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Cadgwith U16s are 2009 County Champions! Congratulations to our Juniors”

Cadgwith U16s are County Champions! Congratulations to our Juniors, and to Jeb Preston, their coach. Jeb writes more elsewhere about this fine achievement and thrilling final. Our U14s have also had a great season, winning the hat trick.

NEW Video online (old link deleted, sorry) 27.10.09
ps We have available a Full HD copy of this on Bluray ( for a minimal cost for the disc) or normal DVD quality for club members only at no cost! email Greg or phone
9 Photos online here.

2009 Looking forward, we wish our two U14s crew all the best as they compete in their championships on July 25th at Hayle. Cadgwith are reigning champions, so we’re hoping for great things!

June 2009: What a successful day at Helford, where our Junior crews did particularly well (U14s 1st, U16s 3rd, Mens A 7th, Mens B 3rd, Ladies A 6th, Ladies B 11th).

U14 Gig Championship at Hayle 2008, "Cadgwith" Winners
Download 5 very large photos 1280 x 800

See photos from 2008 at Hayle

JUNIOR ROWING 2008
The Junior Rowing Squad almost doubled in size this year and the Gig Club made efforts to provide extra sessions. Wednesdays from 430 to 8pm was set aside for the whole racing squad; Thursdays at 5pm offered Under 16s the chance to row with members of the ladies squad, and Sunday mornings was for anyone wishing to row, by arrangement, in a more easy going atmosphere – ideal for getting started. A new Club rule for juniors this year came from health and safety recommending an extra adult helper at sessions and a big Thank you to all those who helped. Despite the extra organising it worked well, and gave the chance for a number of parents to sit in on training sessions.

It also meant that for racing crews - the boat felt lighter when racing !

I was running the Wednesday squad sessions as last year, which ran from 11th June through the rough-wet- and-smooth phases of weather, with up to 24 rowers turning up regularly (4 crews) ranging from beginner under-14s to yr 10/11 under-16s. At the time of writing this, the Under 16 County Champs have been rearranged to Sunday 21st Sept, so news on that in general Gig club news next month.

For the predominantly yr7s at 4.30 it was about getting familiar with basic technique, setting up the gig, and getting used to the rowing positions. Those who felt OK took part in the under-14 Champs in August. Out of nine of these Sessions we were able to get out on the sea only four times, plus a Sunday session, - a reflection of the unsettled conditions being too choppy for this age group.

The Club still has a policy that to row in the gig, rowers have to be 11 or 12 at least, except under exceptional circumstances and with parental consent ( see the Championship report below for an exceptional circumstance ! ). Pilot gigs are still based on a mid 19th century design – 32 foot, weighing from 6 to 8 cwt. and youngsters do run the risk of either injuring themselves or damaging the boat. The Amateur Rowing Association has guidelines for junior rowing, especially with one sided rowing, and we do try to keep up to date. Getting started in lighter boats is to be recommended and 18 foot ‘Flash’ boats and 15 foot skiffs are ideal preparation for gig rowing, being fixed seat crew pulling boats. Both the nearest Clubs offering these are unfortunately off the Lizard peninsula with ‘Trelawney’ at Stithians lake, and Penryn at Penryn/ Mylor. However a number of families from the area do make use of them.

Anyway, when it was too rough to row from the cove, the year 7s discovered the delights of the rowing machines and over the weeks they enjoyed racing against their own times and each others, under tuition - while thinking about rowing technique relevant to being in the gig.

Under 14 gig races tend to be about 4 minutes long and this was the time they practised most. The one minute sprints also produced some impressive distances!

From about 6pm on Wednesdays the older under14 crew trained. At the start of the season there were four committed, having completed two seasons’ racing.

