Over the weekend of 26th-27th April, Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club was out in force at the 2025 Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta, held at the familiar Strathclyde Park. This regatta is one of the biggest in the Scottish racing calendar, attracting crews from all over the country and beyond. With a wide mix of club, student, and school crews in attendance, it was a weekend of high-quality racing, challenging conditions and excellent performances.
Clydesdale fielded a remarkable 50 crews from our master, senior, junior and novice squads. The two-day event saw multiple podium finishes, several hard-fought finals and plenty of valuable race experience as we enter the heart of the regatta season.
Saturday Highlights
Weather conditions on Saturday were challenging, with persistent wind creating rougher conditions on the water throughout the day. Despite this, Clydesdale crews rose to the occasion with strong performances.
The club’s junior squad delivered an excellent start to the regatta, with multiple appearances on the podium. In the W J15 4x+, the composite crew of Darcey Geddes, Fern Colclough, Blythe Robertson (SPRC), and Anna Soyinka coxed by Jaime Stewart, secured a superb 1st place, demonstrating confidence and composure throughout their race.
Darcey Geddes and Anna Soyinka added another gold in the W J15 2x, while Fern Colclough and Grace Lumsden claimed 3rd place in the W J14 2x.
Isabel Soyinka earned 2nd place in the W J18 1x, and Thomas Lowrie and Tom Morrison dominated the O J18 2-, securing a commanding 1st place.
The senior men continued the momentum, with several standout results across both sculling and sweep events. The composite O 2x of Andrew Mortimer and Robbie Waddel (GUBC) claimed a commanding 1st place, with Callum Broad and Thomas Lowrie coming 3rd.
In the Open 2-, Frank Murray and Lukas Neilsen earned a hard-fought 3rd place, while teammates Struan Stuart and Jack Bagley placed just behind in 4th.
Clydesdale also had representation in the Open 8+, where Ryan Finnigan raced as part of a composite crew with athletes from Belfast, including ex-Clydesdale member Thomas McCaughtry. The crew delivered a strong performance and secured 2nd place.
In the senior women’s squad, Lauren Murray and Elle Sutherland secured 2nd place in the W R1 2x. This marked a strong result for the group early in the season, with several of the squad’s regular rowers absent.
In the masters categories, Chris Phillips brought home gold in the Open Mas D 1x, while Seamus Keating finished 2nd place in the Open Mas H 1x, both showing poise and control in tough conditions.
Sunday Highlights
Sunday offered sunnier skies and although there were calmer waters, a steady headwind persisted throughout the day. Crews took advantage of the brighter conditions to deliver some of the club’s most impressive results of the weekend.
The junior squad added more medals to their tally on Sunday. Fern Colclough shone in the W J14 1x, rowing a composed and confident race to take 1st place.
In the W J16 2-, Darcey Geddes and Anna Soyinka took 3rd place, adding to their Saturday victory in the quad.
There was another gold for Isabel Soyinka, this time in the W J18 2x, racing in a composite with Stevie Gildert (SPRC) to secure 1st place and cap off a strong weekend for the Soyinka family.
The senior men continued their strong weekend with another set of impressive results. In the O 1x, Ben Parsonage powered through to win 1st place, marking a standout solo performance for the club. In the O R1 4-, the crew of Frank Murray, Struan Stuart, Jack Bagley, and Lukas Neilsen delivered a commanding row to take 1st place in their final.
Callum Broad and Thomas Lowrie in the O R2 2x took home 1st place as well, adding to their growing list of podium finishes. Earlier in the day, Broad had also raced with Rory Duncan in the O R1 2x, where they secured 2nd place, capping off an extremely productive weekend for the men’s small boats.
The senior women maintained their strong form on Sunday. In the W 2-, Lucy Ashton and Elle Sutherland placed 3rd, a solid result for a newly formed combination. In the W R2 1x Elle Sutherland also came 3rd place.
The masters rowers rounded off the weekend with several more strong results. Jacqueline Irons racing as part of a composite crew with Belfast rowers took a confident 1st place in the W Mas F 4x.
The W Mas B 4x of Rachel Smillie, Rebecca Toal, Sophie McCall, and Rosie Upstill-Goddard took 3rd. Seamus Keating, now partnered with Daniel Blair, added another 1st place in the Open Mas G 2x.
Meanwhile, the Open Mas H 4+ of Douglas MacFarlane, Andrew Jones, Ken Diamond, Les Johnston and cox Kit Lawson delivered a gutsy row to claim 2nd place.
