AN Autumn race is expected to attract 500 rowers to the River Dee on Saturday.

Grosvenor Rowing Club’s Dee Autumn Head will see crews coming from across the North West and Wales to compete in time trial events along the river, starting at 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Event chairman Mike Allwood said: “It should be quite a spectacle watching all the boats racing down the river, especially if the weather is fine.

“By the time the crews reach the Meadows there will be plenty of side by side racing as the faster crews catch those in front of them.Š

“The best viewing area is at Sandy Lane or on the Meadows.”

The event is sponsored by Welsh Water, Cork’s Out, Hickory Smokehouse, Matthew Clark, Agency 47 and The Good Cheese Company.

Grosvenor go into the competition buoyed by recent success at the Chester Long Distance Sculls.

The Chester club lifted the Victor Ludorum Trophy after being crowned the best club at the annual River Dee event.

The performance of the competition came from the club’s men’s elite quad, comprising Tim Betteridge, Ed Mills, Inigo Atkin and Martin Chandler, who recorded the fastest time of the day of 16 minutes and 51 seconds.

Mills, Great Britain junior star Atkin and Chandler took three of the top 10 places in the single sculls, while there was victory for Bill Downing in the Masters C category.

Grosvenor also enjoyed success at the Runcorn Autumn Head and the Agecroft Autumn Head.

Jeremy Lush and Ian Tweedie won the Masters C and D singles categories respectively in Runcorn, with Phil Hill and Steve Walker the respective Masters C and F singles winners at the Salford Quays event.

For further information about the Dee Autumn Head, visit www.grosvenor-rowingclub.co.uk or contact Mike Allwood at michael@burlandfarm.co.uk