Young British rowers race in the Netherlands and Poland

Over the weekend of 1-2 June 2024, 11 scullers representing GB competed at the Koninklijke-Holland Beker in Amsterdam, while two quads raced at the European Rowing Under 19 Championships in Kruszwica

Koninklijke-Holland Beker Regatta

The Holland Beker provided excellent international racing experience for the 11 scullers who raced in doubles and singles over the weekend. Freya Keto and Jenny Bates won the Women’s double sculls (W2x) on both days with commanding victories on each occasion. The other scullers developed their racing skills and stepped up each race and each day. Notably Matt Long, an U23, finished fifth in the Men’s single sculls (M1x), and Vwairé Obukohwo matched that result in the Women’s Single Sculls (W1x).

Jamie Gare and Harry Ruinet finished a tight second in the Men’s double sculls (M2x) behind a Dutch senior development crew on Sunday with their best row of the weekend. Meanwhile, Poppy Baker and Meg Knight finished second on Sunday in the Under 23 Women’s doubles (BW2x). Finally, Sarah McKay and Jade Lindo moved from third to second in the Women’s doubles from the Saturday to the Sunday.

All of the scullers will now reflect on the weekend’s racing experiences and look to move forward to further improvements at their next regatta, which will be World Cup III in Poznan for some, and Henley Women’s Regatta for some of the women or Marlow Regatta for the men.

Oxford Brookes also sent a sizeable contingent to the Holland Beker. Their crews secured all five places in the A Final of the Men’s eights (M8+) on the Saturday, where the winning crew – largely comprised of GB Under 23s – also included Oxford University’s Alex Nichol and had Brookes oarsman and Dutch national Thijs Ruiken representing his original club, Njord. Brookes won both the Men’s and Women’s eights on the Sunday – when the Men’s eight beat the Dutch national crew – as well as various Coxless fours events across the weekend.

European Rowing Under 19 Championships

Both of the Under 19 Men’s and Women’s quadruple sculls faced strong competition in all three of the races each competed in across the weekend.

The women’s crew finished second in their heat before coming third in their repechage, which qualified them for Final A. There they crossed the line fourth, just pipping the Swiss crew that had beaten them by a considerably larger margin in the repechage.

The men’s quad were fourth in their heat and then third in their repechage. This placed them into Final B, where they came home fourth.

A small group of athletes selected to represent the GB Rowing Team travelled to compete in the European U19 Championships in Kruszwica, Poland on 1-2 June 2024. With the event being later than usual, many of the GB Rowing Team Under 19 athletes are in the midst of exams so eight were selected to compete in a Men’s and Women’s coxless quads.

Joseph Wellington, Sal Dunn, Max Fullman and William Eaton, came fourth in their heat of the Men’s quadruple sculls on Saturday morning, racing the eventual winners, Italy. Focusing on testing different parts of their race plan, the crew qualified for a place in the B Final through the repechage, eventually finishing 10th overall. This was a solid performance for this young, developing group. Special thanks go to Will Eaton from Leander Club who was called up two days prior to travel to compete in the bow seat.

The Women’s quad of Catherine Gardner, Millie Hurrell, Amalka Delevante and Ansley Vicars finished second in their Heat, before securing their spot in the A Final through the repechage. Italy once again dominated to win gold, with Great Britain finishing a valiant fourth place, narrowly missing the podium. This is again another solid performance from a young group, with Ansley Vicars of Tideway Scullers School receiving a last minute call up to sit in the stroke seat.

Team Manager and Coach Vicky Spencer said, “The Europeans is a fantastic event and provides a superb learning experience for our young athletes. It is a top level regatta and a valuable opportunity for both athletes and coaches to race against our European opponents. With under three months away till the World Championships we are excited to see what our U19 Teams can achieve later in the season.”