Everyone will want to impress as we move into Games qualification year
Some mouthwatering head to heads are in store at the weekend’s GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Trials – none more so than in the open men’s pair event which includes 15 current senior World medallists.
Alex Gregory and Mohamed Sbihi, both World Champions in the men’s four, will seek a second successive men’s pair win as they lead the field in one of the six events on offer.
Behind them will be a strong group of pairs all of which include a reigning World Champion from either them the men’s four or men’s eight last year or a senior World medallist.
Will Satch and George Nash are reunited in their 2012 Olympic bronze medal men’s pairing.
Matt Gotrel and Paul Bennett, Mat Tarrant and Scott Durant as well as Alan Sinclair and Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell will all be strong pairs.
James Foad and Matt Langridge will fancy their chances as 2014 World silver medallists. Tom Ransley teams up with squad newcomer Calum McBrierty.
Fresh from his Boat Race win with Oxford, Constantine Louloudis will race with Olympic Champion Pete Reed.
“We will have 13 current World Champions in action at the weekend across the squads and everyone will really want to be on top form to impress so the racing should be truly world class”, said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director.
He added: “We are moving into the sharp end of the four-year cycle with 2016 Olympic and Paralympic qualification at stake for our boats at the World Championships in France in September”.
Olympic and World Champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will be odds-on favourites to take the women’s pair title. They will be chased by a number of squad pairs including Olympians Jess Eddie, Louisa Reeve and Katie Greves.
Katherine Grainger, the four-times Olympic medallist, returns to the Trials for the first time since 2012 in a tough women’s single field which includes 2014 world top eight sculler Vicky Thornley, twice Olympic silver medallist Frances Houghton and British double scull Champion Melanie Wilson.
All four of the GB Rowing Team 2014 World silver men’s quadruple scull of Graeme Thomas, Sam Townsend, Charles Cousins and Peter Lambert will be in action in a sizzling men’s single scull field – although Thomas is recovering from recent illness and is just returning to full fitness.
Jonny Walton, John Collins, Angus Groom and Jack Beaumont will be amongst the other contenders.
Kat Copeland, the Olympic lightweight double champion, leads a lightweight women’s single scull event which will pit this tight-knit and closely-contested training group, including Ruth Walczak, Imogen Walsh, Charlotte Taylor, Brianna Stubbs and Ellie Piggott against each other.
Peter Chambers is back to fitness with another slice of family rivalry therefore in store against older brother Richard in a lightweight single scull field which is heavy with potential challengers.
These include a number of World senior medallists such as Chris Bartley, Mark Aldred, Jonno Clegg, Will Fletcher and Sam Scrimgeour as well as 2014 Trials Winner Jamie Kirkwood.
Amongst the newcomers to watch this weekend will be Cambridge Boat Race contestant Holly Hill, who is developing strongly as part of the GB Rowing Team Start programme and will be challenging for World U23 consideration. She races in the open women’s pair event.
Tom George and Calum McBrierty are newcomers in the open men’s squad and will race with Oli Cook and World Champion Tom Ransley respectively.
Zak Lee Green, Joel Cassells, Tim Richards and Charles Waite-Roberts could make an impact in the lightweight single scull lists.
2013 World Champion Polly Swann sits out this weekend because of injury whilst Olympic and World Champion Andrew Triggs Hodge is another notable absentee because of a lingering virus which has curtailed his winter training.
Equally 2012 Olympic bronze medalllist Alan Campbell has recently picked up a minor injury after a good winter of training and will also not compete this weekend.
The first big international of the year featuring the GB Rowing Team will be the European Championships taking place in Poland from 29-31 May. Our team for this will be announced on May 13th.
