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 WELSH Olympic oarsman Tom James bounced back from his Boat Race blues to take third in the Great Britain rowing trials in Belgium.
After just a week rowing together, three-time Cambridge Blue James partnered former world junior singles champion Matt Langridge to a top-three slot behind GB's world champion four in the six-boat men's final.
James also took swift revenge over 2006 Oxford Blue Tom Parker, who finished fifth a length back with the Cardiff rower's own Boat Race crewmate, Sydney 2000 Olympic Eight champion Kieran West.
Fellow Welshman Rob Hollis from Monmouth was sixth with Oxford partner Hugo Lee.
It was the 22-year-old world bronze medallist's second successive third at the prestigious trial regatta after partnering former world silver medallist Josh West last year.
James has major exam commitments over the next three months and doesn't know whether that will rule him out of the running for this year's world championships on home water at Windsor's Dorney Lake.
But national coach Jurgen Grobler will leave him out at his peril. Following the Boat Race defeat to Oxford, James had to swap from bowside to strokeside to accommodate Athens Olympic sculler Langridge.
Meanwhile, Bridgend-born Rebecca Rowe, 24, did everything that was needed of her in the women's pairs final by winning the seven-boat event.
Taking victory in the women's pairs race with Vicky Etiebet, 24-year-old Rowe put herself into the reckoning for next month's Munich World Cup regatta.
Rowe and London partner Etiebet pushed clear of the four-boat field after 500m to come home a length clear.
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