HEREFORD Rowing Club have rounded off their year in fine style with wins for seven out of their 10 crews at the Monmouth Winter head of the river.

Highlight of the day was the success of the women’s novice eight in a time of seven minutes eight seconds, more than 40 seconds ahead of their nearest competition.

Most of the crew only started rowing earlier this year when the club advertised their ‘Learn To Row’ course.

They have been training three times a week for several months and saw their hard-work rewarded when they collected their medals with the win particularly special for Linda Willimont who stroked the eight with daughter Chloe in the cox seat.

In addition to the seven successes, only one 100th-of-a- second separated the men’s IM1 8+ from winners Cardiff University and the women’s IM3 8+ came a close second behind Monmouth Haberdashers who were racing on their home course.

The winning crews were: IM1 Sculling quad: Ed Rees, Philip Bouchier, Tom Gilbert, James Ford in six minutes 12 seconds.

W.IM1 Coxed Four: Jen Preedy, Catherine Preedy, Claire Taysom, Paula Ingram, Cox Jake Morris 7.34. Elite single Scull: Jamie Coombes 6.55.

Novice double scull: Tom Snell and Matthew Kettyle 7.03.

Masters ‘G’ coxless pair: Pete Knight and Bob Freeman.

WNOV 8+: Linda Willimont (stroke), Angela Tempany, Adele Llewellyn, Sally Nicol-Blair, Kay Mileson, Caroline Fowler-Wright, Sharon Pullen, Sarah Simpson, cox Chloe Willimont 7.08.

WJ16 Double scull: Eleanor Scott and Charlotte Hodgkin-Byrne.

Hodgkin-Byrne had previously won gold at the Welsh Indoor Rowing Championships at Cardiff where there was also medal success for two other Hereford Rowing Club competitors.

Stephen Griffiths won silver in men’s junior 18, Sam Towle won bronze in the men’s junior 14 while Tom Snell just missed out, finishing fourth in the men’s junior 16.

l Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School’s rowing squad also returned from the Welsh School Indoor Rowing Championships in Cardiff with a clutch of medals.

Honor Lewis and Thomas Hutchinson won gold at under-13 level while there was a bronze for Ed Bennion and a fourth place for James Scott at under-14.

Megan Halpin led for most of her under-15 competition but eventually had to settle for bronze.

Toby Woods turned in an exceptional performance in the junior men’s competition, storming to victory with 1,498 metres in five minutes.

Jack Helme won bronze in the same section while Eleanor Scott went one place better than the previous year when she won silver in the junior women’s under-16 class.