Hants and Dorset crews had to deal with the euphoria of victory and the bitter disappointment of defeat in one of the best Championship Regattas for years.

BTC's senior men's four Mark Weaver, Paul; Lindley, Matt Bailey, Simon Bailey (stroke) Sarah Wardell (cox) and Southampton's ladies senior four Lisa McGregor Ritchie, Dee Lawrence, Anne Beastall, Chrissie Potter (Stroke) Sarah Vincent (cox) maintained the high standards they have set themselves this season with runaway victories to win the coveted Bideford Bowl and Anglia Building Society Ladies Cup respectively.

And BTC A junior ladies Jo Hackwood, Kath Hyde, Rachell Downes, Clare Evans (stroke), Sarah Wardell (cox), were nothing short of heroic as they fought back to overhaul Dartmouth ladies in the last 50 metres to win the ladies junior Championship Dartington Crystal Vase by just half a length.

As expected, both BTC senior men and Southampton senior ladies were too powerful for their opponents as they led from the start to dominate their respective Championship races.

BTC had an explosive start and were soon a length up and, despite seemingly heading off the course at one stage, cox Sarah Wardell pulled their bows round to head for the finishing line four lengths clear of Ryde and seven clear of Herne Bay.

Southampton senior ladies kept to their plan and won by a distance with Dover second and Exeter third, three lengths further back.

But the race of the day was won by BTC A junior ladies who, starting hot favourites, found themselves trailing Dartmouth by three lengths at the halfway mark.

They made their move slowly and reduced the Dartmouth lead to under a length with 200 metres left before bursting clear, rowing on pure adrenaline, to cross the line half a length in front.

Equally heroic in their effort to win were the BTC junior/senior four Dave Larkin, Simon Collis, Steve Watts, Ben Larkin (stroke) Catherine Hume (cox) but they had victory snatched from their grasp at the line after making up three lengths on Folkestone.

The men's junior fours was always controlled by a very capable Deal Four, winning by eight lengths with Christchurch judged second - just two feet ahead of BTC.

The supporting races were equally as exciting with just a canvas separating Bexhill and Shoreham in the open senior fours and Southsea beating Bexhill by the same margin in the Veteran Four.

And Poole took the Open Novice Trophy by one length from Itchen Imperial and Christchurch won the open ladies junior by two lengths from Lymington.

Southsea's novice ladies earned their club a second trophy with a six-length win over Dover, who gained consolation by taking the open men's junior final by eight lengths over Ryde.

A win for Poole senior ladies in the Open event left a sour taste in the mouths of many after they had turned down the honour of representing Hampshire and Dorset in the Championship.

l Lisa McGregor Ritchie and Chrissie Potter from the Southampton Ladies Championship winning crew found time to relax before their race to offer medical assistance to two of Southamptons veterans and the oldest competing oarsmen on the Brent Hartland, 75, who won the men's Senior Championship in 1961 and David Hampton, 69, who competed in the Junior Championship in 1959.