They will face a daunting 135 miles Thames Challenge Row from Lechlade to Putney at 8am on Sunday.

The last recorded Thames Challenge was in 1990 when International medallist Gillian Bond sculled 175 miles from Lechlade to Gravesend to raise funds for the Leukaemia Research Fund, spending six hours on the water, with 20-minute breaks for six days to raise £1,800.

The Royal Chester Veterans eight, whose ages range from 49 to 67, have set themselves three days, with overnight stops at Oxford and Marlow, to cover the 135 miles and 45 locks, to the start of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race course at Putney.

They hope to raise at least £15,000 for the Neuro Muscular Centre at Winsford, the club's own charitable trust fund for junior rowing in Chester, and other good causes.

Over 150 years ago when Royal Chester became the first eight ever to represent the North of England at Henley Royal Regatta in 1856, they won the two premier trophies in a keel-less eight, which was successfully copied by Oxford to win the University Boat Race two years later.

Further information about how to make a donation is available on the club's website at: www.rcrc.org.uk

Grosvenor crews have notched up several wins at the Shrewsbury Regatta, held over a 1000m course on the River Severn.

The veteran squad came home with a clutch of pots with wins for Ad Gideonse and Jeremy Lush in the Vet B double scull, Steve Walker, Brian Chapman, John McMahon and Mike Allwood in the Vet E quad, and Brian Chapman again in the Vet E single scull.

The senior men also came home with silverware, winning three rounds of racing to take victory in the senior 4 coxed four event. The crew of Tim Clifton, Simon Sykes, John Purdie, Jason Carr coxed by Ben Snowden enjoyed close racing, particularly in the semi-final, where they battled all the way down the course before taking victory by two feet.

The Grosvenor rowers are now looking forward to Chester Regatta which takes place on the Dee tomorrow.

They will be joined by the King's School and Queens Park High School who have both made 16 entries at the Regatta.

Meanwhile, world U23 champion Olivia Whitlam raced home fifth in the GB women's eight at the first World Cup regatta of the season.

The King's Chester product was brought into the Olympic-qualified crew at late notice to race in Munich, helping the GB team to finish top of the rankings ahead of the second event of the series in Switzerland in two weeks time.

Whitlam, who took gold in the pair at the U23s in Glasgow last August, finished third in her five-boat heat.

That put GB into a four-boat repechage alongside Romania's reformed Olympic champion crew, Belarus and the German B crew – and the Brits comfortably cruised into the six-boat final.

Meanwhile Beijing medal hope Tom James has been told his seat in the GB flagship four is secure despite missing Munich through injury where they won gold with fellow Welshman Tom Lucy on board, hammering world silver and bronze medallists Italy and Holland in the process.

King's product James from Coedpoeth in Wrexham displaced two-time world champion Alex Partridge in the four that is set to defend the Olympic title in Beijing after an exhaustive set of trials and tests, only to miss out on the first major test of the season with a rib problem.

But GB rowing supremo David Tanner said: "All being well with Tom, I fully expect to see him back in the boat for the Lucerne World Cup regatta.

"He won his place in all the testing we have done, so he's earnt the right to be on board. Tom Lucy has done a fantastic job, but Tom James should be back for Switzerland."