Broughton sisters set to take on cream of the rowing world on Saturday

Two Broughton sisters are set to take on the cream of the rowing world at one of the sport’s iconic venues on Saturday.

Katy Tilston, 25 and Lucy Tilston, 18 will be part of a five women team from Chester’s Grosvenor Rowing Club taking part in the Heads of the River Fours – four rowers plus a cox – on the Thames over the gruelling four and a quarter miles of the University Boat Race course reversed.

The sisters are joined by Lucy Iball, 23, Frances Munro, 17, Jess Bromley, 23 who head down to London buoyed by a recent victory in another important race hosted by the Grosvenor Rowing Club.

Two of the rowers work for Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management in Regent Street, Wrexham.

Katy has been personal assistant to director James Parry for the past two years. She took up rowing four years ago and has since worked her way up from the novice to the intermediate category.

Lucy Iball from Chester, is PA to director Medwyn Edwards and has been rowing for around the same period, starting out when she was at Durham University.

Katy Tilston and her rowing crew from Grosvenor Rowing Club are competing in an boat race on the River Thames. Katy Tilston and her colleague Lucy Iball both work for Hadlow Edwards.

James Parry said:

“Both Katy and Lucy are absolutely dedicated and put a lot into their sport and it’s paying off.

We’re really supporting them and hope they have a great day on the Thames. It should be a fantastic occasion with so many teams taking part and on such an historic stretch of river.”

On their last outing for Grosvenor the dashing duo helped their four to victory in the Dee Autumn Head race, winning the women’s fours category in the IM2 class against the best rowers from clubs across the North West of England.

Their victory has set them up nicely for the Head of the River Fours which is a highlight of the national rowing calendar.

Katy said:

“The race follows 6.8 km of the Thames from Mortlake to Putney which is roughly the same as the famous University Boat Race but reversed.

It attracts rowers of a very high standard including those from all the big London clubs so the competition will be very strong.

It’s really the cream of the country’s rowers and there can often be people of Great Britain team standard involved.

Hundreds will be taking part in the whole event which runs throughout the day from lunchtime and in our IM2 category alone there’ll be about 60 boats competing.