Scott's crew through to semi-finals

5:59pm Thursday 26th July 2007

COLIN Scott led his Great Britain rowing four into the semi-finals of the World Under 23 rowing championships in Glasgow by finishing second to Germany in their opening heat.

The Royal Grammar School, Worcester product's crew were fourth fastest out of the 15-boat field on Strathclyde Park lake, covering the 2,000m course in six minutes 22.76. Germany led off the blocks and went through 500m a length up on GB in second, with Romania and Italy pressing for one of the three qualifying positions.

Romania pushed hard thr-ough the second quarter and had six feet on the Brits at the 1,000m half-way mark, with Italy a third of a length back and Germany now two lengths clear in front.

But Malvern stroke-man Scott steadied the ship in the third quarter, rowing back through Romania and passing 1,500m just under a length up on the east Europeans with Italy third.

In the race for the line GB closed on leaders Germany, finishing just two-thirds of a length down with Italy a quarter of a length back. Romania were another third back and now have to race the second chance repechage with tailenders Slovenia today.

Germany's time of six minutes 21.24 seconds was quickest of the three heats with other race-winners New Zea-land in six minutes 21.54 and Serbia just a hundredth of a second slower going quicker than Cambridge student Sc-ott, who now races the semis tomorrow with crew-mates Cameron Nichol, Oliver Moore and Mohamed Sbihi.

Bewdley RC's Alex Holden-Smith is already through to a final in the GB coxed four and will race on Sunday.

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