Glover helps GB women's four to European title

Great Britain won four gold medals on a successful first day of finals at the European Rowing Championships in Hungary.

Helen Glover stepped up her pursuit of a third Olympic title in Paris this summer by helping the British crew win the women's four.

There were also European titles for Britain in the women's quadruple sculls, the men's eight and PR3 mixed double sculls.

In the women's four, 37-year-old Glover, Esme Booth, Samantha Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten held off defending champions Romania by half a length.

They added the European title to a gold medal in the opening round of the World Cup series.

Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw - the reigning women's quadruple sculls world title holders - came from behind to overhaul defending champions Ukraine in the closing stages.

And a crew of Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charles Elwes, Thomas Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore helped Britain defend their crown in the men's eight after being pushed all the way to the line by Germany.

Sam Murray and Annie Caddick claimed Britain's first gold in the PR3 mixed double sculls and Ben Pritchard took bronze in the men's PR1 single sculls.