YOUNG Wye rowers will be putting their best foot forward and their backs into it when they take on a sponsored biathlon half-marathon to hopefully raise £7,000.

Monmouth Comprehensive School Boat Club, which rows at the town club just 200 yards from their campus, are one of a handful of state schools that row and include double world junior medallist Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank among their recent alumni.

More than 50 rowers raced at this month's Gloucester Spring Head where they won four events, and a fleet of no less than eight crews are racing today (Wednesday, March 26) on the London 2012 Olympic lake in the 572-boat Junior Sculling Head against the nation's top rowing schools.But funding for equipment and running costs is always an issue, and rowers hope to make a splash with the club's annual fundraiser next week.

Club coach Matt Royston said: "Every year our club relies on an annual fundraiser challenge to help students at MCS access rowing and give them the chance to enjoy this amazing sport."

This year they will be attempting a half marathon rowing and running biathlon on Saturday, April 5, running from Monmouth RC to Biblins Bridge and back, then completing the remaining distance in a boat.

"They are hoping for support on the day and anyone able to help them reach their target can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/monmouthboatclub

More than 50 students. including 24 from Year 9 racing for the first time, headed to the recent 3.1-mile Gloucester race on the canal. Wins came for the U18 four (Lewys Baker, Isaac Thomson, Sandy Kohler and Archie Barrell); the girls' U15 quadruple scull (Isabella Davies, Grace McLeod, Anzhela Lypynska, Phoebe Bambridge, cox Lucas Walker); the boys' U15 quad (Tomos Thorpe, Bertrand Wood, Daniel Grey, Lucas Walker, cox Phoebe Bambridge) by 1.9secs; and the U14 boys' quad (Ioan Kear, Ned Bee, Baxter Miller, Gethin Griffiths, cox Mark Probert by just 0.8secs.