HOME talent won 35 of the 81 events at the York City Rowing Club’s annual York Small Boats Head on the River Ouse.

More than 370 crews took part in the race – the biggest rowing event on the river – which was run in three separate divisions.

The contest is a time trial over a 3,000-metre course rowed upstream from Fulford Ings to King’s Staith in the city centre, and weather and water conditions were widely acknowledged as the best in the Head’s 30-year history. The majority of the Minster city winners came from York City Rowing Club crews, but there were also some excellent results from St Peter’s School and University of York rowers.

Overall winning Head crew was the University of York Elite quadruple scull, eight seconds ahead of junior 18 quadruple scull from St Peter’s.

In fourth place was the University’s winning Elite coxless four, closely followed by the York City Rowing Club J17 quadruple scull of Eddie Hunter, David Bruce, Ciaran Longmore and Will Holford, who won the J17 event.

The fastest York City senior men’s crew, an Elite coxless four, came sixth overall. Wins for the York City senior men included the IM2 coxless four of Pat Evans, Andy Wilkinson, Rob Cree and Chris Wright, and a novice quad of Dan Lewis, Gavin Campbell, John Gingell and Stuart Round.

Two York City coxed masters fours won including the ‘B’/‘C’ masters four of Mick Homa, Chris Jones, Dave Heffernan, Phil Press and cox Dominique Stork, and the ‘D’/‘E’ masters four of Mike Porte, Pete Rigby, Dave Turley, Dave Powell and cox Jess Downing.

Will Robinson, who is taking part in the Great Britain under-23 trials this weekend, won both the IM2 single sculls and the IM1 double sculls with club captain Pat Evans.

York City’s Martin Howe and Fernando Goulart won the novice double sculls, while Paul Baron won the masters ‘B’/‘C’ single sculls.

The York City women’s section registered five wins, led by Anne Homa’s masters ‘C’ single sculls win.

Margit Rezacova was first in the IM3 event, while there was success for the masters ‘A’ coxed four of Jo Breuhat, Anna Heathcote, Philippa Press, Karen Williams and Rachel Cubitt (cox), and the masters ‘C’ crew of Lucy Stewart, Anna Puigvalls, Annemarike Debruin and Magaly Reid.

The York City juniors also came to the party, including the J16 quad of Ed Press, Chris Burgess, Cameron Whitehall and James Turton, the J15 coxed quad and the J14 coxed quad, the J17 double scull, the J16 2x and the J16 single sculls.

The junior tasted victory in the WJ15 quadruple sculls, the WJ14 quads, the WJ16 double sculls, the WJ15 double scul, the WJ16 single sculls and the senior women’s novice sculls.