Rowing: Redgrave and Pinsent resurgent

Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent announced their return after a three- month respite following the Olympic Games in Atlanta by winning the openweight class at the finals of the men's squad trials at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, yesterday.

Less than four seconds behind them - in perfect conditions after Saturday's gale had forced a postponement - was the Atlanta double scull of Jim Cracknell and Bobby Thatcher.

Jurgen Grobler, the men's national chief coach, has declared his interest in finding a coxless four as the initial vehicle for Redgrave's assault on a fifth Olympic gold in Sydney. The achievement of Thatcher and Cracknell, combined with the convenience that they all train at Leander Club, means that he will almost certainly put these two pairs together for the first look at the four.

Meanwhile, Martin Kettle of Queen's Tower took the Sculler's Head of the River Race on London's Tideway on Saturday, making good use of the tailwind for much of the course, to record the second fastest time in history.

Setting off at 34 strokes to the minute he settled to 30 after Barnes Bridge where the breeze was head on to the stream and the water rough. From Chiswick steps to the finish he was racing at 32 strokes and guarding small gains and losses from Guy Pooley, who was sculling five strokes fewer to the minute but handling the wind and water well.

Kettle reached the line in 20min 31sec. Pooley was 1.5sec adrift, with Tim Male, the lightweight pennant winner, in third overall, five seconds behind him.