STUDENT oarsmen hope the success of two key crew members at national level will rub off at a head-to-head contest this weekend.

Durham University Boat Club's senior men's eight will benefit from the expertise of Nick Fearnhead and Seb Stuart in Sunday's annual challenge race against Newcastle University.

Now firmly established in the local rowing calendar, the senior eight race is the 11th Northumbrian Water University Boat Race, on the River Tyne.

Both competed for Great Britain in the Youth Olympics, in Sydney, Australia, in January.

They were in the same boat for the men's eight event, in which they gained silver medals. Mr Stuart was the cox and Mr Fearnhead was among the oarsmen.

Mr Fearnhead also landed a silver medal in the men's lightweight double event, at Sydney.

A first-year engineering student at St John's College, Durham, Mr Fearnhead said: "It was a great opportunity to race against the world's best rowers at under-20 level, and it was good preparation for the summer regattas."

Mr Stuart, a second year natural sciences student, has only been rowing for 18 months.

He coxed the novice Durham crew, the freshmen's eight, in last year's university boat race and has now stepped up to offer the in-race instructions to the senior eight.

Sunday's races all finish in front of the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.

The programme will begin at 11am with dragon boat racing, followed by team sailing, canoe sprint races, and a canoe water polo match.

Rowing will begin with a schools' mixed eight challenge, at 12.45pm, followed by the rival university crews in combat from 1pm to 1.45pm, prior to trophy presentations at 2pm.