3rd Place in the 2021/22 SW Region Hasler Series

The SW Region Hasler series had an unexpectedly tight finish at Totnes on Sunday 14th August. Going into the final race DCC looked secure in 3rd place below Exeter and Gloucester, with Tamar Valley Nomads, Bradford on Avon CC, Truro Cc, and Fowey CC all battling for the final qualification place this year. And how they fought!

Tamar and Truro have been getting stronger this season. BOA and Fowey are very reluctant to let go of their past successes in the SW. They all turned up with significant teams and some carefully planned entries to score as many points as possible. Paddlers from DCC needed to leave home at 04:30 am on a Sunday to get to Totnes for a 08:30 start – not the best incentive to race, but four paddlers made the long trip to Truro.

The course was a simple downstream/upstream at high water on a tidal estuary with some tricky corners where the tide was turning early. The weather was glorious.

Well done to the many paddlers who have entered SW region races this season. Your results are below. We originally targetted 3rd place this year having never previously qualified above 4th place. It was a significant stretch with the cost of fuel being so high and we only expected to get paddlers to our local races, which we did in large numbers. Your efforts put us in a fantastic position with something to fight for going into the final race.

The Dart/Totnes Hasler race determined the season’s outcome and demonstrates how important it is to make the ‘away’ fixtures wherever possible to keep the scoreboard ticking over. With just four paddlers we pulled off 40 individual points and four club Hasler points. Mark Bouch/Nick Poole P1 in D8 C2, Dylan Martin P1 in D4 K1, and Max Poole P1 in D7 K1. Well done to all four of you!

As you can see from the overall scores, these four points scored somewhere during the season were absolutely vital. With just five points separating 3rd and 6th place, we could easily have finished out of the qualification places.    To anyone who raced in the series this season – well done. This includes our Geoff Sanders Trophy paddlers. This series doesn’t score Hasler points but feeds junior paddlers into the Hasler series. Several of you progressed from GST into the Hasler series mid-season and scored valuable club points.

You should all be very proud of your hard work and determination this season!

Hopefully, our club success will lead to a great turnout at the Marathon Nationals and again at the Hasler Finals in September. Go Devizes!