OXFORD Boat Race Blue cox Jack Tottem will have his hands on the tiller when he steers the GB women's rowing eight at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai this week.

The GB crew has had a great season, taking the European title in Bulgaria before adding World Cup Regatta gold in Italy.

Old Monmothian Jack, who comes from Devauden, was part of the Monmouth School crew which scored Schools’ Head and National Schools’ class wins in 2019, and which included future GB World U23 gold medallists Robbie Prosser and Iwan Hadfield.

The Wye cox then steered Oxford to victory in the 167th Boat race in 2022, forcing Cambridge wide at the start of the Dark Blues’ Surrey bend before going on to win by 2 1/4L.

And he has made his way into the senior GB team this year, having previously steered the GB women’s 8 to fourth in the 2023 World U23 Championships in Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, Robbie rowed last month in a GB 8 at the Schleswig-Holstein Netz Cup in Germany, which included a four-boat 12.7km side-by-side race on the Kiel Canal watched by 80,000 spectators.

The GB development boat finished third in 37 mins 41 secs behind two German national boats and ahead of the Netherlands, which was also the result in a 350m sprint.

Meanwhile, Jack and his crew, containing several Olympic medallists, start their worlds campaign with a heat against USA, Poland, Germany and Italy on Thursday (September 25), with the final on Saturday (September 27), and all races live-streamed on worldrowing.com

Meanwhile, attention on the Wye switches to the first time-trial race of the autumn/winter season this Sunday (September 28) with the Monmouth Autumn Head of the River.

Conditions look good following last year's high water cancellation, with more than 150 boats entered to race from Hadnock to the clubhouse in three divisions, at 10.30am, 1pm and 3.30pm.