CHRISTCHURCH rower Matt Aldridge was at the heart of another stunning success for Britain’s men’s four at the European Championships.

Aldridge combined with Freddie Davidson, David Ambler and Oli Wilkes to claim gold in style at Slovenia’s Lake Bled.

Having won their heat, the world champions looked to stamp their authority on the final but their redoubtable Romanian rivals took the lead in the early stages.

With Wilkes steering through troubled water, the British crew did a better job of dealing with rough conditions to take a clear-water victory.

Aldridge said: “It was really solid, we’re really quite happy with it.

“It was quite scrappy out there, quite windy and bouncy, but we coped with it really well, got out of the race and didn’t let anyone come back in.”

It was a particularly impressive performance from Wilkes in the bow seat, stepping back into Championship racing for the first time since the U23 World Championships in 2017.

Wilkes said: “There was quite a tough crosswind, from the start it was going from side to side. Given the responsibility of the steering, you just don’t want to mess it up.

“It’s always on your mind when you’re rowing down. Trying to row well but also keep the thing straight.”

The British men’s four is on a stunning run of wins since the Tokyo Olympics, taking World Championship gold and back-to-back European titles.

It has come despite changes in the composition of the crew, with Aldridge ruled out of last year’s Worlds due to illness, and Will Stewart and Sam Nunn replaced by Wilkes and Ambler for the 2023 campaign.

Their next focus will be on defending their global title and qualifying the boat for the Paris Olympics at September’s World Championships in Belgrade.

Davidson said: “We’re a new crew, we didn’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves.

“The two guys have jumped in and done amazingly well. We’ve set our stall out for a new campaign and this is a step in the right direction.

“We can definitely improve, it wasn’t the cleanest out there. There’s definitely more speed to find.

“Now the focus is to take this and move forward with no expectation. Our ethos is to go into it with no expectations and enjoy our rowing.”

British Rowing is the governing body for the sport and is responsible for the development of rowing in England and the training and selection of rowers to represent Great Britain. The GB Rowing Team is supported by the National Lottery Sports Fund. To find out more, and to follow the team, head to https://www.britishrowing.org/