BEWDLEY Rowing Club were celebrating as they won gold at the world-renowned Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in a decade.

The Masters C crew of Kim Martyn Smith, Jean Main, Jane Chiswell and Helen Hugo defeatedMilton Keynes to seal first place and avenge their loss at the National Masters Championships.

They were coxed by Bewdley captain Kat Carlyle, who was delighted with the crew’s impressive display performance.

She said: “The crew started strongly, but the deciding factor was going to the middle part of the race.

“It was then that Bewdley settled in to a good rhythm and slowly increased their lead to win by two-thirds of a length.”

Henley Royal Regatta is the best known event of its kind in the world and is both one of the highlights of the summer sporting calendar and the social season.

It attracts thousands of visitors over a five-day period and spectators were thrilled by over 200 races of an international standard, including Olympians and crews new to the event.

Earlier at the British Rowing Masters Championships in Nottingham the same four women joined Mike Parker, John Hinton, Paul Carpenter and Nick Hinton to form a mixed Masters C8 crew, who enjoyed an easy win in their first outing as a full crew.

And there was gold for the Women’s Masters C IM3 double of Sally Levell and Zoe Benson, who put the crowning glory to their hard winter’s training over the winter months.

For Bewdley this the highest number of wins the club has enjoyed at national level in a number of years.

Meanwhile, the club are stepping up preparations for the Bewdley Regatta, which is being held on the weekend of July 25-26.

One of the highlights of the event, which is the club’s biggest of the year, is the sprint eights.

The race, sponsored by The Mughouse, was hailed a huge success after their inaugural outing last year.

For more details about Bewdley Regatta, go to: www.bewdleyrc.co.uk