Blog Posts - BSCC

Cambridge Hasler (24 Mar 2024)

24/3/2024

The race was well-attended with a total of 175 entries. A particular feature was the large number of competitors representing out-of-region clubs, such as Nottingham, Wey and even Runcorn.

Well done to Kerstin & Catherine for not only executing a well-planned out race at admirable speed, but but also turning in the right place to win Div 5 doubles. A barely visible turn buoy caught out many people on this course, including nearly all the Div 4 doubles crews, who went much further than intended.

Libby & Jasper proved to be a very successful pairing, coming 2nd in Div 7 doubles, and being rewarded with a promotion to Division 6 each.

DOUBLES -
14 km, 4 portages
Div 4: Ben Tubby & Martin Shirley [EAL] 5th (1:47:32)
Div 5: Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling [EAL] 1st (1:26:42)
7 km
Div 7: Libby Gaulton & Jasper Kirtland 2nd (37:03), Dave Cayford & Jacque Cayford 6th (39:17), Kerry Tubby & Tom Stephens 8th (43:17)
Div 8: Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandall 4th (43:37)

Our singles paddlers in Division 9 did especially well. Despite being placed 8th, 9th and 10th respectively (out of a large field of 16), Robin, Karen and Jamie B scored the points that usually go with 3rd, 4th and 5th place. This is because many of the paddlers ahead of them were given double or even triple promotions, and who therefore did not score. Robin and Karen have been promoted to Div 8, and Jamie can be proud of an excellent result for his first Hasler race.

There was also solid scoring from Joao, Jacque & Dave, and Eilidh, each of whom were racing in higher divisions than previously due to promotions during the Winter Series.

The spring sunshine had tempted the leisure boaters out and an unfortunate meeting with a punt sent Eddie for a swim and caused him to retire. Kerry & Tom also took a dip at the turn.

SINGLES -
21 km, 4 portages
Div 2: Joe Fitzpatrick 6th (1:53:31)
14 km, 4 portages
Div 4: Joao Spinola 5th (1:25:37), Eddie Kirkland (retired)
7 km
Div 7: Eilidh White 13th (41:01)
Div 9: Robin Dromard 8th (43:13), Karen Bradley 9th (43:18), Jamie Bond 10th (45:02)

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
3km
Div A: Rupert Kirtland 7th (26:00)

We ended the day in 6th place. This brings Stortford's league position down from first (following our spectacular win at the Chelmer Hasler) to equal second with Cambridge CC, behind Chelmsford CC.

See also

Chelmsford Winter Series Marathon (28 Jan 2024)

28/1/2024

“Choppy” was the main word on everyone’s lips after the final race of the Winter Series. A much reduced BSCC team paddled in what turned out to be delightful weather for the time of year; however, the river Can was at turns very wavy and very shallow, leading to more than one unexpected dip for our paddlers.

On the 8-mile course, the best results for the club came from Kerstin and Catherine who took gold in the K2 16+ women’s race. Kerry and Chris made for a successful pairing in the K2 16+ mixed doubles race, coming in 3rd place, whilst Jacque and Dave also battled through this race, taking the first Ultra-vets medal.

Other paddlers at this distance were Joao who thoroughly enjoyed the Senior Men’s K1 race, and Eilidh who had a leisurely paddle to take 2nd place in the Under-18 girls race.

On the 5-mile course it was Eddie who shone, winning silver in the u16 Boys for the 4th time this season. Ben competed in the Supervet Men’s race again, coming 2nd despite two unscheduled dunkings in the chilly water. Robin also raced in this class, coming in 7th, and considering this to be very good value for his money after an hour on the water!

Jasper worked hard in the u14 boy’s race, sadly succumbing to the lure of a swim at the half way point. However, he bravely got back in and paddled the second half of the race with great determination, finishing in 4th place.

Petr had a fantastic race in the C1 Novice category, winning with style after navigating the rough waters in his high-kneeler canoe.

Rupert also took 4th place in the u12s boys race – as the only unranked junior competing for the club it fell to him to score the only Dick Grieve points for BSCC.

