BALLARAT oarsmen James Marburg and Tom Swann are set to battle Great Britain head-to-head on the Thames this week.Marburg and Swann were yesterday named in the Australian men’s eight to contest England’s prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.Ballarat four-time Olympian Anthony Edwards will also take on Great Britain in the men’s four.It should prove a challenge for Edwards, a lightweight rower, with no lightweight division at the regatta and the British tipped to sport their heavyweight crew.Rowing Australia spokesman David Polglase said this regatta was pivotal to Australia’s world championship campaign, which this year doubles as an Olympic qualifier.“It’s an historic regatta in England but definitely bigger for us this year,” Polglase said. “It’s a knock-out format, so you’re not guaranteed more than one race but it’s most important for our crews just to get racing on the water.”This year’s regatta, which starts tomorrow, has attracted 486 English crews and 119 international crews.The men’s eight event boasts only the world’s heavyweights – Great Britain, Australia, Germany and the United States.Polglase said the Australian men’s eight and fours, including the lightweight four, were shaping up as a competitive group. The Australian rowing team departed for Europe on Sunday for a 10-week tour that will finish at the World Rowing Championships in Slovenia, starting August 28.Polglase said the Australians were determined to earn Olympic qualification for the bulk of their crews at this year’s championships. The squad will trek from England to Lucerne, Switzerland, for World Cup III next week and the move to the Australian Institute of Sport training base in Varese, Italy for six weeks.The Australian sweep crews for the championships are likely to be finalised after Lucerne.