It's official. Evesham Rowing Club boasts the best junior indoor section in the country.

They left the 2000 British Championships last Sunday with five medals and, for the second year running, both Andrew Walker and Crystal MacLeod scooped gold.

Rowing on the type of ergometers found in rowing clubs and gymnasiums, the 1800 competitors, including 19 from Evesham, raced against the clock over 2000m.

With the top 15 entrants in each event linked to a large computer screen, the hundreds of spectators could see Walker in second place at halfway.

Pulling back with each stroke, he came level with Brownley from Kings School, Chester with 200m remaining.

As the rowers matched each other stroke for stroke, it was the final push that secured a half-a-second win for the local lad in a new British J14 Championship record time of six minutes and 40.3 seconds.

MacLeod, the current women's junior 15 gold medalist, again beat competition which included entrants from Lady Eleanor Holles BC, Lancaster and Upper Thames to win gold in the J16 event in a new personal best time of 7.18.3. It was her third successive gold.

In the women's J13, Philippa Turner led the Evesham contingent by winning a silver medal, knocking eight seconds off her personal best.

Vicky Dyster and Mary Dixon both finished in the top 10, Tiz Shrimpton and Sarah Fisher in the top 20 with Kate Wilkinson and Sarah Bigg not far behind.

The men's J13 event saw the first championship outing for Tim Messant and he didn't disappoint as he pulled in a silver medal.

Ewan Baird clipped 25 seconds off last year's personal best and beat reigning champion Luke Zakrzewski in the men's J15, but had to be satisfied with silver behind Merchant from Bewdley.

Unluckiest loser for the second year running was Katherine Scott as she thought she'd claimed bronze in the J14, only to be placed fourth, less than half-a-second outside a medal, but content with a personal best.

Relatively recent additions to the junior squad, Dimitrij Phoursa and Alexander Gregory had a titanic battle in the men's J16 finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

The women's J15 event saw Claire Yates finish a creditable seventh with Holly Carter just outside the top 20.

Steve Redgewell rowed a time a little outside his personal best to finish eighth in the men's J18 heavyweight event.

The senior section was represented by Karen Baldwin who finished ninth in the women's 40-44 event and Steve Baldwin who finished just outside the top 20 in the corresponding men's event.