Rowing: Germans take Tideway title

On the Tideway on Saturday, four German lightweight internationals captured one of the last British rowing titles which has never before travelled abroad. The 44th Head of the River Race for Fours was taken by a quadruple scull from Mainzer Ruderverein in 18min 7sec, 17 seconds ahead of another quadruple scull from the Leander Club.

The Mainz crew was stroked by Bernhard Ruhling with his 1997 world bronze medal partner Ingo Euler at No 3, and with two men from the German silver medal lightweight quadruple scull, Marcus Baumann and Alex Lutz, as the bow pair.

The world champion four - in the absence of Steve Redgrave - took on their Leander club- mate Matt McQuillan and, in spite of a low stroke- rate and looking uneasy together, finished a creditable fourth.