8 miles:
K2 16+ Mixed - Chris Sze & Kerry Tubby 3rd (1:11:49), Jacque & Dave Cayford 7th (1:20:09)
K2 16+ Ladies - Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling (EAL) 1st (1:08:43)
K1 Sen Men - Joao Spinola 4th (1:08:13)
K1 Sen Ladies - Megan Kenny (EXE) 2nd (1:14:09)
K1 u18 Ladies - Eilidh White 2nd (1:23:12)

5 miles:
K1 SuperVet Men - Ben Tubby 2nd (48:05), Robin Dromard 7th (1:02:16)
K1 u16 Boys - Eddie Kirtland 2nd (45:34)

3 miles:
K1 u14 Boys - Jasper Kirtland 4th (27:16)
C1 Novice - Petr Luksan 1st (30:36)
K1 u12 Boys - Rupert Kirtland 4th (32:43)

Full race & series results are on the FRA website.

See Angela's Google album for some photos of the Chelmsford race & awards.

BSCC SERIES RESULTS:
Libby Gaulton - winner u14 Girls Trophy
Petr Luksan - winner C1 Novice Trophy
Megan Kenny (for EXE) - 2nd in Senior Ladies
Jack Gaulton - 2nd place in u18 Men
Eilidh White - 2nd place in u18 Ladies
Eddie Kirtland - 2nd place in u16 Boys
Rupert Kirtland - 2nd place in u12 Boys
Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandall - 2nd place in u16 K2
Ben Tubby - 3rd place in SuperVet Men
Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling (EAL) - 3rd place in Ladies K2
Jasper Kirtland - 4th place in u14 Boys
Joao Spinola - 5th in K1Senior Men

BSCC were second overall in the series (which was won by Chelmsford CC).

The contest for the Dick Grieve Trophy (based on points scored by unranked juniors), went right up to line. Leighton Buzzard CC and Cambridge CC were tied for first place, with the winner (Buzzard) being decided by the number of overall wins. Just one point behind, BSCC and Chelmsford CC tied for third place. We were also third in the Bob Porter Trophy (for level of participation by u12s).

One particular highlight of the day was an award for Angela Aldam, who has been helping to organise the Winter Series for nearly 20 years - she was presented with an engraved vase and some flowers to mark her 100th race and to thank her for all of her hard work over the years.

L. Buzzard Winter Series Marathon (14 Jan 2024)

14/1/2024

Seventeen BSCC paddlers made it to the earlier-than-usual Leighton Buzzard Winter Series race. A bright but chilly day made for a more pleasant paddling experience than the weather forecasts had predicted!

On the 8-mile course, the best results for the club came from Kerstin and her K2 partner Catherine Ayling (Ealing CC) who took gold in the K2 Women’s race, and from Karen who paddled this distance for the first time to win the gold medal in the Vet Women’s race.

Jack continued his silver streak with a fantastic performance in u18 Men. Kerry & Chris made for a successful pairing in the K2 16+ mixed doubles race, coming in 4th place, which earned them the First SuperVets medal – Jacque & Dave also battled through this race, finishing with a smile to win First UltraVets.

Mark, paddling in the Men’s K2 race with Steve Tingay of Leighton Buzzard, donned an LBZ vest to pay homage Steve’s mother - a long held wish of hers finally fulfilled.

Other Stortford paddlers at this distance were Joao in the Senior Men’s K1, Jaroslav in the Vet Men’s race and Megan in Senior Women (for Exeter CC).

8 miles (2 portages):
K2 16+ Men - Mark Adams & Steve Tingay [LBZ] 5th (1:18:17)
K2 16+ Mixed - Chris Sze & Kerry Tubby 4th (1:21:22), Jacqueline Cayford & Dave Cayford 8th (1:28:48)
K2 16+ Women - Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling [EAL] 1st (1:18:17)
K1 Sen Men - Joao Spinola 7th (1:19:11)
K1 Sen Women - Megan Kenny [EXE] 2nd (1:22:20)
K1 Vet Men - Jaroslav Klumpler 8th (1:27:18)
K1 Vet Women - Karen Bradley 1st (1:35:05)
K1 u18 Men - Jack Gaulton 2nd (1:28:02)

6 miles (2 portages):
K1 SuperVet Men - Ben Tubby 4th (1:01:35)
K2 u16 - Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandall 2nd (1:31:41)
K1 u16 Boys - Eddie Kirtland 2nd (57:53)

Libby took gold in the u14 Girls again, despite a run in with a narrowboat which resulted in her taking an unscheduled swim. She bravely got back in and paddled the second half of the race with great determination.

