WYE rowers have made a splash in major events on the Dorney Olympic regatta lake.

Last year’s winning Oxford Boat Race cox Jack Tottem steered his Leander men’s 8 to the top title at Wallingford Regatta – the first major domestic side-by-side rowing event of the season.

And a week later, the Old Monmothian was followed to victory on the London 2012 lake by former Monmouth Comprehensive pupil Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank, who took the U17 girls’ double sculls title at the Junior Sculling championship regatta.

For Wales junior star Violet, it was a third major national gold medal in just over a month, following championship girls’ 8s victory with Wycliffe in the Schools’ Head on the Thames and U17 quadruple sculls triumph days later at Dorney in the Junior Sculling Head.

Following fifth place in the world’s oldest rowing time-trial – the Head of the River for men’s 8s in London – Tottem steered his Pink Palace boat to a comprehensive four-length win in Wallingford’s Challenge 8s, beating their second string in the six-boat Blue Riband final by 10 seconds, who just pipped London RC.

Monmouth RC also had a crew in action on the 2k course, with Mark Stewart-Woods, Matt Winters, Tom Cookman and Evan Whittall-Williams racing in a 23-boat men’s club coxless fours event.

A Hereford RC boat containing Old Monmothians Alfie Wynter, Ethan Chick and Henry Fraser won their six-boat heat by six feet from Star Bedford to go straight through to the final, while Monmouth placed second out of six behind Derby in their qualifier, and then discovered they had grabbed the last slot in the second chance repechage by just five-hundreds of a second from Putney-based Vesta RC.

They rowed hard in the rep and were just a canvas down on the second qualifying slot at half way. But they had to settle for fifth at the end, a quarter of a length back on fourth-placed Worcester, which placed them ninth overall.

Hereford then raced the six-boat final, holding third at half-way and finally placed fourth behind Nottingham, Derby and London, and ahead of City of Bristol.

Wallingford was followed at the Eton lake last week by the Junior Sculling Regatta, when Violet and her Wycliffe squad dominated again in the top girls’ events.

Partnered with Mia Lowes in the U17 double sculls, they headed the opening time-trial by 2.05secs from local rivals Hartpury.

And they then headed the seven-boat final all the way to beat the same duo by six seconds, with Sir William Perkins third and Shiplake fourth.

Meanwhile Monmouth Comprehensive rowers headed for Evesham Sprint Regatta and won three events.

Kate Rogers won a tight U18 girls’ singles final from her Avon opponent by 1/2L, while the U18 boys’ four won their event by the same margin from Clifton College.

And there was a first win for the U14 girls, who won their quads final by a length from Evesham.

There were near misses too, with the girls’ open women’s four and the U16 boys’ quad scull losing finals by just a canvas to Bewdley and Evesham respectively.

Meanwhile Monmouth RC are gearing up for their annual 90-year-old regatta on May 27-28, which attracts more than 400 boats to the Wye.

The club are looking for event sponsors to help fund the event and anyone who can help can go to www.monmouthrc.org.uk/sponsorship to see the Gold, Silver or Bronze packages available.