Hodge battling for his place

2:50pm Thursday 6th March 2008

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The battle for places in the lead men's open-weight boat will hot up this weekend when the GB Rowing Senior Trials take place in Hazewinkel, Belgium.

Hebden's Andy Hodge and Peter Reed defend their men's pair title and will face challenges from their Camelot-sponsored men's four colleagues Steve Williams, racing with Matt Langridge, and Alex Partridge, racing with Rick Egington.

Colin Smith, winner of a world bronze with Matt Langridge last year, and Tom James, a world finalist with Smith in 2006, will also be a pair to watch.

They are fabled "boat-movers" and came second to Hodge and Reed at the last Winter Assessment Trials over 5km in Boston.

Hodge, a former Oxford Blue who won gold with the mens four at the World Championships in 2005 and 2006.

He won the men's pairs event for the fourth successive year in the 2007 GB Rowing Senior Trials in Belgium.

Hodge also won gold in the four at the Linz World Cup in June 2007, gold in the eight at the Amsterdam World Cup and silver in the four at the Lucerne World Cup.

Recently he finished fourth in the four at the World Championships in 2007.

Similar and intense rivalry is also expected at the top of the lightweight men's single scull event with only six Olympic places available.

Siemens-backed world lightweight men's four champions - from the sweep oar squad - James Clarke, James Lindsay-Fynn, Paul Mattick and Richard Chambers are all competing.

It will be interesting to see if any can push sculler Mark Hunter, winner of a bronze in the lightweight double scull at last year's worlds.

Only Zac Purchase, the former U-23 world sin-gle scull champion, is missing as he is still recovering from a winter training injury.

The top open-weight women will compete in Belgium in single sculls.

Katherine Grainger is the defending champion and with Sarah Winckless returning to the sport after a year-long absence through injury there are now five world champions - Grainger, Winckless, Fran Houghton, Debbie Flood and Annie Vernon - amongst those vying for places in headline boats this season. Olympic medalist Elise Laverick is also in the frame.

Only Anna Bebington, from the top sculling group, is missing through injury in Belgium.

Alan Campbell, winner of world cup medals last year in the men's single scull will start favourite to win the open-weight men's single scull title.

Victory would bring up his hat-trick. Stephen Rowbotham, 2006 world double scull medallist, could be his main challenger after Matt Wells withdrew with an injury.

Helen Casey, Hester Goodsell, Jane Hall, Sophie Hosking and Andrea Dennis should be among the leading contenders for the women's lightweight single scull.

Great Britain's selectors will take results at these trials into account when selecting their squad for the forthcoming season.