Multiple wins and maiden victories as “exceptional” Trials conclude
There was a ninth win for Alan Campbell, a fourth in a row for Moe Sbihi and hat-tricks for Helen Glover, Heather Stanning, Alex Gregory and Vicky Thornley as the GB Rowing Team Olympic-season Trials concluded in style.
Charlotte Taylor was all smiles after winning the lightweight women's single scull © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images
Lightweights Charlotte Taylor, Will Fletcher, Sam Scrimgeour and Jono Clegg all recorded maiden victories at the event with impressive performances in Wednesday’s finals at Caversham.
The races were packed with quality and depth, giving selectors plenty to ponder ahead of the European Championships team announcement in April – and, of course, this summer’s Olympics in Brazil.
Alan Campbell © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images
Alex Gregory and Moe Sbihi © Peter Spurrier / Intersport ImagesGB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner said: “We’ve had an exceptional set of Trials which is suitable for an Olympic year.
“We’ve had some great racing and it was good to see the standard of our Olympians stepping up with some top-level performances.
Sam Scrimgeour and Jono Clegg celebrate © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images
Will Fletcher celebrates © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images“We still have some questions as we move towards our crew formation. We have good information from these Trials as we start putting together our boats for the European Championships in May and then, later in the year, for the Olympics.”
See below for full race reports, quotes and results.
Heather Stanning and Helen Glover © Peter Spurrier / Intersport Images
Vicky Thornley © Peter Spurrier / Intersport ImagesRace Report
Vicky Thornley led out the women’s single scull final and produced a dominant performance, pushing herself and the clock to the end to claim a third successive GB Trials win in 7:34.14.
Behind her, Holly Nixon was again in consistent and rhythmical form to take second. The main tussle turned out to be between Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Tina Stiller as to who would make the top three.
Hodgkins-Byrne had the advantage all the way through 1500m but, with 350m to go, Stiller put in a push and then a sprint to take third in 7:43.75.
“I don’t how much it was at the end but I was confident I could win the race,” said Thornley. “I wanted to put down a competitive time. It felt like a nice scull, felt consistent through the middle and I was quite pleased with it.
“It’s really important to prove to the coaches and yourself at these Trials that you have moved on and you are in a good place. I really wanted to stamp my authority on today and I felt I did that.
“When it sinks in that I’ve won an Olympic Trials, that will be a nice feeling. I’ve put myself in the best position to be in a good boat, so that’s all I can do.”
Lucinda Gooderham won the B final.
The men’s single scull final promised to be a cracker and so it proved as Alan Campbell claimed his ninth Trials win and his first since 2012, the year he won Olympic bronze.
Campbell laid out his intentions from the outset, starting quickest and building a lead which he maintained throughout.
“I’m very happy with that,” Campbell said. “This is now my ninth win, dating back to my first Trials in 2003, and I’m hugely relieved. It’s a hard, tough race, probably the hardest of the year, and it feels like a collective weight has been lifted.
“Now we can get on with forming crews and doing what has to be done this summer. I know where I want to be and I have put myself in a good strong position but it’s a decision that has to be made.”
Graeme Thomas was the early challenger to emerge from the five-boat chase behind. He and Angus Groom battled bow ball to bow ball through the second half of the race but Thomas had the pace at the end to take second.
John Collins produced a strong, consistent row to hold fourth ahead of Jonny Walton and Sam Townsend.
Peter Lambert, part of the men’s quad for the past three seasons, put in a strong performance to win the B final.
“I wanted to show the selectors a bit more dominance in the B final, which I felt I did pretty well,” he said.
Ellie Piggott sprung an early surprise in the lightweight women’s single final by heading out the field for the first 400m before the more established order resumed.
Charlotte Taylor moved into a temporary lead but Kat Copeland came through just after 650m to nose ahead. She stretched the gap to almost two-thirds of a length but Taylor had reserved some fuel and drew on that in the finishing 250m to win by three feet. Imogen Walsh was third.
