WORLD junior singles finalist Sarah Cowburn did her GB under 23 hopes the power of good by racing home first at the British trials in Boston.

Most of the GB Olympic squad were absent from the 5km time-trial, but Worcester Rowing Club's Cowburn comfortably proved the best of the rest, beating 2007 world under 23 singles finalist Ruth Walczak from Rochdale by 13 seconds. It was sweet revenge for the 18-year-old, who lost out to Walczak at the National Schools Championships in Nottingham last summer before going on to finish fourth at the world juniors on the Beijing Olympic course.

Cowburn crossed the line in 19 minutes nine seconds, with world under 23 bronze fours medallist Emily Taylor from Durham University third in 19.25.

Cowburn now has her eyes firmly on beating Walczak - fifth at last year's world under 23 championships in Glasgow - to the singles slot for this summer's age-group event in Brandenburg, Germany. However, with two star scullers in the squad, the selectors may look to form a double scull with real medal potential.

World under 23 coxless four bronze medallist Colin Scott from Malvern continued his push for a place in the Cambridge Boat Race crew to take on Oxford in the men's pairs race, finishing eighth with fellow Light Blue Tom Ransley in 17.26, 30 seconds down on winners Tom Burton and Tom Broadway.

Bewdley RC's Alex Holden-Smith - who also landed world under 23 bronze in the coxed four last year - was 15th in 18.03 with Oxford Brookes partner Steve Callaghan.

King's Worcester product and world bronze medal lightweight doubler Zac Purchase was excused the trials to continue his Olympic preparations. The 2006 world 72kg singles champion and record-holder has just finished a training camp in Seville, Spain, ahead of next month's final GB trials regatta in Belgium. Also excused were Worcester RC 2007 world pairs finalist Matt Beechey and Evesham RC's GB quad sculler Alex Gregory.