GB Rowing Team’s Williams says it’s “good to be tested”
Coach Robin Williams says it was good for his charges – Olympic Champion Helen Glover and former World U23 finalist Polly Swann – to be challenged
hard in their opening heat of the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne this morning.
“They probably would have liked to have been further in front but they got the job done”, said Williams of their close win over a top American pair. “There are some quick pairs around and it’s good to be tested”.
Glover and Swann were the first GB crew here to qualify direct for Sunday’s finals. Frances Houghton and Victoria Meyer-Laker mirrored that feat with a second place in today’s women’s double scull heat.
The trio of British Olympic men’s champions racing in the top GB eight have the chance to join them but will need to do that through the repechage tomorrow as they were beaten by the USA today.
Another eight British crews will race semi-finals tomorrow, the lightweight men’s double of Richard and Peter Chambers and pair of Mark Aldred and Sam Scrimegeour having won their heats.
Six GB Rowing Team crews still have repackages ahead. For the men’s four and the lightweight men’s single sculler Jamie Kirkwood those repechages are later his afternoon. The GB women’s eight has yet to open its campaign here. They will have a seeding race tomorrow for Sunday’s straight final.
The World Cup will be televised in the UK by BBC TV Sport – live on the Red Button on Sunday 12th and a highlights programme on Monday 13th.
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RACE REPORTS
Brothers Peter and Richard Chambers, from Coleraine, were the early race leaders in their opening heat of the lightweight men’s double scull. At halfway they were still ahead and holding off the remainder of the field and, by the finishing 500m, they had the luxury of coasting to the line ahead of Germany’s Konstantin Steinheubel and Lars Hartig with the Dutch in third. The win put the Eton Dorney silver medallists safely through to tomorrow’s semi-finals.
“That was a really good start and a big improvement on Eton. It’s set us up well for what will be a tough regatta”, said Richard, the elder of the two siblings.
Their female counterparts Kathryn Twyman and Imogen Walsh, of Oxford and
Inverness respectively, were down on the USA and New Zealand in their opening heat at the 500m mark. The boat positions were the same at halfway with Argentina and Hong Kong in the rear.
Third place would secure them a place in tomorrow’s semis. In what proved
a tactical second half, the British duo were comfortable in third whilst the USA and New Zealand put in a finishing sprint of sorts to take top billing in that order.
Chris Bartley is the surviving 2012 Olympic silver medallist in this crew in 2013. Today his quartet, featuring Olympic reserve Adam Freeman-Pask, and European silver medallists William Fletcher and Jonno Clegg, tracked Denmark down the course for the full 2000m.
With a a time of 6:05.07, they came home safely to qualify for the semi-finals. Austria were third and go to the repechage with Brazil and Canada.
Italy were the early race leaders in the lightweight men’s pair event featuring Forfar-born Sam Scrimgeour, 2012 European silver medallist, and Mark Aldred of Great Britain. Rowing conditions on the famous Rotsee were nigh perfect for this early morning heat.
GB tracked the leaders in a race where three go through to tomorrow morning’s semi-finals. By halfway Greece had come through GB with not
much separating the three boats.
The GB duo responded with a strong second half to take the win ahead of the Greeks and the fading Italians.
Jamie Kirkwood followed up with a second place in his heat of the lightweight single but with only one crew progressing to the final, he must now race a repechage later today.
Rachel Walczak was trailing world champion Fabiana Beltrame of Brazil but was looking safe in the second qualifying slot for tomorrow’s semi-finals at 1000m gone. No change in the second half of the race, meant that the Rochdale rower progressed safely to the semi-finals.
The British men’s open quadruple scull is racing on the still and deep waters of the sheltered Rotsee this weekend with substitute Jonathan Walton on board as a replacement in the bow for Graeme Thomas. At halfway today they were third behind the Olympic Champions Germany and the Russian crew who last year set a world best time here.
By 1500m they had moved through the Russians and went on to qualify in
comfort for the semi-finals behind Germany.
A different fate awaited the men’s four. Alan Sinclair, Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell, Scott Durant and Mat Tarrant were second throughout the first half but then dropped back on the pace as Belarus and then the Czech Republic came through them to take the other two qualifying slots behind the USA. The British have another chance to progress in this afternoon’s repechages.
The USA, fourth in last year’s Olympic final, flew out of the blocks in the opening heat of the men’s eight. Great Britain 1, with Olympic men’s four champions Andrew Triggs Hodge, Peter Reed and Alex Gregory in an experienced line-up coxed by Phelan Hill, were at close quarters along with France.
At halfway the USA had half a length on the British – it was not one they would relinquish and crossed the line in 5:27.29 to take the only available slot in Sunday’s final. GB will have a second chance to meet them there through tomorrow’s repechage.