Taylor said: “I’m really pleased to have won, I didn’t realise I had. It was a pretty savage fight to the line, we were pushing each other on the whole way.”
Copeland added: “It was my best race of the regatta. I spoke to my coach before and we said about really committing in the third 500, which I think I did. I had nothing left at the end but all in all I was really pleased.”
Will Fletcher followed up his first-ever Trials win at the December Assessment with a confident victory in the lightweight men’s single.
Jamie Kirkwood, looking for a third-successive GB Trials win, put in a strong finish but Fletcher was able to hold off the charge to take first place in 7:13.16. Sam Mottram was third.
“I’m obviously really happy,” said Fletcher. “It’s a great end and start to the season if you know what I mean. Final trials are over, now we can look forward to the big one – the Olympics.”
The lightweight men’s pair final was closely contested all the way down the course but in the last quarter, Sam Scrimgeour and Jonno Clegg kept their length and cool to overhaul Joel Cassells and Peter Chambers. At the finish, the Imperial College and Leander pair had just under a length on the early race leaders.
Chambers and Cassells had registered their intent early on with a blistering first quarter that gave them a second’s lead over Scrimgeour and Clegg. By the 1000m mark, the Oxford Brookes oarsmen were flying and had edged out to over a length’s lead. Chris Bartley and Mark Aldred were not far off the pace in third place.
As the third quarter unfolded, Scrimgeour and Clegg began to reel in the high rating pair from Brookes. With 500m to go, the distance was now just half a length between the crews. Clegg began his charge for the line early. With 350m to go, the pairs were level and Clegg began to draw away.
Attention now focused on whether the fading Brookes pair could hold off Bartley and Aldred. Fortunately, Chambers had just enough in the tank. Clegg and Scrimgeour won in a time of 6:46.02, just under a length in front of Cassells and Chambers. Bartley and Aldred were third.
“I think the race went exactly to plan,” said Clegg. “We’ve rowed the pair a lot so we knew what we needed to do. We went out hard, got into a really strong rhythm and were confident through the middle. That paid off in the end.”
Scrimgeour added: “We have proven ourselves here, finished on a high and can take that through to whatever comes next.”
Helen Glover and Heather Stanning showed sensational pace to dominate the final of the women’s pairs. The reigning Olympic, World and European Champions posted their clear intent to win a second gold in Rio. At the finish, their margin of victory over Jess Eddie and Polly Swann was over ten seconds.
“It’s good to get the Trials done and know we are in as good a shape as we thought we were,” said Glover. “We see it as the start of the season rather than the peak of any kind.”
Stanning added: “We have a great working combination between the two of us and with our coach, Robin [Williams]. It’s exciting to get back in the boat every year, it’s not like putting old slippers on – they’re not worn out, there’s still lots to come.”
The strong pre-race favourites led from the first stroke. At the first 500m marker, they had already established a lead of over four seconds. At that stage, Ro Bradbury and Louisa Reeve led a pack of chasing pairs. Over the second 500m, Glover and Stanning again registered the quickest time, pulling out another four seconds on the Leander pair.
With the race all but in the bag, interest then centred on the fight for second place and in the third 500m, Jess Eddie and Polly Swann began to recover from their poor start. The London RC and Leander pair were third with 500m to go. In the last quarter, they moved up into second place. But there was no doubting the quality of Stanning and Glover’s winning performance. They crossed the line in a time of 7:13.4. Frances Houghton and Olivia Carnegie Brown rowed the fastest last 500m to take third place.
The B final was won by Fiona Gammond and Holly Norton.
The quality of the field in the men’s pairs final was outstanding. It was reflected in a closely fought race won by Alex Gregory and Moe Sbihi. But though the Leander and Molesey pair had led from the first few strokes they came under real pressure in the last quarter from Constantine Louloudis and Pete Reed. At the line, the margin was less than a second.
Gregory and Sbihi showed genuine pace in the first quarter to lead a closely packed field by a length. And the Molesey and Leander pair continued to move away in the second quarter. Their lead at the halfway point was over three seconds.
