Falcon Rowing Club’s juniors came back with a healthy haul of trophies from the Head of the Nene at Northampton, writes John Wiggins.

Their ten wins were all in sculling boats including singles Ed Sharp (J14), Gabe Smith (J15), Martin Benfeghoul (J16), Ed Porgorski (Novice) and Cicely Lobreglio (WJ15).

Combinations of these rowers also won the doubles – Smith and Sharp (J15), Garden and Benfeghoul (J16) plus Aengus Allen and Matt Timms in the IM2 category.

In the quads, Falcon were successful in J16 with Josh Simmons and Rory Pearce helping Garden to his second victory and Benfeghoul to his third win.

Also, the coxed J15 boat triumphed for Smith (another triple trophy winner) with Joe Mullett, Lorcan Lee, Joe Bowley and cox, Ellie Bowley.

l The Quintin Head course, raced over 4600m on the incoming tide from Hammersmith Bridge and through Chiswick Bridge, takes in many of the Boat Race landmarks and was an ideal event for the Oxford University Women.

With a crew containing three returning Blues including the president, Maddy Battcock and the 2015 incumbent Anastasia Chitty, they were the fastest women’s crew, took the Elite eights and were 32nd overall.

Their B crew came second in the senior event, only five seconds behind the London University first boat and were the fourth fastest women’s crew.

Abingdon School were the third quickest boys school boat, while finishing second in the IM2 event.

l The South of England Indoor Championships, run by Hinksey Sculling School (HSS), has moved around the calendar and the county in its 13 years of action, but may now have found its time and place.

After ten years as chairman, Andrew Myatt steps aside from the event after a record 800 competitors, aged between nine and 18 from 32 schools and clubs, competed at the White Horse Leisure & Tennis Centre, Abingdon.

HSS picked up medals in eight of the 18 individual events, with gold for Beatrice Myers (WJ12), Cameron Wood (MJ12), Dearbhla Reale-Vargas (WJ14), Amelia Legard-Hoile (WJ15), William Wakefield (MJ16) and Beatrice May (WJ17).

Hinksey’s boys also triumphed in the MJ12, MJ15 and MJ17 team relays.

Despite this haul, Hinksey again had to settle for second place in the Noel Frost Victor Ludorum which went, as in 2015, to Putney High School.

Cheney School and Oxford High School, also competed, but it was City of Oxford RC who picked up the only other local medals with gold for Sinead Turner-Frick in the WJ13 individual race and silver in the WJ14 relay.