Shropshire rower Fred Gill is coming to terms with narrowly missing out on a seat in this year’s Cambridge Boat Race crew.

The oarsman from Kenley, near Shrewsbury, remains on course for a place in this year’s GB World Cup team.

And the pain of his omission from the Cambridge crew has been eased by the news that he’s been upgraded to bronze in the GB pair at the 2008 world universities championships.

This comes after the Serbian winners in September have now been disqualified for a drug violation.

Gill impressed at February’s GB senior trials, finishing fifth behind Olympic champion Peter Reed’s winning pair and beating one of the selected Cambridge crew.

But he will be stroking the Light Blues reserve crew Goldie in the Boat Race curtain raiser on March 29 instead of sitting in the Cambridge boat, and says he is “gutted” to miss out on the big one.

“The process was fair, so I can’t have any complaints there, but it was a big aim to make the Boat Race and to go so close is tough,” said the Shrewsbury School product.

“I’m in good company in the second boat though, with a US international who had to pull out of stroking the Blue Boat last year with illness, a Canadian cap who won the Boat Race in 2006 and a GB world junior champion!”

Gill lost out narrowly on a place in the 155th Boat Race in seat racing to 2005 Australian world coxed pairs champion Hardy Cubasch.

“He’s a giant and really strong and he beat me fair and square on the water and on the rowing machine – but I’m gutted to lose out.

“I’m on a two-year course, so hopefully next year I’ll make the cut, but it was a big aim to get in this year.”Ê