Both Natalie and Ally set PB's in the ergo trial but it was Vicky who led the way for Maidenhead. Despite losing ground in the second 500m she rallied well to finish close to her personal best in 7:30.3, placing her 12th. All three girls met the target ergo times and qualified for the 5k sculling trial the next morning.

In perfect sunny conditions, it was Ally who showed her steely determination and consistency of effort, maintaining a fast pace over the 5km course to finish in 3rd place overall. This performance not only earned her the fastest U20 place but also the fastest U23 place, placing her ahead of lightweight scullers who went to the U23 Worlds earlier in 2007. After a recent week off due to illness, this was no small feat.

Both Vicky and Ally demonstrated how technical prowess can out-perform a bigger ergo score on the water, both of them beating many 'stronger' girls. Vicky had been sculling so efficiently that she was able to push hard enough to make her the third fastest in the second half of the test. She was ranked 3rd fastest Senior Lightweight and 6th overall.

After a personal best on the ergo the day before, Natalie did well to finish 8th in U23 Lwt, 18th overall.

A few ex-Maidenhead athletes were also performing. Carl Delaney, who recently won S2 2x at the Pairs Head with Maidenhead's Phil Clapp, had a strong performance at the trials. Representing Nottingham University, Carl was ranked 4th in U23 Lwt, 5th overall. David Jones, representing Leander Club, finished 6th in U23 Lwt, 8th overall.

Louise Entwistle was competing for University of London in the Open Women category. Placed only 42nd after the ergo, Louise's sculling ability raised her to 24th overall, 14th in U23.

Finally, Laurian Pepper, now at Loughborough University, despite a personal best in the ergo, struggled to keep pace with the other athletes, finishing 7th in U23 Lwt, 17th place overall, just two tenths ahead of Natalie.

Summary of MRC athlete results: