BERKSHIRE athletes enjoyed a productive afternoon as Great Britain secured three final places in the rowing events in Rio, writes Max Baker-Smith.

The men's quadruple sculls team, consisting of Angus Groom, Maidenhead pair Jack Beaumont and Peter Lambert, and Reading's Sam Townsend finished second in the repechage behind Germany to secure their spot in the final, after failing to qualify from their initial heat on Saturday.

They responded well to a high pressure situation, knowing anything less than a second-placed finish would mean elimination, and qualified with a time of 5m 53.1secs.

The women's eight, featuring Olivia Carnegie-Brown from Reading, won their heat in order to go straight into the final. In third place at halfway, they staged a strong comeback in the second half of the course to overhaul Canada and New Zealand.

Lastly, the men's lightweight double skull duo of Maidenhead-based Richard Chambers and Will Fletcher qualified for the final after finishing second in heat four behind South Africa.