Gloucestershire now have seven rowers in the GB Olympics team after four more from the region were named for Beijing.

Nailsworth's Peter Reed, Beth Rodford from Gloucester, Hartpury's Natasha Page and Zac Purchase from Tewkesbury are all in the squad of 43.

Reed is in the Men's Coxless Four, Rodford and Page in the women's eight with Purchase competing in the men's lightweight sculls.

The rowing heats start on 9 August with the finals on 15 & 16 August.

Reed will row alongside Tom James, Andy Triggs-Hodge and Steve Williams and is happy with their tag as underdogs in the post Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent era.

"It's actually quite nice because it takes a little of the pressure off us," Reed told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

Mark and I are still trying to improve every single day to give us what we want - the gold medal Zac Purchase

"We can concentrate on what we are doing and not think about everybody else. We are a good crew and we've got what it takes."

Purchase, along with Mark Hunter, looks like being Gloucestershire's best chance of winning gold after the pair won every race they have entered in 2008.

"It's a fantastic feeling to be selected and to be part of a very strong team. Four years ago i had just started my international career," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"Mark and I are still trying to improve every single day to give us what we want - the gold medal."

Three women's' eight crews will have a maximum of two races to get to the final and their next phase of preparation for Beijing will be a three-week training camp in Germany.

Like Reed and Purchase, Natasha Page and Beth Rodford will be competing at their first Olympics.