Rowing: Britain restore pride

British pride, which wobbled a bit on the first day of the combined junior and senior World Championships, was rescued yesterdayby a last- ditch bronze medal for the junior men's eight and stirring silvers in the lightweight women's pairs and fours at Strathclyde Park.

Wilma Brownless and Jane Hall had missed qualification for the Olympic lightweight double scull by one place. The race in Atlanta was won by the Romanians, who came to Strathclyde in a pair, and the Britons were committed to beating them as consolation for the season.

Hall said they had trouble getting grip on the water and by 1500 metres they were four seconds adrift of Romania and further back on the United States. But as Hall said: "We always have a finish." They caught the Romanians on the line.

The women's lightweight four also took silver to demonstrate the strength of lightweight rowing in Britain. The British four passed the Americans in the last 250 metres and closed right up to China, who had had four seconds' advantage at half way. The boys' eight came up well in a gutsy race to take their bronze medal.