On the 6-mile course it was Eddie who shone, winning silver in the u16 Boys.

Finlay and Oliver struggled to a very hard-earned silver in the u16 K2s race, at one point having to take evasive action when threatened by a swan!

Ben competed in the Supervet Men’s race again, coming 4th despite no less than three swims in the chilly water.

Rupert won the bronze in the u12s Boys race after a sprint finish with Conor Bates of Leighton Buzzard CC – Rupert also brought home significant Dick Grieve points, as the only unranked junior competing for the club.

4 miles:
K1 u14 Girls - Libby Gaulton 1st (48:03)
K1 u12 Boys - Rupert Kirtland 3rd (52:59)

Chelmsford CC were the winning club at this event, with Leighton Buzzard CC second, and Stortford third.

Stortford now stand second in the series overall, and joint first with Leighton Buzzard for the Dick Grieve trophy.

See

Cambridge Winter Series Marathon (3 Dec 2023)

3/12/2023

Fifteen BSCC paddlers braved the elements for a particularly grim Winter Series race in Cambridge. The cold and wet weather added a certain frisson to the already muddy portages, on which many of the races were won or lost!

The club's best results on the 7-mile course came from Jack, who won silver with a spirited performance in the Under-18 Boy’s race. Daniel also put in a fantastic performance, coming 5th in the same race, his first time competing at this distance, and this in an unfamiliar boat, with a borrowed paddle.

Ben and Kerry took on the K2 16+ mixed doubles, but an unfortunate capsize put them in 5th place.

Other paddlers competing at this distance were Karen and Christine who were second in the K2 16+ Women’s race – although they led for much of the race, an especially difficult portage put them just behind the eventual winners.

Eilidh was third in a challenging Under-18s Girl’s race. Jaroslav enjoyed his first Winter Series race this season, wading through the mud at the portages and coming 7th in the Vet men’s race.

7 miles (4 portages):
K2 16+ Mixed - Ben & Kerry Tubby 5th (1:18:32)
K2 16+ Ladies - Karen Bradley & Christine Meula 2nd (1:30:17)
K1 Vet Men - Jaroslav Klumpler 7th (1:23:59)
K1 u18 Men - Jack Gaulton 2nd (1:23:40), Daniel Baines 5th (1:35:34)
K1 u18 Ladies - Eilidh White 3rd (1:30:05)

On the 5-mile course it was Eddie who shone, winning silver in the Under-16 Boys, whilst Finlay and Oliver struggled to a very hard-earned silver in the Under-16 K2s race.

5 miles (4 portages):
K2 u16 - Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandall 2nd (1:23:36)
K1 u16 Boys - Eddie Kirtland 2nd (54:53)

Rupert was the standout performer on the short course, taking gold in the Under 12s boys race with a very well executed portage – he and Daniel also brought home significant points in the Dick Grieve category, as the only two unranked juniors competing for the club.

3 miles (2 portages):
K1 u14 Boys - Jasper Kirtland 4th (31:17)
K1 u14 Girls - Libby Gaulton 1st (31:18)
C1 novice - Petr Luksan 2nd (36:02)
K1 u12 Boys - Rupert Kirtland 1st (34:17)

Libby and Jasper worked brilliantly together, taking gold in the U14 girls and 4th in the U14 boys respectively. Petr was one of the very few high kneeler C1s on the course, taking 2nd place in the C1 Novice class.

As usual, Chelmsford were the overall winners of the event, with Cambridge second, and Stortford third.

See

Maidstone Winter Series Marathon (26 Nov 2023)

26/11/2023

Thirteen BSCC paddlers made the journey down to Kent to be part of the first ever Winter Series race hosted by Maidstone Canoe Club.

The club's best results on the 9-mile course came from Joe & Eddie who won silver in the men's doubles race.

On the 5-mile course it was Ben who shone, winning bronze in Men's SuperVets.

Jasper was the standout performer on the short course, and he too achieved a bronze for his time in the u14 boys race.