But four doesn’t make a gig crew and the hunt was on to build a crew in time for County Champs on 2nd of August. By Falmouth’s Under 14 race in June (which we won) we knew we had potential, but with events being cancelled and the usual school and holiday commitments this was the only chance they had to race before the County Champs. Rival crews improved in July and we went to Hayle uncertain, but with two aims : to reach the Final; and, if we make the final, obviously try and win it! …which we did! The early spring preparation and the regular crew training certainly paid off. To get to the top three positions now in gig racing, at any age, is highly competitive, especially at an open County event; but the Cadgwith boys managed to dominate and control each of their five championship races - including the Final. Helford put up a strong contest in the Final and one mistake like a ‘crab’, a broken pin or footrest would have cost us. With power,determination, technique and concentration the Cadgwith crew pulled ahead and became Under 14 County Gig Champions 2008. The crew (all at Mullion Comp’) were :

Ollie Williams (bow) Wil Dryesdale, James Fitzsimmons, Sam Davies, Charlie Samuel and Harry Preston. Well done! It was great coxing and coaching you.

25 crews participated from all over the south west and Cadgwith are the only Cornish club to have won this event twice – the last time being 2003.

The Championship was held as usual at Copperhouse Pool, Hayle and Cadgwith entered ‘A’ and ‘B’ crews. Being a major event, there had to be some minor drama and when the ‘B’ crew found they were in the first race of the day, they also found they were one rower short ! Any spare rowers had been taken up in several ‘composite’ crews, and after discussion it was agreed to put Paul Preston in the stroke seat. Although in the year below, Paul has just completed his first ‘CRA’ season (Cornwall Rowing Association) in flash boats and skiffs, and it was felt OK for one race. The crew went on to compete in the second round and the crew was : Heydon Dark, Jo Davies, Tommy Phillips, Robbie Green, Jake Woodley and Paddy Alfrey Cryan. Thanks Rhiannon Halliday for helping with the race coxing.

( Also getting their first experience of gig rowing in this age group through the summer were Treve Harry, Sam Birchmore, Caitlin Blight Anderson and Jess Sealy).

Regular Club junior sessions will recommence from around early June next year 2009: times and days to be arranged.

Over-and-out-for-now …Jeb

2008: Cadgwith Gig Club have regained the Under 14 County Championship title after a five year wait, having previously won it in 2003. They are one of only two clubs to have won the title twice, the other being Salcombe Gig Club in Devon.

The Championship, hosted superbly by Hayle Rowing Club on Saturday 2nd August, took place as usual on the Copperhouse Pool in bright conditions – though with a steady headwind on the racecourse.

24 crews Clubs from clubs all over the south west entered, with the final three crews having raced a total of five races, each on average just over 4 minutes in duration.

The Final proved to be an exciting match of concentration, technique and power between Cadgwith in the 1987 gig William Peters, and Helford in Fly (built 1993) with the crews neck and neck half way down. Both crews had won all their previous heats. One mistake, like a ‘crab’ or a footrest coming loose would have cost half a length. However it was Cadgwith who slowly pulled away to win the 2008 Open County Gig Championships.

The crew were : stroke : Harry Preston; second stroke : Charlie Samuel; Sam Davies; James Fitzsimmons; Wil Drysdale; bow : Ollie Williams. The Cox and Coach was Jeb Preston

The Cadgwith ‘B’ crew (called Cadgwith ‘2’ at the Champs ) did really well getting through to the second round. For many of them it was there first taste of racing.

So this was a brilliant effect, WELL DONE to : Heydon Dark, Paul Preston, Tommy Phillips, Robbie Green, Jo Davies , Jake Woodley,and Paddy Alfrey Cryan.

Junior rowing came to an end last month with the racing squad once again having performed strongly through the season. Competition in this age range (16 and under) is now stiffer than ever, we were delighted in early July by the newly fledged U14s with their semi final result at the County Champs at Hayle.

