Burton hosts 149th Regatta

The Burton Regatta took place on the gently meandering waters of the River Trent last weekend. Hosted by Burton Leander Rowing Club and Trent Rowing Club over two days, 32 clubs from around the country attended the 149-year-old event.

Competitors also included visitors from Burton’s twin town of Lingen, and the German athletes were very impressive in their IM3 wins on Saturday and Sunday. Winners also included Auriol Kensington RC on the Thames, Bradford ARC, Warrington RC, Ancholme RC in North Lincolnshire, and many clubs from the East and West Midlands.

But despite the victories of visiting clubs, it was the hosts who dominated the weekend with over 30 wins. The Burton Cask Victor Ludorum Trophy was presented to Burton Leander RC as the overall winners for the 1,100m racing on Saturday, while the WR Brake Memorial Trophy was awarded to Trent RC for their junior successes. Trent crews also took most wins on the Sunday with Loughborough and Burton Leander finishing close behind in the 700-metre sprints.

The racing was a test of both stamina and steering with many crews finding the wide lanes and bends in the river a challenge. A few crews got to know the tree-lined banks and the thick reeds intimately, whilst others took such wide lines that it cost them precious time in their races.

The increase in entries bodes well for the regatta and several juniors and seniors commented that it was one of the best organised regattas they had attended.

Next year should provide an even more spectacular event as Burton Regatta prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

For full results click here: http://regattainabox.co.uk/content/burton-regatta-2014-results.

Report by Andrew Lowe
Photos by Andrew Archbold