GB shapes final world champs line-ups

Great Britain today put the final shape to its line-up to compete at the 2007 World Championships in Munich from August 26-September 2. The event doubles this year as the Olympic qualifying regatta.

A men’s and women’s eight, men’s coxed four and women’s four have been established today after final testing during this month’s training camps to add to the previously-selected crews. The only remaining potential addition will be an adaptive double scull and a decision on this will come in the next few days.

The men’s eight will be stroked by Alastair Heathcote who, like his crew-mate Robin Bourne-Taylor, is "on loan" to GB from the British Army. This Siemens-backed combination is the line-up which won bronze at the Amsterdam world cup – minus Hugo Lee who is injured and has been replaced by Tom Solesbury.

It also features the hugely-experienced former world medallists Josh West and Tom Stallard.  By contrast, the line-up includes 2006 world junior champion Tom Lucy, aged 19, who is in his first senior international season and one of the youngest rowers ever to be selected for a senior world championships squad in an Olympic class boat.

"Lucy has proved during the season that he is able to hold his own in this Olympic class boat",  said GB Performance Director David Tanner today.  "That’s quite exceptional for someone of his age in our sport".

Alice Freeman, meanwhile, has moved into the Siemens-sponsored women’s eight. During the past few weeks of training camps she has found favour above Georgina Menheneott who will now  race in the women’s four with Vicky Myers, Rebecca Rowe and Vicki Etiebet.

The men’s coxed four line-up will include either Charles Burkitt or Oli Moore with a decision expected later this week. Both have already won bronze medals at the World U23 championships this season – Burkitt in the men’s pair and Moore in the men’s four.  It will also feature Tom James – who subbed into the men’s four in Lucerne when Alex Partridge was injured – Marcus Bateman and James Orme. Phelan Hill will be the cox.

Racing in Munich takes place as follows:

Heats
26 and 27 August

Repechages

28 and 29 August

Semi-finals

30 August and 31 August

FINALS

1 and 2 September

(Full details:  www.worldrowing.com and click on media
center before selecting events).

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GB CREWS FOR THE 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Munich, August 26 – September 2, 2007)
(NB – listed from bow to stroke with
athlete name followed by club, home town
and date of birth in brackets).

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Natasha Howard (Tideway Scullers/West Runton/3.9.80)/
Natasha Page (Reading Uni/Hartpury/30.4.85)

Coach: John Keogh

Four

Georgina Menheneott (Mortlake, Anglian & Alpha RC/North Bradley,
Wilts/18.12.79)/Rebecca Rowe (Rebecca/Bridgend/16.5.81)/
Vicki Etiebet (Auriol Kensington/Ottowa, Canada/12.2.79)/
Vicky Myers (Leander/Cheshire/31.3.81)

Coach: Nathan Williams

Eight

Carla Ashford (Thames RC/Northallerton/13.3.79)/Baz Moffat
(Thames RC/Bradford/8.4.78)/Alice Freeman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/
6.9.78)/Louisa Reeve (Leander/London/16.05.84)/Beth Rodford
(Thames RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)/Alison Knowles (Thames RC/
Bournemouth/27.3.82)/Katie Greves (Uni of London/Oxford/2.9.82)
Jess Eddie (Uni of London/Durham/7.10.84)/Caroline O’Connor
(Oxford Brookes/Ealing/25.4.83) (cox)

Coaches: John Keogh

Double scull

Elise Laverick (Thames RC/Poling, W.Sussex/27.7.75)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.2.83)

Coach:  Miles Forbes Thomas

Quadruple scull

Annie Vernon (Thames RC/Wadebridge/1.9.82)/Debbie Flood
(Leander Club/Leeds/27.2.80)/Fran Houghton
(Uni of London/Oxford/19.9.80)/Katherine Grainger
(St Andrews BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Coach: Paul Thompson

MEN

Pair

Colin Smith (Leander/Henley on Thames/23.9.83)/
Matt Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.5.83)/

Coach:  Jurgen Grobler

Four

Steve Williams (Leander Club/Cheltenham/15.4.76)/Peter
Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.7.81)/Alex Partridge
(Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.1.81)/Andy Triggs Hodge
(Molesey BC/Hebden, N.Yorks/3.3.79)

Coach: Jurgen Grobler

Coxed four

James Orme (Leander Club/Colchester/1.4.84)/Marcus Bateman
(Leander Club/Torquay/16.9.82)/Tom James (CUBC/Wrexham/11.3.84)/
Charles Burkitt (Leander/Reading/28.4.86) or Oli Moore (Imperial/Burford)/
Phelan Hill (London RC/London/21.7.79) – cox