Other high scorers were Eilidh and Libby who won gold in the u18 and u14 girls races respectively, and Jack and Kerry who were each second in their races (u18 boys and SuperVet ladies).

9 miles (2 portages):
K2 16+ Men - Joe Fitzpatrick & Eddie Kirtland 2nd (1:11:51)
K1 Senior Men - David Gurney 6th (1:23:20), Joao Spinola 8th (1:27:22)
K1 u18 Men - Jack Gaulton 2nd (1:44:35)
K1 u18 Ladies - Eilidh White 1st (1:48:56)

5 miles:
K1 SuperVet Men - Ben Tubby 3rd (46:13), Mark Adams (rtd)
K1 SuperVet Ladies - Kerry Tubby 2nd (59:28)
K1 u16 Boys - Aaron Sandhu 3rd (1:13:05)

under 3 miles:
K1 u14 Boys - Jasper Kirtland 3rd (13:11)
K1 u14 Girls - Libby Gaulton 1st (14:44)
K1 u12 Boys - Rupert Kirtland 3rd (18:51)

Aaron and Rupert not only won significant points for the club but brought us to second place on Dick Grieve points (based on the performance of unranked juniors).

While Chelmsford were the overall winners of the event, Stortford came second, and Barking third.

See

B. Stortford Winter Series Marathon (5 Nov 2023)

5/11/2023

An even greater vote of thanks than usual is due this year to the club's volunteers, who not only had to contend with marshalling off-site parking for the 136 competitors but also had to adjust at the last minute to course changes to avoid the huge fallen tree which blocked the river upstream of the club, preventing the town stretch from being used.

Blessedly, the day itself was dry and even sunny, though cold.

Inspecting the fallen tree (photo Flora K)

As usual there was a good turn-out of doubles crews, now split into three classes for the Men, Ladies and Mixed. Matthew Johnson & Leah Falltrick of Chelmsford CC set a new course record for doubles with their time of 52:15.

Three (or, strictly, two and a half) Stortford crews were in the Ladies K2 race, which was won by Kerstin & Catherine (Ealing CC), with Octavia & Kerry hot on their heels. Karen & Christine put in a spirited performance to come 5th.

In total Stortford had a team of 26. It was lovely to see Megan back paddling with us again though, under rule that comes with bringing the race under the MRC, she was obliged to paddle for her official club of Exeter.

While concern about the river conditions may have put off a few of the younger juniors that we would normally expect, numbers were more than made up by the return of Veteran/SuperVet Men at a level seen since the pandemic. Over-50s now have the option of entering M/F "SuperVets" classes on the 5 mile course, but this still left a field of 14 for the 7-mile Veteran Men's race. Rich reprised last year's success to take Gold in Vet Men, while Ben did the same in the SuperVet M.

7 miles (6 portages):
K2 16+ Ladies - Kerstin Queeney & Catherine Ayling [EAL] 1st (1:10:18), Octavia Abbott & Kerry Tubby 2nd (1:11:50), Karen Bradley & Christine Meula 5th (1:21:53)
K1 Senior Men - Joao Spinola 5th (1:12:44), Jamie Bond 7th (1:40:30), David Gurney (rtd)
K1 Senior Ladies - Megan Kenny [EXE] 1st (1:16:06)
K1 Veteran Men - Rich Winstanley 1st (1:01:12)
K1 Veteran Ladies - Kat Wilson 1st (1:03:15)
K1 u18 Ladies - Eilidh White 2nd (1:26:21)

5 miles (4 portages):
K1 SuperVet Men - Ben Tubby 1st (45:45), Mark Adams 2nd (47:28), Robin Dromard 8th (1:06:54)
K2 u16 - Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandall 3rd (1:03:46)
K1 u16 Boys - Eddie Kirtland 2nd (47:28), Jacob Chan 7th (1:12:21), Aaron Sandhu 8th (1:13:36)
K1 u16 Girls - Ananya Bhusari 6th (1:18:51)

approx 3 miles (2 portage):
K1 u14 Boys - Jasper Kirtland 4th (39:42), Jamie Winstanley 8th (47:11)
K1 u14 Girls - Libby Gaulton 1st (41:12)
C1 Novice - Petr Luksan 1st (42:53)
GP 16+ Men - Alex Scott 3rd (1:04:20)
K1 u12 Boys - Rupert Kirtland 4th (50:06)

The Mayor of Bishop's Stortford, Richard Townsend, kindly came along to give out the medals.

