Ross-on-Wye's annual Festival of Rowing took place last Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

The 50 competing clubs brought with them large squads with estimates of over 1,500 rowers enjoying the highly competitive Junior and Veteran Regatta on Sunday and the main Regatta on Monday.

The Ross Junior Academy celebrated their first competitive wins with success for Rosie Lindley and Kelly Morris in the junior-11 double sculls, Livie Baynham-Williams and Georgia Jones in a composite junior quad sculls, and Pippa Jones in the junior-18 sculls.

National champion Daniel Middleton, of Dilwyn, who rows for Tideway Scullers, returned to home county waters to collect a clean sweep on the junior-14 events - singles, doubles and quads.

Monday saw more success for the home club.

The big win was the men's novice four, stroked by Adam Clements, with Tim Hanks, Matt Taylor, Wayne Bishop and cox Amy Perkins.

Their success in the final was particularly important as this was the first group of competing oarsmen to graduate through the coaching programmes as a result of the pub and club regatta.

The ladies' senior 3 eight also won. Coxed by Rhiannon Jones, the crew of Kirsty Gwynne, Pippa Jones, Malin Ericsson, Cathy Fletcher, Robin Perkins, Amelia Kinsella, Cat Clarke and Amy Perkins featured in an exciting final which produced clashing blades and a very close finish.

The Ross successes were capped off by Tim Bunting teaming up with Andy Grant to win the senior 3 double sculls.

n The Ross Regatta once again brought out some excellent performance from Hereford RC.

They collected two veteran victories on the first day.

The veteran C coxed four of Phil Hart, Richard Bissell, Rod Phillips and Keith Lawrence rounded of an excellent season by winning their event with ease. Alex Look, Angela Whitehead, Emma Bennett and Helen Phillips won the women's veteran B coxed fours.

After winning the junior-18 quad sculls, Jonathon Greenhouse, racing as a composite with Llandaff, repeated the win the following day in the senior 3 event.

He was then joined by Matt Watkins in the men's novice double sculls for his third victory of the weekend. Lucy Edwards and Juliet Simpson completed a double for Hereford by winning the women's novice double sculls with ease.

Rob Francis, Ollie Partridge, Chris Jones and Pat Griffiths, coxed by Becky Young, won the men's senior 2 coxed fours.

Partridge and Griffiths were then joined by Les Morris, Jed Greenhouse, Julie Ward, Helen Appleton, Sam Fish and Catherine Preedy to win the mixed elite eights.

n Hereford Cathedral School Boat Club also enjoyed great success at Ross Regatta with Seb Smith collecting four victories.

He won the junior-16 singles, junior open doubles with club-mate George Probert, and the junior-16 rowing pairs with Will Boyd-Thomas.

Smith and Probert then teamed up again to gain another notable success by winning the men's senior 4 double sculls.