AFTER a successful 2012, Trent Rowing Club got the new season off to a flyer at the Head of the Soar by securing an impressive 10 wins on the three-kilometre upstream course and winning the Victor Ladorum Trophy for being the most successful club at the meet.
The men’s team got off to a flying start for by dominating the senior double sculls event.
Ben Eames and Matthew Pountney, first down the course for Trent, put on a strong performance and beat rivals Loughborough by 11 seconds for the fastest men’s time of the day.
The pair teamed up with Ellen Sutherland and Anna Cresswell to compete in the mixed intermediate quadruple scull and won by more than two minutes, recording the fastest time of the day across all events in 11 minutes 38 seconds.
Sutherland and Cresswell then went on to compete in a women’s junior 18 double scull and rowed phenomenally to earn Trent their third win of the day against Leicester.
More success came after the women’s junior 15 quadruple scull team of Jade Smith, Lucy McQuoney, Jasmine Smith and Jess Gilbert – coxed by Eloise McMahon – claimed victory with the fastest women’s time of the day.
Gilbert and McQuoney then teamed up again to win the women’s junior 15 double sculls.
Next to bring home glory were Eloise McMahon and Jade Smith, who powered their way to another victory on the Soar in the women’s junior 16 double sculls, as despite being a new crew, they managed to beat their opposition by 50 seconds.
More wins came from Sophie McMahon and Lucy Holgate who won the women’s junior 14 double sculls event, and gained an impressive win by 30 seconds, securing them an inter-regional place.
The women’s novice quad of McQuoney, Gilbert, Jasmine Smith and Kellie Hathaway – coxed by Oliver Benton – also stormed to another victory.
Despite this being Hathaway’s debut, the girls had a very determined row and won by 16 seconds.
Benton also won in the junior 15 single sculls, beating opposition from Loughborough Rowing Club by an impressive two minutes and 14 seconds.
The women’s junior 17 coxed quad of Eloise McMahon, Hathaway, Jade Smith and Jasmine Smith, coxed by Cresswell, got one last win for Trent after looking strong from the beginning to beat Leicester Rowing Club, despite all the girls rowing up an age category.
Scott Smith competed in the junior 14 single sculls and despite having a good row and overtaking his opposition from Loughborough boat club, his opposition from Leicester proved to have the better row on this occasion, beating him by 15 seconds.