Early in the contest, the Leander pair of Alan Sinclair and Stewart Innes had been in second place. But by the 1000m, George Nash and Will Satch had taken over as challengers to Gregory and Sbihi. The contest began to close up in the third quarter as Reed and Louloudis began to charge. Coming up to the final 500m the chasing pairs were bowball to bowball. The intensity of that contest was beginning to bring Gregory and Sbihi back to the field.
As the finish line approached, the bow of the Leander and Oxford University pair begun to creep ever closer. But Gregory and Sbihi knew that if they kept a cool head they would cross the line first. At the finish they were just half a length in front in a time of 6:31.24. Nash and Satch were a close third.
Sbihi, who has now won the last four GB Trials, said: “I’m very relieved, it’s a stressful couple of weeks leading into Trials so it’s nice to come away with a win.
“We had a great training camp, so we knew we were coming into the Trials in good shape, but everybody has been pushing us and I’m just happy to win for a third year in a row with Alex.
“I’m looking forward to the summer, it’s going to be fantastic to race in whatever boat we are selected for and go out to try and win an Olympic gold medal.”
The strength in depth in the men’s squad was demonstrated in the B final, where the experienced pair of Matt Langridge and Andrew T Hodge finished runners-up to World coxed pair champions Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell and Matt Tarrant.
Hodge said: “This is by no means a fair reflection on either of us and we’re struggling to understand why at the moment. It goes to show how strong the team is and it’s really great to be a part of that, massive congratulations to everyone who was out there in the A final – really, really great racing.”
Tarrant added: “We came out wanting to prove ourselves and put down a performance to show where we should be rather than where we currently are.”
Race Results
A FINALS
OPEN
MEN
Single
1. Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers’ School) 6:52.94
2. Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC) 6:55.07
3. Angus Groom (Leander Club) 6:58.18
4. John Collins (Leander Club) 6:59.17
5. Jonny Walton (Leander Club) 7:00.05
6. Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC) 7:01.57
Pair
1. Alex Gregory (Leander Club)/Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC) 6:31.24
2. Pete Reed (Leander Club)/Constantine Louloudis (Oxford Univ Boat Club) 6:32.17
3. George Nash (Molesey BC)/Will Satch (Leander Club) 6:34.54
4. Alan Sinclair (Leander Club)/Stewart Innes (Leander Club) 6:36.26
5. Matthew Gotrel (Leander Club)/Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC) 6:41.24
6. Tom Ransley (Leander Club)/Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) 6:42.62
OPEN
WOMEN
Single
1. Victoria Thornley (Leander Club) 7:34.14
2. Holly Nixon (Leander Club) 7:41.17
3. Tina Stiller (Tees RC) 7:43.75
4. Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading Univ BC) 7:44.35
5. Jess Leyden (Leander Club) 7:50.18
6. Katie Greves (Leander Club) 7:55.97
Pair
1. Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC)/Heather Stanning (Army RC) 7:13.40
2. Jessica Eddie (London RC)/Polly Swann (Leander Club) 7:23.56
3. Frances Houghton (Univ of London Tyrian Club)/Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) 7:25.18
4. Ro Bradbury (Leander Club)/Louisa Reeve (Leander Club) 7:25.28
5. Karen Bennett (Leander Club)/Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC) 7:27.81
6. Vicki Meyer-Laker (Leander Club)/Donna Etiebet (Sport Imperial) 7:38.04
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Single
1. Will Fletcher (Leander Club) 7:13.16
2. Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club) 7:14.76
3. Samuel Mottram (Leander Club) 7:19.34
4. Jonathan Jackson (Leander Club) 7:24.62
5. Zak Green-Lee (Agecroft RC) 7:25.21
6. John Hale (Imperial College BC) 7:33.67
Pair
1. Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC)/Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club) 6:46.02
2. Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC)/Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ) 6:47.86
3. Chris Bartley (Leander Club)/Mark Aldred (London RC) 6:48.91
4. Charles Waite-Roberts (Leander Club)/Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) 6:49.37
WOMEN
Single
1. Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC) 7:47.57
