Tees and Hexham win Northern Sunday League

Eleven crews braved the elements on 6th October for the final round of the Northern Sunday League, with Tees RC and Hexham RC finishing top of the men’s and women’s tables respectively.

With the rest of the country apparently enjoying glorious sunshine, the land of Cumbria – and, more specifically, Talkin Tarn – seemed to be the only area suffering from distinctly wintery weather. Not enough, though, to dampen the spirits of the rowers competing in the final round of the Northern Sunday League.

The eighth and final round of the series was the second skills event to be held – a time trial with a distance of around 1km, including five skill drills along route. These included swapping blades between bow and stroke rowers, 360 spins on the spot, backing onto a buoy, emergency stops followed by 10 rigger dips and finally square blades rowing to the finish. 

Seven open teams and four women’s teams braved the weather to compete on the day, representing a range of abilities and backgrounds. Teams had two runs each along the course, with the times being added together to give the final total time. Hexham Reivers (representing Hexham RC) were the fastest open team with a total time of 12:34.6. In the women’s event, DARC Horses (representing Durham ARC) completed the course in the fastest time: 15:45.0.

A total of 15 open teams and 13 women’s teams took part in the overall Sunday League, with more than 150 people taking to the water. Over the series, teams came from 10 different clubs including Bradford ARC travelling from the Yorkshire and Hollingworth Lake RC from the North West Region.

The final points tally was hotly contested on the open side with only three points separating the winners, Tees RC’s Forver Wreck, and runners up Hexham Reivers. In the women’s event, Hexham RC’s Hex Factor enjoyed a much more comfortable victory – 12.5 points clear of second-placed DARC Energy.

Open
1. Forever Wreck (Tees RC) 29 pts
2. Hexham Reivers (Hexham RC) 26pts
3. 4 Guys & 1 Cox (Tyne RC) 19pts

Women
1. Hex Factor (Hexham RC) 28pts
2. DARC Energy (Durham ARC) 15.5 
3. DARC Horses (Durham ARC) 13.5

Upon winning, the Tees RC open crew offered their thanks to everyone who organised the events, including British Rowing’s James Andrews who coordinated the series. 

“The whole series has gone from strength to strength, and it wouldn’t have happened without the volunteers who organised each event.” said Andrews. “It’s a great platform for new participants to step up to regattas, long time participants wanting to step back to a more fun series, or those rowers that just want to have a bit of fun and socialise with members from around the region.” 

The series is looking to return for its third year in 2014 starting in March with full dates to be confirmed shortly. 

Photos from the 2014 series can be found on the Northern Rowing Facebook page as well as the complete league table.