Coach: Richard Tinkler

Eight

Tom Parker (OUBC/Winchester/24.10.82)/Tom Stallard
(Leander/Welwyn, Herts/11.9.78)/Tom Lucy (Oxford Brookes/
Monmouth/1.5.88)/Tom Solesbury (Molesey BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.9.80)/Josh West (Leander/Santa Fe/25.3.77)/Richard Egington (Leander/Knutsford/26.2.79)/Robin Bourne-Taylor (Army RC/Oxford/22.7.81)
/Alastair Heathcote (Army RC/London/18.8.77)/Acer Nethercott (OUBC/Harlow/28.11.77) (cox)

Coaches:  Mark Banks, John West

Single Scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/9.5.83)

Coach: Bill Barry

Double Scull

Matt Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.4.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

Quadruple scull

Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey/Thames Ditton/4.9.76)/Sam Townsend
(Reading Uni/Reading/26.11.85)/Alex Gregory (Reading Uni/
Wormington/11.3.84)/Ian Lawson (Leander/Otley, W.Yorks/4.3.77)

Coach: Steve Gunn

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Andrea Dennis (Wallingford RC/Oxford/03.01.82)

Coach: Rob Dauncey

Double scull

Helen Casey (Wallingford RC/Oxford/6.2.74)/
Hester Goodsell (Rob Roy/Cambridge/27.6.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Quadruple scull

Sophie Hosking (Durham Uni/Wimbledon/25.01.86)Laura Greenhalgh (Rob Roy/Oxford/2.9.85)/Mathilde Pauls (Imperial College BC/Berlin & Putney/26.09.83)/ Jane Hall (Leander/Caversham/20.10.73),

Coach: Rob Dauncey

MEN

Pair

Matt Beechey (Leander/Worcester/3.4.77)/Daniel
Harte (London/Edinburgh/12.12.75)

Coach:  Paul Reedy

Four

Richard Chambers (Oxford Brookes/Coleraine/10.6.85)/
James Lindsay-Fynn (London/Trim/29.9.75)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford/Oxford/25.4.78)/James Clarke (London RC/
London/13.12.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Double scull

Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury, Glos/2.5.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/1.7.78)

Coach: Darren Whiter

Quadruple scull
Rob Williams (London RC/Maidenhead/21.1.85)/Simon Jones (Leander/
Henley/8.6.78)/Chris Bartley (Wallingford/Chester/2.2.84)/Dave Currie
(Leander/Bridgend/10.1.82)

Coach:  Rob Morgan

ADAPTIVE CREWS

WOMEN

Single scull

Helene Raynsford (Guildford RC/Frimley/29.12.79)

Coach:  Chad King

MEN

Single scull

Tom Aggar

Coach: Chad King

MIXED

Mixed adaptive coxed four

Naomi Riches (Marlow RC/Harrow Weald/15.6.83)/
Alastair Mckean (Herne Bay ARC/Whitstable/14.4.79)/
Alan Crowther (Nottingham BC/Derby/29.7.65)/
Vicki Hansford (Guildford RC/Lewisham/31.10.79)/
Alan Sherman (cox)

Coach: Chad King

GB may also select an adaptive double – to be confirmed at
a later stage.

SPARES

Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft RC/Warrington/16.9.85)
Tom Wilkinson (Leander/Henley/4.7.85)
Oli Moore (Imperial/Burford/22.12.85)*
Charles Burkitt (Leander/Reading/28.4.86)*
Bill Lucas (Reading Uni/Dartmouth/13.9.87)
Atlanta St John* (Reading Uni/North Leigh, Oxon/13.1.87)
Alasdair Leighton-Crawford* (Tideway Scullers/Richmond-upon-Thames/
09.12.81)

* = Spares who may race subject to further testing.

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

Team Manager:  David Tanner
Assistant Team Manager:  Maggie Netto
Chief Coach Men: Jurgen Grobler
Chief Coach Women and Lightweights:  Paul Thompson
Adaptive boats coordinator:  Louise Kingsley
Team Doctor: Ali Sanders
Lead Physio:  Mark Edgar
Physios:  Pam Gardiner, Gill Edmondson, Mike Chisholm
Physiologist:  Al Smith
Pyschologist:  Chris Shambrook
Nutritionist:  Wendy Martinson
Resources Manager:  Maurice Hayes
Press Officer: Caroline Searle