YORK City Rowing Club's Anne Homa enjoyed a stunning victory at the World Masters Rowing Championship in Belgium.

Homa struck gold in the Women's C single scull event during the Hazewinkel-hosted event after a competitive final against six rival paddlers.

Denmark's Inger Koch, from Lyngby Dame RK, provided the most resistance over the 1,000m course with a delighted Homa admitting: “It was unbelievably close.

"We were side-by-side all the way through. Sometimes she was ahead and sometimes I was.

"At the 200m mark, she was half-a-length ahead, so I gave it absolutely everything and just got past her to win by centimetres.”

It was also a very successful regatta for several York crews.

The Masters D pair of Philippa Press and Karen Williams were in the lead for much of their race, but a phenomenal surge from a composite Nottingham and Tideway crew saw them just pipped at the line by 0.07 seconds.

Hugh Dawick, Michael Porte, Neil Paveley, Martin Walsh and cox Robyn Inglis were also lying third in the D coxed four final as the boats approached the final 250m before a powerful finish saw them streak past the Spanish crew to finish second, just 4.5 seconds behind the winners from Germany.

The A crew of Iain Edmondson, Ben Bollans, Gavin Campbell and Pat Evans, meanwhile, did battle with a very strong Russian crew to come a close second.

In the final day’s racing, the mixed B eight of Pat Evans, Phil Press, Campbell, Bollans, Alex Evans, Anna Heathcote, Jo Brehaut and Ali Stevens were in the lead at the half-way mark, but an international crew from Brazil and Great Britain proved just too strong in the second half, seeing the York crew lose by a narrow three seconds.

Pat Evans, club captain and member of both the A four and mixed eight, was delighted with the squad’s performance, adding: “It’s been an extraordinarily successful regatta for the club.

"In total, 25 members went to Hazewinkel, which is the first time we have ever been able to send a large squad to an event like this. We are all immensely proud of Anne’s win, but I’m also really pleased with the way so many crews stepped up to the plate and delivered their best performances ever.

"For many, like me, it was their first experience of racing abroad, but no-one was fazed, everyone gave their all and the results speak for themselves. We are a hugely successful club and it is great to see the Masters performing to such an incredibly high standard.

"It makes me immensely proud to be captain of such a successful club.”