DART Masters, six ladies and six men, attended the inaugural Cornish Pilot Gig Association Masters Championships on Saturday September 2nd, hosted by Paignton Amateur Rowing Club. The event was exclusively for veterans over 60.

Peta Chivers, Chairman, said: “With 19 crews in both ladies and men’s draws, competition was fierce. There were three heats; the fastest qualifying for the Cup final, the next six fastest for the Shield and the remaining seven crews for the Plate final. Dart ladies... rowed strongly and qualified for the Shield final.”

"The ladies team, made up of Kerry Rushton, Ali McGregor, Peta Chivers, Angie Cairns-Sharp, Liz Moseley, Caroline Hall, and coxed by Pete Scoble, finished 12th overall. 

She continued: “The men were drawn in heat two, again in the outside berth. In a hotly contested race, they came a credible fourth place, getting them into the Shield Final. In the dramatic final leg, Dart held the lead but over the last 50 yards Lyme Regis pulled through and won by one second.” 

The men’s crew, made up of Pete Scoble, Ian McMaster, Rob Ireland, Trevor Pretty, Mark Lobb, Michael Bryant-Mole, with sub stroke rower Peta Chivers and Helen Watson (cox), finished 8th overall in the competition.

Masters captain Micheal Bryant-Mole said “This has been an excellent inaugural event. We would like to congratulate Kerry, Ali, Angie, Rob and Mark, for rowing so well in their first CPGA competition.”