11 GB finalists in Lucerne

July 11, 2009

GB Rowing has qualified eleven boats for tomorrow’s Olympic-class finals at the world cup in Lucerne.

David Tanner, GB Performance Director said: "Once again we’ve had a really strong performance across our team to make all of the Olympic class finals, bar one – and that after illness for Annabel Vernon in the double scull. As in Munich the medal hunt is going to be very, very tough tomorrow".

Katherine Grainger and the lightweight men’s double scull of Paul Mattick and Rob Williams looked stronger in qualifying than three weeks ago in Munich – the venue for the second of this season’s three world cups.

The lightweight men’s four and men’s eight were both involved in tight finishes to the line and moved into the finals in third place.

Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking, winners of the lightweight women’s double scull in Munich at the last leg of the world cup, were GB’s only semi-final winner in the afternoon session.

Britain’s other qualifiers today were the men’s double scull of Stephen Rowbotham and Matthew Wells. They join the men’s and women’s pair, hte men’s four and the men’s quadruple scull, all of whom qualified yesterday by winning their heats.

Racing starts tomorrow in Lucerne at 09.50 UK time and finishes at 14.15. Tomorrow’s finals are live on interactive on the BBC.

Finally, later today, Adam Freeman-Pask will race in a final of the non-Olympic lightweight men’s single scull. He will be hoping for a hat-trick of appearances on the podium at world cup level having featured there in Banyoles and Munich.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================== ===============================
RACE REPORTS

A wafer biscuit might not have been wide enough to separate Great Britain’s second-placed Matthew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham in the men’s double scull semi-final from leaders Germany and third-placed Estonia at the 500m mark. By halfway Switzerland had displaced Estonia in third and the Germans still led but now by just under two seconds.

At 1500m the British duo had slipped to third, to which they clung tenaciously despite pressure from Switzerland and qualified for tomorrow’s final in race won by Germany in 6:22.25.

Much-medalled Katherine Grainger is trying something new this season by racing in a single scull. She won in Banyoles, finished outside the medals in Munich, won her opening heat here and was leading at 500m and 1000m of today’s semi-final.

Grainger seems to have grown in confidence since Munich backed by some technical work in training overseen by coach Paul Thompson.

In the second half of today’s race Grainger was overtaken with some style by Zhang Xiuyun of China but this was still a solid performance to take second in 7:52.19 and to qualify for tomorrow’s final. Belgium’s Annick De Decker was third.

In recent times Anna Bebington has grown unfamiliar with rowing in repechages. Here, though, she is racing with Ro Bradbury, a newcomer to the squad, after her more usual partner Annabel Vernon withdrew on the eve of the event through illness.

In today’s repechage the duo showed how much Bradbury has learnt from the experience and how much they have improved in two days by taking third place and will now contest the B final tomorrow.

Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking started as they meant to continue in today’s lightweight women’s double scull semi-final. They led from virtually the outset and were first to halfway in 3:33.25 tracked by Belgium and the Netherlands.

With 1500m gone the positions remained the same. With 300m to go the Belgians increased their stroke rate but GB fended off the push and still looked strong at the finish to win in 7:16.13. Poland’s final 500m was good enough to move them into third place ahead of the Netherlands. In the opposing semi-final, the Greeks looked strong in qualifying.

Rob Wililams and Paul Mattick in the lightweight men’s double scull also led the first part of their semi-final. At halfway they were a smidgen ahead of France in second and Germany in third. By 1500m the British were still ahead.

In a tight finish Mattick, at stroke, and Williams were just pipped by the French who won by seven hundredths of a second. This was one of the best performances yet by the 2009 GB combination in this event. The Dutch on the far side were third.

With three to qualify for tomorrow’s final, Italy led the lightweight men’s four semi-final featuring GB’s 2009 line-up of Bob Hewitt, Chris Boddy, Chris Bartley and Stephen Feeney with GB in third.

With 500m to go Italy still held the lead but in the final burst to the line the field turned upside down and then back again. GB were threatened and overtaken by Japan but recovered in the final 10 strokes to take a qualifying slot for tomorrow’s final in third place. France came through to win with Italy in second place.

For this crew, many of whom were identified or supported through GB Rowing’s world class start scheme, sponsored by Siemens and backed by the lottery, the 2009 season has been a remarkable breakthrough.

Great Britain’s men’s eight were involved in a tight semi-final race today. The Dutch made much of the early running but no-one let them get away too far. Poland, the USA, Italy and Great Britain were all in the hunt. Only China began to drop off the back.

In the crash and splash of the race to the line, the Dutch held onto win, Poland were second with Great Britain strong-arming themselves into third. Italy took the final qualifying slot in fourth which rowed the Americans and Chinese out of the final.

Adam Freeman-Pask qualified for the final of the lightweight men’s single scull through a semi-final in which he was leading until Swiss sculler Frederic Hanselmann nudged past him in the final 300m.

The lightweight men’s pair of Ross Hunter and Oli Mahony were fifth in their semi-final and now race a B final later today.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================== ===============================
RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS

OPEN

WOMEN

Single scull

Semi-final 2
1. Zhang Xiuyun (China) 7:44.63
2. Katherine Grainger (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:52.19
3. Annick De Decker (Belgium) 7:57.51
4. Tale Goertz (Norway 1) 8:00.11
5. Regina Naunheim (Switzerland) 8:03.08
6. Agata Gramatyka (Poland) 8:14.37

MEN

Double scull

Semi-final 2
1. Eric Knittel/Stephan Krueger (Germany 1) 6:22.25
2. Allar Raja/Kaspar Taimsoo (Estonia) 6:23.22
3. Matthew Wells/Stephen Rowbotham (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:23.80
4. Andre Vonarburg/Florian Stofer (Switzerland) 6:24.14
5. Michal Sloma/Wiktor Chabel (Poland) 6:35.82
6. Michael Sivigny/Stephen Whelpley (USA) 6:37.31

