WYE rower Katie Kearsey put in an impressive performance in the world’s biggest women’s rowing race, finishing top-20 in the Women’s Eights Head of the River in London.

The former Monmouth Comprehensive School rower, who won gold representing England at the Home Countries Regatta last summer at London Docklands, returned to the capital for the showpiece 320-boat championship time-trial with her Nottingham University crew.

And holding down the key seven seat behind stroke, Katie helped the Trent crew finish 19th overall and ninth fastest university boat over the reverse Boat Race course from Chiswick to Putney.

Ross-on-Wye’s world champion cox Morgan Baynham-Williams, who has coached sessions at Monmouth RC, steered a Leander boat packed with GB Olympic and world medallists to overall victory by eight seconds from their second string in 18 mins 38 secs, with Oxford Brookes taking the university prize in third in 18.55.

Katie’s boat starting 36th rose 17 places by covering the 4 1/4-mile course in 19.55, which placed them fifth in the senior university class.

Also racing alongside the nation’s top oarswomen, Monmouth RC’s masters women placed 239th overall in 23.32, which placed them third fastest over-50 women’s eight out of seven behind Dutch crew Willem (22.08) and Walton (22.58).

The crew of Sue Smith, Gabby Miles, Dawn Brace, Liz Newman, Shelagh Sawyer, Maggie Hickland, Ellen Ruke, Bonita Birkett and cox Zach Salmon beat Weybridge (23.55), Pengwern (24.18), Staines (24.19) and Cambridge’s Champion of the Thames (24.28).

This Friday (March 17) sees a fleet of Monmouth School and Monmouth School for Girls boats head to the Tideway for the 339-boat Schools’ Head.

Then 24 hours later on Saturday (March 18), Monmouth RC’s men will be tackling the world’s oldest time-trial rowing race – simply named the Head of the River Race – over the same course.

Olympian coach Tim Male and his crew will be looking to better the club’s best finish to date of 67th in the 96-year-old iconic men’s 8s race, set in the 1980s, after placing 104th in a scratch boat last year.

Boats race off on a rolling start 10 seconds apart, and there will be Welsh bragging rights up for grabs in the 320-boat event as well, with Monmouth School racing the course for the second time in two days starting five places in front in 129th, and Llandaff RC’s British junior medalists three places up in 132nd.

Sunday also sees more than 200 veteran 8s launch out in the Vesta Masters race, including three Monmouth RC boats.

Meanwhile, an armada of Wye juniors headed for the Gloucester Spring Head last Sunday, with Monmouth School setting the fastest 8s time of the day of 17.21.

Monmouth Comprehensive’s U18 boys’ quad sculls were fourth (18.26) and sixth (19.25) in class, while their girls’ U18 crews were third (20.31) and fourth in class (21.04).

The latter’s scullers were warming up for the 500-boat Junior Sculling Head a week on Monday (March 20) at the London 2012 Olympic course.