Dover Rowing Club - Est. 1846, Esplanade, Dover (2026)

01/06/2026

Report by David Newman

Dover Rowing Club were in action at Hasting Regatta at the weekend, the opening regatta of the CARA season. A good start to the season saw Dover secure a string of seconds behind a dominant Shoreham Club performance. Cameron Mackintosh and Sonny Varnes-Stone, a new pairing for this season, competed in the Open Junior Pairs. A good start saw them in the top six through the first quarter of the 2 km course. Gaining speed they moved to fourth entering the turn which they executed brilliantly to come out in second. The chase was on but, whilst gaining ground, they were unable to catch the lead crew securing second place. The Woman's Junior Pair had Emily Harvey and Holly Hannington seeking to improve on the men's performance. A good push from the start moved the pair into a battle for first. It was looking good going into the turns with Dover in second and, with neither boat making a mistake, the push was on for the line. The proximity of previous races took enough of a toll to prevent the pair from holding onto the lead boat, seeing them comfortably taking second.

The Woman's Senior Four of Ashleigh Stevenson, Vanessa Ware, Rachel Bailey, Charlotte Cox with Jasper Mallet at cox moved well off the line and were competing with the Shoreham crew on the outward leg. Heading to the buoys Shoreham moved clear and maintained a good lead on the way back, whilst Dover's crew comfortably maintained their second place to the line. The Open Senior Pairs saw Will Coleman and Jasper Mallet compete. They started well and were in a three way battle through the outward leg. At the turns they came out in second with a comfortable lead over the Deal crew. Slow water in the middle of the course saw Shoreham pull away and Deal start to close but, breaking into better water, they jumped away from Deal to secure second.

The Woman's Junior Four featuring Cemelia Hanga, Janice Bradford, Hannington, Harvey coxed by Ware, moved away from the field with two other crews, and were initially leading. Through the turn they came out narrowly in third holding the gap to the other two crews. The racing was tight with a close finish and Dover securing third.

Open Junior Sculls had Coleman as Dover's entry. The race started well and, competing with the lead crews, he steady increased his power and moved into contention for the lead. At the turn Coleman lost ground as his buoy had drifted from the standard line. Coming out of the turn in third Coleman was chasing but couldn't regain the lost ground finishing third.

Open Senior Four Lee Stampton, Coleman, Mallet, Tom Stothart coxed by Ware started well and were competing with the lead crews through the first third of the race. Still rowing smoothly they started to drift down the field through the turn and were unable to close on their opponents finishing in fifth.

J16 Woman's crew of Izzy Vickers, Elizabeth Strong, Holly Young, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed by Stampton had a good race over the 1 km course, battling hard to secure 5th place in a straight sprint.

In the Woman's Novice Four, Strong, Young, Evie Holland, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Ware were in the first qualifying round and executed a controlled race to finish in fourth and qualify for the final. In the second qualifying race Evie Jones, Tilly Bingham Were in a composite crew with Eastbourne coxed by Stampton finished seventh and did not progress. The final saw a good race from the young crew who spent the race battling Folkestone for sixth place, missing out on the line taking seventh.

Woman's Senior Pair, C Cox and Stevenson, had a solid race working hard to the turns and coming out fifth, a position they held to the finish.

Open Novice Four saw Hanga, Nick Walby, Henry Cox, Varnes-Stone coxed by Mackintosh starting well and pushing for the higher places as they approached the turn. On the return run Dover drifted back to sixth by the time they crossed the line. Mackintosh rowed with Walby, H Cox, Varnes-Stone in the Open Junior Fours with C Cox on steering duties. A steady row saw the crew finish seventh.

Harvey rowed a controlled race in the Woman's Novice Sculls, as she focused on her other races, coming home in sixth place. Stothart and Mallet competed in the Open Senior Sculls. Stothart got the better start and, competing with the leader taking the turn, he sought a better line on the outside. This proved costly as the inside line was running faster at that stage of the tide seeing Stothart dropping to sixth with Mallet coming home seventh.

14/05/2026

Dover RC is absolutely ecstatic to receive not 1 but 2 brand new Concept 2 Ergs. They will most definitely be put to good use helping us to teach and coach more juniors and adults off the water. A huge thank you to Damion Napier British Rowing for their parts in making this possible.

30/04/2026

Dover rowing club’s annual regatta will be held on Saturday 20th June 2026 (subject to weather)

We are looking for individuals or businesses to sponsor one or multiple events.

