Rowing: Nine-year-old cox makes Henley history

The Lea Rowing Club, based in London's East End, made history yesterday when they collected two firsts at Henley Royal Regatta. Their crew for the Thames Challenge Cup for club eights went afloat with the heaviest and youngest men ever to take part in the 163-year-old event.

The 27-year-old former rugby player Craig Burrow weighed in at 19st 3lb just before he helped to power his club to a breathless half-length victory over Bradford-on-Avon Boat Club. "I had to slim down from 25 stone to get in the boat," he said.

Sitting in the cox's seat, steering the crew, was nine-year-old Henry Lawrence, weighing in at a skimpy six stone. With the minimum weight for a cox 55 kilograms, Henry had to carry nearly half his weight in sandbags into the boat before his crew was allowed out for the race. He said he had been so worried about making the weight that he had been eating extra meals before the Regatta.