Kingston University Boat Club's ladies' squad, having begun the season as novices, have ended up being ranked among the top 16 university fours in the country.

When the squad formed in October 2008, most members had never rowed before. They started off disastrously in their first race when one crew-member slid off her seat in the middle of a race and was unable to row.

All the oars were out of sync the whole way down the race and the crew realised they had a long way to go.

The team began training harder, improving both their fitness levels and team spirit.

A good result at the Putney five kilometre race, followed by a third place at the Kingston Head of the River event earned them their first British University and Colleges Sports points.

The squad became a regular four and their training became even more competitive. By the time they came in seventh in the two-kilometre Nottingham Regatta, they were training on the river five times a week.

They went on to perform well at the Twickenham Regatta before competing in Women’s Henley Regatta.

Boat Club Vice President Sophie Guse, of Kingston University, said she was amazed with her team's achievement in such a short time.

"Just thinking of what we've done this year brings tears to my eyes," she said. "We began as novices and ended up at Henley where we rowed our way through the qualifiers beating the University of Bristol hands down."

The Henley Regatta win took the team into the top 16 university crews in the country. They faced the University of Edinburgh in the quarter finals.

The Scottish team had won the event in 2008 and did knock the KU team out. But Sophie said it was a row they will remember all their lives.

"We pushed ourselves further than we thought possible, our thighs felt like they would explode, our lungs were filled with blood and yet we made every one of those inches count as our blades powered through the water - it was simply unforgettable," she said.

"At the end of the race we were gutted not to have made it through but looking back on what we had achieved in a year - we broke down. We are amazed and proud of what we've achieved."

The women are now planning to put together a light weight four team for the new season.

The crew: Charlie Kennedy, aged 21, from Bournemouth who is studying primary history; Juliet Finnis, aged 19, from Teddington, who is studying creative writing and English; Sophie Guse, aged 21, from Oxford, who is studying nursing and Simone Dutreux, aged 20, from Germany, who is studying film studies.