Rowing: Two early golds for NZ but silver for champion pair

Women's pair Rebecca Scown (L) and Juliette Haigh. Photo / Christine Cornege

There were two early golds for New Zealand at the rowing World Cup regatta in Lucerne last night, but defeat for defending world coxless pair champions Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh.

The pair, who have been unbeaten since coming together early last year, were pushed into second by Britain's Heather Stanning and Helen Glover.

The Brits won in 7min 00.66s, with Scown and Haigh, who were in second from the halfway stage, crossing in 7:01.32.

Americans Caroline Lind and Taylor Ritzel came third, 5.64s back.

Men's coxless pair Eric Murray and Hamish Bond gave British rivals Peter Reed and Andy Triggs-Hodge a bath in their final.

The New Zealanders won in 6:21.76, while Reed and Triggs-Hodge, who made a poor start, trailed in almost seven seconds back, with Canadians Dave Calder and Scott Frandsen third.

Lightweight men's double Storm Uru and Peter Taylor won New Zealand's second gold of the day, in 6:26.16.

Italians Lorenzo Bertini and Elia Luini were second, 2.25s back, with Denmark third.

There was a bronze medal for lightweight single sculler Duncan Grant in his final late on Saturday night, and fifth-place finishes for the men's coxless four and the lightweight coxless pair of Graham Oberlin-Brown and James Lassche in their non-Olympic event.

Lightweight double scullers Louise Ayling and Lucy Strack won their B final but the men's eight were disappointing, finishing fifth in their B final.

New Zealand qualified for 12 A finals out of 14 classes at the regatta.