FORMER Greenhill School sculler, Philippa Turner and partner Fern Cotterill added to their impressive record by taking the gold medal at the prestigious National Schools Regatta.

Rowing for Wycliffe College at WJ16 level, this combination took silver in 2002 and were determined to go one better.

Confidence was high but winning the National Sch-ools is always the hardest national competition to win as all of the British crews are entered together with the cream of the rowing world.

The Wycliffe duo qualified from their heat easily with Grange School the main threat with Tideway Scullers the outsiders.

The girls again showed their class and matched their first round time over the first 500m that enabled them to control the race leading Grange by two lengths.

Grange used all of their power to try and get on terms but eventually lost by three-quarters of a length with a strong Headington in third.

Wycliffe had controlled their heats superbly but now it was a question of who wanted gold the most.

Wycliffe were favourites and again blasted off the start in exactly the same time as in previous heats but this time were a canvas down at 500m to Sir William Borlase.

Queen Elizabeth HS were a length down in third place at 500 but were destined to get the bronze medal six lengths down on the winners. Wycliffe took the initiative at 1000m when they led by half-a-length and this was reduced to a third by 1500m.

Turner and Cotterill saw them coming and responded in emphatic style to win by almost a length to take their first gold medal at this, the ultimate of National events, and win the Simon Sears Cup last won by Wycliffe in 1998.