Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter struck gold for Great Britain when they successfully defended their lightweight men’s double scull title at Bled, Slovenia.

Purchase, who lives in Wall-ingford and has been sidelined for much of the season, and Hunter, who rows for the Leander Club at Henley, won in 6mins 18.67secs, from New Zealand’s Storm Uru and Peter Taylor.

Purchase said: “After our race with the Kiwis in the quarters we knew it would be a tough race.”

Three Leander members were in the men’s four, which won gold. Alex Gregory, Ric Egington, and Matt Langridge were joined by Tom James as they took victory in 6mins 11.55secs, with Greece in second and Australia third.

Britain’s mixed adaptive coxed four – featuring Oxford cox Lily van den Broecke from Headington School – eased to gold ahead of Canada.

Wheatley’s Frances Hough-ton finished fourth in the single sculls ‘B’ final to miss out on qualification for London 2012.

The 30-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged season which has seen her switch from the quad to the single scull boat as she gets back to full fitness.

Houghton is expected to return to the quad boat, a class in which she has won silver at the last two Olympic Games, for 2012.

On Saturday, Anna Watkins, from Leander, and Katherine Grainger saw off Australia and New Zealand to successfully defend their women’s double sculls title.

The lightweight women’s quadruple sculls of Kathryn Twyman, from Oxford University Women’s Boat Club, Oxford-born Andrea Dennis, Steph Cullen and Imogen Walsh, also struck gold.

Andrew Triggs Hodge, who lives in Oxford, and Pete Reed, from Leander, took silver in the men’s pair behind New Zealand’s Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.