WORLD champion rower Peter Reed demolished the nation's top oarsmen at the Great Britain trials to reclaim the number one ranking with Oxford Boat Race partner Andy Hodge.

The Nailsworth naval officer's pair were 13 seconds clear of world medallists Josh West and Tom Stallard at the Boston 5km time-trial.

And only three other boats got within 30 seconds of the world four champions as they crossed the line in 17 minutes 35 seconds.

Current Oxford Boat Race men Tom Parker and Colin Smith were third in 18.02, but worryingly for GB national coach Jurgen Grobler, the winners' GB world champion four crewmates, Steve Williams and Alex Partridge, were a distant sixth 35 seconds off the pace.

Partridge and Williams - who both come from Cheltenham - will need to step up a gear at the final trials in April if national coach Grobler isn't to come under pressure to try new blood with 24-year-old Reed and his partner in GB's flagship four.

Reed's world champion crew established the chemistry to go unbeaten last year as they took the World Cup and then the world championships in Japan.

And while the weekend retirement of double Olympic champion James Cracknell - who rowed with the Royal Navy officer's crew in Partridge's absence in November's National Fours Head win - has removed one threat to the boat, six foot nine inch Josh West will be burning to win his place back after his world silver medal four was broken up by Grobler to accommodate Cracknell and Matthew Pinsent at Athens in 2004.

Reed - son of Nailsworth Mayor Sue Reed - warmed up for the trials with an arduous GB squad cross-country skiing camp in Switzerland last month, where the six foot six inch Oxford Blue described his opening efforts on snow as "stumbling about like a newborn foal".

The temperatures plunged to a freezing -17C in St Moritz as they were put through their paces by a former marine, but this week things will hot up as GB's top men rowers head for warm weather training in Seville.

This Saturday sees them racing in the World Team Sprint Cup on the 2002 world championship course, where the GB four's unbeaten record could face a hot challenge from world silver medallists Holland.