For further information please contact: The GB Rowing Team press office on 01225 384211 or 07831 755351 or [email protected]
OUTLINE TIMETABLE
(NB – please check schedules carefully. This timetable may change subject to weather conditions)
Sat
18 09:30 – 12:00 Time-Trials
Sat
18 15:00 – 17:45 Semi-Finals
Sun
19 10:00 – 13:00 Finals
2014 Winners
Women’s Pair: Helen Glover/Heather Stanning;
Men’s Pair: Alex Gregory/Mohamed Sbihi;
Men’s Single: Charles Cousins;
Women’s Single: Vicky Thornley;
Lightweight women’s single: Kat Copeland;
Lightweight men’s single scull: Jamie Kirkwood
Full Trials Entry
* denotes U23
OPEN
MEN
SINGLE
Alexander Bain (Newcastle Univ BC/Chester/08.11.95)*
Tom Barras (Cardiff Univ BC/Staines/07.01. 94)*
Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/Maidenhead/21.11.93)*
Andy Brown (Tees RC/Yarm/12.01.94)*
Frazier Christie (Bath Univ BC/Bath/11.01.93)*
Daniel Clift (Isle of Ely RC/Torpoint/15.06.88)
John Collins (Leander Club/Whitton/24.01.89)
Charles Cousins (Reading Univ BC/Cambridge/13.12.88)
Angus Groom (Leander Club/Glasgow/16.06.92)
Alexander Haynes (Sir W Borlase’s GS BC/Cookham Dean/10.10.96)*
Stewart Innes (Leander Club/ Henley-on-Thames/20.05.91)
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Maidenhead/03.12.86)
Michael Lawrence (Quintin BC/Bradford on Avon/31.08.93)*
Nick Middleton (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/12.08.88)
George Stewart (Molesey BC/Bristol Univ BC/Esher/14.04.95)*
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft/Preston/08.11.88)
Dominic Tope (Reading Univ BC/Grantham/11.04.94)*
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.85)
Sam Twine (Reading Univ BC/Tavistock/06.01.94)*
Jonathan Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)
Alex Wilding (Bath Univ BC/Wimborne Minster/18.01.93)*
PAIR
Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Thornaby-on-Tees/16.11.87)/Matt Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/25.09.89)
Timothy Clarke (Newcastle Univ BC/Henley-on-Thames/07.04.91)/Thomas Ford (Newcastle Univ BC/Holmes Chapel/03.10.92)
Richard Clarke (Univ of London BC/Kingston-upon-Thames/06.11.93)*/Lewis McCue (Robert Gordon Univ BC/Aberdeen/26.12.94)*
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/Tom George (Leander Club/22.09.94)*
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)/Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.87)/Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)
Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lane End/03.04.94)*/Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Withiel/13.05.95)*
Michael Glover (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Burnham/03.06.95)*/Matthew Aldridge (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Christchurch/11.03.96)*
Matthew Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)/Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC/Leeds/16.12.88)
Timothy Grant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Sevenoaks/02.07.93)/Karl Hudspith (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Twickenham/31.03.88)
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)/Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)
Oliver Hines (Imperial College BC)*/Tristan Vouilloz (Imperial College BC/Lewes/22.09.93)*
Sybren Hoogland (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Norwich/03.11.93)*/Richard Hawkins (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Chester/22.08.93)*
Richard Hume (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Southampton/12.04.95)*/James Stanhope (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Hampton/02.09.94)*
Andrew Joel (Leander Club/Windsor/08.06.95)*/Harry Leask (Leander Club/Edinburgh/16.10.95)*
Oliver Knight (Newcastle Univ BC/Addlestone/15.09.95)*/James Rudkin (Newcastle Univ BC/Northampton/07.07.94)
Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)/Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Ashford/06.09.85)
Henry Millar (Edinburgh Univ BC/Fivemiletown/25.02.94)*/Rufus Scholefield (Edinburgh Univ BC/Jersey/29.10.93)*
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/02.10.89)/Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.89)
Felix Newman (Cambridge Univ BC/Christmas Common/26.11.93)*/Piers Kasas (Cambridge Univ BC/London/29.08.96)
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)/Constantine Louloudis (Oxford Univ BC/London/15.09.91)
George Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/09.03.92)/William Warr (Cambridge Univ BC/Tunbridge Wells/12.03.92)
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.85)/Nathan Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)
Barnaby Stentiford (Leander Club/Ippleden/06.02.91)/Sam Arnot (Leander Club/Chester/09.07.91)
Henry Swarbrick (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Richmond/05.04.94)*/William Hall (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Winchester/08.05.94)
OPEN
WOMEN
SINGLE
Bethany Bryan (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/23.04.93)*
Donna Etiebet (Imperial College BC/London/29.04.86)
Georgia Francis (Imperial College BC/St Mary’s Univ/Newbury/18.08.94)*
Rebecca Girling (Cardiff Univ BC/Fareham/03.12.89)
Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Glasgow/12.11.75)
