ALEX GREGORY hailed his "tough” crew-mates after the GB rowing team men’s eight produced a glorious golden finish to the World Cup in Varese, Italy.

Wormington’s Gregory and fellow West Country rowers Pete Reed, the former Cirencester Deer Park pupil from Nailsworth, and Matt Gotrel, of Chipping Campden, were part of an eight which caught the Olympic and European champions from Germany on the line.

“We never gave up on getting past those Germans and luckily we turned it into an exciting race,” said Gregory, a reigning Olympic and World champion in the men’s four.

“It was just a tough race but the guys who I am rowing with are tough. That helps everyone – when you know you have seven other guys like that in the boat, eight including (cox) Henry Fieldman, it just takes you through.”

A healthy rivalry is developing between the British eight, who have won the last two world championships, and Germany, who emerged triumphant when the two crews clashed at the European championships in Poland last month.

However, this is a new-look British eight – which also includes Stewart Innes, Paul Bennett, Moe Sbihi, George Nash and Will Satch – and Gregory believes they are getting better all the time.

“It feels like we have progressed and made some improvements,” he said.

“It felt like we were getting left behind in the first 500m of the final but I felt confident that what we were doing was quite efficient and that contrasted to how we raced at the Europeans.”

The British and German eights will renew rivalry at the Henley Royal Regatta next week in the Grand Challenge Cup.

The GB rowing team finished the World Cup top of the medal table with five golds, a silver and four bronzes.

Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director, said: “We have had some exceptional performances and this has been another good step on our path to the Olympic qualifying regatta later in the summer."

GB crews will next be in World Cup action in Lucerne, Switzerland, from July 10-12.