Men’s pair and double into world cup finals

Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell and Mat Tarrant, World Champions in the coxed pair in 2015, showed last year’s men’s pair World finalists and local Italian favourites Niccolo Mornati and Vincenzo Capelli a clean pair of heels in the second half of their world cup men’s pair semi-final today.

Both boats were locked in a close battle for the first 1000m before the British boat eased away to win in 6:23.62 from Italy in 6:29.72.  Oliver Cook and Callum McBrierty, racing as GBR2, were in the chasing pack and took fifth behind Spain in third and Argentina in fourth.

Nick Middleton and Jack Beaumont were ideally placed in the ensuing early stages of the first of two men’s double scull repechages. They were in touch with the leading Norwegian double of 2008 Olympic single scull Champion Olaf Tufte and 2013 World Champion Kjetil Borch and a length ahead of the chasing Italians.

Despite some frenetic encouragement from the local commentator the Italians were unable to make in-roads in the final 500m.  Whilst the Norwegians increased their lead, World U23 medallist Beaumont, back in racing mode after a training accident last season, and Middleton finished strongly in second in 6:18.70 to Italy’s 6:20.95 to progress to tomorrow’s final.

“The guys did a lot of work in that middle thousand to set up taking second.  Towards the end, where it was getting a bit rough, they just consolidated their place”, said coach Rob Dauncey.

Whilst China led the first 1500m of the first lightweight women’s double scull semi-final, and went on to win in 6:55.36, four boats were in a tight tussle behind them including former World U23 gold medallist Ellie Piggott and Emily Craig.

The British duo, newly-formed this year, were holding second through the halfway but were overhauled in the final 250m in a thrilling finish to place fifth.  Italy briefly challenged for second but the Netherlands came storming through to take second followed by Poland.

In a quality lightweight men’s double scull semi-final Zak Lee Green and Jamie Kirkwood raced alongside the Olympic Champions Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist and one lane away from the South Africans  James Thompson and John Smith who were 2012 gold medallists in the light men’s four.

Throughout the first half the eventual winners from South Africa held the lead from the Danes but in a thrilling final 500m the Spanish crew romped through to take second with the Olympic Champions holding onto third – only just from the Turks in a photo-finish.

Kirkwood and Lee Green could not find the pace to challenge the top boats and now also race a B final.

Ukraine made the early running in a well-contested women’s quadruple scull preliminary race which featured Tina Stiller, Jess Leyden, Holly Nixon and Rosamund Bradbury for Great Britain.

Just before halfway the GB quartet took the lead briefly before the already Rio-qualified Dutch came through strongly in the last 500m to take the honours followed by Poland with GB in a close third.

Today’s races took place in a tailwind with the wind proving variable and building through the day.  “At its worst the conditions were quite challenging for the crews”, said Dauncey.

Racing starts tomorrow in Varese at 08.00 UK time.  The first British crew in action will be the men’s pair B final at 08.05 with the two lightweight doubles B finals at 08.10 and 08.15. The men’s pair final is at 09.18, the men’s double at 09.48 and the women’s quad will round up the GB action at 10.18.

For further information about this event please contact the GB Rowing Team press officer via [email protected] or 07831 755351.

================================================RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS

OPEN

MEN

Pair – semi-final 2 – top 3 to FA

1.  Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell/Mat Tarrant (GREAT BRITAIN 1) 6:23.62

2.  Niccolo Mornati/Vincenzo Capelli (Italy 1) 6:29.72

3.  Alexander Sigurbjonsson Benet/Paul Vela Maggi (Spain) 6:31.03

4.  Martin Lasserre/Rodrigo Murillo (Argentina) 6:31.40

5.  Oliver Cook/Callum McBrierty (GREAT BRITAIN 2) 6:36.77

6.  Bartosz Zablocki/Rafal Hejmej (Poland 1) 6:41.23

 

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull – semi-final 1

1.  Huang Wenyi/Pan Feihong (China) 6:55.36

2.  lisabeth Woerner/Ilse Paulis (Netherlands 1) 6:56.25

3.  Weronika Deresz/Martyna Mikolajczak (Poland) 6:57.24

4.  Giulia Pollini/Valentina Rodini (Italy 2) 6:57.33

5.  Eleanor Piggott/Emily Craig (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:57.79

6.  Frederique Rol/Patricia Merz (Switzerland) 7:04.40

MEN

Double scull – semi-final 1

1. James Thompson/John Smith (South Africa) 6:19.42

2. Adria Mitjavila/Rodrigo Conde Romero (Spain) 6:22.08

3= Mads Rasmussen/Rasmus Quist (Denmark) 6:22.09

3= Huseyin Kandemir/Enes Kusku (Turkey) 6:22.09

5.  Zak Lee Green/Jamie Kirkwood (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:25.38

6.  Felipe Gardenas Morales/Bernardo Guerrero Diaz (Chile) 6:38.12

REPECHAGES

OPEN MEN

Double scull – repechage 1 – top 2 to FA.

1.  Kjetil Borch/Olaf Tufte (Norway) 6:12.70

2  Nick Middleton/Jack Beaumont (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:18.00

3.  Francesco Fossi/Romano Battisti (Italy)  6:20.95

4.  Oleg Gonorovski/Tomer Shvartsman (Israel) 6:20.95

5.  Sten-Erik Anderson/Oskar Kuzmin (Estonia) 6:31.86

PRELIMS

OPEN WOMEN

Quadruple scull – Preliminary race

1.  Netherlands 6:20.53

2.  Poland 6:22.17

3.  Kristina Stiller/Jess Leyden/Holly Nixon/Rosamund Bradbury (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:23.03

4.  Ukraine 6:25.87

================================================

CREW LISTS

World Rowing Cup I, Varese, Italy, 15-17 April, 2016

*(Crews listed from bow to stroke with cox and with club, home town and date of birth).

OPEN WOMEN

Quadruple scull

Holly Nixon (Leander Club/Enniskillen/07.12.93/

Jessica Leyden (Leander Club/Todmorden/22.02.95)/

Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)/

Rosamund Bradbury  (Leander Club/Banstead, Surrey/17.12.88)

Coach: Jane Hall

 

OPEN MEN

Pairs – two boats

Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)/

Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)

 

Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/

Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/Edinburgh/13.08.92)

 

Double scull

Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/Maidenhead/21.11.93)/

Nick Middleton (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/12.08.88)

LIGHTWEIGHT WOMEN

Double scull

Emily Craig (Univ of London BC/Mark Cross/30.11.92)/

Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Bedford/16.05.91)

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN

Double scull

Zak Lee Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/05.02.91)/Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Cresswell/30.08.89)

For further information about this event please contact the GB Rowing Team press officer via [email protected] or 07831 755351.

 

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