YORK City Rowing Club have named their new sculling boat “Sally Downing” after one of their most successful junior members for many years.

Having won numerous medals at national level, Downing was selected to represent Great Britain in 2015 at the Munich Junior International Regatta, where she won a bronze medal in the double scull event.

Following that outstanding performance, Downing gained selection for the Junior World Rowing Championships in Rio, where she just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the same event.

Downing was also named Sportswoman of the Year at last autumn’s Active York awards and York Children’s Trust have sponsored the boat.

At the naming Trust chairman Mark Sessions stressed how keen the body are to support talented and motivated children in the city.

Junior coach Phil Jones, meanwhile, added: “I am truly grateful to the Trust for their support. It is so important for our most-talented juniors to have first-class equipment to perform at the top level, but also for all our juniors to be able to compete at their own level.”

With Downing currently injured, the boat was taken on its inaugural row by Lu Edmunds, another talented junior member.

Edmunds also represented Great Britain in last year’s European Junior Championship in Posnan, Poland, where she won a silver medal.