POCKLINGTON oarsman John Brooks won a silver medal at the largest indoor rowing championship in history.

Brooks, 41, was second in the men's 40-44 lightweight category at the PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship held at Birmingham National Indoor Arena.

In the final in front of 5,000 spectators he raced to a time of 6min 38.8sec over the Olympic regatta distance of 2,000 metres on the Concept II Indoor Rower.

Matthew Pinsent beat his Olympic and world champion colleague James Cracknell, the defending British men's open indoor rowing champion, by a tenth of a second to win the men's open title.

Updated: 11:49 Saturday, November 24, 2001