June 29, 2006

HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England - California's freshman eight boat advanced to the third round of the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta with a convincing victory over Oxford Brookes University "B" Thursday.

The Bears crossed the finish line 3 ¾ lengths ahead of their opponents in the match race. Cal will next fact Glasgow University, which defeated Newcastle University by 1 ¾ lengths in its second-round competition.

The Temple Challenge Cup for eights is open to crews from universities, colleges or schools and consists of five rounds of match races to determine a champion. Trinity College of Hartford, Conn, captured the title last year, while Cal reached the quarterfinals.

The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars.

Visit www.hrr.co.uk for complete results from the Henley Regatta.