Hodge wins fifth straight rowing trials title

2:38pm Thursday 13th March 2008

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Hebden's Andy Hodge picked up his fifth Great Britain Rowing Senior Trials title when he and Peter Reed won the men's pair final held in Hazewinkel, Belgium at the weekend.

It was the fourth time in a row that Hodge and Reed have won the crown, and the fifth time for Hodge, who partnered Alex Partridge before teaming up with Reed.

�It�s a crucial time for us. We need to fix last year�s results and get back to a gold medal winning standard.�

Hebden rower Andy Hodge

It was a race described by Reed as "the best race we have put together in the past four years".

Hodge agreed, saying: "That's not far off the mark. I'd rank it in one of my top races. I wouldn't say it was perfect but everything seemed to come together well."

Hodge said the "holes" that had been there in previous performances, were not there on Sunday.

He said: "We decided to raise our game earlier in the training period. We wanted to test ourselves and push the boundaries of our technique.

"We had been racing hard in the few weeks building up to the trials.

"It's a crucial time for us. We need to fix last year's results and get back to a gold medal winning standard. I feel strong mentally, which is important. My confidence took a bit of hit last year."

Whilst Hodge and Reed were jubilant about winning the final, their men's four teammate and Olympic champion Steve Williams was relegated to the bank when his partner Matt Langridge went down with an illness and had to withdraw.

Williams watched a race unfold where Colin Smith and Tom James were the main challengers to the established hierarchy. "We knew that we had to use our length and power to get ahead in the middle part of the race because Colin and Tom are such good sprinters", said Reed afterwards.

Hodge, in the black and white of Molesey Club, set up a relentless pace which Smith and James could not quite match.

Behind them Rick Egington and Alex Partridge finished strongly to take third ahead of Robin Bourne-Taylor and Tom Stallard.

The competition for places in Great Britain's top boat, the men's four, is hotting up as the World Cup series and the Olympics are fast approaching.

However Hodge said he hasn't secured his seat just yet.

"You can't put names on seats. So far this season, as a pair we've had a good run-up.

"Wherever Jurgen (Grobler) decides to put us, he's confident we'll do the business in Beijing."

The Great Britain team has another set of trials this month and Hodge said that Grobler will likely make his selections for the four by the end of March or early April.

Hodge added: "We've got work to do but I feel positive going forward."

Results from the men's pair final: 1 Peter Reed (Leander)/Andy Hodge (Molesey) 6:32.33, 2 Colin Smith (Leander)/Tom James (Molesey) 6:37.60, 3 Alex Partridge (Leander)/Rick Egington (Leander) 6:40.93, 4 Robin Bourne-Taylor (Army)/Tom Stallard (Leander) 6:42.43, 5 Alastair Heathcote (Army)/Toby Garbett (Leander) 6:48.13.