MONMOUTH’s rowers proved masterful at the British veteran championships yet again, with a 14-medal haul that placed them third out of 128 clubs in the Victor Ludorum.

The Wye outfit landed seven gold, five silver and two bronze medals at Nottingham’s National Water Sports Centre, with Mark Stewart-Woods finishing the two-day British Rowing Masters Regatta as most successful rower, with five golds and a silver.

The first of his medals came in over 42 championship quadruple sculls, as James Allison, Lenny Colling, Stewart-Woods and Laurence Morgan came home 3/4L clear of Bewl Bridge in their six-boat final.

Tom Penny then added bronze in the men’s over 27 championship singles, holding off the Twickenham sculler by the same margin, before Allison, Eric Froggatt, Colin Lewis and Paul Bezani raced to Novice over 50 quad sculls gold from London’s Team Keane by a length.

Stewart-Woods and Colling led their over 42 six-lane championship double sculls final at half-way, but had to settle for silver as they were just pipped on the line by Wallingford by a canvas.

And with only a gold medal on offer, the over 42 novice four of Paul Joyner, Gwyn Bradley, Chris Wynn, James Zorab and cox Katherine Lewis fought out an epic battle with Upton before losing by just 0.16secs - about two feet.

But Froggatt, Morgan, Colling and Penny struck silver in the over 36 quads, 3/4L behind a Peterborough/Star/Leicester composite.

And World Masters champion Stewart-Woods was back on the gold standard in the over 42 singles final, racing into a 2L lead at halfway and then cruising in 3/4L up on his nearest Imperial College challenger.

Next day, Monmouth’s over 42 Intermediate four of Rob Maloney, Mike Smith, John Palmer, Alasdair Kirkpatrick and cox Hannah Glasson proved 3L too quick for Maidenhead to take gold.

And next up, the club made it five wins in eight years in the over 42 Championship 8s, as Allison, Nick Hartland, Jon Keyte, Colling, Simon Lee, Stewart-Woods, Morgan, Froggatt and cox Lizzie Grose grabbed an early lead to storm home 1/2L clear of Agecroft.

Colin Lewis, Bezani, Scott Hazledine, Huw Williams and cox Katherine Lewis beat Gloucester by 3/4L to take bronze in IM over 50 fours.

And Allison, Colling, Lee and Stewart-Woods were back on the gold standard in short order to retain the over championship 42 coxless fours title, coming home 1 1/2L clear of London RC.     

The other half of the eight, Morgan, Hartland, Keyte and Froggatt, held off Bradford-on-Avon/Upper Thames by 2/3L to take over 50 silver behind Tyrian’s former Henley Royal medalists.

And Colin Lewis, Bezani, Hazledine, Williams and cox Katherine Lewis matched them adding silver to their earlier bronze in over 55 IM coxed fours, ahead of Worcester.

With tiredness taking its toll after a long two days’ racing for many club members, there was disappointment for the over 42 championship coxed four who lost out by 2L to Upper Thames in a gold-only three-horse final.

But Patricia Carswell, Karen Stewart-Woods, Liz Lewis, Sam Tod and cox Gail Adams beat Milton Keynes and Star Club to silver behind York in the Championship over 50 women’s coxed fours - meaning that husband, wife and daughter Colin, Liz and Katherine Lewis had all medalled.

And finally Stewart-Woods made it a high five of golden success with Hartland, Keyte, Froggatt and cox Glasson, going with early leaders Upper Thames and bursting through in the third quarter to take victory by 1/2L in the over 50 coxed fours, in a race where only three seconds covered the first five home.

Full Masters results are available at www.masterschamps.org/Photos by Ben Rodford Photography. More pictures at http://benrodford.photoshelter.com