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Great Britain's Andy Triggs Hodge and Peter Reed have won rowing's World Cup series title - despite a third consecutive defeat.

The men's pair dominated the first regatta of the season in Munich but the arrival of the New Zealand pair of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond has seen a dramatic change of their fortunes.

The Kiwis beat them in Barcelona, then followed up on that win with a convincing victory at the Henley Royal Regatta last week.

And on Sunday they claimed the men's pair title in Lucerne, finishing five seconds quicker, to warm up for next month's World Championships in style.

"The next few weeks of training will be brutal I'm sure," admitted Reed, a member of Great Britain's Olympic gold winning men's four in Beijing.

"But we're not going to give up hope of winning the worlds. It was a lot smoother and it's only our second race over a 2000m course with me in the stroke seat.

Triggs Hodge (picture) added: "We've got a lot to work on and discuss. We've got to take the last two regattas as a learning curve and move on.

"It's a small part of the Olympic picture and we're still a work in progress."

New Zealand's Emma-Jane Feathery and Rebecca Scown also won the women's pair as Great Britain's Louisa Reeve and Olivia Whitlam settled for bronze behind Germany.

And three-time British Olympic silver medallist Katherine Grainger finished outside the medals in the women's single sculls as Mirka Knapkova, of the Czech Republic, claimed gold.

"On balance I'm disappointed. But there are technical improvements I can make," said Grainger.

Britain did win two golds - with the men's four and lightweight women's double scull both triumphing while the men's quadruple scull took silver.

"I'm really pleased with our two gold medals and especially heartened to see the silver from our men's quadruple scull, all of whom have come out of whom have come out of GB Rowing's talent identification programme", said performance director David Tanner.

"We can leave Lucerne and prepare for the World Championships on the back of some good results here.

More than the Games / Eurosport