Oxford won then Cambridge complained. The 2 to 0 net result was deceitful, a dead heat would have been more truthful, though it is never declared in rowing. So hurrah for the Dark Blues who came to Caserta to settle last year’s score, and fulfil their mission. It was a very exciting race. The spectators would have liked a ‘decider race’, nevertheless they enjoyed the sprint race although the sun was beating down and it was almost 35 degrees Celsius. Besides the sensational race, we must say that the real champion was rowing in the Fountain of the Dolphins in the Royal Palace of Caserta, which demonstrates that sport is a winning project even in a monument that encapsulates history, harmony and pure beauty.
Beyond any expectation there we three thousand spectators standing along the edge of the monumental fountain, many of whom, unaware of the appeal of rowing, were captivated. “We met our goal”, said Davide Tizzano, the deus ex machina of the Reggia Challenge Cup, “now we feel authorised to dare even more, encouraged by the approval of our main sponsor Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale”.
The result of the fourth edition - designed by Tizzano and organised by Roberta Reisino, president of the Reali Canottieri Reggia di Caserta association - is unquestionably positive in terms of spectators (three thousand) and the spectacularity of the event. Important considerations on the social implications of the event should be added to this indisputable data: from Wednesday the 4th to Saturday the 9th of June, 1200 students of schools in the Province of Caserta (Niccolo’ Jommelli of Aversa and the Istituto Terra di Lavoro of Caserta) and Southern Lazio (Liceo scientifico Leon Battista Alberti di Minturno) took a rowing course aboard a dragon boat.
“This is the most important aspect”, said Professor Emmanuele F.M. Emanuele, Chairman of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale. “It also justifies the Foundation’s commitment, which it intends to increase for the next editions. A person like I, who was an oarsman as a youth, felt delighted when I saw the park of the Royal Palace crowded with youths attending the event and I am grateful to Davide Tizzano, to whom this brilliant intuition must be ascribed. Organising a training course for able and disabled youths who potentially could become excellent athletes, proved to be a winning idea, which I totally endorse and we will continue with the unconditional consent of Royal Palace of Caserta and it enlightened director Mauro Felicori”
The élite of rowing was present with president Giuseppe Abbagnale (“It was a great sport’s day; we must continue along this road”). The Italian National Olympic Committee attended at the highest level by the Secretary General, Carlo Mornati, a former oarsman at an international level, who was visibly moved by this nostalgic memory poised between the past and a promise of a future rich in innovation.
The races.
Presenting the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race that has been held annually since 1856 and contested by crews of eight with a cox is like ‘reinventing the wheel’. The crews know each other very well and race at home although they enjoy the sprint race in the Royal Palace. “It is the only race of its kind in the world and we shall come back until possible” claimed Costantine Loulodis, who won a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and a gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The race between two boats from Puglia Cus Bari (Masters M/W8+), coxswain Luca Leggiero vs coxswain Vito Castro, was won by the former: both were awarded a trophy by Roberta Reisino, president e Reali Canottieri Reggia association of Caserta and organiser of the Reggia Challenge Cup 2018.
Bari acclaimed in the Regional masters M8+: Villa Matilde designer cups and medals awarded to winners; Gennaro Acunzo awarded the Mann trophy to the Sicilian crew; the BCC trophy to was awarded to Pro Monopoli club by the president Amedeo Manzo; Alessandro Amadeo (Circolo Canottieri Thalatta) lead the regional M 1x and won the Città di Caserta Trophy and, preceding Luca Moncada (Rowing Club Palermo), was awarded by his fellow-townsman, illustrious Emmanuele F.M. Emanuele, and Tiziano Comes (Pro Monopoli), collected the Gambrinus Trophy. The prefect of Caserta Raffaele Ruberto, congratulated Federica Romanelli (LN Brindisi), Rosy Lo Savio (Pro Monopoli) and Rosanna Capasso (Cus Bari), who raced in the Regional W 1x, by conferring the KissKiss, Regal Sport and Garofalo trophies respectively.
The president of the Italian Rowing Federation, Giuseppe Abbagnale, congratulated the Kinder + Sport crew, composed of athletes from the RYCC Savoia (M7/W Junior 8+), capable of reaching the finishing line before their cousins from Canottieri Napoli, who were awarded a trophy by Michele De Simone, president of CONI Caserta. The event closed with the heroes of the day. Silver medal for Cambridge and a Gold medal for Oxford: the runners up were awarded a trophy by Mauro Felicori, and the winners by Professor Emmanuele Emanuele, Chairman of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale, the main sponsor of the fourth Reggia Challenge Cup 2018. The number of spectators and the quality of the event were beyond expectation.
