ALEX Gregory raced home fourth at the British final trials regatta in Belgium to cement his place in the Great Britain quadruple scull.

The Evesham Rowing Club man pipped newcomer Brendan Crean by just two hundreds of a second on Hazewinkel's Blos course.

GB will boat a quadruple scull at the first World Cup regatta in Munich in early May with a view to grabbing a Beijing slot at the last-chance qualifier in Poland in June.

Gregory is still hopeful of taking a fast boat to China.

World lightweight singles record holder Zac Purchase missed out on the trials through injury but the former King's School Worcester pupil is sure to be back for the World Cup series and Beijing.

Worcester Rowing Club world junior singles finalist Sarah Cowburn and club-mate Matt Beechey both narrowly missed out on final places.

Beechey finished fourth in his lightweight singles B' final.

Cowburn was a highly creditable eighth in the women's singles and second in the B' final.