YORK City Rowing Club will host their biggest event of the year on the River Ouse tomorrow.

The club’s annual York Small Boats Head, which will be rowed upstream over a 3,000-metre course from Fulford Ings to King’s Staith, is a major annual rowing event for the Yorkshire and Humberside region and has attracted more than 430 entries.

The Head is a time trial for all categories of sculling and rowing boats, except eights. The event is run in three separate divisions, with starts at 10am, 12.15pm and 2.30pm to allow for the large field of competitors and for some to compete in more than one category.

Many entries are from local rowing clubs including York City, University of York, University of York St John and St Peter’s School, but crews are coming from Newcastle, Nottingham and Chester.

This is the 32nd time the York Small Boats Head has been run since it was first organised in 1982 by Jon Leyne, the then vice-captain of York City Rowing Club.

Leyne, a former Yorkshire Evening Press reporter who became well known as a BBC correspondent for the Middle East, was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died in July.

York City Rowing Club enjoyed considerable success at the Head races on the Tees two weeks ago, with 16 of the club’s 31 crews winning their events.

The wins were spread across all sections – juniors, men, women and masters – and expectations are high that the York rowers can achieve similar results at their own event.

Phil Jones, York City Rowing Club secretary and organiser of the event, said: “The weather forecast looks good. I have my fingers well and truly crossed for fair weather and good river conditions.

“Previous years have seen conditions vary from sun to fog, snowstorms and strong winds.”

A club spokesman added: “The Head is quite a spectacle on the river.

“The course is easily accessible for spectators for the latter half of the course from Millennium Bridge all the way to the finish at King’s Staith.”