NORTHWICH Rowing Club’s juniors proved they can match the best of the rest in the country at last week’s National Schools’ Regatta, winning four medals.

Beth Willford-Dutton won silver in the under 16s girls’ single sculls, while a junior men’s quad finished as runners-up too in their boat class.

A pair of bronze gongs followed for Northwich in the under 18s boys’ double sculls and under 16s boys’ coxed fours.

“Our little club was higher in the medal table than some of the top rowing schools,” said captain Rachel Hooper.

“It looks like our junior boys’ quad has a strong summer ahead, while it was fantastic to see a junior girl on the podium too.”

Sam Harte, Leon Langmead, George Lawton and Harry Blake classified second behind champions Sir William Borlase’s School in a fiercely-contested championship quad sculls final.

Neighbours Grange School, with Matthew Roe, Jonny Glover, Scott Ozsanlav-Harris and Matt Strickland-Baker on board, were sixth in the same race.

Langmead and Lawton then teamed up to place third, from a field of 44 crews, in the championship double sculls final against rivals who have represented Great Britain this season.

Grange duo Ozsanlav-Harris and Strickland Baker missed out on the final by half a length.

Meanwhile George Crouchley, Lawrence Williams, Matthew Radford, Rhys Coffey and cox Tom Swithenbank claimed a bronze medal in the under 16s boys’ coxed fours.

Third fastest in a time trial, they progressed behind eventual winners King’s College Wimbledon from their semi final the same day.

Willford-Dutton rowed with maturity to finish behind victor Lucy Glover (Warrington) in the under 16s girls’ single sculls final.

Earlier, she had won her semi final after classifying second overall in a time trial.

Hooper added: “We won more medals than last year, and had more people at the top end of the event.

“That’s all down to the hard work of our athletes and volunteer coaches.”

Grange sent nine boats to the National Water Sports Centre, in Nottingham.

An under 14s girls’ eight reached the semi finals, while Ben Holt narrowly missed out on a place in the final in the under 17s boys’ single sculls after ranking sixth in a time trial.

In the championship girls’ double sculls, Katherine Owen and Ilona Webb were half a second short of a semi-finals spot.

Rosie Colton, Helen Owen, Izzy Highett and Poppy Howe bowed out after a time trial in the championship girls’ quad sculls.