WARRINGTON Rowing Club will have a crew at the Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in their history today, Thursday.

Tom Pearson, Chris Johnstone, Mike Pownall and James Whitehead will compete in the Fawley Challenge Cup - a quadruple sculls event with an age limit of 19 - and will face an Argentinian crew from Tigre Boat Club in the first round.

The quartet reached the biggest club rowing event in the world after staving off quality competition in qualifying, which was also held on the Henley course in Oxfordshire on Friday.

Facing 50 crews from the UK, Australia, the USA, Norway and Argentina, alphabetical order meant the Warrington rowers had to start at the back of the pack but they produced the best performances of their lives to finish in the top 24 on the 2,000-metre course.

The Henley Royal Regatta runs until Sunday and victory against the Argentinians will give the Warrington crew a second-round clash with Sir William Borlase’s and Leander.

Warrington Rowing Club also enjoyed success at the Ironbrige Regatta on the River Severn at the weekend, winning five events.

Mathew Spence and Phil Lyons emerged victorious from the boys’ junior 16 double sculls 1,000m race.

Sam Edwards and Alastair Young won the boys’ junior 16 double sculls 500m sprint, while Sam Holder, Tom Leather, Rory O’Connor, Ed Sims and cox Alison Bailey won the junior 15 quadruple sculls over the same distance.

Gael Tavernier teamed up with Runcorn Rowing Club’s Val Edwards to win the women’s senior three double sculls 1,000m event, while Jenni Pearson won the girls’ junior 16 double sculls 1,000m race with Runcorn’s Amy Grieve.