2. Kat Copeland (Tees RC) 7:47.99
3. Imogen Walsh (London RC) 7:51.54
4. Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC) 7:58.49
5. Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC) 8:01.58
6. Emily Craig (Univ of London BC) 8:02.04
B FINALS
OPEN
MEN
Single
1. Peter Lambert (Leander Club) 6:59.28
2. Nick Middleton (Leander Club) 7:02.72
3. Jack Beaumont (Leander Club) 7:05.31
4. Rowan Law (Leander Club) 7:12.96
5. Jon Stimpson (Nottingham RC) 7:16.51
6. Frazier Christie (Leander Club) 7:23.54
Pair
1. Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC)/Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC) 6:39.50
2. Matt Langridge (Leander Club)/Andrew T Hodge (Molesey BC) 6:42.36
3. William Warr (Leander Club)/Matt Rossiter (Leander Club) 6:43.86
4. Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC)/Callum McBrierty (Leander Club) 6:44.50
5. George Rossiter (Leander Club)/Barnaby Stentiford (Leander Club) 6:52.93
6. Chris Boddy (Leander Club)/Thomas Ford (Leander Club) 7:02.27
WOMEN
Single
1. Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club) 7:55.84
2. Georgia Francis (Imperial College BC) 8:00.39
3. Emily Carmichael (Leander Club) 8:02.87
4. Sam Courty (Reading RC) 8:07.45
Pair
1. Fiona Gammond (Leander Club)/Holly Norton (Leander Club) 7:36.14
2. Caragh McMurtry (Southampton Coalporters)/Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC) 7:48.08
3. Beth Bryan (Tees RC)/Jo Wratten (Tees RC) 7:53.11
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single
1 Fran Rawlins (Leander Club) 8:07.12
2. Ellie Lewis (Agecroft RC) 8:10.86
3. Robyn Hart-Winks (Edinburgh Univ Boat Club) 8:12.58
4. Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ BC) 8:15.34
Crew List
ENTRY LIST
(As at Monday 21 March) Pairs listed from bow to stroke.
* denotes U23
OPEN
MEN
Single
Tom Barras (Leander Club/Staines/07.01.94)* MED – withdrawn
Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/Maidenhead/21.11.93)
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.83)
Frazier Christie (Leander Club/Bath/11.01.93)
John Collins (Leander Club/Whitton/24.01.89)
Angus Groom (Leander Club/Glasgow/16.06.92)
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Maidenhead/03.12.86)
Rowan Law (Leander Club/Nottingham/01.12.96)*
Harry Leask (Leander Club/Edinburgh/16.10.95)*
Nick Middleton (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/12.08.88)
George Stewart (Molesey BC/Esher/14.04.95)*
Jon Stimpson (Nottingham RC/Gex, France/18.07.90)
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.88)
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.85)
Sam Twine (Reading Univ BC/Tavistock/06.01.94)*
Jonny Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)
Pair
Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Thornaby-on-Tees/16.11.87)/Thomas Ford (Leander Club/Holmes Chapel/03.10.92)
Timothy Clarke (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/07.04.91)/Phil Congdon (Leander Club/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.89)
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)
Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lane End/03.04.94)*/Matthew Aldridge (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Christchurch/11.03.96)*
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)/Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)
Michael Glover (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Burnham/03.06.95)* /Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Withiel/13.05.95)*
Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)/Paul Bennett (Univ of London BC/Leeds/16.12.88)
Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/Andrew T Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden/03.03.79)
Luke Moon (Molesey BC/Deal/25.03.93)/Chris Heywood (Molesey BC/Ascot/29.05.94)*
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/02.10.89)/Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.89)
Adam Neill (Leander Club/Peterborough/29.05.90)/Cameron Buchan (Leander Club/Dunipace/03.12.92)
Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Ashford/06.09.85)/Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)/Constantine Louloudis (Oxford Univ BC/London/15.09.91)
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)/Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)
George Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/09.03.92)/Barnaby Stentiford (Leander Club/Ippleden/06.02.91)
