PETER and Richard Chambers, formerly of Oxford Brookes University, won bronze in the final event of the year in Lucerne this weekend.

The duo produced a great performance in the lightweight men’s double scull after a ding-dong battle with Italy, behind the French winners.

But there was disappointment for the men’s eight crew, featuring among others Oxford’s Andy Triggs Hodge, who could manage only fourth in their final.

The Chambers brothers, silver medallists at Eton Dorney, have taken over in the Great Britain boat formerly rowed by Wallingford’s Zac Purchase and the now-retired Mark Hunter.

The Coleraine siblings were in the mix all the way and with 750m to go, came through Italy to take up silver medal position.

However, the Italians reacted and fought back to push the Brits just into bronze at the line.

“It would be really disrespectful to think that we can come into a new event this season and win it”, said the elder Chambers, Richard.

“I think GB has done a really good job getting into the medals at all three World Cups.

“Now we know where we are at and what work we need to do.”

Wheatley’s Fran-ces Houghton and Vicky Meyer-Laker, both members of Henley’s leaner Club, went into the double sculls having won at Sydney and Eton Dorney.

They were the overall World Cup leaders, and held onto that position, despite finishing fifth in a race won by New Zealand.

“I could tell in the first half that one or two boats had gone ahead, but I wasn't sure where we were exactly in the race,” said Houghton.

“We were just concentrating on our rhythm. At one point I thought we had got back to fourth, but obviously not.”

The women’s eight, which contained county rowers Sarah Cowburn, Katie Greves, Louisa Reeve and cox Zoe de Toledo, who are all from the Leander club, and Oxford’s Olivia Carnegie-Brown, came fourth in their final – a race that was won in a new world best time by an American crew.

Three members of the Leander Club were denied a medal in the men’s quadruple scull final.

The GB boat, which included Jonathon Walton, Charles Cousins and Peter Lambert, was charging towards bronze, only to catch a crab in the closing staging, allowing Estonia to come through and take third place.