THREE gold medals were won by East Cambridgeshire rowers at the National Schools Regatta. Soham Village College student Ellie Milne, 15, won the Junior Girls 15 Coxed Quad Sculls race and rowers from the King s School, who hadn t won a gold in the event f

THREE gold medals were won by East Cambridgeshire rowers at the National Schools Regatta.

Soham Village College student Ellie Milne, 15, won the Junior Girls 15 Coxed Quad Sculls race and rowers from the King's School, who hadn't won a gold in the event for 18 years, won two races.

Milne, from Isleham, is a member of the Isle of Ely Rowing Club and teamed up with four St Neots rowers who raced a 2,000m course three times.

A successful time trial earned them a favoured lane in the semi-final, which they won.

They were in last position at the 500m mark in the final but powerful sculling got them into second place by the halfway stage. From there, they powered their way to the finish to win by three seconds from the City of Oxford with Henley Rowing Club in third.

King's School Ely's James Scott won the J15 Sculls and together with schoolmates Laurence Dugdale, Max Hutchins, Robert Deamer and cox Edward Cumberland, won the J15 Quad.

Scott, from Burwell, destroyed a high class field in his final, winning by four seconds with 3mins 32secs for the 1,000 metre course.

In the final of the J15 Quad, the favourites, George Watson College, got off to a poor start, which was spotted by the King's crew who held their starting sprint for 40 strokes instead of 20. Only Tiffin School was able to stay with them.

At 1,500m, the King's crew were only 0.3 seconds ahead. With 400m to go, Tiffin got their bows in front but King's turned on the afterburners and won by 1.2 seconds - about half-a-length - finishing on 7.03.42.