Table of Results
| W Nov 2x | Margaret Maclean, Siobhan Healy | 17th |
| O Mas (D) 1x | Chris Phillips | 1st |
| O Mas (H) 1x | Seamus Keating | 2nd |
| W R1 2x | Lauren Murray, Elle Sutherland | 2nd |
| W R1 2x | Lucy Ashton, Kelsey Collington | 6th |
| O J16 2- | Finlay Ward, Hamish Blair | 5th |
| O J18 2- | Thomas Lowrie, Tom Morrison | 1st |
| O 2- | Frank Murray, Lukas Neilsen | 3rd |
| O 2- | Struan Stuart, Jack Bagley | 4th |
| W J18 1x | Isabel Soyinka | 2nd |
| W R2 4x | Rachel Smillie, Rebecca Toal, Sophie McCall, Rosie Upstill-Goddard | 6th |
| W J15 4x+ | Jaime Stewart (C), Darcey Geddes, Fern Colclough, Blythe Robertson (SPRC), Anna Soyinka | 1st |
| O Nov 1x | Evgeni Nikolov | 8th |
| O 8+ | J. McAleer, Ryan Finnigan, T McCaughtry, S McEntegart, J Jordan, D Lowry, R Simpson, S Balcombe, J Wilson | 2nd |
| W J14 2x | Fern Colclough, Grace Lumsden | 3rd |
| O R2 1x | Rory Duncan | 18th |
| O J16 2x | Finlay Ward, Hamish Blair | 5th |
| O 2x | Frank Murray, Jack Bagley | 4th |
| O 2x | Callum Broad, Thomas Lowrie | 3rd |
| O 2x | Andrew Alexander Mortimer, Robbie Waddel (GUBC) | 1st |
| W 4x | Lauren Murray, Kelsey Collington, Lucy Ashton, Elle Sutherland | 4th |
| W Mas (G) 2x | Jacqueline Irons, E Rankin | 4th |
| W J15 2x | Darcey Geddes, Anna Soyinka | 1st |
| O 1x | Ben Parsonage | 1st |
| O 1x | Andrew Alexander Mortimer | 5th |
| O J18 1x | Tom Morrison | 10th |
| O J18 1x | Thomas Lowrie | 4th |
| O J16 1x | Finlay Ward | 7th |
| O J16 1x | Hamish Blair | 13th |
| W 2- | Lucy Ashton, Elle Sutherland | 3rd |
| W J16 2- | Darcey Geddes, Anna Soyinka | 3rd |
| O R1 2x | Callum Broad, Rory Duncan | 2nd |
| W J14 1x | Fern Colclough | 1st |
| W J14 1x | Grace Lumsden | 18th |
| W Mas B 4x | Rachel Smillie, Rebecca Toal, Sophie McCall, Rosie Upstill-Goddard | 3rd |
| W Mas (F) 4x | Jacqueline Irons, E Rankin, K Dinardo, C Rainbow | 1st |
| O Mas H 4+ | Kit Lawson (C), Douglas MacFarlane, Andrew Jones, Ken Diamond, Les Johnston | 2nd |
| O Nov 4x+ | Siobhan Healy (C), Margaret Maclean, Tim Barber, Carole Barber, Claire Wood | 7th |
| O R2 2x | Callum Broad, Thomas Lowrie | 1st |
| O R2 2x | Ryan Finnigan, Ben Marren | 6th |
| O R1 4- | Frank Murray, Struan Stuart, Jack Bagley, Lukas Neilsen | 1st |
| W R2 1x | Elle Sutherland | 3rd |
| W R2 1x | Lucy Ashton | 4th |
| W 2x | Lauren Murray, Kelsey Collington | 4th |
| W J18 2x | Isabel Soyinka, Stevie Gildert (SPRC) | 1st |
| O R2 2- | Tom Morrison, Finlay Ward | 5th |
| W J15 1x | Darcey Geddes | 4th |
| W J15 1x | Anna Soyinka | 5th |
| O Mas (I) 2x | Les Johnston, J Munro | 5th |
| O Mas (G) 2x | Seamus Keating, Daniel Blair | 1st |
Looking Forward
With 12 wins and 13 further podiums, Clydesdale ARC delivered a commanding club performance at the Scottish Rowing Spring Regatta 2025. From first-time juniors to returning masters, and from experienced racers to newer social members, every athlete represented the club with commitment and pride.
A special mention goes to our Open Novice 4x+ of Margaret Maclean, Tim Barber, Carole Barber, Claire Wood and cox Siobhan Healy, who took on the conditions and placed 7th – a brilliant achievement and a reflection of the growing and committed group of social rowers we have at the club.
The weekend also gave many crews their first taste of multi-lane side-by-side racing this year, setting a strong foundation for the regattas to come.
Thank you to the athletes, coaches, volunteers, parents and supporters who made this weekend possible. With momentum building across the club, we now look ahead to Clyde Sprints and Castle Semple Regatta. We’ll see you at the start line.
