WARRINGTON Rowing Club’s youth men’s four crew produced a strong performance in their first overseas competition.

Mike Pownall, Chris Johnstone, Tom Pearson and James Whitehead finished 13th in hired boats in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, America, on Sunday.

Coach Richard Sinnott, who joined the crew and their families on the five-day trip, said: “The aim was to get in the top 20 and so it is a good result. All the top crews from North America were there.”

The competition and the trip were a great experience.

“It’s such a big event. The whole town turns out to watch it - I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Sinnott.

Sixteen other crews from Warrington competed in the Agecroft Small Boats Head competition on Saturday.

Five wins were achieved over the 3,250m course along the River Irwell into Salford Quays.

Despite the wind making racing conditions challenging, Ollie Brierley had a particularly successful day with two wins over the three divisions.

Brierley achieved individual success in the junior 15 singles and partnered Tom Leather to record victory in the junior 16 doubles.

There were also successes for Sian Henrys in the women’s senior four singles, Alison Bailey and Emily Clarke in the junior 16s doubles, as well as Caitlyn Anderson, Hannah Furnell, Beth Laidlaw and Claudia Wright with cox James Moss in the junior 14s coxed quad section.