A ROWER from Brinscall was a winner in a unique boat race challenge across the English Channel.

Cambridge University student Aseer Ahkter, whose family run the village post office on School Lane, was a winner in the Cambridge Channel Challenge.

The race mixed the traditional rowing rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge and saw seven boats take to the channel to race the 21-mile stretch from Great Britain to France.

Aseer's team left Dover at 8.24am on Monday June 20 and were the first to reach Sangatte, France in a time of 3hr 37min 17sec, three minutes ahead of the second-placed boat.

The 20-year-old chemical engineering student was part of a five man team and he admitted there were some scary moments especially when they had to avoid ferries and other ships in what is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

He said: "We felt a great sense of achievement when we arrived on the French coast first.

"Conditions were good, but the wind changed halfway through and it became tougher, with some of our strokes just hitting thin air.

"We had to steer around a couple of ferries which I must admit was a little scary, although each crew had a pilot boat keeping an eye out for ships and guiding us on the route.

"Some water entered the boat too and by the end we had about eight inches at the bottom."

The teams came from different colleges from the two universities, plus an entry from Deloitte, the event sponsor, with Aseer representing the Lady Margaret Boat Club.

The "coastal 4" rowing boats now used are built heavier, wider and longer than normal river boats and have been reinforced to deal with the rougher waters.

The race was the first time teams have ever raced the English Channel simultaneously and the event raised money for the Cancer Research UK charity.