ROWING: A classy win by the lightweight double scull of Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey was the highlight for the Irish in the second day of the heats of the World Rowing Championships in Milan yesterday.

As the temperatures rocketed into the high 20s Lynch and Towey were intent on coming home first, to avoid competing again today in the repêchages, which have been brought forward a day, partly to facilitate television coverage here.

The predicted challenge from Denmark's Rasmus Quist and Mads Rasmussen never materialised and the Irish led virtually all the way.

The other heats in this discipline produced some shocks: Japan and the United States, who finished second and third to Italy at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne last month, were both beaten into second in their heats, as were Hungary, who finished fifth in Lucerne. All must try to make the semi-finals by the repêchage route today.

"Form can be chucked out now," said Lynch. "There'll be some killer reps. There's potential for a finalist in Lucerne not making it to the semis here."

However, world champions Italy won their heat by over seven seconds, and are clearly still the tips to make it a third world title in a row.

The host country are also going for gold in the lightweight men's four, and their crew must have been surprised to find themselves in a dogfight with Ireland's young four in yesterday's heat, only finally consigning them to second in the last few hundred metres.

The Italians took silver in last year's World Championships in Seville and won in Lucerne this year, but the Irish battled them nearly all the way, and then beat off a late challenge from Chile to hold second. Ireland's time would have won any of the other heats.

"We knew that Italy were going to be fast, after their win in Lucerne," said Ireland stroke Paul Griffin. "We decided to have a go off them to put down a marker." The crew is a young one - Griffin is 23, Tim Harnedy 21, Eugene Coakley 24 and Richard Archibald 25 - and they intend to establish themselves in this regatta.

Ireland's two other crews in action yesterday, the women's lightweight double and the men's lightweight pair, both failed to make the cut and move on to repêchages.

The men's pair of Derek Holland and Neil Casey, who finished third behind Italy and Canada, at least have a rest day today before their repêchage tomorrow.

The women's lightweight double of Sinéad Jennings and Fiola Foley finished fourth in their heat yesterday, but as Ireland's high performance director Richard Parr put it, "it was a good fourth", as both have been struggling with injury.

Lightweight single scullers Brian Young and Heather Boyle also compete today in repêchages.