Rowing: Harvard get the wind up in fours: Henley Royal Regatta

THE regatta was blown into life yesterday by a strong tail wind, and several records for the first part of the course were broken, although only Harvard University were pushed hard enough in the Britannia Cup for fours to break records over the full distance.

The Britannia also has a fast crew from Cambridge entered as Goldie BC, stroked by Will Mason from the winning Boat Race crew. Goldie were never stretched by London Rowing Club.

In the Thames Cup, the third ranked eights event, a development crew from Oxford University rowing as Isis BC came closest to setting a record in beating Encouragement, from France, who slipped away to a disappointing finish. The fastest time over the full length of the course was recorded by Notts County.

Matthew Pinsent and Steven Redgrave, the world and Olympic champions, are sometimes left with little to race for in the early rounds at Henley, but in the fast conditions were able to beat their 1991 record for the coxless pairs. In so doing, over the first half of the course, they equalled the records for two other events - the double sculls and Prince Philip Cup for coxed fours.

Today Redgrave will have another chance to work up a sweat when he races as a substitute for the London University oarsman, Tim Foster, in the Stewards Cup for coxless fours.

St Edward's, Oxford became the third selected crew to fall in the Princess Elizabeth Cup for school eights when they were beaten by Canford School, which had lured 67-year-old Derek Drury out of retirement.

Drury transformed their results by persuading them to watch videos of the Trooping of the Colour and copy the rhythm of the base drum. Eton, however, continue to set the schools standard by equalling their own record to the Barrier when under orders to push hard no further than the quarter mile.

The first senior opposition of Guin Batten, who used to be a shot putter until three years ago, will be the Olympic champion, Elisabeta Lipa. Batten won her first sculling race in Nottingham a month ago and came to the inaugural World Cup sculling races for women at Henley through the qualifiers.

Lipa arrived only yesterday afternoon and found training difficult in the rough water, as did Thomas Lange, another Olympic champion. Instead he went on a sightseeing tour of London, walking from Paddington Station to Piccadilly Circus.

In the first round of the Queen Mother Cup for quadruple sculls, Daniel Topolski became, at 48, the oldest man left in the regatta when his Upper Thames A crew beat Dreadnought Scullers.