WYE rowers headed to the Thames in London at the weekend for three championship head of the river races over the reverse Boat Race course.

In Saturday's 432-boat Fours Head, Old Monmothian world medal cox Jack Tottem steered a Leander boat containing fellow Wales caps Katherine George and Georgie Robinson-Ranger to women's championships fours glory, crossing in 20mins 11.2 secs to beat Molesey into second by 4.6 seconds.

Fellow OM and world U23 gold medallist Robbie Prosser from Crickhowell, fresh from winning the first 5k GB senior trials race at Boston in his pair, finished just one second off third in men’s championship coxless fours with his Leander boat, placing fifth in 18.46.4.

Former Monmouth Comprehensive pupil Tom Powell, who also rowed for Wales’ men in the summer’s Home Countries Regatta, was on board the Imperial College boat that won the senior academic coxless four class, racing home in 18.57.0, five seconds faster than club class winners Thames RC, to beat Westminster School into second by 12 seconds.

Monmouth’s Evan Whittal-Williams and Oli Partridge rowing for Hereford RC also placed eighth out of 37 in the men’s club coxed fours, crossing in 19.51.9.

And George Knight, also racing for Hereford, was 15th out of 32 in the club quadruple sculls, coming home in 19.56.0.

Monmouth RC's masters rowers were out in force in Sunday's Veteran Fours Head over the same 4.25-mile stretch, with three boats in action racing from Mortlake to Putney in challenging gusty conditions.

And the C (average age over 42) quadruple scull of Alex Butler, Athens Olympian Tim Male, Jamie Coombes, and former Monmouth School rowing master David Blackham – whose family own Llangorse Lake – roared home in the sixth fastest time of the day to take their class, crossing in 20 minutes 14.7 seconds to beat Cambridge University BC’s alumni club Crabtree into second by nine seconds.

Abergavenny vet Nick Hooton, Toby Harding, Alex Mitchell from Penpergwm, Colin Lewis, and cox Bonita Birkett also came home third in the MF (over-60) men’s coxed fours in the 260-boat time-trial, finishing 81st overall in 22.45.7 behind class winners Upper Thames (22.08.9) and second-placed Poole (22.39.9).

Not to be outdone, the ladies coxless ME (over-55) four of Louise Allison, Maggie Hickland, Sue Smith and Liz Lewis were third out of nine in their age-group despite a clash of blades with another boat early on costing them some vital seconds.

They finished 151st overall in 23.54.6 behind a Thames composite (23.15.9) and York City (23.35.1),

The weekend kicked off with the new Junior Fours Head over the same course on Friday.

Former Monmouth Comprehensive pupil Eleanor Lawrence-Preston, who won world U19 silver in the summer when still only 16 after winning the girls’ school and junior quads at Henley Royal Regatta, was on board the Wycliffe boat starting first in the girls' championship quads.

It was nip and tuck all the way with Marlow starting right behind them, but it was the Thames boat who sneaked it on the line by just 1.3 seconds, crossing in 20.45.9.

But Monmouth RC’s Sebastian Lee stroked the Shiplake U16 boys’ quadruple scull to class victory in a 17-boat field, the Whitebrook 15-year-old’s boat crossing 20 seconds clear of Abingdon School in second in 20.28.6.

Haberdashers’ Monmouth’s A U16 quad were 10th in 21.28, their B boat 16th in 22.32, their championship girls’ quad 40th in class in 23.07, and their girls' U16 quad 21st in 24.44.

Meanwhile, Monmouth RC are keeping fingers crossed that the Wye drops enough for their annual Winter Head race on December 6.

The clubhouse gym was flooded in the weekend deluge, but members were out in force on Monday clearing up.