Following victories at the first two regional Haslers of the year at Wey and Hastings, Richmond secured top points again at the Maidstone race held last weekend. The team was slightly smaller than the previous races but it was great to see that in the absence of some of our more established marathon paddlers (we had no division 1-3 K1s and only one division 3 K2), the bulk of our points came from members who have only started paddling in the last couple of years and are now winning races and progressing rapidly through the divisions.
In division 9, Karen and Andrea took victory a full 4 minutes ahead of second place, securing maximum points and a double promotion to division 7. They were followed in 2nd by Emma and Sonia who themselves gained promotion to division 8. Not far behind in 4th were Tom and Klaudia in C2, great to see Klaudia back on the water again! There was another K2 victory for Laura and Anthony in division 7. In division 5 K2 Richmond made up 4 of the 7 crews, with Martin/ Clive coming out on top in 4th, followed by Hilary/ Andy (Addlestone), Stefan/ Daniel and Euan/ Elisabeth. Our sole boat over the 12 mile course, Will and Chris in division 3/4, finished 5th.
In the K1 races we had an excellent turnout in division 9, with Olwen, Sabina, Annette, Guy, Deborah, Annabel and Chloe picking up valuable points for the club. Division 8 was no different with Mark, Emily and Oliver finishing 2nd, 4th and 5th and all getting promoted to division 7. They were backed up by Allyn and Nick who finished just behind. In division 7 it was 5th and a promotion to 6 for Tony, with Kieran and Isabella not too far behind.
Over the 8 miles course Peter secured 5th in divison 5, with John just beating Mike further down the field. There were not many Richmond juniors racing today but Joe and Harry performed well taking 1st and 2nd in division 4. These results were enough to secure victory with a three point margin over hosts Maidstone. Our lightning team also continued their recent good form, winning their event. In the U12 boys it was 2nd and 3rd for Rufus and Max, with the U12 girls taking 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th with Zoe, Amelia, Clara and Emily.
