EMILY Ford has won a medal at the World Rowing Under 23s Championship for the second successive year, taking silver with Great Britain’s women’s eight.

The former Grange School student, who returned from the 2015 edition with bronze as part of a women’s four, helped her crew to second spot behind defending champions USA in Friday’s A final at Rotterdam.

With the favourites pulling clear after 500m, Ford and company battled to be runners-up with rivals from Russia and New Zealand.

They boat moved through the gears over the next 1,000m, putting close to a boat-length between them and the others.

And they saved enough energy to resist a late surge from the Russians.

“We’re really pleased,” said Lauren Fisher, the British crew’s coach, said afterwards.

“We wanted to win, but we knew that was a tough ask against the Americans. Maybe next year.”

Ford, a student at Newcastle University, was joined in the boat by Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne, Alice Bowyer, Chloe Brew, Holly Hill, Madeline Badcott, Anna Thornton, Heidi Long and cox Sasha Adwani.

They trailed USA in a heat on Sunday, securing their place in the final after winning a repechage the following morning.

Ford, 21, learned to row on the River Weaver in Northwich.

She later became captain of Grange School’s Rowing Club, and made her international debut for Great Britain at the Munich Regatta for juniors in 2012.

A trip to the Australian Youth Olympic Festival the following January yielded two medals; one silver, the other bronze.

Also on Friday, Northwich Rowing Club’s George Lawton narrowly missed out on a place in the semi finals of the men’s double scull.

Together with Rory Harris (Pangbourne College), he battled to fourth in the first quarter final on the Willem-Alexander Baan course.

They won their heat on Wednesday in style, but found themselves off the pace as crews from Italy and Turkey assumed early control.

Lawton and Harris were left to race Ronan Byrne and Daire Lynch, representing Ireland, and there was nothing to separate them after 1,500m.

However the Irish duo were able to take the last semi-final spot in the closing stages.