Slaney makes history on boat race course

Nick Hartland on 24/06/2012

Welsh rower Sophie Slaney became only the second ever winner of the biggest women's race in the world, the Women's Eights Head over the reverse Boat Race course.

Rebecca Rowe won the 4.25 mile time trial in 2007 in a Great Britain star crew containing the likes of triple Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger.

But with the top internationals gearing up towards London 2012, it was a truly club event this year, with former GB junior cap Slaney's Thames RC boat heading the 299-boat field by six seconds from Swiss outfit Zurich in 20 minutes 10 seconds.

Cardiff University produced their best ever performance to win the Intermediate Three class by six seconds from London University in 21.10mins, finishing 23rd overall.

Before the race, involving 2,691 competitors, Slaney gave a pep talk to the crew from her former school Haberdashers' Monmouth, dressed in her old school kit, and it inspired the Under-16 outfit to finish third out of 40 in the novice academic class and 132nd overall in 22.58mins.

Meanwhile, Cardiff University's Eight set the benchmark time at the annual Cardiff Head of the Taff from the Millennium Stadium to Cardiff Bay, but they weren't the quickest on paper.

That honour went to Monmouth RC's British veteran championship medallists, who benefited from a 37-second handicap by being over 50s, to finish eight seconds up in 11.22mins.

The vets real time of 11.59mins still pipped Monmouth School's first eight by one second in the first division, but the juniors, containing several Welsh junior caps, went quicker the second time down, finishing in 11.46mins.

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