Six women rowers from South Wales secured a bronze medal for the coxed quad, and an A-final placing in the singles event, at the British Rowing Offshore Championships held in Saundersfoot, last month.

The course for Saturday’s finals was shortened to 4k (from 6k) due to the heavy swell and strong winds which made conditions very challenging.

The quad of Amy Lawrence, Tyenne Morgan, Sarah Parker, and Alison Morris, racing for Llanion Warriors, were coxed by Caroline Williams from Carmarthen Rowing Club.

They went into the race with the confidence of having won the Welsh Offshore Championships in May, but being pitched against strong crews from around the country there were no guarantees.

A boat-stopping clash shortly after the start of the race proved a challenge but the Warriors crew quickly regrouped and made good progress to the first buoy.

The 1.3k strait at the top of the course proved hard for everyone and the women were in 5th place as they turned down to the slalom section of the course.

Some superb steering by the coxswain Caroline pushed the women from fifth to third place, which they managed to hold to the finish coming in to cheers from their supporters and a Bronze Medal.

The quad, who do most of their training as members of Wiseman’s Bridge Rowing Club, use equipment supplied by Welsh Rowing as part of the Welsh Sculling Hub, based in Saundersfoot Harbour.

In the Women’s Singles event Bryony Jones secured a place in the A-Final having come third in her heat the previous day, but sadly was out of the medal placings with an eighth-place finish. Bryony also raced in the mixed-double to B-Final second place.

The British Rowing Offshore Championships and Beach Sprints on Sunday, June 26 were test events for the World Coastal Championships in October which will be held in Saundersfoot.

Full details are at www.britishrowing.org