Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club finish third in Winter Series and claim Dick Grieve Cup
Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club finished third in the Winter Series and claimed the Dick Grieve Cup for the performances of their novice juniors.
They came third in the last event of the campaign on the Grand Union Canal in Leighton Buzzard and finished just a point behind runners-up Cambridge in the overall standings while Chelmsford were crowned series champions.
Stortford also bagged five of the 26 end-of-series class trophies on offer as well four second-place class awards.
Stortford’s stand-out performers on the day - driving rain and strong wind set in while the paddlers were on the water - included Ben Tubby, who clocked up his fourth win of the series in the popular men’s SuperVet kayak class. He completed the six miles and two portages in 58min 23sec.
Kerry Tubby won silver in the ladies’ veteran kayak class on the eight-mile course (two portages) with a time of 1hr 24min 30sec.
Rising star Jasper Kirtland had the fastest finish time of all the boats on the four-mile course (40.20) as he won the under-14 boys’ kayak class for the fifth time this season.
His brother Rupert Kirtland covered the same course in 53.57 to take the under-12 boys’ bronze medal.
Perhaps no medal was more deserved than the gold achieved by Summer Norford, who battled the weather for 1:25.51 in the under-12 girls’ class.
Ben Tubby (SuperVet men’s kayak), Jasper Kirtland (under-14 boys’ kayak), Norford (under-12 girls’ kayak), Claudia Redeker (SuperVet ladies’ kayak) and Petr Luksan (novice canoe) picked up series class trophies.
The second-place class awards went to Kerstin Queeney (ladies’ doubles kayak, with Catherine Shirley of Ealing), Kerry Tubby (veteran ladies’ kayak), Eilidh White (senior ladies’ kayak) and Libby Gaulton (under-16 girls’ kayak). Rupert Kirtland took third place in under-12 boys’ kayak.
Chelmsford accrued the most Dick Grieve points, but a long-standing rule that the winners of the main trophy are ineligible meant Stortford’s novice juniors got the silverware.
Stortford results: Eight miles - K2 men: 6th David Gurney & Eddie Kirtland 1hr 11min 16sec; K2 mixed: 5 Dave Cayford & Jacque Cayford 1:24.35; K2 ladies: 2 Karen Bradley & Christine Meula 1:18.24; K1 senior ladies: 2 Eilidh White 1:24.40; K1 vet ladies: 2 Kerry Tubby 1:24.30.
Six miles - K1 SuperVet men: 1 Ben Tubby 58min 23sec; K1 SuperVet ladies: 2 Claudia Redeker 1:07.02; K1 under-16 girls: 2 Libby Gaulton 1:09.20.
Four miles - K1 under-14 boys: 1 Jasper Kirtland 40.20; C1 novice: 1 Petr Luksan 51.16; K1 under-12 boys: 3 Rupert Kirtland 53.57; K1 under-12 girls: 1 Summer Norford 1:25.51; K1 open: 5 Zoe Norford 53.00.
