A big thank you to Stourport Rowing Club for hosting such a friendly, well-run event – the perfect mix of competition and camaraderie. Elaine for being this week's star supporter by staying to cheer us on in the afternoon. And of course, to Tim, for his ever-patient coaching and tireless towing. Without him, the boats (and possibly a few of us) wouldn’t get there at all.

It was a great day for the club – proof that when our squads come together, the racing is fast, the banter is plentiful, and the memories last far longer than 500 metres.

See you on the water.