TREASURE aplenty was seized by York City Rowing Club at its spring regatta which attracted 178 crews to a flotilla of races over the 800 metres-long course on the River Ouse above Lendal Bridge.

The biggest success was in the women’s novice coxed fours, where the York crew of Jilly Charlesworth, Amy Newton, Laurel Walsh, Sarah Mercer and cox Rachel Cubitt won through to the final.

They fought a close duel to prevail against a Leicester University crew by one and a half lengths. Charlesworth and Newton only started rowing seven months ago.

An all-York final was another highlight of the day.

The men’s eights draw delivered a clash in the final between the senior men’s crew and a junior crew (18 years and under).

To reach the final the seniors excelled to beat St John’s College, Durham, with the juniors ousting a much-fancied Yarm School J18 line-up.

The all-York showdown did not disappoint as the juniors displayed technical skill and impressive boat speed to take a slender lead off the start.

Despite a hard fight by the seniors, the juniors of Ed Hunter, James Kelly, James Turton, Ed Press, William Holford, Chris Burgess, Ed Etheridge, Ethan McGahon and cox Robyn Inglis, won by almost a boat length.

There were numerous other wins for the club’s junior section.

Sophie Heldt - fresh from her bronze medal in the previous week’s inter-regional championships at Nottingham - comfortably triumphed in the girls’ J15 single sculls.

She then teamed up with Georgia Gourlay, Sarah Hyde, Charlotte Holford and cox Emily Whitaker to win the women’s J15 coxed quadruple sculls.

Lucy Edmunds also won two medals - the girls’ J14 single sculls and also the mixed J14 coxed quads event with Harry Whitaker, Grace Richmond, Alto Van Outersterp and cox Hannah Turner.

In his first regatta since returning to the club, former captain Iain Edmondson helped to secure wins in the masters coxed fours and quad sculls events.

The men’s masters eight of Martin Walsh, Hugh Dawick, Michael Porte, Chris Jones, Dave Turley, Neil Paveley, Dave Heffernan, Dave Powell and cox Robyn Inglis were victorious in their event.

There were also wins for the women’s masters scullers with Paula Widdowson winning the WMasA/D handicap single sculls, then combining with Hilary Howe in the WMas C/D double sculls, where they were beaten in an exciting final by club-mates Liz Porte and Susan Clarke.

The oldest competitors at 75 years of age, Phil Stubley and Bob Jones, were successful for the York club in the Mas E/I Handicap double sculls.

The next rowing event on the River Ouse will be the Summer Regatta, run by York City Rowing Club on Sunday, June 22.

Before then York City members will be competing in a number of regional regattas and events, most notably a large contingent racing at the National Masters Regatta at the National Watersports Centre at Nottingham, a week on Sunday, on May 18.