Rowing: Campbell outsparkles rival in 'toughest' Diamond race

Alan Campbell dethroned Mahe Drysdale, the New Zealander who won the Diamond Sculls last year and is the world champion, in a dazzling final yesterday.

The 24-year-old from Coleraine who burst on to the world sculling scene last year took the lead and held it all along the 1 mile 550 yard course, but never headed Drysdale by more than a length and a half.

"He came at me and came at me and came at me," he said of his friend and training partner at Tideway Scullers, "and I responded, responded, responded. It's my toughest race ever."

At the quarter mile signal Campbell had a lead of half a length. Drysdale was unsettled slightly by wash from river craft after the Barrier, while Campbell was warned for moving into the centre of the course at halfway where he pushed up to a length in front. He got himself out of trouble and held off Drysdale's surging finish to win by a length and a quarter.

Campbell hoisted his coach Bill Barry aloft when he found his land legs. "I have the best sculling coach in the world," he said. "He told me what to do, and I did it. Now perhaps he'll get off my back." Barry responded by announcing training as usual today, "but maybe in bed." This was Campbell's second Diamonds win.

Drysdale, aged 28, announced his intention of returning to the Diamonds. "I love this one-on-one stuff. This was always going to be tough. We'll go again in Lucerne next week."

Winner, loser and coach swigged from the same bottle of champagne. The closest finish was Shrewsbury's one-foot defeat of the Canadian school Brentwood in the Princess Elizabeth, a bruising race that left half the oarsmen on their backs at the end, clueless of the outcome until the result was broadcast. The Molesey and New York oldies' eight, including the Searle brothers who won the Olympics in 1992, lost to Harvard by a length in the Ladies' Plate, and appealed in vain against the Harvard cox Jessica Hoy's feisty steering.

The battle of the national eights was won by the Canadian men over the Australians in the Grand, and the German women over the British in the Remenham. Leander won the Thames Cup over Agecroft, and the freshmen from University of California Berkeley beat Cornell in the Temple. The GB coxless four extended their unbeaten record to 29 by winning the Stewards'. The University of London won the Prince Albert for coxed fours against Goldie.