THERE was golden glory at a major national championship regatta for three Ross Rowing Club teenagers last week.
Guy Turner, Ben Mattos and Will Berry-Jones were all on board the West Midlands U15 boys’ quadruple scull that won their event at the British Rowing Junior Inter-Regional Championships at Nottingham's National Water Sports Centre.
Racing as part of a composite boat with Hereford Cathedral School, they stormed home first in the opening 1000m time-trial at the 14-region event, crossing in 3 mins 25.0 secs, nearly three seconds faster than closest rivals Thames Upriver.
That put them into the six-boat final over 1500m, where they pushed into an early lead, going through the 500m mark with a 1/3L on the Thames outfit and some 2L on the rest of the field.
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It was still nip and tuck at 1,000m with the margin unchanged and the race for gold a two-boat contest.
But the Ross boys and their crew mates proved strongest in front of the grandstand, racing away to win by a length in 5.17.30, with Thames Upriver in silver and Scotland in bronze a further 1 1/3L back.
Club mate Leah Cotton also raced for West Midlands in the girls' U16 single sculls, making the C final in a 27-strong field.
The attention is now on regattas with the warmer weather and longer days, but Ross RC signed off the winter time-trial season with a trip to the Thames.
A mixed over-50 eight of men and women headed for the 270-boat Vesta International Masters Head over the 4 1/4-mile reverse Boat Race course, and also boasted a mix of experience – from the likes of World Championship gold medal cox Morgan Baynham-Williams and British and Henley Masters winner Lenny Colling to 2024 Learn To Row recruit Kirsty Watkins.
And racing alongside the likes of British and Australian Olympic champions James Cracknell and Drew Ginn ,they finished 111th in 22.03, placing third in class and smashing Wye rivals Monmouth by more than two minutes.
Elsewhere, club member Lucy Billington took part in the Welsh Varsity Boat Races for Cardiff against Swansea on the River Taff, coxing the senior women’s eight to victory by 4L.