YORK City Rowing Club's Junior Quadruple Scull team put on a gutsy performance in the Fawley Challenge Cup but lost out to the eventual winners in the second round.

They were knocked out by the Windsor Boys' School, who went on to retain their title with a record-breaking time in the final at the Henley Royal Regatta.

Henley Royal Regatta is considered the highlight of the rowing calendar and attracts crews from around the world to race head-to-head on the Thames.

The YCRC junior quad of Luca Machado, Aiden Wilson, Alfie Hancock and Josh Barwick raced to qualify for the knockout stages of their event, claiming one of only nine qualifying spots from a field of 49.

In the first round they were drawn against Hampton School, a school with a strong rowing pedigree.

The York quad edged out a lead of half a length over Hampton in the first part of the race, and held their nerve and form to maintain this lead to the line and the next round, becoming the third YCRC juniors to progress past this point at Henley.

The second round saw the YCRC quad line up alongside the 2017 winners and 2016 finalists, Windsor Boys' School. The York boys dug deep all the way to the finish to hold the champions to account, but Windsor showed their determination to hold on to their title by taking the race.

A spokesperson for the club said: "Many congratulations to the quad for their commitment, maturity, and excellent performance at the world-famous regatta in the face of stiff opposition, to Phil Jones and the rest of the junior coaching team at YCRC, and to all those who support junior rowing at YCRC.

"It's been a fantastic season, and our juniors on both sides have done the club proud with their hard work and dedication."