Oxford and Cambridge rowers - current and former - qualified for the main finals at this week’s GB Senior Rowing Trials in Belgium and are now tipped to feature when GB’s squad for the first World Cup of the season is announced on May 3rd.

Kieran West of Cambridge and Tom Parker of Oxford had to bury their Boat Race differences very quickly after the 2006 Boat Race to work together in the men’s pair event. They reached the final where they finished fifth overall in a time of 6:38.52.

2005 Oxford Blues Peter Reed and Andy Hodge were the winners of this event - a result that was hardly in doubt from the outset given the form the duo had showed as part of GB’s winning men’s four at last year’s World Championships and their results in training over the winter.

"I’m very proud of the way we raced here", said Reed afterwards. Reed and Hodge were defending champions and for Hodge the victory was his third in a row. "It was completely different to last year when we were the jokers in the pack who came out and won. This year we were favourites", added Hodge.

Tom James, of the 2006 Cambridge Blue Boat, paired with Matthew Langridge of Leander in the same event. The duo battled down the course side by side with Toby Garbett and Tom Solesbury and eventually came through to take third place in a time of 6:45.39.

Former Cambridge President Tom Stallard and fellow Light Blue Josh West had been tipped to do well in the men’s pair at the trials but had to withdraw after the time trial when West fell ill.

Colin Smith, a winner with the Dark Blues in 2003 and 2005, showed his fighting qualities once more in the men’s single scull final. He took fourth place in a top-class race in a time of 7:10.08.

Charlie Palmer, of Goldie in 2006, also did exceptionally well to reach the final of this event and finished sixth in a time of 7:19.38.