Cech and DiClemente Begin Season in the Riviera Vaal Regatta

South African World Championship bronze medallists Donovan Cech and Ramon DiClemente were back for their first race of the season in the pair at the Riviera Vaal Regatta in South Africa this weekend (February 2 and 3).

The 2000 Olympians who were racing for the Old Edwardians club battled out the final of the men’s coxless pair against another Old Edwardians crew composed of Bruce Turvey and Tony Paladin from last year’s lightweight coxless four. Cech and DiClemente took the race by a tight 0.77 seconds.

The men’s coxless four saw a strong Old Edwardians crew of Cech, Di Clemente, Maurice Coopmans (South African single sculls champion in 2000) and Luke Hartley challenge VLC members Ross Hawkins and Roger Tobler from the Olympic coxless four, Richard Gaddi from the 2001 World Championship lightweight four, and Zak Wood.

VLC took an early lead of about a length, with Old Edwardians pushing hard to take it back about 300m into the race. However, with about 700m completed, and VLC again about a length in the lead, Old Edwardians decided that the conditions were un-rowable, and did not complete the race.

In the men’s A eights (the Grand Challenge) – the premier event of the regatta, VLC and Old Edwardians again met in the final, where a very young VLC crew managed to gain an early lead and then hold off the fast charging Old Edwardians crew right up to the finish, winning by about 3 men.

The womens pair was dominated by Sydney A finalist – Colleen Orsmond and her new pairs partner, Rika Halme. The two from the Wemmer club were up against another VLC crew, but took an easy lead, finishing in 07:57.99, more than a minute ahead of their opponent.

Overall, the tightest racing probably came in the Eric Fraiser cup, for schoolboy and Senior B eights, where Jeppe and St Stithians (Both schoolboy crews) had to win some tough races to make the final, both enduring very close semi-finals. In the final, both crews were neck and neck until the last 100m, when Jeppe finally took the lead.

The Riviera Vaal Regatta is based on two-boat racing and has been going on since 1988. It is one of the big three regattas of the South Africa rowing season. These regattas host both schools and seniors events. This year, more than 500 rowers participated in the event. For more information, visit the Row SA website.