Your sponsorship will include -

Advertisement in our programme of events

Announcement of your sponsorship during the day

Your name or company details on our website & social media

Our gratitude

Sponsor a race and help us continue to deliver this amazing event and sport to the local community 🙏🙏

27/04/2026

Press Release Viking Shield:
By David Newman

Dover Rowing Club hosted the Viking Shield Regatta, CARA's preseason regatta giving crews a chance to see how they line up with rival crews. Nikki Leggatt had a great day for Dover taking three wins. Leggatt's first race was the Woman's Novice Sculls where she faced a field including team mates Emily Harvey, Zara White, Ella Cook. A strong start allowed her to push clear of the field. It was Harvey that was closest to her at the turn, but Leggatt's power saw her stretch her lead to 28 seconds as she crossed the finishing line. Harvey took a comfortable second with White fourth and Cook sixth. The Junior Pairs event saw Leggatt and Holly Hannington facing Dover rivals Z White and Rhiannon Castree. Leggatt's boat started well and they were soon leading with a comfortable lead at the turn and White's crew in fourth. Great steering from Hannington saw their boat keep a straight line on the run home finishing with a good margin over the second place team of 39 seconds. White's boat would come home in a fourth. Leggatt's third win came in the Woman's Junior Fours rowing with E Cook, Hannington, Harvey coxed by Vanessa Ware again facing another Dover crew Alex Henchy, Lily Stafford-Edwards, Z White, R Castree coxed Lee Stampton. From the line it was Leggatt's crew verses Herne Bay. At the buoys a good turn pulled them clear into the lead. A strong drive to the line saw Dover's crew stretch their lead to 16 seconds to complete Leggatt's hat-trick of wins. The Stampton coxed crew came home in seventh.

The Woman's Masters Four and Senior Four were combined leaving Senior crew of Rachel Bailey, Ware, Ashleigh Stevenson, Charlotte Cox coxed by Paul Scrivener facing two Dover crews from the Master category; White, Chrissy Purvis, Anna Gordon, Leggatt coxed Stampton facing off against Fiona O'Neil, Amy Wren, Debbie Thomas, Michelle Meakin coxed Hannington. A good start from the Scrivener crew saw them establish a lead ahead of Herne Bay, Dover (Stampton) and Folkestone crews and this would be the order through the turns with Scrivener's crew steadily pulling away from the field, with a 13 second lead at the finishing line. Stampton's crew would finish fourth and Hannington's crew in seventh.

Dover were unable to defend the Viking Shield as an unwell Jasper Mallet was unable to finish the race with Open Senior Pairs partner Will Coleman after initially leading as they neared the buoys. Coleman would have better luck in the Open Junior Sculls where he was racing Cameron Mackintosh and P Scrivener. Coleman was in the pack off the start but steady built his speed as he headed to the buoys turning in fourth. A strong push saw Coleman rowing through the three leading boats to charge home with a 15 second winning margin, securing the Butch Thomsett Trophy. Mackintosh finished seventh and P Scrivener finished ninth.

The Open Senior Sculls saw Tom Stothart racing for Dover. A slow start saw Stothart a little off the pace on the outward leg. At the turn he was in third but was able to chase down the Herne Bay Sculler to secure second place.

Holly Young, Oliver White, Henry Cox, R Castree coxed by Lee had a head to head battle with Herne Bay in the Open J16 Quad Sculls. It was a really tight race with Dover's mixed crew giving a fighting performance coming home second by a length.

Open Junior Pairs saw Mackintosh with Jack Castree facing off against H Cox and Sonny Varnes-Stone. Eastbourne got the better start with Mackintosh's boat in second and they would turn in that order with Cox's boat in fourth. These positions remained unchanged at the line.

Open Novice Four saw Dover enter three crews H Cox, J Castree, O White, Varnes-Stone coxed by Ware; Harley Scrivener, Alex Sutherland, Ollie Scrivener, Jon Castree coxed by Purvis and Paul Scholes, Nick Walby, Chris Wong, Damion Napier coxed by Stampton. It was Ware's crew that had the better race with a good start putting them in a three horse race with Bexhill and Herne Bay. A great turn put Ware's crew in second as they chased Bexhill to the finishing line. Purvis' crew finished fifth and Stampton's seventh. Mackintosh joined H Cox, J Castree, Varnes-Stone coxed by Coleman coming third in the Open Junior Fours.

Woman's Double Scull saw three crews competing, Ella Cook and Evie Holland; Emily Harvey and Holly Young; R Castree and Lucy Castree. A messy start saw Harvey's crew impeded off the line whilst Cook and the Castree boat got away clear. Cook's crew were in a three way tie for second place at the turns but rowed away from Eastbourne and were stroke for stroke to the line with Folkestone taking second place by a canvas. Harvey's crew would finish seventh and Castree's tenth.

