BRIDPORT’S junior rowers have finished eighth in the Under-16 County Gig Champion-ship.

The intrepid Bridport crew consisted of a mixture of Beaminster and Colfox school pupils – Rex Fisher, Sam Weston, Jake Preston, William Aburrow, Anya Loudon and Hollie Kenway, with Chris Day coxing for the event in Newquay.

Following defeat to Portland at the Bridport Regatta and a lack of training due to the poor weather, no-one was sure what to expect from the event.

The weather forecast for the racing was terrible, predicting rain and wind all day.

It was touch and go whether the event would go ahead, but despite the wet weather it did, with the sea remaining relatively flat all day.

In their first event, Bridport were up against Looe and Newquay, where each race would be a three-turn affair of approximately 1.2 miles.

Following a confused start, with teams not hearing the radio, Bridport juniors powered into a lead at the first buoy turn, and it was a lead they never gave up to see them reach the quarter-finals.

They next faced Cadgwith C, Looe again, and a strong, well-fancied team from Cotehele Quay on the Tamar River.

This time, Bridport made a good start and were again leading to the first buoy.

They held this lead to the end, holding off Cotehele Quay by half-a-boat length in a very hard-fought race.

Unfortunately for Bridport, they were then grouped with Caradon A, the fastest qualifiers for the semi-final, this year’s eventual winners Cadgwith A team, and last year’s winners, hot favourites and old rivals Cotehele Quay, who were looking to overturn their last-eight defeat by Brid-port.

It turned out to be a race too far for the inexperienced Bridport youngsters and they came in a close fourth, leaving them eighth overall in the tournament.

With close rivals and fellow Dorset rowers Portland coming home in 13th position it was a brilliant championship for Dorset.

Bridport were proud to be the highest-placed team from outside Cornwall, the traditional heartland of gig rowing.