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull

Semi-final 1
1. Hester Goodsell/Sophie Hosking (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:16.13
2. Jo Hammond/Evi Jens Geent (Belgium) 7:16.80
3. Magdalena Kemnitz/Agnieszka Renc (Poland) 7:20.86
4. Rianne Sigmond/Maaike Head (Netherlands) 7;24.22
5. Eliane Waser/Fabiane Albrecht (Switzerland) 7:29.45
6. Emma Fredh/Cecilia Lilja (Sweden 1) 7:30.78

MEN

Pair

Semi-final 2
1. Jean-Christophe Bette/Fabien Tilliet (France 1) 6:41.14
2. Jacob Barsoe/Lasse Dittmann (Denmark 1) 6:45.51
3. Nicolas Moutton/Francois Marty (France 2) 6:46.39
4. Martin Eiermann/Moritz Hafner (Germany 2) 6:56.61
5. Ross Hunter/Oli Mahony (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:58.34
6. Simon Niepmann/Oliver Angehrn (Switzerland) 7:05.25

Four

Semi-final 1

1. France 6:09.83
2. Italy 1 6:09.96
3. Chris Bartley/Chris Boddy/Stephen Feeney/Bob Hewitt
(GREAT BRITAIN) 6:10.68
4. Japan 6:11.05
5. New Zealand 6:21.22
6. Poland 6:24.36

Single scull

Semi-final2
1. Federic Hanselmann (Switzerland) 7:03.54
2. Adam Freeman-Pask (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:04.65
3. Daisaku Takeda (Japan) 7:06.55
4. Felipe Leal Atero (China) 7:07.81
5. Augusto Zamboni (Italy 3) 7:19.49
6. Fabrizio Gabriele (Italy 2) 7:26.72

Double scull

Semi-final 1
1. Frederic Dufour/Jeremie Azou (France) 6:31.50
2. Rob Williams/Paul Mattick (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:31.57
3. Paul Drewes/Jaap Schouten (Netherlands) 6:32.52
4. Christian Hochbruck/Lars Hartig (Germany 1) 6:32.83
5. Mariusz Stanczuk/Robert Sycz (Poland) 6:37.36
6. Lars Wichert/Michael Wieler (Germany 2) 6:45.49

REPECHAGES

OPEN

WOMEN

Double scull

1. Laura Schiavone/Elisabetta Sancassani (Italy) 7:13.79
2. Anna Reymer/Paula Twining (New Zealand) 7:16.02
3. Ro Bradbury/Anna Bebington (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:22.16
4. Sanna Sten/Minna Nieminen (Finland) 7:25.12
5. Sara Hofmann/Nora Fiechter (Switzerland) 7;27.52
6. Fie Graugaard-Udby/Lea Jakobsen (Denmark) 7:30.08

MEN

Eight

1. Netherlands 5:43.53
2. Poland 5:44.38
3. Tom Broadway/Tom Burton/James Orme/Tom Solesbury/
Tom Wilkinson/Dan Ritchie/Tom Ransley/James Clarke/
James Clarke/Phelan Hill (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:45.35
4. USA 5:45.36
5. China 5:56.77

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================== ===============================
CREW LISTS
WORLD CUP FINAL, LUCERNE, Switzerland
JULY , 2009
(Listed as bow to stroke plus cox)

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft/Warrington/16.09.85)/
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)

Single scull

Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Double scull

Ro Bradbury (Westminster School BC/Banstead/17.12.88)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.02.83)

Quadruple scull

Ro Bradbury (Westminster School BC/Banstead/17.12.88)/
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)/
Sarah Cowburn (Durham Uni BC/Redditch/01.02.89)/
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)/

MEN

Pair

Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.81)/
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden, N.Yorks/03.03.79)

Four

Alex Partridge (Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.01.81)/
Richard Egington (Leander Club/Knutsford/26.02.79)/
Alex Gregory (Reading Uni BC/Wormington/11.03.84)/
Matthew Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)

Eight

Tom Broadway (Leander Club/Newport Pagnell/21.08.82)/
Tom Burton (Leander Club/Barton-le-Clay, Beds/24.05.80)/
James Orme (Leander Club/Colchester/01.04.84)/
Tom Solesbury (Isis BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.09.80)/
Tom Wilkinson (Leander Club/Reading/04.07.85)/
Dan Ritchie (Reading Uni BC/Herne Bay/06.01.87)/
Tom Ransley (Cambridge University BC/ Ashford, Kent/06.09.85)/
James Clarke (London RC/London/31.12.84)/
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)

Double scull

Matthew Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.04.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Quadruple Scull

Charles Cousins (Reading Univ BC/Cambridge/13.12.88)/
Marcus Bateman (Leander Club/Torquay/16.09.82)/
Bill Lucas (Reading Univ BC/Kingswear/13.09.87)/
Sam Townsend (Reading Uni BC/Reading/26.11.85)

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull

Hester Goodsell (Reading Uni/Cambridge/27.06.84)/
Sophie Hosking (London RC/Wimbledon/25.01.86)

MEN

Single scull

Adam Freeman-Pask (Imperial College BC/Windsor/19.06.85)

Double scull

Rob Williams (London RC/Maidenhead/21.01.85)/
Paul Mattick (Leander Club/Frome, Somerset/25.04.78)

Pair
Ross Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/13.07.81)/
Oliver Mahony (London RC/London/21.10.83)

Four

Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.84)/
Stephen Feeney (London RC/Coleraine/12.05.85)/
Chris Boddy (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/16.11.87)/
Bob Hewitt (Tees RC/Scarborough/27.04.87)/