Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club members compete at final National Sprint Regatta of 2024 at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham

An eight-strong Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club team achieved some excellent results at the final National Sprint Regatta of the year.

The squad members took part in singles (K1), doubles (K2) and four-person kayak (K4) races over 200m, 500m and 1,000m on the 2km-long, purpose-built regatta lake at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham.

Jasper Kirtland, racing in the boys’ D class for the first time, had a very successful meet. He won his 200m heat and came third in final three (49.62sec) before and finishing fourth in his 500m heat and again coming third in final three (2min 24.29sec).

Jasper then joined forces with older brother Eddie Kirtland, racing up in the boys’ C class K2 200m. They came third in their heat to qualify for the final, but the effort took its toll and they finished ninth in the final race (47.26).

Eddie Kirtland also competed in the boys’ C class, coming fifth in his K1 200m heat (46.70) and seventh in his K1 500m heat (2.13.45).

He teamed up with Jasmine Seargent, from Norwich Canoe Club, to race in the mixed boys’ and girls’ K2 class and they came fifth in their K2 500m heat (2.07.17) before narrowly missing out on qualification for the final.

Eddie Kirtland also joined a scratch team of paddlers from other clubs to compete in the boys’ B/C K4 500m race, with his crew coming a very respectable fourth in 1.48.38.

Stortford had three competitors in the men’s D/masters C combined class K1 200m race with Tom Barton finishing sixth in his heat (52.42), Tom Holloway fifth in his heat (48.92) and Joao Spinola winning his heat in a fantastic 44.71.

Holloway qualified for final two and came a brilliant third (48.49) while Spinola came seventh in final one (46.37).

Barton and Spinola teamed up for the men’s D/masters C/D K2 1,000m, finishing in a creditable fifth place in their heat (4.47.38) and only just missing out on the final.

Also competing for Stortford were Jamie Winstanley in the intermediate boys’ class 500m K1 race, where he finished seventh (2.46.38), and Rupert Kirtland in the mini sprint B class for under-12s, where he finished seventh in his 500m K1 heat (3.17.88).

In the Paddle-Ability class, Oliver Klumpler finished second in both K1 200m races, the first male and first junior paddler to finish in both races. He also achieved a personal best of 58.96 in his first race and promotion to a higher Paddle-Ability time band.

Following the event, Spinola has been promoted to masters B and Rupert Kirtland has been promoted to mini sprint A.

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