Brothers Richard and Peter Chambers boosted their chances of competing together at London 2012 after excelling in Great Britain’s second assessment trials at Boston.

Richard, the elder of the Oxfordshire pair, won the lightweight men’s singles, while Peter was second, just 0.3secs slower over the 5km course in testing conditions.

And with Oxford resident Andy Triggs Hodge winning the open pairs with former Oxford Brookes student Alex Partridge, it was a good day for local rowers.

The Chambers, who are past and present Oxford Brookes students repectively, hope to row in the men’s lightweight four at the Olympics.

Leander club member Richard, 26, competed in that event at Beijing in 2008, while 21-year-old Peter is gunning for his Games debut.

Richard said: “It would be awesome to be selected together. Even if it was just one of us to make it, it would be good for us, good for our family.

“Winning in Lucerne (World Cup series) with Peter was great, but to do it in an Olympic Games, I don’t think there is anything that could really describe it.”

He added: “There are six of us going for four seats. The good thing is that Peter and I don’t actually row on the same side, so we are not in direct competition with each other.

“It means we can just concentrate on beating the others.

“Guys from other countries train for selection, we train to win, that is what sets us apart from everyone else.

“If we train to win, then we will be good enough to make the boat.

“We are just two very stubborn, driven people who will not lie down and take no for an answer.

“We make sure we get the best out of ourselves and be as good as we can be when it comes to races.”

The brothers took up rowing at school in their native Northern Ireland and the sport soon proved a natural fit Richard said: “We don’t have a history of rowing in our family, so I was the first one to start and then Peter.

“I think we both just enjoy our sport. I think it would be fair to say that we were pretty rubbish at most other sports.

“We wouldn’t have been great at football or anything like that. But we seem to have taken to rowing.”

Peter, who has one year to go of a part-time course in a sports science degree at Brookes, added: “We love being on the water. We love being outside. We are a really outdoors family.

“I am training full-time and studying part-time. It is quite good for me.”

Looking ahead to 2012, there is no doubt they are totally focused.

Richard added: “I don’t think you can get much more determined. You are either determined or you are not.

“Having the Games at home is great and it will be great to be an Olympic gold medallist on home water.

“But it is not going to make me train any harder. It is an Olympic Games and it doesn’t matter where you are.

“A piece of water is a piece of water 2,000m long. It is the same for everyone all around the world.”

Peter recalled the buzz from New Zealand’s media when they hosted the World Championships in 2010, which is likely to be magnified greatly next summer.

“I think if you are able to handle it, it is fine,” he said.

In a male lightweight crew, rowers must weigh an average of 70kg (11st), with no one heavier than 72.5kg (11st 5lb).

They are usually smaller than their heavyweight teammates, but what about their diets?

Peter said: “We just eat everything in moderation.We do enough training to burn it all off.

“It is important to have a good healthy diet, but enjoy the odd Chinese or something like that.”