This report has been updated 28/2/22 (for the 2nd time) in the light of further revisions to the provisional results. Further changes to the points and promotions are still possible.
A small BSCC team was amongst the 188 competitors who flocked to Cambridge from all over the country for the first Hasler race of 2022. After two years of interrupted racing, no fewer than twenty different clubs took advantage of this unusually early start to the Hasler season. As well as the usual faces from within the region, the list of out-of-region clubs read like a Who's Who of flatwater racing, with members of Pangbourne, Reading, Nottingham, Elmbridge and many other well known clubs represented, and Richmond and Lincoln particularly in evidence. Needless to say, the standard of paddling was high.
Whenever there has been a long break between races, and also whenever paddlers from different regions compete together, there tends to be a great deal of movement between divisions as the discrepancies between regions are levelled out. Perhaps for this reason it proved impossible to calculate the promotions on the day, and thus the points due to each of the six Eastern Region clubs present.
| All the BSCC competitors gave it their all with some spectacular individual results. Tom B had a start that he himself described as awful, but after going round the tight turn at the first buoy he recovered to catch up with the Division 9 leaders. From this point, he and three other paddlers (two from Chelmsford and one L. Buzzard) remained in tight competition for the rest of the race. All four sprinted across the line with only a second between each of them, with Tom in gold position. For this he has received a double promotion and will now race in Div 7. Also in Div 9, Jaroslav (Jay) demonstrated how much he has improved through the winter by finishing only 2:15 behind Tom to take 8th place out of 21 entries - and wins a promotion to Div 8. |  |
In Division 7 Eddie took second place from the start line and retained it all the way but with a Norwich paddler on his tail throughout, so he too had to sprint for the line to take his silver award in close finish. Eddie too has been promoted.
Also in this race were Jack and Tom H, both of whom were racing for first time in Div 7 following promotions from Div 9 at Chelmsford last October. Jack finished a very comfortable 7th. Tom got off to a great start and was going well at the first turn but had to pull out with an injury soon after.
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Our only paddlers on the 14km course, Kerstin & Mark, unfortunately also fell victim to injury after a promising start. But it was still good to see Mark back in a BSCC vest!
DOUBLES -
14km, 4 portages
Div 5: Kerstin Queeney & Mark Adams (retired)
14km, 4 portages
Div 5: Kerstin Queeney & Mark Adams (retired)
SINGLES -
7km
Div 7: Edward Kirtland 2nd (39:47), Jack Gaulton 7th (43:22), Thomas Holloway (retired)
Div 9: Thomas Barton 1st (39:58), Jaroslav Klumpler 8th (42:13)
7km
Div 7: Edward Kirtland 2nd (39:47), Jack Gaulton 7th (43:22), Thomas Holloway (retired)
Div 9: Thomas Barton 1st (39:58), Jaroslav Klumpler 8th (42:13)
The other Eastern teams Norwich, Leighton Buzzard, Chelmsford, as well as the Cambridge home team, were all out in force. As only four BSCC paddlers finished the race out of an already undersized team of seven, and only three of these scored points (no points are awarded if the paddler is promoted more than one division) BSCC inevitably finished in last place in the main Hasler race.
| BSCC was much better represented in the Geoff Sanders under-14 competition, where BSCC's team of five paddlers was equalled only by the home team. The youngsters found the start of the race very difficult as they headed into a stiff breeze, but it paid off on the way back with the wind behind them. Libby Gaulton put in another excellent performance to take first place in Div B. She was the fastest girl on the course and is being promoted to Div A. Oliver Klumpler won the club's other Geoff Sanders medal for 2nd place in Div A. Under 14s (Geoff Sanders) 3km Div A: Oliver Klumpler 2nd (57:18) Div B: Libby Gaulton 1st (40:41), Jasper Kirtland 5th (49:35) Div C: Rupert Kirtland 5th (58:40), Emilie Klumpler 6th (59:17) |   |
