THERE was drama on a cold and windswept Dee on Saturday before Royal Chester avenged last year's surprise defeat by Agecroft to become the first club to win the 70-year-old North of England Head for the 10th time.
Half a mile from the finish with Royal Chester gaining steadily on Agecroft, the crews were 27 seconds apart but spectators were unaware that the interval between them at the start had been even greater.
As Agecroft raced hard for the finish, Royals steadily reduced their lead with a more powerful stroke without realising they were already the faster crew.
The win was a well-deserved reward for the determination of their captain Harvey Worden to regain the headship after a break of seven years following a disappointing defeat a year ago.
It was also memorable for his family. His wife coxed the winning crew and his father was competing in his 59th race since he first coxed the club as a schoolboy at the King's School in 1947.
The winning crew was also stroked by a King's oarsman from 20 years ago. Former Great Britain lightweight Bill Downing was rowing with Paul Turner, Justin Waller, Harvey Worden, Iwan Jones, Tim Betteridge, John McDonald and Matt Neame.
In London tomorrow they will be racing again in the Tideway Head (11.30am) with prospects of winning the Jackson Trophy for non-Thames crews for the third time since 1997.
The Tideway experience of their stroke will be a useful advantage if they row as well as they did at Chester.
The King's School followed up their good result in finishing fourth earlier last week in the Schools' Head by following two senior eights in third place to beat Newcastle University by five seconds for the senior two pennant.
Third fastest local crew was Royal Chester's junior development eight, 22 seconds in front of Grosvenor.
The King's School were third in senior three class while Royal Chester won twice in veteran classes in which the former European silver medal double-sculler Arnold Cooke returned to the Dee after an absence of 40 years to win with the Henley veteran E eight.
Rex Boat Club, made up of fathers of King's pupils and stroked by Mike James, whose son Tom will be in the Boat Race on Easter Sunday, did well to finish 10th out of 16 veteran crews, 90 seconds clear of the winning King's School J14 octuple scullers.
Soon after the last crew disembarked, the predicted high tide, which had caused the cancellation of the usual afternoon race, arrived on time to flood the river.
