ROWING: Flying Stourport Boat Club got off to a tremendous start to their new season with nine wins.

In almost storm-like weather conditions, Worcester Rowing Club's Small Boats Head took place on the River Severn with a traditionally strong entry from Stourport.

The Elite Double Scull of Don Taylor and Simon Brown raced into second place, losing by 10 seconds over the three-mile course to the event winners from Evesham.

But perhaps not showing their full potential was the Men's Senior III Coxed Four of Andy Hough, Stuart Peace, Paul Danby and Tim Haywood, coxed by Carol Hough, who will surely improve as the season progresses.

Other entries in the morning division were all in Single Sculls with new member Geoff Howcroft- Simms, a former national champion, impressing.

Howcroft-Simms took the Senior I event by little over five seconds from Speecum of Warwick.

Bruce Dorrell finished strongly among most of his opponents in Senior II Singles but all trailed convincing winner Prestige of Burton Leander Rowing Club.

In Women's Sculls, Becky Stackhouse, only a novice last season, took the Senior III event by nine seconds in the steadily worsening conditions.

The afternoon division saw the improving Phil Beard easily take the Elite Singles event in a time which was 14th fastest overall out of 165 competitors in total on the day.

Unbeaten, the Veteran C Coxed Four of Gary Davis, Mark Bytheway, Pete Lashford and Bob Jones, again coxed by C Hough, beat the host club Worcester and Upton easily.

The win was quickly followed by victory in Senior II Singles for Duncan Gwilliam by 17 seconds.

Finishing last season with three wins in as many days, Rupert Conway continued in winning ways for the J15 Sculling event, recording an excellent time.

Siobhan Adams, still only a junior, beat her opponent from Gloucester by over a minute in the Women's Single Sculls.

The result was surely a good indicator of Adams' intentions for the coming season, while training companions Debbie Taylor and Jaqui Whorton won in Senior II Doubles.

The final victory came when Tom Edwards was the fastest of three scullers in the Veteran D event.

It was some consolation after losing an event by five seconds in Chester the previous week when he had to row the outside of a bend to miss a cruiser.