Plymouth rowing club pay tribute to ex-captain

MEMBERS of Plymouth Amateur Rowing Club have paid tribute to a former captain.

Keen rower Derek Rickard, aged 60, died tragically in an accident last summer while sculling.

Rickard, also president of the West of England Amateur Rowing Association, died in a sculling accident on Friday, August 1.

Following a report of a capsized rowing boat, his body was found on mud flats near Saltram House, after a full-scale search of the River Plym.

And at the West of England Amateur Rowing Association’s Championship regatta over the weekend, a new trophy in memory of Rickard was presented by his daughter Laura.

The new trophy was assigned to the men’s junior 16 coxed quadruple event, as Rickard was keen on promoting rowing with younger members of the club.

Junior Plymouth rowers just missed out on winning the trophy, won by Dart-Totnes.

However, Plymouth did well, finishing third in the overall club points, after first-placed Dart-Totnes and Exeter.

The club’s next regatta will be this Sunday at Totnes.

Successes for Plymouth included a second place for Emily Dart in her first race in the women’s junior single scull event.

Danny Carlson was also second in the male junior single scull race.

In the men’s junior 14 double scull, however, Charlie Hewitt and Tom James nailed a first place.

Hewitt and James, James Rogers, Danny Carlson and cox Scott Fisher picked up another second in the men’s junior coxed quadruple, while Emma Hewitt was third in her first race in the women’s junior 16 single scull.

Plymouth took another first place when Jacob Dawson won the men’s junior 16 single scull.

Jack Notley and Jacob Roberts were third in the double scull, with Sam Todd and Dean Taylor fourth.

Roberts, Charlie Hewitt, Dawson, Taylor and cox Emily Dart nearly pulled off victory in the junior 16 coxed quadruple, but were narrowly beaten into second by Dart-Totnes.

Other top Plymouth results saw Grant Phillips and Matylda Maciejewska narrowly miss out in the mixed open double scull.

But the city club got back to winning ways in the women’s novice coxed quadruple, thanks to Charlotte Burden, Tammy Palmer, Gemma Dunn, Nicole McBridge and Estela Reinoso-Maset (cox).

They were also first in the women’s novice coxed four, Reinoso-Maset, Nikki Harris, Theo Tilney, Katy Gallant and Hannah Mitchell (cox), taking an easy win against Dart-Totnes.

Reinoso-Maset, Charlie Smith, John Morgan, Katy Gallant and Hannah Mitchell lost by a length against Dart-Totnes in the mixed senior novice coxed four.

Plymouth bounced back to win the women’s senior novice coxed four, thanks to Estela Reinoso-Maset, Nikki Harris, Theo Tilney, Katy Gallant and Hannah Mitchell (cox), who won by a length and a half against Exeter.