ROWING: Key victory for defending Olympic champions (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Pete Reed and his men dig deep to beat Australia in Lucerne

4:51pm Monday 28th May 2012 in Sport

FORMER Cirencester Deer Park pupil Peter Reed helped the Team GB Men's Coxless Four to golden glory at the World Rowing Cup event in Lucerne on Sunday.

The quartet of Reed, Alex Gregory from Wormington near Cheltenham, Tom James and Andrew Triggs-Hodge, pulled off the most dramatic British win, coming from half a length behind Australia to take the lead in the final 20 strokes and eventually win by more than a second.

Reed said: “We had a feeling before the race that they (Australia) would try to do something special. That’s the way they raced in Bled last year and in the Olympic final as well.

“The Australian boat is always very classy but moving past them in the last 500 (metres) is something we hadn’t seen from our crew yet and that can be massively improved.”

The Australian Men's Four, including three-times Olympic champion, Drew Ginn, decided to lay down the gauntlet early in the Lucerne final. By 500m they had a half-length lead over the British boat.

By the halfway point, the roles remained the same and Australia must have scented victory.

Hearts were in British mouths on the banks of the Rotsee and it took a superb display of late strength and power to overhaul the Australians and take the win in 5:50.84. Australia won the silver and Greece the bronze.

The inevitable rematch between GB and Australia at the London Olympics is sure to be one of the clashes of the entire Games.

Reed, Triggs-Hodge and James are defending champions, having beaten the Aussies in Beijing. Alex Gregory has taken the place of the now-retired Steve Williams.