TWO rowing enthusiasts have been honoured for their dedication to the sport.

Mark Perkins, from Malvern Link, and Stourport's Fred Caswill scooped prizes at the Amateur Rowing Association's annual awards ceremony.

He was named senior club rowing coach of the year at the Warwick University bash, while Caswill collected his gong for work with juniors at Stourport Boat Club.

Perkins, 49, who coaches at both Worcester Rowing Club and Hereford Rowing Club, received his award from Jurgen Grobler, coach of Great Britain's Olympic gold medal-winning team.

"I was delighted because you put in all the hard work and you don't expect any recognition so it's nice to be recognised nationally," he said.

"It was presented to me by Jurgen Grobler which was brilliant. It was nice to have congratulations from all the national coaches."

The chiropodist, who has started a rowing programme at Malvern Girls' College, has enjoyed tremendous success in the last few years.

He was the mastermind behind the individual successes of local athletes Jane Fisher and Claire Vincent.

Worcester Rowing Club's Fisher, who nominated Perkins for the top award, won the national veterans championships in 2003 at both A and B level.

Vincent won the elite singles sculls at Henley Women's Regatta last year.

Back in 2002, Perkins coached four of the West Midlands' best female rowers to the women's quadruple sculls at the senior inter-regional championships. That crew then went on to reach the semi-finals in the popular event at Henley.

The same year also saw him lead an England women's quadruple sculls team to a silver medal at the Commonwealth Regatta after just four weeks together.

More recently, in 2004, Perkins prepared a Hereford and Worcester women's coxed four team for the Henley Regatta.

Faster

Although the team was beaten in the first round, they bettered the course record and were faster than the elite coxless fours and quad winners.

Caswill, 59, has been an integral figure at Stourport since arriving from London in the late 1960s and was a successful club oarsman, winning a major pennant in the annual fours head on the River Thames.

He started the club's junior coaching more than 20 years ago and they can now boast one of the strongest sections in the country under Caswill, Peter Lloyd and Duncan Gwilliam.

As well as helping his daughters, Paula and Joanne, to national success, Caswill's influence helped Rupert Conway and Ashley Price romp away with the junior double sculls last year.