A second GB men’s eight is also racing here, part of a development project. At the finish today of their heat they had a small overlap on the German Olympic champions with Poland in between. The British second-ranked boat will go the repechage with their confidence buoyed.
Alan Campbell, of Tideway Scullers School, was the race leader until halfway in his heat of the open men’s single scull. Cuba’s Angel Fournier Rordrigues overtook him with 600m to go but with a semi-final qualifying slot already secured Campbell coasted through the last quarter to take second in 7:04.84.
Bill Lucas and Matt Langridge will be racing a mid-afternoon repechage tomorrow after finishing third in a tight finish to their men’s double scull heat which was won by at a sprint in the final 350m by the overall 2012 world cup winners Eric Knittel and Stephan Krueger of Germany.
Vicky Thornley from Wales, like Langridge, a member of Leander Club, is still learning her craft as a single sculler, having featured in the eight last year and previously in the quadruple scull.
Here she faced her Henley Royal Regatta conqueror Emma Twigg, the Olympic finalist, in the heats and kept in touch throughout. With 350m to go Twigg was leading, Thornley concentrated on booking the second qualifying slot from Lithuania in third.
Frances Houghton, twice an Olympic silver medallist, and Victoria Meyer-Laker have used their combination of experience, power and exuberance to great effect to date this season whilst knowing that this regatta would be their toughest yet.
In today’s heat Germany took the lead in a race where only two could progress to the final. Great Britain were tucked closely into second but at halfway Lithuania made a big push and burst into a significant lead. Germany and GB were left to tussle in their wake with Britain taking the honours to reach Sunday’s final. Germany were third and will race a repechage.
The British women’s pair of Helen Glover and stroke Polly Swann went head-to-head with the USA in their heat today. Britain had the lead in the first half with the Netherlands in third and the South Africa fourth.
With just 500m to go the British duo were still locked in a close race with their American challengers, featuring women’s eight 2012 gold medallist Meghan Musnicki and world u23 Champion Taylor Goetzinger. Olympic champion Glover and 2013 senior squad newcomer Swann, who missed out narrowly on the Olympic team last year, dug deep, picked up the rate and held them off in the surge past the grandstand to take the sole qualifying berth for Sunday’s final.
Poland led throughout the women’s quad heat featuring the GB crew. Behind them Lucinda Gooderham, replacing the poorly Caragh McMurtry, Monica Relph, Rosamund Bradbury and Kirstina Stiller, battled up from fifth to fourth but will now race a repechage tomorrow. The USA were second and Italy third.
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RESULTS
HEATS
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair (First to final, rest to rep)
1. Helen Glover/Polly Swann (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:59.37
2. Taylor Goetzinver/Meghan Musnicki (USA) 7:01.22
3. Elisabeth Hogerwerf/Olivia van Rooijen (Netherlands) 7:07.50
4. Naydene Smith/Lee-Ann Persee (Republic of South Africa) 7:08.98
Single scull (First 2 to semis, rest to rep)
1. Emma Twigg (New Zealand) 7:38.06
2. Victoria Thornley (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:40.81
3. Lina Saltyte (Lithuania 2) 7:42.85
4. Kristina Boncheva (Bulgaria) 7:55.29
5. Julia Kalinovskaya (Russia 2) 7:58.37
Double scull (First two to final, rest to rep)
1. Donata Vistartaite/Milda Valciukaite (Lithuania) 6:50.19
2. Frances Houghton/Victoria Meyer-Laker (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:53.46
3. Julia LIer/Mareike Adams (Germany) 6:56.46
4. Adrienne Martelli/Megan Kalmoe (USA2) 6:57.82
5. Katalin Szabo/Krisztina Gyimes (Hungary) 7:13.39
Quadruple scull (First to final, rest to rep)
1. Poland 6:16.26
2. USA 6:18.87
3. Italy 6:24.96
4. Lucinda Gooderham/Monica Relph/Rosamund Bradbury/Kristina Stiller (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:28.62
5. Denmark 6:29.03
6. Netherlands 2 6:34.05
MEN
Four (First 3 to semis, rest to rep)
1. USA 5;54.71
2. Belarus 5:57.64
3. Czech Republic 5:58.19
4. Alan Sinclair/Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell/Scott Durant/Matthew Tarrant (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:59.84
