Southampton Canoe Club Juniors won a major trophy in the national championships at Bedford.
The under-12s scooped the Geoff Sanders Trophy for the junior team with the most points in Hasler races over the year.
The team, aged seven to 12, have braved cold winter mornings and training all year round to race over two-mile circuits.
Led by head coach Steve Willis, the juniors have won both of the major national team trophies this year.
"It is like winning the League and the FA Cup," enthused Willis.
"This is a huge triumph for a small club whose junior section only started two years ago.
"These national trophies are particularly special because they reflect the team effort of some very dedicated youngsters over the whole of the racing season."
The winning team included Niall and Sian O'Halloran-Dyke, Louie Willis, Adam Sisi, Max and Poppy Taylor, Glen Chandler and Josh Barnes, Sam Gould and Eleanor Kent.
The Hasler race series is named after one of the survivors of the audacious commando canoe raid of World War Two made famous by the film Cockleshell Heroes'.
Teams around the country race in their regions to build up enough points to qualify each year for the Hasler final.
This was the first year that Southampton Canoe Club had qualified, a great achievement for a small community-based club that meets at Southampton University Boat Hard on the River Itchen.
More information from http://www.southamptoncc.org.uk/
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