JERSEY’S Ian Blandin and James Ramsden have beaten teams from Guernsey and the UK to place as the top British crew in the Coastal Rowing World Championships in Italy.

The pair finished in seventh place overall, behind five French crews and an Italian pairing, while Guernsey finished ninth. Ramsden said they was pleased with the result, which was their prize for having tackled the tough 8km course off San Remo in rough and windy conditions.

He said: ‘We had a good row, as the conditions were very challenging. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week there was no wind at all, and the sea was like glass, but on Thursday, Friday and Saturday the wind came up and it got quite rough. It was really quite rough in qualifying, but we managed to qualify third for the final so we were very happy with that.’

The Jersey team twice succumbed to Guernsey’s Joe Paul and Paul Isaacs earlier this year, being beaten in both the Sark to Jersey and the Gorey to Carteret race. However, the pair had stepped up their training regime throughout September in preparation for the World Championships, and reaped the benefits of their seven day a week schedule.