BEIJING Olympic medal hope Zac Purchase will be one of the first names on the GB team sheet for next week's first World Cup rowing regatta when it is announced tomorrow.

Several of the other GB boats have seen some musical chairs in recent weeks, with seat changes likely, but King's School Worcester product Purchase is assured of selection with his 2007 world bronze medal doubles partner Mark Hunter after dominating the winter trials.

The duo have recently returned from training in the foothills of the Italian Alps, where they were working on finding that extra technical edge in their ultra-competitive 72kg event.

Worcester Rowing Club's Matt Beechey, in the lightweight sweep oar squad, and Evesham RC's Alex Gregory, in the men's heavyweight sculling group, are also hopeful of racing in Munich next week. The venue is where the duo had their last outing in GB colours at the 2007 world championships, when Beechey made the final of the 72kg pairs event.

World junior singles finalist Sarah Cowburn is targeting world under 23 honours this year and maybe offered the chance to race later next month, probably at the Duisburg International Regatta.

But two local rowers who are definitely launching out in GB colours this weekend are Evesham RC's Rory Sullivan and Will Tew, who go in the British under 18 eight at the Munich Junior International Regatta against boats from host nation Germany, Spain and Austria.

The two GB under 16 caps are among a 14-strong junior men's team for the two-day event following trials at Nottingham's National Water Sports Centre.

A good performance will give them every chance of making the team for the world junior championships in Austria this summer or the European team competition in Ireland. Club-mates Oli Staite, who partnered Sullivan to a fourth-place finish at the training camp in the absence of injured Tew, is also hopeful of winning a place alongside Josh Pendry, who was 13th in the recent racing.

While Sullivan and Tew are on international duty this weekend, the other two will be available to race for their own club at its annual regatta on Saturday and Sunday.

More than 550 boats are set to make a splash at Evesham Regatta, making it one of the biggest rowing events in Britain.

Around 1,000 competitors from 57 clubs will launch out on the River Avon in eights, fours, pairs and sculling boats at the two-day event.

Clubs from Greater London, Oxford, Southampton, Derby, Nottingham, Devon and Wales will all be involved. The host club are well represented and slated to take on rivals RGS Worcester in the final of the Senior Three men's sprint eights.

Other local clubs in action at the Karndean International-sponsored event include Worcester, Stourport and Upton.

Saturday's 1,000-metre regatta sees 274 boats going head-to-head in morning and afternoon divisions from 8.30am to just before 7pm.

Sunday's sprint sees another nine-and-a-half hours of racing until just before 6pm with 282 boats in action.