MONMOUTH Rowing Club boats hit a hot streak over the summer months to bring home a haul of pots.

The Wye club travelled to the River Taff for Llandaff Regatta and won nine trophies.

Lenny Colling, Steve Randell, Colin Lewis, Eric Froggatt and cox Kathryn Lewis beat the host club in day one’s 1,000m event by a canvas - about six feet - to win their Masters C (average age over 42) final, while Colling also added over 36 singles by a length from his Abingdon opponent.

The women’s MC four of Liz Lewis, Gabby Miles, Mandy Donegan, Susy Judd and cox Jayne Smith overcame a time handicap at the start to beat Worcester by one length, while Fin Waters proved two lengths too hot to handle in the sunshine, seeing off his older City of Swansea opponent in the under 14 singles.

On day two in driving rain in the 500m sprint, Monmouth’s MB (over 36) four of Paul Bezani, Colin Lewis, Steve Randall, Nick Hartland and cox Kathryn Lewis beat Hereford by half a length, a winning margin matched by Huw Williams, Paul Bezani, Colin Lewis, Peter Kelsall and cox Kathryn Lewis to take MD (over 50) fours from the same club.

Teenager Kirsten Challis took women’s novice singles by three lengths from Hereford again, while the women’s novice MB four of Elaine Theaker, Fizzy Waite, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Amanda Snelson and cox Liz Lewis beat Bristol Ariel by 1L.

And the club made it nine wins in a dramatic mixed masters eights final with City of Swansea, as the Tawe club’s bow crabbed with just feet in it 100m from the line, allowing Monmouth to race away to victory by one-and-a-half lengths.

The crew was Elaine Theaker, Fizzy Waite, Sarah Kirkpatrick, Amanda Snelson, Alasdair Kirkpatrick, Mike Smith, Rob Maloney, John Palmer and cox Kathryn Lewis.

British Championship gold medallist Tom Penny made a winning return from injury with a hat-trick at Bewdley Regatta, taking masters handicap singles over 800m by one-and-a-half lengths after overhauling his Northwich opponent’s head start.

In the sprint, he took the elite title by two-and-a-half lengths from his Northampton rival, and again overhauled the Northwich sculler to take masters handicap singles, this time by one length.

Also on the River Severn at Stourport Regatta, Monmouth’s MF (over 60) eight found themselves trailing by half a length to Worcester at half-way over 1100m, but burst through in a grandstand finish to grab victory on the line by a canvas.

The crew was John Benson, Mike Rogers, Peter Scott, John Nicholls, Harry Beach, Paul Bezani, Pete Kelsall, Huw Williams and cox Trish Carswell. 

Tom Penny continued his fine run of form, winning elite singles over the longer course from his London-based Quintin opponent, who was disqualified 200m from the line when he clashed into the Wye man who had a narrow lead. 

Any doubts about Penny’s supremacy were dispelled the next day when he beat the same opponent in the sprint by one length before taking the pot in the final from a Stourport sculler by two lengths.