SIXTEEN Wye rowers will be launching out for Wales on Strathclyde's world championship course in Glasgow this Saturday.

Two senior rowers and 14 juniors from Monmouth are part of the team taking on England, Scotland and Ireland in the Home Countries International Regatta.

Monmouth Rowing Club's Stephen Griffiths will race in the men's quadruple scull and coxed four after a highly successful year with Durham University, including two golds and a silver at the British University and College (BUC) Championships.

His father John, head of rowing at Monmouth School, is also celebrating seeing five of his junior charges make the team.

It will be the fourth year in a row that Stephen has rowed for Wales, after his season kicked off with two bronze medals at the British Universities and Colleges head of the river race in Peterborough, in lightweight quads and fours, the former won despite crashing into another boat shortly before the line. 

His lightweight eight pushed Durham's heavyweights to just two seconds, finishing 33rd in Europe's biggest race – the 400-boat Tideway Head.

And then at the BUCs regatta at Nottingham, he helped Durham win the Victor Ludorum prize with golds in lightweight fours and quads, and silver in the 72kg eights.

He also qualified for Henley Royal Regatta two weeks ago, beating Hampton by four lengths in the opening round before losing out to Oxford Brookes by just over two lengths, who then lost by just six feet to event winners Nereus from Holland. 

In addition he won his university Palatine colours for racing Newcastle in the Northern Boat Race.

Former Monmouth Comprehensive School pupil Sam Royston will steer the men's team after a year coxing at the prestigious Leander Club, home of Steve Redgrave and many of GB's Olympic medal stars.

The junior team includes Monmouth School and Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls brother and sister Joel and Gabrielle Leeb Du Toit.

Monmouth School's other rowers making the trip north of the border are Freddie Dewey, Jamie Brown, Joshua Gibson and Max Weeden, joined by Monmouth Rowing Club's Rory Freeman and others from Royal Shrewsbury School, King's Chester, Llandaff and Cardiff City.

Eight girls have been picked from Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, including Aoife Gray, Charlotte Gill, Emily Strawbridge, Hannah Lincoln, Josephine Frankel and Pippa England – sister of world junior finalist Will – plus cox Hannah Green.