Inverness Rowing Club again achieved success and many good performances this time at the Castle Semple Regatta last weekend on Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire in changeable conditions with many heavy showers in winning five events, - .Womens Veteran and Novice Double Sculls, Womens Veteran Coxed Fours, Womens Quadruple Sculls and Mens Veteran Double Sculls
Taking part in Junior 12 events in their third competitive regatta were six members of the club's cadet squad, Sarah Cameron, Jennifer Warwick, Adam Geddes, Rachael Wells, Meghan Hunter and Shaun Hunter who competed in Coxed Quadruple Sculling, Double Sculling, Single Sculling and Aquajog events under the watchful eye of experienced senior coach Susanne Standish-Hunter. All competed with distinction, particularly the girls coxed quadruple scull which achieved an excellent third place behind a good Castle Semple RC crew and an all boys crew from Stirling RC. Meghan and Rachael later produced an oustanding finishing burst in their double sculling race to take them past a Strathclyde RC boys crew to achieve a silver medal placing behind another Stirling RC boys crew.
Senior members of the club took part in a variety of events and achieved excellent wins in five events.
Fine winning performances were recorded by Hazel Smith and Doreen Waterson in Womens Veteran Double Sculls, Doreen Waterson, Carolyn Ward, Hazel Smith, Susanne Standish-Hunter (stroke) and Meghan Hunter (cox) in Womens Veteran Coxed Fours and Hazel Geddes, Carole Wells, Bea Wallace, Bridget Senior (stroke) and Doreen Waterson (cox) in Womens Novice Quadruple Sculls. The Senior/Wallace and Wells/Geddes combinations both won their respective heats of the Novice Double Sculls and in the closest of finals, the Senior/Wallace crew just held off a strong challenge from the Wells/Geddes crew to win by just over one length.
In Mens Veteran Double Sculls, Alastair Duff and Tom Baker (stroke) produced a strong burst in the middle of their final to see off challenges from both Strathclyde Park RC and Nithsdale RC to record a fine three length winning margin.
In other events, satisfactory performances were produced by Neil Wallace with his second place in Mens Novice Sculls and third place in Mens Veteran B/D Sculls, Alastair Duff with a second place in Mens Veteran B/D Sculls and a final placing in Mens Restricted 2 Sculls, Ken Andrews with third place in Mens Veteran E/F Sculls, Colin Sinclair with a third and fourth place respectively in Junior 16 and Junior 18 Sculls. In the womens events, Bridget Senior recorded second place in Novice Sculls, Carolyn Ward and Doreen Waterson were third in Restricted 2 Double Sculls and Sally Moore and Mary Clouston were also third in Veteran Double Sculls.
The next main season regatta at which Inverness athletes will be competing will be the Scottish Championships which takes place at Strathclyde Park near Hamiton on 10th and 11th June.