Rowing Club's amazing year

Seventy one cups, shields and bowls stood in glittering array to greet guests who included Town Mayor Cllr Eric Armstrong in the Albert Room at Bexhill Rowing Social Club on Saturday.

Another three trophies were on the ground floor.

Bexhill Rowing Club was celebrating one of the most successful seasons in its long existence.

Pre-eminent among the display was the magnificent Bideford Bowl - coastal rowing's ultimate trophy.

The Mayor was making a flying visit before dashing off to take part in the St Patrick's Night "craic" at St Richard's Catholic College.

But he was deeply impressed.

"It is a truly amazing achievement," he told club president Gerald Matthews, club chairman Graham Dawes and Captain Andy Bickers.

The club has enjoyed outstanding success in all spheres. It juniors, senior, veterans and ladies had each contributed to the impressive array of trophies.

Neither has its success been confined to the water. New Zealanders held the world record for the 100,000 metre indoor rowing relay at 5hours 11 minutes.

Then 10 Bexhill Rowing Club members set a tough new class benchmark at 4hours 39 minutes.

In the European indoor championships in Amsterdam, Mark Mitchell won the lightweight category.

Gerald Matthews was justifiably proud of the club's achievements.

But he warned that though in staging the evening the club had wanted to "tell the world" what it had done, almost all the wins had been at regattas far away from Bexhill.

This put them out of sight of the potential new sponsors which the club needed if it was to continue to prosper.

"The committee felt that we were so proud of these achievements by our rowers had done out there and that they had worked so hard that we felt it proper to share it with the community.

"It is an amazing array. I am told there are 71 trophies here this evening."

Listing just a few, he said the club had won the Coast Amateur Rowing Association Grand Aggregate; the Senior Fours; the Junior-Senior Fours; the Ladies' Novice Fours; the Ladies Pairs; the Senior Sculls; the Novice Sculls; the Junior Sculls; the Senior Fours South Coast; the Junior-Senior Fours; the Veterans' - the only club to win all four.

Bexhill were Gold medallists in the European Indoor Championship and had taken the 100,000 metres lightweight record by 20 minutes.

At Dartmouth Royal Regatta, Bexhill took Men's Senior Fours; Junior-Senior Fours, the Men's Eights and were second in the aggregate of the day.

In the National Schools event Bexhill's girls came first and Bexhill's Boys second.

All this was not achieved without effort. The club's rowers dedicated between 15 and 20 hours a week to year-round training.

"You don't go out and win by chance. You win because you have worked long and hard."

Achieving success out of sight of Bexhill made it hard to attract support.

Sponsors were likely to ask: "What do I get for my money?"

Looking at an array of trophies which spread the length of the Albert Room's wall, the president said: "All I can say is 'THIS is what you get'¦!'"