YOUNG rowers made a splash on the River Wye watched by a rowing legend.

Olympic gold medallist Tim Foster - part of the Sydney 2000 four when Steve Redgrave won his fifth Games title – was on hand to provide support and present the prizes at the Haberdashers' Monmouth U14s Regatta, which also featured boats from Monmouth Comprehensive and top Oxford rowing schools Radley and Headington.

It was a first experience of regatta racing for many of the rowers, who raced in four round-robin events over 500m to the Monmouth Rowing Club regatta finish.

The top two winning crews then faced off in finals, with Headington taking the girls’ event and Monmouth School the boys.

Further afield at the British Rowing Masters at Nottingham's National Water Sports Centre, Monmouth RC's 40-strong squad came home with a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

Racing over 1,000m, Liz Lewis, Alex Mitchell, Mary Miller and Tim Earnshaw raced out to a length's lead over Minerva Bath in their Mixed MF (over-60) final at half-way, before crossing nearly 3L up to take gold.

Monmouth RC's winning British Masters quad scull
Monmouth RC's winning British Masters quad scull (MRC)

There was silver in the mixed MD (over-50) quads as Tim Male, Paul Bezani, Bonita Birkett and Sue Smith chased home Burton Leander ahead of Portora, Ireland.

The men's MD quad of Alex Butler, Toby Harding, James Allison and Tim Male also battled to bronze behind Cambridge/Rob Roy and Medway.

Monmouth RC's silver medal four
Monmouth RC's silver medal four (MRC)

And the ME (over-55) coxless four of Alex Mitchell, Tim Male, Simon Lee and Tim Earnshaw took another silver in a tight battle with Grosvenor, the Chester-based outfit just getting up on the line by a canvas, with Hexham/Tyne a length back in bronze.

But a nasty collision before the start which snapped off the bows of a Monmouth boat sank the chances of the MF coxless four, who couldn't race but were thankfully unscathed.

There were also three seconds in Intermediate races where only the winners medalled.

Denize Atan, Sarah Cripps, Kathryn King, Lou Tanner, and cox Jo Roberts were second in women's MD IM fours, matched by Atan, Tanner, Andy Davies, Ewart Birkett and cox Louise Allison in mixed MD fours.

Rachel Rand, Jo Roberts, Richard Dennant and Ewart Birkett were also second in the mixed MD IM quads, in a race won by Old Monmothian Hilton Green and his Globe crew from London, while MRC’s Frances Lester also launched out in her single aged 81.

Meanwhile, the National Schools' Regatta on the London 2012 course saw a first for Monmouth Comprehensive BC, with girls' pair Seren Van Der Horst and Eleanor Lawrence-Preston becoming the club's first ever sweep oar Championship finalists finishing sixth.

Eleanor and seren
Eleanor Lawrence-Preston and Seren Van Der Horst made the final of Championship pairs (MCSBC)

Monmouth School for Girls' Anna Swartz, Anna Bieler, Ffion Hutchings, Sienna McKenna and Sasha Knot finished fourth within a length of a medal in the girls' U15 fours event, named after former school rower Katrina Jacks.

And their U16 boat of Keila Greaves, Lily Ebsworth, Ailsa Whitehead, Freya Berglund and cox Lily Shilcock also made the final finishing sixth.

Monmouth School’s Championship boys 8 also just missed out on 8th in the B final in a photo-finish with King’s Chester.