Rowing: Harder task for Drysdale

Three-time world single sculls champion Mahe Drysdale tuned up for this week's Henley Royal Regatta with an easy win in the Netherlands yesterday.

But he's likely to find he has to work harder to win the single title at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire this weekend.

Drysdale won the final at the Holland Beker International regatta in Amsterdam, clocking 6min 50.82s to finish 6.65s ahead of Dutchman Roel Braas with American Warren Anderson third, less than 1s back.

The New Zealand squad, in Europe preparing for August's world championships in Poland, will find a change of pace and atmosphere from that on the World Cup circuit when they compete at one of England's blue riband sporting occasions starting tomorrow night and running until Sunday.

New Zealanders are entered in six events, in some cases forming makeshift crews to fit the class, in the one-on-one racing format.

But having a full New Zealand contingent at the regatta is rare and the atmosphere and trappings will provide the rowers with a change of scenery and intensity from the usual World Cup programme.

There are six open men's events and three for women, with the regatta rounded out by intermediate, club and student races, including entries from Britain's leading public schools.

Drysdale and world lightweight single sculls champion Duncan Grant are in the Diamond Sculls, which has also drawn entries from double Olympic champion Olaf Tufte, Britain's leading sculler Alan Campbell and Belgian Tim Mayens, who finished fifth and fourth respectively, just behind bronze medallist Drysdale, in the Beijing Olympic final last year.

Lightweight double Storm Uru and Peter Taylor are in a field of seven for the Challenge Cup along with Nathan Cohen and Matthew Trott while the Princess Royal Challenge Cup field includes New Zealand's leading single sculler Emma Twigg and last year's Olympic coxless pair representative, and former world champion, Juliette Haigh, who is living in England.

Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, fresh from their win in the World Cup regatta in Munich this month, are in Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup, while two New Zealand quad crews will battle it out in the field of 15 for the Princess Grace Challenge Cup, one being the quad of Genevieve Armstrong, Louise Trappitt, Harriet Austin and Sarah Barnes, the other comprising coxless pair Emma Feathery and Rebecca Scown, who won in Munich, and double scullers Paula Twining and Anna Reymer.