TWO Scots teenagers have scooped second place in a national rowing competition.

Glasgow Rowing Club members Helena Davison, of Giffnock, and Kathleen Castell of Bearsden, both 16, won the silver award in the National Schools' Regatta, missing out on the gold by only nine seconds.

Known as HelKat, the pair have been rowing together for two-and-a-half years, and trained every day on the lead-up to the contest in. which they competed against 30 other teams from across the country.

Kathleen said: "It feels really good to have got the silver. We worked so hard so it's a big relief to have gone down for the competition and to come up with something. We knew it was going to be a close final."

Coach Alastair Browne said: "After the initial rounds, it was clear that HelKat were going to have to fight four other crews for a place on the podium, and they knew that their race strategy would need to change for them to be successful. I can honestly say I've never been as impressed by them as I was during the race. It's a pleasure to be able to work with such focused young athletes."

The number of people taking up the sport has soared since the Olympics, with the Glasgow Rowing Club boasting its highest member rates. Edinburgh University has also opened a purpose-built rowing facility named after Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger.