Oxford Brookes University hit new heights in taking the top title at the British Senior Championships at Nottingham with a win in the open eights, writes John Wiggins.

Six Brookes men’s crews took to the water for the time trials and three of them made it to the six-boat final.

The A crew, comprising under 23 internationals Morgan Bolding, Rory Gibbs and Henry Swarbrick, Italian lightweight Alin Zaharia, and senior GB oarsmen Matt Tarrant, Joel Cassells and Jamie Copus, together with under 23 cox, Harry Brightmore dominated the race.

They cruised to gold and saw their C crew win the University Pennant in fourth place.

In the women’s eights, Brookes were third behind winners Imperial College, just ahead of Oxford University in fourth.

The championships are designed primarily to enable senior international rowers to compete on British water for their home clubs.

That is not to deny the quality of the winning crews and none more so than, with strong Oxford connections, the coxless four event where former Blues Pete Reed and Constantine Louloudis teamed with St Edward’s School old boy Stewart Innes and Matt Langridge for Leander Club to win the gold medal.

Wallingford RC’s Amelia Carlton, Gemma Hall, Lisa Owen and Mary Wilson took the lightweight quad category – which the club have now won in each of the four years of the event.

This added to the Wallingford lightweight double title for GB internationals and world silver medallists, Brianna Stubbs and Ellie Piggott, who finished with a remarkable silver medal ahead of a number of senior heavyweight internationals.

l Hinksey Sculling School enjoy- ed six victories in the Evesham Junior Head of the River Race.

These included the J18 coxed four events – girls: Lottie Marshall, Izzy Defillion, Meg Cooke, Jess Wright, and cox, Holly Blyth and boys: Ed Hayden, David Myatt, Sam Carroll, Joe Elwig and cox, Poppy Marshall.

Their boys also had success in quad sculls for the J16’s (Stanley Cannons, David Anglioni, Ewart Rees and Will Wakefield) and J13’s (Nicholas Adams, Isaac Brown, Max Parkinson, Jacob Taylor and cox, JoJo Blyth).

Their other wins came in the single sculls for Archie Licuidi (J14) and Andrew Clark (J15).

l Radley College crews claimed fifth and seventh places among the 85 junior coxed fours, who took part in the Head of the Charles Regatta at Boston, Massachusetts.

Back at home, Magdalen College School achieving second place for their J18 double at the Weybridge Sculls.

Headington School picked up three second places while Abingdon RC had two runners-up positions.