In the Open Double Sculls Stothart and Danko finished third. Open Master's Fours 40+ saw Jon Cook, Scholes, Wong, Napier coxed by Stampton third. Women's Senior Pairs Stevenson and C Cox were third and R Bailey and Ware were fourth. Woman's J16 Quad Sculls saw Young, Hollie Castree, Poppy Worthington-Taylor, R Castree coxed Coleman come third and Holly Dunham, Jess Clements, Zara Meakins, Elizabeth Strong coxed Mallet fourth. J14 Mixed Quad Sculls Izzy Vickers, H Castree, O White, Riley Danko coxed Stampton finished third. Open Masters Fours 50+ P Scrivener, Steve Woods, Stampton, Nick Bailey coxed Ware finished fourth. Woman's Novice Four of Strong, Holland, Young, Worthington-Taylor coxed by Coleman came home in fifth, Louise Fitzsimmons, Antya Markin, Rosie Mikler, Fiona O'Neil coxed by Purvis finished sixth, Aine Baines, Meakin, Hayley Crocker, Alex Tilly coxed by Stampton were eighth and Thomas, Amy Wren, Anna Gordon, L Castree, coxed by Neil Scrivener eleventh. Open Senior Four J Cook, Coleman, Bexhill substitute for Mallet, Stothart coxed by Ware were fifth. Open Novice Sculls J Castree finished in sixth place.

31/03/2026

Report by David Newman

Dover Rowing Club's coastal rowers renewed their on off love affair with the Tideway course made famous by the Boat Race. After a 20 year break Dover entered a mixed eight in the Vesta International Masters Head of the River Race over the reverse Boat Race course from Mortlake / Chiswick Bridge to Putney Bridge, a full 4.2 mile course. To qualify to enter all rowers must be over 27 years old with multiple age categories within the 295 boat field. This race is run in a time trial format.Dover's crew was Will Coleman, Cemelia Hanga, Ashleigh Stevenson, Emily Harvey, Nikki Leggatt, Chris Hall, Tom Stothart, Tyler Amos coxed by Marcus Baldwin. Baldwin and Hanga were provided by Vesta, and Dover particularly appreciate Hanga's help as a late seat change due to injury.They found a good rhythm off the start and maintained their gap over the next boat through Barnes Bridge where Cambridge 99 started to move on them. By Chiswick Eyot Cambridge 99 had eased past with both crews going well. Heading under Hammersmith Bridge, Dover were still going strong, but the gap to the Cambridge crew continued to lengthen with Ross beginning to close. Passing Craven Cottage the crew maintained good form as they geared up for the final sprint to the Putney finishing line. A good sprint saw the crew home in 20 minutes and 32 seconds finishing sixth in their category in the final results. Dover were pleased to finish 57th overall in this mass participation event.

The Dover Junior section were in action in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships - Virtual with 15 competitors across four age categories. Competitors race for set time limits according to their school year group, with Year 12 rowing for 2000m. Henry Cox, year 11, put in a fantastic performance completing 1742m in 6 minutes with the best Dover split time of 1 minute 43.3 seconds,. His age group ranking was an impressive 8th. Ella Cook was the top ranked female completing 2000m in 8 minutes 2.9 seconds, ranking 10th nationally. Also competing over 2000m Jack Castree finished in 7 minutes 27 seconds, Alex Sutherland 7 minutes 40.4 seconds and Sonny Varnes-Stone 7 minutes 51.5 seconds. In the Year 11 category Rhiannon Castree finished with 1458m in 6 minutes, with Elizabeth Strong 1309m. Holly Young 1100m in 5 minutes, Zara Meakins 1084m and Jess Clements 1080m in the Year 10 category. Year 9 saw Hollie Castree finish off a strong performance for the Castree family with 917m in 4 minutes, Poppy Worthington-Taylor 908m, Holly Durham 841m and in the boys category Oliver White 1007m and Fabian Coates 840m.

28/03/2026

Another fantastic fundraising night for DRC, this time it was Bingo 🙂 Thank you to all who turned out and help raise £820! See you all at the next one !!

23/03/2026

Press Release for Southampton Head Race

(David Newman)

Dover Rowing Club were in action on the 5km Itchen River Course in the Southampton ARC Head of the River. The competition was in coastal boats and run in a time trial format with each crew starting 20 seconds apart. This was Dover's second outing on the Itchen and Will Coleman and Jasper Mallet were hoping to better their second place in the BTC head where they missed out by 4 seconds in the Open Senior Pair. In a 10 boat field Dover were the third to start and were chasing BTC's crew off the start line. A strong start saw the pair slowly grind down the gap to the BTC crew and both crews closed down the lead Eastbourne boat comfortably passing them before the half way point. In the final third Dover eased past BTC to take the lead position in the race and were driving hard to the line to what felt like a good finish. The long wait for the timing results led to disappointment as they were once again second to Lymington for the second race running, by the tiniest 1 second margin, in a time of 18 minutes and 39 seconds.

