Three-time Olympic champion Matthew Pinsent and Sydney gold medallist James Cracknell started their Henley Regatta challenge with an impressive victory in the Silver Goblets.

Pinsent and Cracknell cruised through their heat with a two length victory over the Royal Navy & Upper Thames Rowing Club.

Pinsent, who won four Goblet titles with Sir Steven Redgrave, has quickly gelled with Cracknell and the pair never looked in trouble as they finished in seven minutes 56 seconds.

They could even afford the luxury of easing down in the final stages.

Sponsorship

Elsewhere, there was further success for Pinsent and Cracknell with the announcement Camelot Group PLC are sponsoring the pair in their bid for gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The deal is worth �1.4m over four years and will allow Britain's two premier rowers to devote themselves full-time to training.

Olympic quadruple sculls silver medallist Guin Batten crushed Leander club rower Tracey Langlands by four-and-three-quarter lengths in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup, the regatta's most prestigious women's single sculls event.