ST EDWARD’S School youngsters got a first taste of competitive action at Birmingham Regatta with multiple success.

The 700m course, along the edge of Edgbaston Reservoir, provided one of the earliest regattas of the summer season, though the weather made it feel anything but.

The school contested 17 events and came away victorious in eight.

With three medals to his name, 14-year-old Felix Abel was the most successful, winning the single scull after rowing at stroke in the J15 eight that won both the junior and senior events against considerably older opposition.

Saskia Ward continued her run of victories with success in both the J15 single and, with Daisy Spier, the J15 double scull.

There were also victories for the J14 girls’ quad and for the older girls’ junior coxed four.

Former pupils currently on the coaching staff raced in the alumni colours of the St Edward’s Martyrs Boat Club with success for Ben Sthamer and Rupert Singfield in two separate senior single sculls events.

Head of rowing, John Wiggins was successful in the masters singles.

This weekend is one of the busiest for multi-lane events, with both the National Water Sports Centre and Dorney Lake both fully occupied.

At Dorney, the Junior Sculling Regatta takes place on Saturday, while a day later the Wallingford Regatta has attracted a huge number of entries.

Weather permitting, racing will commence at 7.30am and run continuously with ten races per hour over twelve hours.

The Nottingham course hosts the two-day university BUCS regatta, where Oxford Brookes aim to demonstrate their dominance by retaining the team trophy – and this while their first eight is racing in America for the prestigious Windermere Cup.