James Rudkin (Newcastle Univ BC/Northampton/07.07.94)*/Lewis McCue (Robert Gordon Uni/Aberdeen/26.12.94)*
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.85)/Stewart Innes (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/20.05.91)
William Warr (Leander Club/Tunbridge Wells/12.03.92)/Matt Rossiter (Leander Club/Newbury/25.09.89)
WOMEN
Single
Emily Carmichael (Leander Club/Cheltenham/29.05.92)
Sam Courty (Reading RC/Alnwick/07.01.93)
Debbie Flood (Leander Club/Guiseley/27.02.80) MED – withdrawn
Georgia Francis (Imperial College BC/Newbury/18.08.94)*
Katherine Grainger (St Andrew BC/Glasgow/12.11.75) (injured) MED – withdrawn
Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Garboldisham/09.06.84)
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)
Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (Reading Univ BC/Hereford/01.10.94)*
Jessica Leyden (Leander Club/Todmorden/22.02.95)
Holly Nixon (Leander Club/Enniskillen/07.12.93
Tina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)
Melissa Wilson (Cambridge Univ BC/Edinburgh/10.06.93) MED – withdrawn.
Pair
Karen Bennett (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.02.89)/ Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)/Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)
Beth Bryan (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/23.04.93)/Jo Wratten (Tees RC/Middlesbrough/23.03.92)
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Deganwy/11.12.91)/Caragh McMurtry (Southampton Coalporters/Southampton/22.08.91)
Jess Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)/Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.06.88)
Fiona Gammond (Leander Club/Bicester/19.10.92)/Holly Norton (Leander Club/Johannesburg, SA/01.01.93)
Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.86)/ Heather Stanning (Army RC/Lossiemouth/26.01.85)
Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond/15.12.85) MED – Withdrawn
Frances Houghton (Univ of London Tyrian Club/Oxford/19.09.80)/Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Henley-on-Thames/28.03.91)
Vicki Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.88)/Donna Etiebet (Imperial College BC/London/29.04.86)
LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN
Single
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85) (injured) MED – Withdrawn
Will Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)
John Hale (Imperial College BC/Cambridge/28.02.88)
Jonathan Jackson (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/02.06.95)*
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Newcastle/30.08.89)
Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/06.02.91)
Samuel Mottram (Leander Club/Stoke Mandeville/14.11.94)*
Sam Tuck (Molesey BC/Peterborough/26.07.93)
Pair
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Wrexham/02.02.84)/Mark Aldred (London RC/Birmingham/18/04.87)
Joel Cassells (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/15.06.94)*/Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ/Coleraine/14.03.90)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Kirriemuir/28.01.88)/Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)
Charles Waite-Roberts (Leander Club/Basingstoke/06.11.92)/Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/30.01.93)
WOMEN
Single
Maddie Arlett (Edinburgh Univ BC/Selkirk/07.06.94)*
Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Stockton-on-Tees/01.12.90)
Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)
Gemma Hall (Wallingford RC/Wargrave/10.04.92) MED – withdrawn
Robyn Hart-Winks (Edinburgh Univ BC/Kirriemuir/07.10.93)
Ellie Lewis (Agecroft RC/Marlow/14.04.94)
Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)
Fran Rawlins (Leander Club/Uckfield/08.07.86)
Brianna Stubbs (Wallingford RC/Poole/13.07.91)
Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.85)
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
COXES
MEN
Henry Fieldman (Molesey BC/Barnes/25.11.88)
Phelan Hill (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)
WOMEN
Zoe De Toledo (Leander Club/London/17.07.87)
Matilda Horn (Univ of London BC/Windsor/16.08.92)
Contact Info
For background information about the The GB Rowing Team contact the Press Office via comms@gbrowingteam.org.uk or 07831 755351
For picture requests please contact: GBRTpressoffice@gbrowingteam.org.uk
GB Rowing Team website, including full rower biogs: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk
Follow us on