Tom Stothart competed in the Senior Sculls event starting in sixth place and chasing the Eastbourne Sculler with a slightly longer 29 second gap to close down. Stothart showed his strength and closed steadily. Through the bridges of the course he got closer to Eastbourne coming past around the 3.5km mark. Pushing for a good time Stothart came home in 18 minutes and 53 seconds. The timings showed that he finished third behind Coalporters and Poole by 12 seconds.

The Novice Women's Four of Elizabeth Strong, Evia Holland, Holly Young, Poppy Worthington-Taylor coxed by Vanessa Ware competed in a large field. Starting ninth the young crew found themselves under pressure early in the race as the fast moving Lymington crew, starting 18 seconds behind them, were soon closing. Rather than be disheartened they focused on their race and building experience in these longer events. Two crews would pass them by the finish but a good performance saw them finish tenth in 22 minutes 39 seconds.

The Junior Women's Four of Janice Bradford, Rhiannon Castree, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey, coxed by Lee Stampton competed for Dover. Starting first, Dover's crew were chased by a strong Itchen Imperial boat. Dover came under increasing pressure through the first half of the course before eventually slipping behind their opponents who were on home waters. The finish saw the Junior crew finish tenth in a time of 21 minutes 16 seconds.

08/03/2026

Happy international women’s Day from DRC ☺️

24/02/2026

Dover Rowing Club were in action at the weekend in the BTC Head of the River 2026. This was the 50th anniversary of this event run on the 5km Itchen river course through Southampton. With no Adur Head this year, this was an opportunity for Dover rowers to experience a longer river race as the club builds for the coastal season.

The Senior Coastal Pair saw Will Coleman and Jasper Mallet competing. The race is run in a time trial format with the crews uncertain of how they are placing until the results are released. Coleman and Mallet pushed hard, racing Hants and Dorset crews who are more familiar with the winding river currents and the bridges on the course. The gap between the leading crews appeared pretty consistent throughout the race and there was a little disappointment when the times came in. The Lymington crew won by 4 seconds over Dover's crew who finished second in a time of 19 minutes 54 seconds.

Tom Stothart raced in the Coastal Single and was under pressure early from the BTC sculler who quickly established a lead. Local knowledge helped BTC continue to ease away down the course but Stothart didn't give up his pursuit finishing second in a time of 19 minutes and 53 seconds, closing to 21 seconds behind the winner.

A new J16 Girls Quad crew were taking on the challenge of a course 5 times longer than a normal age group race. Dover's crew of Elizabeth Strong, Hollie Castree, Holly Young, Poppy Worthing-Taylor, coxed by Lee Stampton, were the last Dover crew in the first session. It was a tough race for the young crew in unfamiliar setting but they worked well and showed real promise for the season to come. They finished in a time of 24 minutes and 50 seconds cementing fourth place behind the winners Lymington.

The second session saw Coleman and Mallet race in a river pair. A good start saw Dover's crew hunting Southampton ARC as they followed them down the course. It developed into a good dual which saw Southampton pulling away at the end as the first race started to take it toll on the Dover pair's legs. Dover finished second 19 seconds down in 21 minutes 16 seconds.

The Woman's Junior Coastal Four saw two crews competing. Ella Cook, Nikki Leggatt, Holly Hannington, Emily Harvey coxed by Stampton, Dover's 2025 Championship qualifying crew, racing against last year's Novice Crew Janice Bradford, Lily Stafford-Edwards, Alex Henchy, Rhiannon Castree coxed by Stothart. Stampton's crew were chasing Christchurch directly ahead whilst the Stothart crew were chasing Stampton's. Given the larger field size it was difficult to judge placings as they pushed down the course. Stampton's crew maintained their time gap with Christchurch whilst they eased away from the Stothart crew. The race was won by Coalporters with Christchurch trailing them by 6 seconds and Stampton's crew a further 6 seconds back in 21 minutes and 19 seconds. Stampton's crew also beat the Herne Bay crew by nearly a minute. Stothart's crew finished in 9th place in the timings, seconds behind the 8th placed Southsea crew.

Coleman, Dover Captain, was very happy with the squad's performance which had seen crews push their endurance in these longer races and gain valuable racing experience for the coming season.

Dover Rowing Club - Est. 1846

01/06/2026

14/05/2026

30/04/2026

27/04/2026

31/03/2026

28/03/2026

23/03/2026

08/03/2026

24/02/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category