Georgina Grandfield (Agecroft/Market Drayton/04.08.90)
Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading Univ BC/Hereford/01.10.94)*
Frances Houghton (Univ of London Tyrian Club/Oxford/19.09.80)
Jessica Leyden (Leander Club/Todmorden/22.02.95)*
Holly Nixon (Leander Club/Enniskillen/07.12.93)*
Sara Parfett (Imperial College BC/Rochester/08.10.91)
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/ 28.12.82)
Gabby Rodriguez (Molesey BC/Bath/23.12.89)
Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)
Laura Wheeler (Nottingham RC/Burton on Trent/16.02.85)
Pippa Whittaker (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/17.05/91)
Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)
Josephine Wratten (Tees RC/Middlesbrough/23.03.92)
PAIR
Emily Ashford (Leander Club/Buckfastleigh/06.12.91)/Emily Carmichael (Leander Club/Cheltenham/29.05.92)
Karen Bennett (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.02.89)/Katherine Douglas (Leander Club/Edinburgh/03.08.89)
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)/Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Henley-on-Thames/28.03.91)
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)/Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)
Rebecca Edwards (Queens Univ Ladies BC/Dungannon/20.08.93)*/Katie Bartlett (Nottingham RC/Nottingham/02.02.94)*
Emily Ford (Newcastle Univ BC)*/Samantha Courty (Bath Univ BC/Alnwick/07.01.93)*
Alessandra French (Univ of London BC/Ascot/23.08.95)*/Maja Donaldson (Univ of London BC/Oxford/18.06.94)*
Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.86)/Heather Stanning (Army RC/Lossiemouth/26.01.85)
Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Garboldisham/09.06.84)/Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Deganwy/11.12.91)
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)/Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond/15.12.85)
Holly Hill (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC/Gossington/23.01.94)*/Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ Women’s BC/Edinburgh/10.06.93)
Aimee Jonckers (Molesey BC/Maidenhead/07.07.90)/Helen Roberts (Molesey BC/Durham/21.01.90)
Annie Withers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Surrey/22.02.93)*/Susie Dear (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Hampshire/31.03.93)
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
SINGLE
Mark Aldred (London RC/Birmingham/18/04.87)
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Wrexham/02.02.84)
Matthew Bedford (Univ of London BC/Maidenhead/21.01.91)
Kieran Brown (Edinburgh Univ BC/Glasgow/21.03.93)*
Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)*
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ/Coleraine/14.03.90)
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85)
Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)
Alastair Douglass (Molesey BC/Shepperton/22.06.95)*
Andrew Dowty (Leander Club/Worcester/26.02.93)*
Edward Fisher (Leander Club/Nottingham/16.04.94)*
William Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)
Hugh Gallie (Agecroft/ Barcelos, Portugal/06.09.89)
Callum Gathercole (Bristol Univ BC/Horsley/15.05.95)*
Christopher Goldsack (Univ of London BC/Bayford/13.09.91)
John Hale (Imperial College BC/Cambridge/28.02.88)
Myles Holbrough (Imperial College BC/Bingley/23.02.93)*
Jonathan Jackson (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/02.06.95)*
Wilf Kimberley (Imperial College BC/London/15.07.92)
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Newcastle/30.08.89)
Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft/Cardiff/06.02.91)
Iain Mandale (Isis/Surbiton/27.01.93)*
Gregor Maxwell (Edinburgh Univ BC/Humbie/31.07.93)*
George McKirdy (Imperial College BC/Derby/03.03.89)
Samuel Mottram (Leander Club/Stoke Mandeville/14.11.94)*
Benjamin Reeves (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Wilmslow/10.05.94)*
Timothy Richards (Imperial College BC/Goring-on-Thames/17.05.92)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Kirriemuir/28.01.88)
Charles Waite-Roberts (Leander Club/Basingstoke/06.11.92)
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
SINGLE
Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ BC/Selkirk/07.06.94)*
Amelia Carlton (Durham Univ BC/Putney/10.07.94)*
Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/01.12.90)
Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)
Lucy Cruxton (Reading Univ BC/Stoke-on-Trent/22.12.93)*
Katherine Denham (Durham Univ BC/Guildford/31.01.95*
Gemma Hall (Wallingford RC/Wargrave/10.04.92)
Robyn Hart-Winks (Edinburgh Univ BC/Kirriemuir/17.10.93)*
Ellie Lewis (Agecroft /Manchester Univ BC/Marlow/14.04.94)*
Emma McDonald (Glasgow Univ BC/Lochwinnoch/11.10.94)*
Flo Pickles (Gloucester Hartpury/Cheltenham/02.11.96)*
Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)
Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Poole/13.07.91)
Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.85)
Hannah Traylen (Exeter Univ BC/Claygate/18.02.93)*
Ruth Walczak (Molesey BC/Rochdale/15.09.88)
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
Jade Wright (Univ of London BC/Bedford/08.09.93)*
For further information please contact: The GB Rowing Team press office on 01225 384211 or 07831 755351 or [email protected]
