NINE girls from Trentham Boat Club won gold at the British Junior Rowing Championships – after borrowing a boat from a rival club.

The girls also triumphed in the open coxed eight despite being unable to train at their Trentham base because the lake there is too small.

And their unlikely victory at Strathclyde Country Park, near Glasgow, was made all the more stunning since some of the team were up to two years younger than their rivals.

Their success will also mean another call to Chester Boat Club, who lent them the "eight", because the girls have been invited to represent England at a regatta in Ireland this weekend.

Trentham coach Darren Barton described the girls' victory as "amazing". He said: "When you consider that our girls cannot train in an eight as our home lake is too short, it is an amazing achievement.

"We punch above our weight when we compete against the bigger and more established rowing clubs around the country, but this shows just how talented our girls are."

The girls were coxed by Trentham 14-year-old Kyle Peddley. On the oars were 16-year-old Trentham twins Laura and Lucy Cruxton, 15-year-olds Becky Dell (Stone), Izabel Mycock (Trentham) and Nicole Stephens (Bentilee), 14-year-olds Emily Butler (Newcastle) and Eleanor Thomas (Sneyd Green), and 16-year-old Tammy Bloor (Trentham).

The girls powered away from the start to cover the 2,000m course in 7:21.27. Clydesdale ARC were second in 7:27.41.

There was double delight for the Cruxton twins, Bloor, Dell and Trentham 14-year-old Joanna Fox when they won gold in junior coxed fours after fending off the challenge of Aberdeen School to win by two lengths.

Joanna Fox and her 15-year-old sister Katie were also part of the team who won silver medals in the junior 15 coxed quad along with Stephens, Thomas and Butler.

Also celebrating silver success was 15-year-olds Joe Anderson (Newcastle-under-Lyme) and Paddy Brooks (Stone) who were second in the under-16s double sculls.

Other Trentham rowers taking part were 13-year-old Jack Kidd in the open junior 14 single sculls, 16-year-old Lee Harrison, who was fourth in the pen junior 16 double sculls with Northwich Rowing Club member Edward Grisedale, and 18-year-old Matthew McGowan from Newcastle, who competed in the open junior single sculls.

One problem facing the victorious Trentham coxed eight could be a lack of cash scuppering their chances of rowing for England this weekend.

They need £450 each to compete, and Steve Dell, father of Becky Dell, said: "It is going to be difficult to raise that sort of money in a short time.

"The girls have worked so hard to get themselves into this position. We are all so proud of what they have achieved."

Anyone who can help with funding should email rcruk@talktalk.net or call 07879-482819.