12/08/2026
Welsh boats prove Master-blasters!
WELSH rowers again proved 'oarsome' at this year's two-day British Masters Rowing Championships, with Monmouth RC taking second place overall in the Victor Ludorum and Llandaff also securing three podium places, reports NICK HARTLAND.
The Wye club secured 11 championship medals at Nottingham's National Watersports Centre, Sue Smith and Liz Lewis teaming up with former GB rowers Bill Downing and John Griffiths to take gold first up in the Mixed Masters F (over-60) Quadruple Sculls by a length from Warrington in tough cross-headwind conditions.
Frances Lester showed age is no barrier as the 82-year-old then joined Simon Lee, Maggie Hickland and Alex Mitchell to land bronze in the Mixed MG (over-65) final, holding off Sudbury by a canvas.
Matthew Harden, Tim Earnshaw, Mark Woods and former Cambridge Blue Roger Stephens then struck silver in the Open MG quads 1/2L behind London outfit Tideway Scullers.
And former Australian squad member Woods was on fire in the six-boat MF Singles final, storming into a clear water lead at halfway and coming home six seconds clear of Irishman Denis Crowley.
Llandaff's Nicola Smith also raced to Women's MC (over-42) Singles silver, finishing just 1/2L down on the Nottingham RC winner.
Next day was sweep oar day at championship level, where the Monmouth Women's ME (over-55) Eight of Dawn Brace, Rachel Rand, Felicity Howes, Shelagh Sawyer, Sue Smith, Louise Tanner, Liz Lewis, Louise Allison, and cox Joanne Roberts held second all the way to take silver 1L behind Broxbourne 2/3L up on York.
Three of Monmouth RC's Head of the Charles USA champion boat – Mark Woods, Ian Townsend and Nick Hooton – teamed up with club coach and Athens Olympian Tim Male to take gold by 1/3L from Llandaff's Paul Bradshaw, Sion Dafydd, Huw Lewis and Nick Bowman in silver.
And Woods took his third gold and fourth medal alongside his three crew mates in the Mixed ME 8s, joining Sue Smith, Dawn Brace, Fliss Howes, Lou Tanner and cox Mel Brown to beat a composite Molesey/ Nottingham & Union/ Thames boat into second by just over a length.
Llandaff's Men's Four also doubled up with bronze in the ME Coxed Fours, steered by Sara Reyes just 1/3L behind Old Monmothian Stuart Bell's Upper Thames boat in silver, and 2/3L ahead of Molesey in fourth.
And there was more Welsh bling in the Mixed MF/G 8s final, where Monmouth's Maggie Hickland, Kate Hooton, James Allison, Paul Bezani, Simon Lee, Tim Earnshaw, Liz Lewis, Louise Allison, and cox Joanne Roberts took bronze behind a West Country/ York composite and a five-club boat.
Bezani, Colin Lewis, James Allison, Mitchell, Lee, Male, John Griffiths, Woods, and cox Bonita Birkett matched them in MF Open 8s behind UL Tyrian, another West Country composite and ahead of Tideway Scullers.
And there was bronze again for Liz Lewis, Shelagh Sawyer, Sue Smith, Louise Allison and cox Ewart Birkett in the Women's MF Coxed Fours chasing home York and Milton Keynes ahead of London/Maidstone.
And the regatta finished with a silver lining, as Maggie Hickland, Lou Tanner, Jane Hall, Kate Hooton and cox Fliss Howes stormed home second behind Nottingham RC/ Upper Thames and ahead of Kingston.
Earlier, there was also a second for Mel Brown, Howes, Tanner, Rachel Rand, and cox Roberts in the Women's Intermediate Over-50 Fours, pipping Kingston 1/2L behind winners Dart.
Top Thames club Tideway Scullers took the VL with an entry twice the size of Monmouth, who can be proud of taking second from London RC, one of the biggest clubs in the country.
There were also some near misses, with the Wye club contesting no less than 23 finals.
Photos: Monmouth RC/ Llandaff RC
