Britain's James Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent successfully defended their Silver Goblets & Nickall's Challenge Cup title on the final day of the Henley Regatta.

But the world and Olympic champions were pushed all the way to the line by South African pair Ramon di Clemente and Donovan Cech.

Cracknell and Pinsent struggled to produce their best performance and they never seemed to find their rhythm in difficult weather for rowing.

Fans had arrived at Henley expecting a course record with a high quality field challenging the British pair.

But Cracknell and Pinsent, who was also a multiple winner of the title with Steve Redgrave, simply found themselves in a battle for the line, with records quickly forgotten.

A superb start from di Clemente and Cech, who claimed bronze at last year's World Championships in Lucerne, saw them draw away from the British pair at the start.

Within a quarter of a mile they were a third of a length ahead, but the double world champions made their move during the crucial middle phase of the race.

Easy victory

The South Africans remained in contention and 100m from the line the pairs were virtually level.

But when it mattered most, Cracknell and Pinsent managed to find the extra gear and drew away again to cross the line in seven minutes, 35 seconds.

Elsewhere, Britain's Peter Wells claimed his first Henley title when he won the Diamond Challenge sculls, with an easy victory over compatriot Matt Langridge.

There was also cause for celebration among the women's squad when the British team won the Women's Quadruple Sculls title in a time of eight minutes, seven seconds.