A SUB-15 minute time from Chadbury Lock to Evesham Rowing Club has only been achieved once before in the history of the Evesham Head of the River - back in 1994 by a duo named Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave!

Last Saturday it was the turn of a Senior III men's crew from Bedford RC to go under that mark over the 4,000m course.

The visiting crew set a record breaking time of 14 minutes and 53 seconds for a coxless quad, more than a minute faster than the next best set by a Senior III coxed four from RGS Worcester.

Evesham's veterans were on top form in the perfect conditions and they produced four record breaking wins.

Norman Baldwin and Bryan Hay clocked 17.09 in the men's veteran D double then teamed up with Rob Buckley and Phil Grainger in the veteran D Four, coxed by Dan Barnes, and broke another course record with a time of 16.39.

Tina Bonham and Teresa Roberts beat crews from Gloucester and Bedford to win the women's Senior II double in 17.29, while husband and wife Dave and Pauline Pollard, rowing at veteran D, set a record of 21.28.

Rowing at women's Senior III, teenagers Emma Purfield and Sara Howe set a record of 19.09 in the coxless pair.

The club also won the women's Senior II coxed four with Cherrie Gayton, Maxine Emes, Chloe Farrar and Becky Wood, coxed by Tash Symonds, overcoming strong crews from Warwick, Stourport and Bedford, to win by three seconds in 17.47.

Junior rowers won a good crop of medals. J18 Ali Gregory took just 17 minutes to row the course in a single scull, setting a record to take first place.

Abi Penrose, rowing women's Junior 15, clocked 20.35 in a single to set yet another record.

Tom Walker didn't smash any records but did win the J16 single scull in a time of 17.53.

The J15 single sculls saw another local success with Will Tew's time of 18.04 proving the best on the day and relegating clubmates Rory Sullivan and Oli Staite) to second and third respectively.

At J14, the double of Ben and Jon Farrar rowed to victory in a time of 18.28.