The club was second overall with 183 points, behind Chelmsford CC (338) but well ahead of Leighton Buzzard CC (125).

BSCC is also leading the Dick Grieve league, based on the performance of novice juniors only, thanks to the efforts of Jacob, Aaron, Ananya, Jasper, Jamie W, and Rupert.

Congratulations to Jamie B. and Jacob for successfully completing their first marathon races, and to Jamie W. on his return after a long absence.

See

Chelmer Hasler (15 Oct 2023)

15/10/2023

Brilliant results for Stortford at the Chelmsford Hasler. The 26-strong team (the largest the club has fielded in over a year) very nearly swept the board in the doubles classes by achieving a first and/or second place in six out of the seven contested divisions.

DOUBLES -
12 miles, 10 portages
Div 2: Joe Fitzpatrick & Rich Winstanley 2nd (1:21:17)
8 miles, 8 portages
Div 4: Chris Sze & Ben Tubby 1st (1:15:51)
Div 5: Mark Adams & Steve Tingay [LBZ] 1st (1:23:02), Kerstin Queeney & Jack Gaulton 2nd (1:23:04)
3 miles, 2 portages
Div 7: Octavia Abbott & Kerry Tubby 1st (32:28)
Div 8: Libby Gaulton & Isabel Knight 1st (32:31), Dave Cayford & Jacque Cayford 5th (34:22)
Div 9: Oliver Klumpler & Finlay Sandal 1st (33:59)

The nine first places and four second places, plus another second from David G in singles, brought the club a near-perfect score of 597 and overall victory, though Chelmsford CC were just three points behind.

Libby & Isabel's win was particularly impressive, given that it was achieved with a broken footplate which came adrift soon after the start and partly immobilised the rudder.

Chris and Ben also had rudder trouble when they bashed the rear end of their boat during one of the portages. Fortunately they were able to pull it back into alignment without breaking it and make up the lost time.

Edit: Now that the results have been finalised, there are lots of promotions for our doubles crews. Rich joins Joe in Div 2, and Kerry joins Octavia in Div 7. Libby and Isabel go to Div 7, and Finlay & Oliver to Div 8. Well done everybody!

Eilidh's fourth place in Div 8 singles was only fractionally short of the promotion time. Jasper's 12th place in Div 9 singles was also especially notable, given his age and the large field of 31 entries.

SINGLES -
12 miles, 10 portages
Div 2: David Gurney 2nd (1:27:50)
Div 3: Kat Wilson 13th (1:48:06)
8 miles, 8 portages
Div 4: Eddie Kirkland 7th (1:23:08)
Div 6: Jaroslav Klumpler 7th (1:29:25)
3 miles, 2 portages
Div 8: Eilidh White 4th (35:00), Tom Stephens 9th (39:24)
Div 9: Jasper Kirtland 12th (37:45), Karen Bradley 14th (38:36), Petr Luksan 15th (38:45), Robin Dromard 25th (43:45)

See also

Under 14s (Geoff Sanders)
2km
Div B: Rupert Kirtland 6th (18:18)

Hasler Finals, Worcester (24 Sep 2023)

24/9/2023

Fourteen paddlers from BSCC made the journey to Worcester to be amongst the 613 taking part in the Hasler finals.

Everyone acquitted themselves well, and in particular Gold medallists Finlay & Oliver (Div 9) and Bronze medallists David G & Kat (Div 2) - together making the club's biggest medal haul in at least the last 20 years.

The River Severn was swollen from recent rain, and flowing strongly, with a stiff breeze as well. These were always going to be challenging conditions for young paddlers reared on the Stort, but Finlay & Oliver took it in their stride.

Even being knocked badly off course by another boat at the start did not phase them. They just kept paddling determinedly to the end - and won.

David & Kat's race ended with an exciting contest for third place against Chelmsford's Melissa Johnson & James Walkinton, which the Stortford pair won by the very narrowest of margins.

