2026 season kicks off with wins at home regatta

After making history last season by winning the South Coast Championships, Newport kicked off the 2026 Hants & Dorset regatta season in emphatic style with another historic win. Saturday saw the club host clubs from around the Solent, as well as Ryde and Shanklin in the Coastal Fours Regatta. The home club took the honours in the two most senior Open events. 

Fielding eight crews for the first time ever in any regatta, there were early signs of what was to follow, when the Masters 50 crew of Andrew Hyam, Chris Clarke, Ed Hopper, Harry Hare and coxed by Fiona Brookes held off a strong challenge from Poole to take second place in their final behind reigning Hants & Dorset’s champions BTC.

On their first ever race, the Open Novice crew of Fin Gorbutt, Richard Mccurdie, Charles Jackson, Val Blake, and coxed by Mariana Hare put in a strong performance in their semi-final, but didn’t make the final.

Both Womens’ Novice crews raced hard, and the ‘A’ crew were just pipped in their semi-final by the eventual winners Poole.

In the Junior status event the A & B crews put in strong performances but were eliminated in the semi finals, but the Junior Senior squad put in one of  the performances of the day. Coxed by Hants & Dorset 2025 cox of the year Mariana Hare, the crew of Ollie Coulson, Boris Hare, Jake Garner, and Jude Williams won the Junior Senior race, sponsored by Island Hire Centre, against their arch rivals Southampton. The race was made closer by Hare coming detached from his seat in the boat on three occasions in the race, but they had enough determination to win by  a length.  In the Senior final, sponsored by Gurit, Connor Garner, also  a Junior- Senior squad member, took the place of Hare in an otherwise unchanged crew. Again coxed by Mariana Hare, they had control of the Senior race from the half way mark, beating both Ryde, in second place,  and the Hants & Dorset’s champions BTC into third. This was a historic day for Newport as this is the first time they have ever won a Senior race on the Hants & Dorset circuit, and all the more pleasing to have done so at their own regatta.

After the excitement of the Saturday fours, Sunday brought the Small Boats and Junior races. Again fielding a record entry of five scullers, and two pairs, Newport were able to compete across events from Junior 16, up to Masters 40+, showing the growing strength of the club. All crews put in encouraging performances. Newport would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters for helping make the event a success.