WYE rowers launched out on the Thames on Friday night in a bid to qualify for the world’s oldest open rowing event, Henley Royal Regatta.

Monmouth School’s crew came through the time-trial qualifying race to secure their place in the 32-boat Princess Elizabeth Cup school eights event this week.

But there was disappointment for Monmouth RC and Old Monmothians in the Wyfold Cup club fours race-off as they both failed to make the cut.

Monmouth School secured one of 10 places on offer in the main draw racing the full 2,100m upstream regatta course, with the likes of local rivals Cheltenham College and King’s School Worcester missing out.

The reward is a first round draw on Wednesday against former Henley winners Hampton.

Monmouth Rc’s club four had the misfortune to clip the booms - the floating timber piles which mark out the course - during their time-trial, which hindered their hopes of qualifying as they finished 31st out of the 39 starters in seven minutes 23.8 seconds.

Old Monmothians, in their first ever entry at the 178-year-old regatta, came close to making the 14-boat cut, finishing fourth fastest non-qualifier in 7.15.8.

Meanwhile, Monmouth Rc’s masters men had fun last week racing Australian visitors King’s College Brisbane on the Wye ahead of this week’s royal regatta.

The Australians are coached by Monmouth ex-pat Mike Partridge and headed to the Wye for three days of training before racing at Henley, where they will meet Old Monmothian GB junior cap Will England and his Bath University eight in the first round of the Temple Cup college 8s.

They got the better of Monmouth’s men, who were giving the college crew 25 years a man, racing in four races over 300m up to 1000m, but it proved a lot of fun capped off by a barbecue.

The Australians also took on Monmouth School the following day, again winning, but this time being more closely pressed. 

Meanwhile two Monmouth rowers made finals at Henley Women’s Regatta, former Haberdashers’ Monmouth pupil Pip England and Monmouth Comprehensive alumni Sarah Lewis.

Will England’s sister Pip and her Imperial College Senior four beat Cambridge University by three lengths, Glasgow by two lengths and Edinburgh by 0.75 lengths before missing out in the final to Newcastle by two lengths.

Sarah Lewis, rowing for Greenbank Falmouth, beat Worcester easily, Bristol University by three lengths and Norwich by 2.25 lengths to make the senior lightweight singles final, before losing to her Thames RC opponent by four lengths.

Monmouth RC’s Hope Henry made it through the time-trial in the junior singles before going out to her Monkton Combe opponent.