ROWING.

The year's first big test for singles was made more difficult by savage winds and rough water. In the absence of last year's champion Martin Kettle, Guy Pooley led off the Vesta Scullers' Head pursued by a 400-strong fleet at 10-second intervals, keeping in front all the way to Putney.

As Pooley was finishing, several big names were just starting. Off 108th was the former world champion, Auriol Kensington's Peter Haining, who has won this race three times. Six places behind him came the man everyone wants to beat: Molesey's Greg Searle. With final GB trials due this week, there had been no pressure on squad rowers to turn up, but Britain's single sculler showed pluck in putting his reputation on the line.

Searle's fiercest challenge came from directly behind him. "I went out with the intention of giving chase and was going to spook Greg as much as I could," said Ian Watson, who also competed for Britain last year and believes that sustaining the work effort is the route to success. "If you set yourself targets, you tend to keep going for them." A force within London rowing Club's powerful lightweight eight, Watson is full of praise for his trainer, 70-year-old Doug Melvin: "He's done a fantastic job." Having given up his lightweight status, Watson has joined Harry Mahon's sculling group at Lensbury.

With a mile to go, he had closed the gap a little, but as they struggled through Putney Reach the 96-kilogramme Searle put on the pressure, crossing the line in 21 minutes 19 seconds. The 75-kilogramme Watson finished seven seconds slower.

Pooley's time got him third, ahead of the top lightweight, G Monnickendam of the University of London. Next came Peter Haining, Dave Puttullo of Aberdeen, Veteran B winner Richard Stanhope of Molesey and Poplar's Mark Hunter. Guin Batten of Thames again topped the women; Sue Appleboom of Mortlake was second fastest, again winning the lightweight division.

Sunday's weather worsened, so the Veterans' Head stopped at Hammersmith Bridge. The winner was Ian Roots of Mortlake, Veteran B, ahead of Molesey's David Gillings and Dan Sadler of Tyne, David Sprague, Veteran C, was fourth. Angus Gait of Kingston, fifth, won Veteran D. Prof Jeffrey Lever of Llandaff triumphed in the over-75s.

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