It took BTC's 2004 senior Championship contenders just half the course in their first race of the season at Newport to size up the opposition before taking the lead.

Ryde settled into a length-and-a-half advantage as BTC came to terms with the racing pace, but faltered as they approached the line of turning buoys.

That gave the initiative to David Larkin, Simon Collis, Matt Bailey, Simon Bailey (stroke) and Sarah Wardell (cox) in the BTC boat, and they won by a length.

Coalporter's novice ladies' team of A Maunder, P Henderson, K Madfield, J Heyes (stroke) and Penny Glazzard (cox) led from the start to win by six lengths from Poole A and Christchurch.

Itchen Imperial's Tom Stillwell, Alan Wells, James Foad, Russell Benham (stroke) and Tom Foad (cox) had five lengths to spare as they dominated the men's novice final.

They also have their sights set on the junior championship as they finished third in the junior final behind Westover and Christchurch.

But little else went right for the Southampton clubs.

Coalporters' junior pair were forced to retire when the blade sprung out of the bowman's oar, and Southampton's lone entry in the junior sculls, Nick Johnson, was third behind Garry Cure of Westover and Itchen's James Ford.

Ford was uncertain of maintaining his junior under-18 status if he had won, and he stands a good chance of success at the National Junior Championships later in the season.

Southsea again dominated the ladies' junior four with S Glover, J Conyers, A Steward, K Simmons (stroke) and D Lawrence (cox) winning their second point of the season by a distance.

Dee Lawrence jumped out of the cox's seat to stroke the winning ladies' senior pairs with Clare Mynhardt in the bow.

Southsea's veteran crew remained unbeaten with a two-lengths win over Christchurch and Shanklin.

But the rest of the glory went to Dorset crews with Christchurch winning the junior senior fours by four lengths from BTC and taking the Aggregate Trophy.

Westover completed a clean sweep in junior rowing by winning the fours' point from Christchurch by just half a length, with the pairs and sculling points already in the bag.

Lymington's Alistair Keir and stroke Paul Lock kept the boat on course for another senior pairs championship with their second win of the season.