The traditional Saturday night fireworks display over Henley-on-Thames may have been cancelled yesterday for health and safety reasons, to the dismay of many, but there will be plenty of events on the river to make spectators ooh and aah on the fourth day of Henley Royal Regatta long before the sun has gone down.

The semi-finals of the Diamond Sculls alone would be well worth packing a picnic basket and heading for the river. Four of the top five scullers in the Beijing Olympics will take part after winning their quarter-finals yesterday with some ease.

Ignore the official margin of two lengths for Alan Campbell, the leading British rower, against Dave Mannion, from Galway. Campbell was playing with his opponent long before the finish, having opened a one-length advantage by the end of the island. As he crossed the finish, Campbell was barely going through the motions with one eye on winning a third Henley title tomorrow.

He must first face Olaf Tufte, the double Olympic champion from Norway, who also barely needed to extend himself in beating Zhang Shunying, of China. In the other semi-final, Mahe Drysdale will race Tim Maeyens in a battle between the third and fourth-placed men in Beijing. Maeyens had the toughest quarter-final against Duncan Grant, the New Zealand lightweight who surprisingly prospered when the headwind was strongest, but Maeyens's extra experience helped him through.

The other mouth-watering race will be the semi-final of the Silver Goblets between Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed, the Great Britain pair, and New Zealand's Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, who beat them in the most recent World Cup regatta in Munich. Like Campbell, the Britain boat wound down in the closing stages of their quarter-final against a crew from London Rowing Club, but having built a lead of more than four lengths within a quarter of a mile, they could afford to.

“It will be a big step up against the New Zealanders but I definitely think we can win,” Reed said. “It is going to be an enormous race.” The winners are likely to face Shaun Keeling and Ramon di Clemente, the holders from South Africa, in the final.

Although Zhang lost in the single scull yesterday, he will have another chance at a Henley medal today alongside Yuan Wenjie in the semi-finals of the Double Sculls against Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham, the Great Britain crew, who were given a walkover in the quarter-final.

China, who have entered Henley for the first time, also retain an interest in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup for female quads. Sichuan Province will compete against one of two crews remaining in the event from Waiariki Rowing Club in New Zealand. The Great Britain women's quad, rowing as Leander and Westminster, complete the semi-finals.

The Temple Challenge Cup for student eights will be won by a foreign crew with Princeton and Brown, of the United States, being joined by Nereus, of the Netherlands, and Melbourne University.

Eton remain on track for the treble after winning the National Schools Regatta and the Schools Head. They will race Pangbourne in the semi-finals of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, with Abingdon facing Brunswick School, of the United States, in the other half of the draw.

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