DOUBLES -
12 miles, 2 portages
Div 2: David Gurney & Kat Wilson 3rd (1:21:08)
8 miles, 1 portage
Div 4: Chris Sze & Ben Tubby 26th (1:05:24)
Div 6: Kerstin Queeney & Kerry Tubby 11th (1:09:55)
4 miles
Div 8: Dave Cayford & Jacque Cayford 7th (34:31)
Div 9: Finlay Sandall & Oliver Klumpler 1st (36:20)

Because of the conditions, the usual beach portage was abandoned in favour of a false portage directly in front of the clubhouse.

Being the finals, many of the races had a high number of entries - apart from Divs 1 and 2 all the singles divisions had at least 30 entries and there were as many as 48 paddlers in Div 7. Eddie's Div 4 race had a field of 37, so a position of 17th was impressive. The same was the case for Eilidh (18th out of 35 entries). Eddie and Eilidh were both paddling in divisions to which they had only recently been promoted.

SINGLES -
12 miles, 2 portages
Div 2: Joe Fitzpatrick 4th (1:26:12)
8 miles, 1 portage
Div 4: Eddie Kirtland 17th (1:05:08)
4 miles
Div 7: Libby Gaulton 39th (36:42)
Div 8: Eilidh White 18th (36:25)

Bishops Stortford were 15th out of the 30 clubs taking part.

Chris & Ben had an eventful race. The were in top form, making excellent time and seemed on course for a good result - until their boat was unexpectedly swamped and they soon found themselves neck-deep in the water. They were able to completed the race, but the incident cost them a lot of time - though it certainly made for some memorable Go-Pro footage.

See also

B. Stortford Sprint Regatta (17 Sep 2023)

17/9/2023

For the first time, Stortford's annual Regatta was run as a Local Sprint under the auspices of the BC Sprint Racing Committee. Through the SRC, we were put in touch with Laura Sugar MBE, the reigning KL3 World Champion and Paralympic gold medallist, who came along to chat to everyone during the lunch break and kindly agreed to present the medals for the day.

As well as the home club, paddlers came from Chelmsford, Cambridge, Lee Valley, and Maidstone. Although a smaller event than usual with only 37 competitors, everyone was kept busy during the morning with repeated runs of 500m, 200m, and 1000m.

In the afternoon there were relay races for fun and also timed runs of 100m in the club's newly-acquired K4.

As usual the Social Committee ensured there was a lovely BBQ and a spread of cakes available - thanks are particularly due to the volunteers who baked and donated cakes, or who cooked and served the hot food. Many thanks also to all the club the volunteers who helped by doing the timings and on water safety - as well as getting the clubhouse ready and tidying up afterwards.

Results for Stortford paddlers:
u10 Boys - Rupert Kirtland (silver)
u12 Girls - Emile Klumpler (silver)
u12 Boys - Rupert Kirkland (gold)
u14 Girls - Libby Gaulton (silver)
u14 Boys - Finlay Sandall (silver)
u16 Boys - Eddie Kirtland (gold), Jack Gaulton (silver), Aaron Sandhu (bronze)
u18 Girls - Eilidh White (gold)
u18 Boys - Tom Barton (gold)
u23 Men - Tom Holloway (gold), Jamie Bond (silver)
Veteran Ladies - Ally Judge (gold), Karen Bradley (silver)
C1 - Petr Luksan (silver)
PaddleAbility - Oliver Klumpler (gold), Alex Scott (silver)

The day was rounded off with a specially-made piñata for the youngest children.

See
The full results (FRA website)
Photos (Angela's Google photo album)

Pangbourne Hasler (10 Sep 2023)

10/9/2023

Seven paddlers from Bishops Stortford went to the Pangbourne Hasler in September - four of them returning with medals.

DOUBLES -
12 miles, 3 portages
Div 2: Joe Fitzpatrick & Oli Rix [NOR] 2nd (1:29:23), David Gurney & Kat Wilson 3rd (1:33:49)
8 miles, 2 portages
Div 4: Eddie Kirtland & Ewan Bates [LBZ] 1st (1:07:34), Chris Sze & Ben Tubby 4th (1:08:18)

SINGLES -
4 miles
Div 9: Kerry Tubby 11th (41:29)

See also