HEATHER STANNING from Lossiemouth and her Olympic, world and European champion pairs partner Helen Glover kept their four-year unbeaten record intact with a comfortable win in yesterday's opening heats of the Rowing World Cup Finals in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Stanning and Glover were never headed in their race, crossing the line a comfortable four seconds ahead of Canada to qualify for today's semi-finals. New Zealand and Denmark were the other heat winners in this event.

Stanning was one of five Scots to make positive starts to their campaigns. Continuing her new double sculls partnership with Vicky Thornley, returning Olympic champion Katherine Grainger moved onto the semi-finals, finishing in second place just behind Belarus, while Alan Sinclair from Inverness was in the men's four that qualified for the semi-finals with a heat win over Belarus.

In the non-Olympic lightweight events, Sam Scrimgeour from Kirriemuir and his world silver medal partner Jon Clegg recorded the fastest time in their event to qualify direct for their final today, while Inverness' European lightweight single sculls champion Imogen Walsh won her heat, also in the fastest time, to race in today's final.

Victoria Meyer-Laker from Premnay in Aberdeenshire was in the women's eight that finished second behind Canada in their opener and this crew now depends on rowing's second-chance repechage race today to reach tomorrow's final. The seventh Scot racing this week, Callum McBrierty goes directly into today's final of coxed pairs.