August 2006 Report by Jeb Preston

For the Under 16 crew it was always going to be a challenge, there being only five rowers at the top age; but this was where the commitment of their younger crewmates paid off and in the Tribute League series they scored 4th place out of 34 clubs overall ! The older guys were David Oates (a veteran from our winning U14 Championship crew of 2003) , Gareth Mason, Caspar Dorkin, Rob Carey, and Gary Hill; and helping them out variously in the league series were 12 yr old Harry Preston, and 13/14 yr olds Ed Langley, Ben and Jo Edgerley and John Fleetwood.

John deserves special mention because he went on to row bow position at the Under 16s Championships at Newquay held on 23rd July. On a blistering day the crew worked their way steadily through the rounds. We knew Padstow and Par were powerful crews, and with only 4 places up for grabs in the prestigious Final it would be a close call. In the semi finals it was the two winners plus the two fastest losers to go through, so we knew we were racing the clock. Luckily we had done plenty of that in training: Parn Voose, or Polgwidden out around the ‘sewer’ buoy and back, off Kilcobben. In the event we stormed round behind Padstow with the second fastest time for a place in the Final: a great feeling.

The four borrowed gigs being used were Azook, Teazer, Fly and… our very own Rose. I said, jokingly, to the boys “ what’s the betting..: outside berth in Rose.”

We were concerned because unfortunately some of the footrests are loose, and guess what? Berth 4 in Rose, and yes the number 3 footrest kicked out (not the no’ 2 which we’d carefully tied in!); it cost us a closer race with Falmouth, but overall it was a rewarding day’s sport finishing only one position down on last year’s 3rd place.

Final positions: 1st Padstow 2nd Par 3rd Falmouth 4th Cadgwith.

Coxing and training the Junior race crews again this year was…well, me, (Jeb Preston); and thanks must go to Martin Russell who has kept up the interest of the rest of the squad who couldn’t always commit to the race circuit.

August 2006
On Saturday 15 July two crews were entered at the Under 14 County Champs at Hayle Copperhouse. The girls crew improved on last year making it to the 2nd round; the crew is made up of: Bow :Martha Harry, Hannah Blight Anderson, Alex Day Smith, Rosie Reeve, Lily Vallender and stroke:Cath Day Smith.

The boys crew found themselves with a full-on day as their energy took them through to the semi-finals. They had only formed as a crew 3 weeks earlier - 2 had never raced, being new to gig rowing. Luckily the ‘Bandit’ was still available ( a plastic flash-boat on loan privately from Mts Bay) and some concentrated sessions were ‘transferred’ into the gig. The crew were bow: Laurence Mesropians; 2: Goran Lyne; 3: George Harry; 4: Sam Davies; 5: Harry Preston; stroke: Ed Langley.

Final top 6 positions: 1st Helford; 2nd Padstow; 3rd Scillies; 4th Salcombe; 5th: Cadgwith; 6th: Penryn, out of 30 crews taking part.

2005 Under 16's championships at Newquay ... the lads were 3rd overall

Well done !! To see photos please go to JUNIORS PHOTOS

2003 UNDER 14'S COUNTY CHAMPIONS!

This year was the year for Cadgwith's junior crews. County Champions in the Under 14's, Plate race winners in the Under 14's and 5th in the Under 16's Championships with the crew that won the Under 14's!!!! What is going to happen next year??? Winners in both the Under 14's and Under 16's.

On 31st August a squad of youngsters journied to Copperhouse Pool, Hayle for the Open County Championships. Cadgwith entered 2 crews. The "A" crew finished ahead of last years champions Falmouth and Fowey. The crew consisted of pupils of Mullion School and were:

Stroke and second stroke - Alex Mesropians and Liam Williams with Charlie Day-Smith, Chris Ladbroke and Stephen Lawrence in 2, 3 and 4. Unfortunatly Josh Legge who had been part of the crew that came 5th at Newquay was unavailable. Luckily David Oates was able to fill in the bow.
Well done to both crews.

This year, the juniors got funding for a set of brand new junior oars, which they are forever thankful as the senior oars aren't the best for juniors (they're not the best for the oldies either). They would like to say a big thank you for these oars.