NEWPORT Rowing Club spearheaded the first of two scheduled rounds of the River Medina Time Trials against other rival Island clubs.

Rowers raced on the 3.3km 'Head of the Medina' course in the first division, which saw participation from 12 diverse crews including fours, pairs, doubles, quads, and singles, represented by Newport, Ryde, and Shanklin Sandown rowing clubs.

Despite some turbulence from a passing cruiser, the Newport Junior 4 emerged as the fastest boat, with rowers Chris Waters, Connor Garner, Nathaniel Hamilton, Boris Hare, and coxswain Marianna Hare finishing in 15 minutes 33 seconds.

The second division followed on the shorter 1.7km course from Newport, where the tide was in the rowers' favour, leading to quicker times right across the board.

The division featured 16 entries.

For the second time, the Newport junior crew topped the event in 6mins 52.08secs.

Still, a stand-out performance came from Shanklin's Fred Giemza-Pipe, who, rowing solo, finished in 6mins 52.90secs.

In addition, Newport men's novice and women's masters crews participated in both divisions, boasting competitive times.