Ladies start season in style

3:00pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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ROWING: Bewdley made a great start to the 2008 Regatta season with a fantastic win in Evesham on Sunday.

The West Midlands season traditionally starts with the Evesham Regatta and over 500 crews from all around the country travelled to the town to race side-by-side on the River Avon.

Bewdley's women's veteran novice four of Sarah Ray, Jane Wagstaff, Sonia Grinnall and Linda Withey, coxed by their coach Jo Atkinson, entered their first race as a crew.

The ladies had trained in an eight-man boat all winter and were disappointed when Evesham RC were unable to offer them any competition in their chosen race.

However, four of the crew decided that they still wanted to race and changed boats at the last minute to race in the coxed four event instead.

The change of boat did not unsettle them and they secured their first win and silverware together by overcoming Ross Rowing Club by one and three quarter lengths over the 500 metre course.

The awesome foursome will now be looking ahead to the National Veteran Championships, which are to be held in Nottingham in June.