Kenny McCarthy’s abiding memory of Leander Rowing Club, where the Thames smooth waters glide, are of marble counter-tops in the toilets of a splendid pavilion-style building where Britain’s leading oarsmen avail of the very best care a rower can get.

THE leaders of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland football have reacted with outrage at an “historic” announcement by the British Olympic Association that players from all ‘home’ nations will be eligible for selection for Team GB at the London 2012 Games.