OXFORD Brookes University added more international honours when Sam Nunn and Henry Blois-Brooke raced for Great Britain in Belarus, writes JOHN WIGGINS.

In the penultimate international event of the year ahead of next week’s World Rowing Championships, a relatively small team of emerging rowers were given the opportunity to compete at the European Under 23 Championships.

And among these were the Oxford Brookes duo.

Having spent much of the season racing successfully in eights for their university, the pair extended their season to make the most of this opportunity

The relatively inexperienced Britain team came away with only one medal – with Nunn and Blois-Brooke agonisingly missing out on glory with fourth place in the A final, only half a length away from the podium.

Peter Sheppard, British Rowing Chief Coach for U23s and Juniors, said: “We’re pleased to see some good performances by British crews in Brest, many of who were racing in small boats for the first time in a Championships setting.

“All of the athletes will have learned a lot from the tight racing as we tried to make as many A finals as possible. Having all eight crews in the top seven is a solid performance and a good way to round off the season for the U23 squad.”