MORE than 40 Monmouth Rowing Club rowers in 33 boats launched out on the River Severn at the Stourport Regatta weekend, recording a bumper 11 event wins.

The MF (over-60) double scull of Tim Earnshaw and Mark Stewart-Woods set the ball rolling on day one over the 1,000m course with a 4.5L final win over Stourport.

In the very next race the mixed MC (over-42) quadruple scull of Tim Male, Louise Tanner in her first win for the club, Sarah Cripps and Jamie Diserens eased home ahead of Burton Leander to claim the pots.

And then 80-year-old Frances Lester raced to victory in the WE (over-50) quads alongside one of the club’s youngest senior rowers Kathryn Diserens, plus Bonita Birkett and Liz Lewis, to claim only her second ever pot, winning by 1 3/4L from Grosvenor.

Not to be outdone, the men’s MF coxless four of Colin Lewis, Nick Hooton, Paul Bezani and James Allison beat Loughborough RC by 2L, while the mixed four of Jamie Diserens, George Knight, Ellen Rule, Kathryn Diserens and cox Bonita Birkett beat Londoners Furnival by 1 3/4L in their final.

Archie Cowton also won the closest final of the day by a single foot to take the open band 2 singles from his Worcester opponent.

But while the open 8 beat Furnival by 2.5L to make the final, they then lost out by some 3L to Warwick.

Day 2 saw sprint racing over half the distance with another five wins for Monmouth, starting with the ME 8 of Tim Earnshaw, Tim Male, Colin Lewis, Mark Leeming, Ewart Birkett, Julian Shaw, Paul Bezani, James Allison and cox Taryn Birkett seeing off Shrewsbury outfit Pengwern by 2L.

A bit like buses, Frances Lester added her second pot and third win ever in the WG (over-65) fours with Kate Hooton, Amanda Snelson, Liz Lewis, and cox Zoe Smith, squeezing home by 0.25L from Bewdley.

Ali Hazledine and Bonita Birkett in their first race in a double scull beat Pengwern to the Low CRI women’s double sculls by 1.5L.

ME coxed four Paul Bezani, Julian Shaw, Tim Male, Scott Hazledine and cox Taryn Birkett then beat Hereford by 1.5L, before the MF coxless four Chris Cowburn, Mike Smith, Andy Davies and Rob Maloney beat Bewdley on a disqualification having won an epic 3ft semi-final verdict over Warwick.