CHESTER'S Chris Bartley has secured silver in his team's Olympic rowing final today (Thursday) in a dramatic sprint finish.

The former King's School student, 28, from Farndon, was part of the GB men's lightweight four crew which agonisingly missed out on gold to South Africa by the narrowest of margins.

But the 30,000-strong crowd watching on the banks at Eton Dorney still had plenty of reasons to cheer as the home crew powered past Denmark and Australia in the closing stages of the epic battle to win Great Britain's 10th medal of the 2012 Olympic Games.

His former King's School classmate Tom James, also 28, who struck gold in Beijing 2008, had earlier cruised to the final of the men's four. The GB crew took first place by powering past Australia in the closing stages, and the two crews will compete for top honours in Saturday's final.

A third former King's School pupil, Olivia Whitlam, 26, joined by former Bishop Heber High and Abbey Gate College pupil Vicky Thornley, 24, missed out on the medals in the women's eights final.

The pair, racing in the outermost lane six, faced tremendously tough competition from eventual victors USA, who were unbeaten in that category for the past four years.

But Whitlam, now of Daresbury, and Thornley, who lives in Holt, managed to finish fifth by pipping Australia on the line.

The result is one better for Whitlam than in Beijing 2008, where she finished sixth in the women's pairs final.