As the regatta season draws to a close, Poplar mobilised a 12-strong contingent for the Danson Dashes in Bexleyheath. This local regatta has been a favourite for Poplar for many years and it was a real treat to get so many members along to race and spectate.
With a racing squad of 12 members, Poplar managed to enter 14 events at the Dashes. That meant some tight turnarounds with little rest between races, none of which would have been possible without our supporting club members.
Out of the 14 events we entered, Poplar won an impressive nine of them. Dan, Paddy, Mo and Lizzy all claimed victories in their singles events with some really exciting racing. In the doubles Nathan & Pat won the open event, Ben & Dan won their open masters event, and Molly & Annika won the women’s event.
A mixed quad of Molly, Annika, Dan & Ben was coxed by Nathan and brought home another win. And the final race of the day was the open coxless quad of Nathan, Pat, Dan & Ben, which was a triumph for Poplar in the fastest time of the day.
Ben and Kate put in very creditable efforts in their singles, as did Mo & Kate in their double, but today wasn’t their day. And Eloise & Marlien performed very strongly in a scratch double, with future wins looking certain for these two. An experimental mixed eight was great fun and a worthy attempt, but just lost out on the win this time.
Special mention goes to everyone who came to Danson Park to watch the racing and support the club. It was a real boost to have the older generation of club members like Kenny Dwan, Johnny Dwan, George Bartlett, Ron Dovey, and others out supporting us on the day. And huge thanks to Harry, Szabi and everyone else who helped with boating, rigging and trailering.
A terrific day out for Poplar, and we’re looking forward to next year’s Dashes already. Our nine wins at Danson takes us to 38 wins so far this year, with more racing still to come. Bring it on!