THE annual Tees Rowing Club Regatta took place last weekend in glorious conditions, with competitors and the many spectators basking in balmy temperatures under clear blue skies.

Rowers from 27 clubs took part in all boat types, from the powerful eights to the single sculling boats. There was continuous racing throughout the day from 9.30 until 6pm, with a race every three minutes.

Suzie Francis, junior captain of Tees Rowing Club and fourth in the national championships junior 15 final in 2003, led the host club's charge when she picked up three awards.

She sculled impressively to beat Julie Turner from Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham in the women's junior 16 sculls event before joining forces with Ester Takacs to win the hotly-contested women's senior three double sculls.

Then, after only three outings using one blade instead of two, she jumped into a boat with Ester Takacs, Angela Warburton, Christine Meikle and cox Ben Warburton to win the women's senior three coxed fours, beating Hollingworth Lake in the final.

Ester Takacs also went on to make it three wins for the day when she overcame fellow Tees member Angela Warburton and Jodie Mark from Talkin Tarn to take the women's novice single sculls.

The men's novice single sculls was the big event of the day with 20 single scullers entered.

Tees members Neil Hunter-Smith and David Inman, coached by Kate O'Sullivan, competed against each other for the first time in this event. The boys won through to the semi-finals, but narrowly missed a place in the final.

In the final, Benoit Bloin sculled against 15-year-olds Alex Leigh and Ben Rowe, both from Yarm School, with Ben emerging the winner.

Rebekah Warburton, who is coached by her father David Warbuton, continued her winning ways. She again took on all-comers from across the region to win the women's junior 15 single sculls.

The other junior members of Tees RC - Melissa Meikle, Alice Runnicles, Laura Hunter-Smith and Ben Warburton - all acquitted themselves well throughout the day.

The Tees veteran squad were out in force once more, and the men's veteran E iv+ of John Green, Bob Bainbridge, Chris Kenyon, Tony Stocking and John Heron took on Berwick/Cambois in one of the closest events of the day, missing out by just 2ft.

Tony Stocking went on to compete in the veteran novice single sculls, which he won easily, while Bob Bainbridge lost out to Cambois by the narrowest of margins when he competed with ex-Tees RC member Jon Williamson in the final of the veteran C/D double sculls. The Tees veteran E crew then joined forces with many other club members in the mixed eights event.

Chris Kenyon carried on his tradition when he won the men's veteran F/G single sculling event.

The Tees senior men's squad continued to demonstrate they are going from strength to strength. The men's senior three eight were convincing victors over local rivals Durham ARC to win a place in the final, where they finished second, just half a length behind Lancaster University's Henley eight.

The Tees eight then split into two fours, the men's senior three four of Steve Vaslet, Dave Warburton, Dave Scarr, Andy Pickering and cox Angela Warburton finishing second in their four-boat final behind Hollingworth Lake, while the men's senior iv+ of Justin Roe, Graham Hollins, Rob Cree, Paul Lofts and cox Peter Hills finished third in their final.

The women's senior four eight defeated St Peter's School from York, the crew of Amanda Noel, Fiona Ventress, Sarah Harker, Helen O'Connor-Pickering, Gill Stiller, Christine Meikle, Deborah Ashurst, Liz Leigh and cox Richard Harandon overturning an earlier defeat at York by St Peter's.

The two women's novice eights narrowly lost to St Peter's in their final and the women's novice and senior iv+ acquitted themselves well in their respective finals.

The junior events were all of the highest calibre, with many of the region's national champions polishing up their performances for the national schools' championships at Nottingham next weekend. Honours were shared between St Leonard's School from Durham, Yarm School, Bradford Grammar School, Tees RC, Durham ARC, Cambois RC, Talkin Tarn ARC, Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham and Chester le Street.

* Full results on page 31.