Three Oxfordshire oarsmen were in the Great Britain’s men’s eight which won silver in the World Junior Championships at Eton Dorney Lake.

John Carter, from Didcot, Wallingford’s Jamie Copus – both from Abingdon School BC – and Oxford’s Cameron MacRitchie, all 18, from St Edward’s School BC, were members of the crew which finished runners-up to Italy with Germany third.

Radley College’s Ed Bosson, from Beaconsfield, coxed the eight in the competition which doubled as the test event for next summer’s Olympic Games.

Copus said: “We’re chuffed to bits. We knew we rowed best when we were relaxed and so decided to stick to our race plan “Italy went off hard, we dug in and it was something special to go through Germany, and to get a medal is fantastic.”

Carter added: “It is a great feeling. I’ve been rowing for five years and it makes all the winter training worth it.”

Bosson, 18, who coxed the eight to fifth in the final of last year’s event, was determined to win a medal this time round.

“We were two seats down on the Germans and I said ‘we need to go now’ and the guys responded,” he commented.

Another Abingdon rower, Vassilis Ragoussis, was in the GB four, which came fourth in the B final won by Greece.

Nottingham teenager Callum Jones, from St Edward’s School BC, was also in the four.

Felix Newman, from Christmas Common, and cox Alistair Camm, from Souldern, near Bicester, were members of the coxed four which finished fifth behind Australia.

In the same boat were Radley College duo Rufus Eadie, from Oxont, Notts, and Charlie Shaw, from Waterlooville.