It’s been an impressive year for Newark Rowing Club with 194 wins in the 2021-22 season.
“What a year we’ve had,” said head coach Ash Cowley. “Nearly 200 wins by our members is unbelievable.
“Furthermore, it is the only club in the country to have national champions in the Junior, Masters and Coastal disciplines, which shows how focused the entire club has been on pushing its performances forward.
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to build on those accomplishments next season and making Newark Rowing Club a force to be reckoned with on the rowing circuit.”
Cowley said the club and junior teams had done well at the regional circuit, with the club winning in all boat classes at York Regatta, Ancholme Head, Star New Year Head, Loughborough Head and South Yorkshire Head.
At the Weybridge Silver Sculls – an event where Sir Steve Redgrave emerged as the previous winner – Ashley Cowley added his name to the trophy by winning the Senior Single Sculls by over 15 seconds.
Emily McCrery won the women’s event by a convincing margin, making Newark Rowing Club the first club in the event’s history to host both the men’s and women’s trophies in the same year.
The seniors of Newark Rowing Clubs achieved a remarkable victory on the Trent in Nottingham City Center and won the elite men’s foursome at the Nottingham Autumn Head.
The crew of Andy Hare, Mike Skoyles, Oliver Robertson and Ashley Cowley rode a textbook racing plan to beat Nottingham University, one of the top quadruple students in the country.
The 2022 Women’s Head was record-breaking for Newark Rowing Club.
It was the first time the club had entered three crews for the event, with 27 of the Newark women’s teams traveling to West London to race the 7.2km Putney to Mortlake route.
Newark’s top crew consisting of Andrea Woodhead, Cathy Gillespie, Helen Keating, Jill Ashley, Jane Hindmarsh, Lucy Owens, Liz Cook, Kay Southwood and Tony Helliwell hit a fantastic rhythm in their race to finish 73rd overall, the tallest of any Newark crew at the event.
Ashley Cowley and Dan Jones (Leeds Rowing Club) were the first crew with a Newark rower to qualify for an elite event at Henley Royal Regatta since the mid 1980’s.
The lightweight duo ran against Leander Club on the first lap and led them for most of the race, but were pushed to the line by heavier competition.
Newark is currently home to six national champions in three disciplines. Georgina Joy became the first National Champion of the year, winning the Women’s Junior 15 Single Scull in the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta.
Steve Keating became the club’s next national champion, winning the Masters D Single Sculls at the British Rowing Masters Championships.
Graham Price became the club’s third national champion, winning the Masters F coxless with his brother Nigel Price.
Oliver Robertson was the next club member to be crowned national champion, winning Newark’s first-ever coastal race in the Junior Men’s Coastal Beach Sprints Single.
Newark won its first international selection since 2015, with Robertson selected for the first-ever England Rowing Coastal team. He placed third at the Home International Beach Sprints Regatta.
The last national championship win came from the Junior 16 Double Scull of Jesse Hole and James Gleed, who won the British Rowing Junior Championships in a dominant performance.
Connie Ferrer and Neve Woodman also won two national medals that season, including silver at the British Rowing Junior Championships and bronze at the National Schools Regatta.
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