Gill's terrific Thames trial

World under-23 rowing finalist Fred Gill put himself on course for a place in next year's Boat Race with a good finish in Europe's second biggest race.

The 22-year-old Shropshire rower helped his Cambridge four finish 19th overall in the 550-boat time-trial in London.

They were the fourth fastest coxed boat in the race, which is the slowest boat type after quad sculls and coxless fours.

And with the Cambridge top boat winning the coxed class, and with only Molesey and the Oxford No 1 crew in front, Gill can go into next month's Light Blues trial race on the same Boat Race course with high hopes of making March's 155th varsity clash.

Racing with 2008 Blue and world under-23 medalist Pete Marsland, 2007 world junior champion George Nash and US senior international Deaglan McEachern, Gill's boat covered the 4.25 mile course in 19mins 38.57secs.

With Cambridge's first boat winning the class in 19.16 and the third boat also finishing ahead of Oxford's second four in 19.51, the Light Blues scored an early psychological victory over Oxford.

Gill, from Kenley, near Much Wenlock, didn't row while at top rowing school Shrewsbury, but made up for lost time when he took up the sport at college.

He won three titles at this year's British University championships with Newcastle University, landing the Prince Albert Cup fours event at Henley Royal Regatta and making the world under-23 and world university finals for Great Britain.

Gill's old school Shrewsbury were also in action on the reverse Boat Race course from Mortlake to Putney.

Chris Cox and Alex Blake – the junior winners in the UK Pairs Head on the same Thames stretch a month earlier – teamed up with James Scott, Perry Nickerson and cox Nick De Lisle to finish ninth out of 25 in the men's senior 2 coxed class.

Shrewsbury's second four finished 19th out of 48 in the Senior 3 college class in 21.21 while Pengwern's Clare Leake, Kathryn Weaver, Emily Mullard and Natalie Horton were 25th out of 39 in their women's quad scull class.