Purchase ruled out of World Cup

ROWING WORLD CUP I
Venue: Banyoles, Spain Dates: 29-31 May Coverage: Live on BBC Sport website and red button, 0925-1310 BST, Sunday 31 May; Highlights on BBC Two, 1300-1400 Monday 1 June

Purchase had planned to race in the lightweight single scull

Olympic gold medallist Zac Purchase has been ruled out of the opening World Cup regatta of 2009 as he continues his recovery from illness.

Purchase, who won GB's first ever lightweight rowing medal in the double scull, was hit by a virus in February.

New-look eights and a women's quad scull were also confirmed for the event, starting in Spain on 29 May.

Cornwall's Annabel Vernon is the only member of the silver-medal-winning women's quad to remain in that boat.

The members of the quad also race in the double sculls event, and Vernon is rejoined by former partner Anna Bebington in both crews.

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Purchase, from Gloucestershire, had planned to race in the lightweight single scull, but Adam Freeman-Pask now takes that slot.

With Purchase's Beijing partner Mark Hunter taking a year off, Rob Williams and Paul Mattick will race in the lightweight double scull.

Former lightweight world champion James Clarke looks set to take the stroke seat in the eight, which includes Tom Ransley and Tom Solesbury, who were on opposing sides in the 2009 Boat Race.

GB Rowing had already announced that triple Olympic silver medallist Katharine Grainger will race in the single scull at the event on the 1992 Olympic lake in Banyoles, near Barcelona.

And Andy Hodge and Peter Reed will move from the four, where they won gold in Beijing, to the pair.

The event is the first of three World Cup regattas, leading up to the World Championships in Poznan, Poland in August.