The Head of the River races have been held for more than 20 years

Head of the River organiser Stuart Ward said he was pleased the weather helped to make this year's event a success.

Fine, sunny weather greeted around 1,000 rowers and supporters at the time trial races on the River Ouse in York.

Ward told BBC Radio York: "In the weeks leading up to the event you're always worried, the river seems to come up much faster [these days].

"We have, in the past, cancelled the event. We've had snow, and then the river has come up very, very fast."

"At one time the river took about a day, two days to react to any rain. Now it can come up in about two hours."

People train for years so that they can row the boat well Stuart Ward

The bad winter weather has affected the training of teams in York and other parts of Britain.

"There's a lot of races around the country which have been cancelled because of high rivers or high winds. You've got to take it in your stride," Ward added.

"The event is run by the Yorkshire Rowing Council, which represents all the rowing clubs in the Yorkshire region.

"Any monies we make from today goes towards developing rowing in the region."

Ward was happy with the standard of the rowing, with crews split into two divisions for the event.

"It's varied, from those who are very experienced and putting in some good performances, to juniors, 14-year-olds, for whom it's their first race," he said.

"There's a lot of skill involved. People train for years so that they can row the boat well."

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