Chester Regatta rowing contest makes welcome return after three years

The event, which dates back to 1733, took place for the first time in nearly three years following cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19, but made a strong and welcome comeback with 56 events taking place on the River Dee.

Deva Challenge Bowl W 2x Band 2 winners Mersey RC with Chris Matheson MP.

Competitors hailed from 20 clubs included Chester’s own Royal Chester Rowing Club, Grosvenor Rowing Club, The King’s School, Queens Park High School, the University of Chester and REX, a rowing club with alumni from the King’s School.

Quart tankards and medals were awarded by Cllr John Leather as Lord Mayor of Chester and as Admiral of the Dee, a title first created in 1354.

The Lady Mayoress, Heather Leather, and Chris Matheson MP were also in attendance along with Regatta vice presidents Jeremy and Jenny Lloyd, and president Bonner Davies. Before attending prize giving, the Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress and regatta sponsors took a river trip to watch the racing.

Op 2x Eaton Prize winners Mersey RC with Lord Mayor Cllr John Leather.

The day saw success for Grosvenor Rowing Club (Edwards crew) in the W.4-, winners of the Wirral Challenge Cup and Goblets, a trophy steeped in history as the oldest cup at the competition first presented 150 years ago in 1872.

The Wirral Challenge Cup was sponsored by Chester law firm Aaron and Partners, which recently opened a new base on the Wirral at the recently refurbished Egerton House, Birkenhead. Aaron & Partners also sponsored the 70 year old Coronation Cup (W.4+) won by Kings School Chester Rowing Club (Edgerley crew). The 2022 Regatta Programme commemorated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Champion of the Dee Op 1x James Cox Warrington RC with Regatta Secretary Jan Chillery of Aaron & Partners and Vice president Jenny Lloyd.

James Cox, formerly at Queen's Park High School Chester, was crowned ‘Champion of the Dee’ for Open Single Sculls, representing Warrington Rowing Club. In April 2022 James was tested and accepted into the GB Rowing Start Programme, which aims to develop athletes to compete on the Olympic stage for Great Britain.

Regatta Secretary and Vice Chair of Chester Business Club, Jan Chillery, said: “We’re delighted with the quality and quantity of crews who entered this year, and with the number of spectators on the bank of the Dee. Bringing back Chester Regatta was a major effort after two years of the pandemic but it’s been a great success.

“The competition is an important part of rowing heritage in Britain, being around 100 years older than the Oxford-Cambridge boat race and Henley Royal Regatta, the international regatta which takes place on the River Thames in early July.”

Chester Regatta was also supported by Meacher-Jones Accountants, and Glyn Meacher-Jones presented the Northgate Brewery Cup to the winners of the W.8+, from King's School Chester RC (Standing crew).

Jan, who is also a partner at Aaron and Partners, added: “This is the first year that Chester Regatta has used the easyRegatta app. We encouraged spectators and competitors to download the app to get live results on all races during the day. It significantly contributed to the success of the 2022 Regatta. Anyone can see the results by downloading the app and searching for Chester Regatta.”

Stuart Gillies, Chair of Chester Regatta, said: “This has been the best Regatta for many years, and it even finished on time! We were lucky with the weather, not too breezy. We’ve had lots of positive feedback from clubs and competitors and we’re already planning ahead to ensure our 290th anniversary event on 10 June 2023 is even better.”.