Tees Rowing Club members had a hectic time last weekend. The club's senior women rowers took on some of the best British crews in Tideway competition in the women's eights Head of the River, which is an annual event held on the River Thames over the same stretch of water as the Oxford and Cambridge boat race. It was very much reunion day as the names of several distant Tees RC members were spotted among the 250 crews. Joanne Lywood, of Tees, now at university, was in the Osiris crew which finished sixth out of 265; Sarah Gardener, of Tees, rowed in the bow seat of the Mortlake eight; Katy Wilkinson was also in the bow seat of the St Andrew's University eight; local girl Helena Malcolm, also at university in Loughborough, won a seat in their eight. Jane Green, who learned her rowing at Tees, and is the daughter of John Green, of Tees Rowing Club, was in the Senior Two Eight of City of Bristol Rowing Club which finished 87th overall in a fast time of 20min 56.85sec. It was also a family affair for two of Tees' veteran rowers, Tony Stocking and Janet Wilkinson. Tony, a GB world bronze medallist, coxed the eight in which his daughter Sarah was rowing, while Janet rowed in the same crew as daughter Ruth. Both Janet and Tony have extensive experience of Tideway competition, but it was Tony's crew who took the honours with a time of 22min 17.6secs, finishing well up the order in their very first Head of the River race. Janet's crew completed the course in a time of 23min 56.9sec. Not to be outdone, sisters Lucy and Fiona Ventress, of Tees, competed on the Tideway together. The Tideway crews were: Tees RC A bow Amanda Noel, Fiona Ventress, Lucy Ventress, Sarah Stocking, Ruth Wilkinson, Sarah Harker, Janet Wilkinson, stroke Angela Warburton, cox Tony Stocking; Tees RC B bow Helen Lawson, Pauline Park, Vicky Hunnam, Claire Fletcher, Vicky Phelan, Sue Waring, Deborah Ashurst, stroke Mel Tweddle. Men from Tees took the less arduous journey to Newburn, on the Tyne, to compete in the Tyne Head of the River. This annual event is held on a very testing course and makes for ideal preparation for the men's Head of the River and the Vesta International Veterans Head of the River to be held on March 20 and 21. Tees' Veteran D Eight (Over 55) was the fastest crew in Division One by four seconds after handicap had been taken into account. The Tees crew of Tor Taverner, Paul Reevell, Richard Harandon, Bob Bainbridge, John Green, Paul Buckworth, Dilwyn Jones (Stroke) and John Heron (cox) won their event in 17min 10.7sec, beating several much younger crews in the process. Paul Buckworth, National Veteran Sculling Champion (Vet A), forsook his sculling boat to join with his rowing clubmates having just returned from a fascinating trek in northern Norway mushing a team of huskies for fun. Tees Veteran C Eight (over 45) took the honours in Division Two in a time of 19mi 30.4sec to make it a clean sweep for Tees RC in the veteran classes at the Head of the Tyne. The Tees Vet C crew comprised (Bow) John Harrison, Bryan Baldwin, Craig Noel, Dilwyn Jones, Steven Leigh, Paul Stiller, Guy Allen and Cox John Heron. The winning eights from Tees were presented with engraved pint tankards. Two Tees Rowing Club Senior Three 4+ crews contested a strong entry of senior men's crews in Division Two. Tees RC (Lofts) Senior Three 4+ crew returned a time of 20min 59.9sec while Tees (Pickering) produced a time of 21 min 31.4. The Senior Three 4+ crews will now finalise their training by combining in the eight that is entered for the Head of the River, their next event. | 
