WYE women rowers are celebrating victory in a national race on the Thames in London, while their Olympian coach won the whole event outright.

Monmouth Rowing Club entered three crews in the 260-boat Veterans’ Fours Head, raced over the reverse 4.25-mile Boat Race course, with club coach Tim Male also launching out in a quadruple scull for London outfit Tideway Scullers.

Athens Olympian Tim’s boat stormed home in 18mins 50secs to pip the Newcastle University alumni boat by just one second to take the overall crown, as well as the over-36 category.

And Monmouth RC’s Louise Allison, Melanie Brown, Kate Hooton, Liz Lewis and cox Darcy Birkett also won their over-60 Masters F category, beating the likes of top clubs Lea and Marlow.

Their time of 23mins 23secs, moved them from a starting position of 259th to an overall finish position of 209th.

Conditions were near perfect, with sunshine, some warmth, very little wind and a reasonably calm river which led to an enjoyable afternoon’s racing for all crews.

Monmouth’s men’s over-60 coxless four of Colin Lewis, Peter Kelsall, Jonathan Ferris and James Allison were in a strong and competitive category and had a battle throughout against Cambridge University alumni club Crabtree, who started right behind them, holding them off to the end.

The Wye crew finished fifth out of seven in the class, 103rd overall, in a time of 21.23, beating London clubs Quintin and Putney Town.

The category was won by Wimbleball, fresh from finishing second in the Head of the Charles in America, whose time of 20.10 was just three seconds ahead of Tideway Scullers.

The women’s MD over-50 crew of Rachel Westerlund, Helen Tilley, late replacement Maggie Hickland, and Julia Cowton finished seventh out of 10 in their class, 179th overall, in a time of 22.39, beating Warwick, Twickenham and Minerva Bath.