Sir Steve Redgrave watched from the riverbank as two of his long-standing Henley Royal Regatta records were smashed.      

World silver medallists Marcus Bateman and Matt Wells won their double sculls quarter-final in impressive fashion - and were two seconds quicker to the barrier point on the famous course than Redgrave and partner Adam Clift were in 1983.

And British team-mates Andy Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed erased Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent's 18-year old barrier record in the Silver Goblets, the men's pair event the five-time Olympic champion once dominated.

But the Greek Gkountoulas twins were also impressive in their quarter-final.

"We will have to race hard to beat them," admitted Reed, a silver medallist at last year's World Championships in New Zealand.

The British men's four were also in record breaking form, setting a series of new marks along the course and then clocking a finish line record 6.20 in the Stewards' Challenge Cup.

"We got on top early on but they were never going to let us walk away," said Matt Langridge, after a quarter-final victory over a top pedigree lightweight Australian mens four.

Olympic champions Poland crashed of the mens quadruple sculls against an Australian Institute of Sport combination, who now go through to face Croatia, the world champions, in the semi-finals.

An Australian crew will also take on Great Britain, the world silver medallists, in the semi-final of the Grand Challenge Cup for mens eights, with a likely date against world champions Germany awaiting in the final. 

More Than The Games / Eurosport