Mike Rosewell, the Oxford Times’s longest-serving correspondent, is retiring after 38 years of covering rowing for this newspaper.

“I’m 78 and it’s time to call it a day,” said the doyen of the sport, who began contributing articles in 1976, the year he became master in charge of rowing at St Edward’s School, Oxford.

A highly-respected figure in the sport, he not only coached the Teddies crews for 18 years, while teaching economics at the school, but was also rowing correspondent of The Times in London for the same length of time.

The annual highlight for him was always the University Boat Race.

He was the official timekeeper for 12 years, but his biggest regret came in 2003, when his beloved Oxford won by a foot.

“Unfortunately, I was in hospital, having broken my elbow in a heavy fall on the day of the race,” Rosewell explained.

Following in his wake is John Wiggins, 57, a highly successful oarsman before becoming – like Rosewell – head of rowing at St Edward’s.

In 1976, the former Wallingford School pupil became the youngest winner in a Boat Race at 18 years, eight months.

He also succesfully rowed for the Dark Blues in 1977 and 1979, when he was president.

Wiggins holds the record as the youngest winner at Henley Royal Regatta and went on to become a world junior silver medallist.

He is a long-time member of Wallingford Rowing Club.

Read Reg Little’s interview with Mike Rosewell in next week’s Oxford Times