Entries for the inaugural National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships (NJIRC) which take place next Wednesday (March 28) at Hammersmith Town Hall starting at 12 noon, have topped 700 and last-minute, would-be entrants have been turned away because capacity has been reached.

The turn-out is remarkable for the event’s first year and shows the growing appeal of the Olympic sport of rowing for young people. Sponsors Ashurst – one of London’s leading law firms – are backing the Championships which are a joint effort between London Youth Rowing and the Boat Race Company Limited, organisers of the annual Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames.

The National Junior Indoor Championships are designed to be open to anyone in the country aged 12 to 18. Organisers are convinced that the event will become an important date on the junior indoor rowing calendar alongside regional events and the British Indoor Rowing Championships, held in Birmingham each year in November.

Many entrants, travelling from places like Birmingham and Cambridgeshire, have been helped by Ashurt’s innovative sponsorship which has come in the form of transport grants for large groups of rowers making the trip to Hammersmith.

"It is great news for us to get Ashurts on board", said Matt Rostron, event organizer "Their very generous help and support means that it will be a bigger and better event than expected".

Concept 2, makers of indoor rowing machines, will help stage the event next Wednesday with participants from across the country competing in individual and team events.

The format will follow the Amateur Rowing Association year group distances with a Sprint Relay and a Boat Race Relay over 6780 metres – The Boat Race distance.

London Youth Rowing are convinced that it will be "a fantastic day for everyone". There will be Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the winners of each category, and special prizes including Concept 2 indoor rowing machines.

One of the prizes on offer, though, will be something that money just can’t buy. That’s the chance to follow this year’s Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging, on April 7 in one of the official launches.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: London Youth Rowing: Matt Rostron on (0207) 511 2211 or +44(0)7949 023435 www.londonyouthrowing.com

The Boat Race Press Office: Caroline Searle or Bryn Vaile: (01225) 383518 or (07831)755351 contactpr@theboatrace.org

All media wishing to attend the event please contact either Matt or Caroline in advance.

EDITORS’ NOTES

The NJIRC is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Ashurst, Sponsor of the NJIRC and the Man Group, Founding Sponsor to LYR and through the support of The Boat Race Company Ltd, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Concept 2, the Amateur Rowing Association and the many friends, volunteers and supporters of LYR and The Boat Race.

London Youth Rowing.

London Youth Rowing (LYR) is a major sports initiative which brings together the resources of the Federation of London Youth Clubs (London Youth) and the Royal Albert Dock Trust ("RADT") LYR operates a community based youth rowing programme, currently based in East London, the first such activity with plans to operate across the whole of Greater London. London Youth and the RADT are independent charities with a common focus on providing activities for young people in London. London Youth Rowing has three core activities: rowing programmes for schools and youth clubs, indoor rowing as a sport for young people in London and adaptive rowing programmes for young people with disabilities.

The programme works closely with and has the full support of the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) and Concept 2. London Youth Rowing aims to increase the number of young people exposed to the sport of rowing (indoor and water-based), and in particular, expand its appeal to those from less advantaged backgrounds within the inner city. By combining the resources of local youth clubs, schools, and specialist rowing centres, LYR provides a first exposure for many with no prior experience in the sport. By providing high standards of coaching and encouragement the initiative offers recreational rowing as well as specific programmes for those capable of competing at national and international levels. www.londonyouthrowing.com

The Boat Race:

The Boat Race, the annual rowing contest between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, began in 1829. It became an annual event (apart from suspension in times of War) in 1856. The 2007 Race will be the 153rd in the Series and will take place on Saturday APRIL 7th, sponsored by Xchanging. Cambridge have won 78 times and Oxford 73. The Race, one of Britain’s iconic sporting events, is organised by The Boat Race Company Limited on behalf of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It takes place on a stretch of the River Thames in London known as The Tideway. The Race starts at Putney and finishes at Mortlake and travels along the four and a quarter mile University Course. Each Boat Race attracts over 100 million worldwide television viewers as well as an average of 250,000 spectators along the bank each year. The 2007 Race will be sponsored by Xchanging and broadcast in the UK by ITV Sport and LBC Radio. Competing rowers must be either an undergraduate or postgraduate student at either Oxford or Cambridge University. They must pass rigorous academic admission standards and must be capable of juggling the demands of their studies with around five hours of training a day. www.theboatrace.org