Members of Selkirk Canoe Club brought back a haul of medals from West Tanfield, near Rippon in West Yorkshire in a slalom event for beginners and improvers.

Fast water made for a challenging course and the ability to turn quickly and cope with speed were important skills for the Selkirk members.

In the first event of the weekend, the local division three competitors Brennan Bouglas and Colin Ross stood out, with Brennan a creditable ninth (out of 37). Colin, in 13th place, was the first veteran (over-35) paddler.

But it was in the division four event, where a number of locals were competing for only the second time in a slalom, that there were some really encouraging results.

Twelve-year-old Sam Ritchie came second (out of 39); Jamie Gray seventh; Rory McRitcie 11th and Reece Nichol 14th. Sam and Jamie's results were good enough to see them promoted so they competed in division three the next day.

Division four competitor Lisa Nixon, in the ladies category, finished third overall (out of 13) and in doing so won the Under-14 category, a level above her own Under-12 age group.

The Saturday results were good and certainly justified the trip, but on Sunday the youngsters (and Colin) did even better.

Sam and Colin repeated their outstanding performances to finish first in their categories. Jamie Gray, despite being ill, managed 30th overall, a creditable result for his first event at a high level.

In the divsion four event, Rory McRitchie beat the three other competitors placed ahead of him on the Saturday to come first, while Reece Nichol's fifth saw him move ahead and both were promoted.

Following that successful trip, some of the higher-ranked Selkirk paddlers attended the Teeside Whitewater event.

Janine Dickie came 11th out of 30 top-ranked British paddlers. And, after a four-year absence, her brother Bruce finished sixth out of 52. Bruce is now ranked 32 in division one.

Anyone interested in the sport can find out more from www.selkirkcanoeclub.org.uk