GB Rowing Team crews reach finals of European Championships
The GB Rowing Team saw three out of four boats reach the finals of the European Championships in Bulgaria with first and second places in the repechages today.
The lightweight women’s double won their race in emphatic fashion while the men’s double and lightweight double crews both claimed the second qualifying spots on the Plovdiv course for Sunday’s finals. The men’s four have to settle for a place in the B final though after being pipped to the final qualifying spot in their repechage by Slovenia.
Pete Sheppard, the GB Rowing Team’s team manager for the championships which Britain traditionally use to grant race experience to development crews, had set the goal of reaching the finals given the calibre of the field with many nations bringing their World Championship crews.
“Getting three of the four crews into the A finals is good, that was always our target,” said Sheppard. “The lightweight women’s double dominated and the men’s double and lightweight double did their job well to make sure they qualified.”
He sounded a note of caution though as to expectations for tomorrow’s finals. “For both the men’s doubles getting on the podium will be a very stiff order. We have an opportunity to get on the podium with a couple of the boats and they have to make a step up to achieve that result.”
Molesey Boat Club’s Henry Pelly and Manchester’s Graeme Thomas from Agecroft Rowing Club set the standard in GB’s first race of the day, following the Ukraine home and into the final ahead of Austria, Bulgaria and Israel in good conditions.
There was heartbreak for the GB men’s four though who were off the pace they produced in yesterday’s heat and couldn’t quite overhaul Slovenia for the second qualifying place in the final after a tight finish. Mason Durant, Fred Gill, Matthew Tarrant and Scott Durant finished third in front of Poland and will contest the B final tomorrow.
“Obviously the men’s four is a bit disappointed,” said Sheppard. “They rowed their best race and the Slovenians must have hid something from us yesterday.”
Oxford’s Kathryn Twyman and Andrea Dennis stormed to victory in their repechage, the World Champions in the lightweight women’s quad showing their intent in the double with a comfortable win ahead of Italy and Austria.
And in the men’s lightweight double Maidenhead’s Jono Clegg and Chris Boddy, a product of Tees Rowing Club, almost repeated the feat, finishing just behind winners Poland and crucially ahead of Austria to reach their final after a very close sprint for the line. They join the GB women’s eight in Sunday’s finals which start from 8am UK time for the GB crews and is being streamed live on www.worldrowing,com.
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RESULTS
2011 European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
(GB crews only – for full results go to www.worldrowing.com)
Repechages – Saturday 17 September
MEN
Double scull
1. Ukraine 6:32.95
2. Henry Pelly/Graeme Thomas (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:36.34
3. Austria 6:39.34
4. Bulgaria 6:45.58
5. Israel 6:46.51
Four
1. Spain 6:04.57
2. Slovenia 6:07.26
3. Mason Durant/Fred Gill/Matthew Tarrant/Scott Durant (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:09.65
4. Poland 6:11.94
5. Croatia 6:14.01
6. Ukraine 6:17.22
LIGHTWEIGHT
Women
Double scull
1. Kathryn Twyman/Andrea Dennis (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:15.51
2. Italy 7:19.95
3. Austria 7:20.39
4. Russia 7:23.34
5. Czech Republic 7:24.73
6. Romania 7:36.08
Men
Double scull
1. Poland 6:38.12
2. Jono Clegg/Chris Boddy (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:39.41
3. Austria 6:40.15
4. Turkey 6:46.40
5. Czech Republic 6:54.55
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GB ROWING TEAM CREW-LIST (Name/Club/Home town/Date of birth)
2011 European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
September 16-18, 2011
(Listed bow to stroke)
WOMEN
Eight
Leonora Kennedy (Sport Imperial/Putney/12.01.1987)/
Zoe Lee (Sport Imperial/London/15.12.1985)/
Erica Bodman (Reading Uni BC/St Martins, Guernsey/24.01.1988)/
Vicki Meyer-Laker (Nottingham RC/Nottingham/18.03.1988)/
Ro Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead, Surrey/17.12.1988)/
Emily Taylor (Leander Club/Lincoln/28.06.1987)/
Monica Relph (Reading Uni BC/Henley on Thames/15.01.1988)/
Polly Swann (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/05.06.1988)/
Zoe de Toledo (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/17.07.1987)
Coach: Eira Parry
Spare
Lucinda Gooderham (Upper Thames RC/Diss, Norfolk/09.06.1984)
MEN
Four
Mason Durant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)/
Fred Gill (Molesey BC/Shrewsbury/09.01.1986)/
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Shepperton, Surrey/11.07.1990)
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
Coach: Henry Balihache-Webb
Double Scull
Henry Pelly (Molesey BC/London/30.07.1983)/
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.1988)
LIGHTWEIGHT
Women
Double Scull
Kathryn Twyman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/29.03.1987)/
Andrea Dennis (Imperial College BC/Oxford/03.01.1982)
Coach: Pete Sheppard
Men
Double Scull
Jono Clegg (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/14.07.1989)/
Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Stockton-on-Tees/16.11.1987)
SUPPORT STAFF
Team manager and lead coach: Pete Sheppard
Coach: Eira Parry
Coach: Henry Balihache-Webb, Oxford Brookes
Physio: Katherine Vials
Lead driver: Phil Gray
Second driver: Karl Offord
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PROVISIONAL ERC SCHEDULE
(for full timetable go to www.worldrowing.com)
Opening Ceremony – Thursday, September 15
Heats & Repechages – Friday, September 16
Repechages, Semi-finals and Finals A, B, C – Saturday, September 17
Finals A and B – Sunday, September 18
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MORE INFORMATION
For a full timetable and results go to the FISA website: www.worldrowing.com
For more information on the GB Rowing Team go to: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk
*SIEMENS is the high performance partner of the GB Rowing Team
(as such they sponsor all the Olympic and Paralympic Class
boats in the senior squad and add value to the GB Rowing
Teams’ Start and High Performance Programme in Clubs Schemes)
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KEY DATES FOR 2011/2012
The 2012 season is about to begin for the nation’s top rowers
culminating in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
SEPTEMBER 2011
16-18
European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
27-28
Start of training for the 2012 season – senior and adaptive members of the GB Rowing Team
MARCH 2012
8-11
GB Rowing Team senior trials, Eton/Dorney
MAY
2-6
Rowing world cup I and final Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Belgrade, Serbia
20-27
Rowing world cup II and final Olympic Qualification Regatta, Lucerne, Switzerland
JUNE
13-17
Rowing world cup III, Munich, Germany
JULY
9-15
World Rowing U23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania
July 24 – August 5
OLYMPIC GAMES REGATTA, Eton/Dorney
AUGUST
12-19
World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
August 25 – September 3
PARALYMPIC GAMES REGATTA, Eton/Dorney
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CONTACT DETAILS
For media enquiries about The GB Rowing Team please contact:
Caroline Searle, Andy Sloan or Miranda Edwards on:
T: (01225) 443998
M: CAROLINE (07831) 755351
M: ANDY (07714) 168391
For European Championship enquiries contact Andy Sloan
GB Rowing Team website www.gbrowingteam.org.uk – full biogs available here.
Follow us on facebook: www.facebook.com/gbrowingteam
Follow us on twitter @gbrowingteam: www.twitter.com/gbrowingteam
Follow us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GBRowingTeam
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The GB Rowing Squad is supported by the National Lottery
Sports Fund as part of UK Sport’s Podium Programme.
GB Rowing Team News bulletins are issued by the GB Rowing Team office
ENDS