5. Brazil 6:22.10
Eight
Heat 1 (First to final, rest to rep)
1. USA 5;27.29
2. Tom Ransley/Dan Ritchie/Pete Reed/Will Satch/Mohamed Sbihi/Alex Gregory/George Nash/Andrew Triggs Hodge/Phelan Hill (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN 1) 5;31.38
3. Netherlands 5:34.92
4. France 5:36.91
Heat 2 (First to final, rest to rep)
1. Germany 5:29.73
2. Poland 5:31.80
3. Matt Gottrel/Coiln Williamson/Nick Middleton/Philip Congdon/Oliver Cook/John Collins/Mason Durant/Lance Tredell/Henry Fieldman (cox) (GREAT BRTAIN 2) 5:32.32
4. Italy 5:38.11
Single scull (First 2 to semi, rest to rep)
1. Angel Fournier Rodriguez (Cuba) 6:57.10
2. Alan Campbell (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:04.84
3. Rolandas Mascinskas (Lithuania) 7:08.69
4. David Aregger (Switzerland) 7:10.54
5. Domonkos Szell (Hungary) 7:26.67
6. Memo Memo (Indonesia) 7:41.12
Double scull (First to final, rest to rep)
1. Eric Knittel/Stephan Krueger (Germany) 6:11.99
2. Mindaugas Griskonis/Saulius Ritter (Lithuania) 6:12.92
3. Bill Lucas/Matt Langridge (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:18.36
4. Marko Marjanovic/Aleksandar Filipovic (Serbia) 6:18.63
5. Ariel Suarez/Cristian Rosso (Argentina) 6:19.44
6. Frank Steffensen/Sophus Johannesen (Denmark) 6:25.35
Quadruple scull (First 3 to semi, rest to rep)
1. Germany 5:45.37
2. Jonathan Walton/Sam Townsend/Charles Cousins/Peter Lambert (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:46.43
3. Russia 5:51.29
4. Poland 5:56.39
5. Netherlands 5:57.97
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single scull (First 2 to semis, rest to rep)
1. Fabiana Beltrame (Brazil) 7:56.21
2. Ruth Walczak (GREAT BRITAIN) 8:01.43
3. Lee Ka Man (Hong Kong 1) 8:10.47
4. Daniela Nachazelova (Czech Republic) 8:25.21
5. Lee Yuen Yin (Hong Kong 2) 8:27.98
Double scull (First 3 to semis, rest to rep)
1. Kristin Hedstrom/Kathleen Bertko (USA) 6:59.50
2. Julia Edward/Lucy Strack (New Zealand) 7:00.90
3. Kathryn Twyman/Imogen Walsh (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:05.28
4. Maria Clara Rohner/Lucia Palermo (Argentina) 7:18.66
5. Tai Ho Yan/Ng Wing Hei (Hong Kong) 7:34.93
MEN
Pair (First 3 to semis, rest to rep)
1. Sam Scrimgeour/Mark Aldred (GREAT BRITAIN)
2. Georgios Konsolas/Nikolaos Afentoulis (Greece) 6:44.03
3. Francesco Schisano/Vincenzo Serpico (Italy 1) 6:47.23
4. Felipe & Fabian Oyarzun Zbinden (Chile 1) 7:02.64
Four (First 2 to semis, rest to rep)
1. Denmark 5;58.49
2. Adam Freeman-Pask/William Fletcher/Jonathan Clegg/Chris Bartley (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:05.07
3. Austria 6:13.71
4. Brazil 6:16.34
5. Canada 6:30.86
Single scull (First to semi, rest to rep)
1. Peter Galambos (Hungary) 7:08.37
2. Jamie Kirkwood (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:11.81
3. Panagiotis Magdanis (Greece 1) 7;17.05
4. Maxime Goisset (France) 7:20.15
5. Juan Jimenez Regules (Mexico) 7:22.61
6. Leung Chung Shek (Hong Kong 2) 7:35.57
Double scull (First 2 to semi, rest to rep)
1. Richard & Peter Chambers (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:23.81
2. Konstantin Steinhuebel/Lars Hartig (Germany) 6:27.90
3. Vincent & Tycho Muda (Netherlands) 6:34.80
4. Yuki Ikeda/Yuta Hamada (Japan) 6:36.88
5. Matevz Malesic/Rajko Hrvat (Slovenia) 6:49.20
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GB ROWING TEAM
CREW LISTS
World Rowing Cup III, Lucerne, 12-14 July, 2013
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
Helen Glover (Minerva Bath/Penzance/17.06.86)/
Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/05.06.88)
Coach: Robin Williams
Eight
Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.82)/
Zoe Lee (Sport Imperial BC/Richmond, N. Yorks/15.12.85)/
Sarah Cowburn (Leander Club/Redditch/01.02.89)/
Melanie Wilson (Imperial College BC/London/25.06.84)/
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.82)/
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.84)/
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.84)/
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.13.91)/
Zoe de Toledo (cox) (Leander Club / London / 17/07/87)
Coach: Robin Williams / Paul Thompson
Single Scull
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.87)
Coach: Jane Hall/Paul Reedy
Double scull
Frances Houghton (Leander Club/Oxford/19.09.80)/
Victoria Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.88)
Coach: Paul Thompson
Quadruple Scull
Lucinda Gooderham (Sport Imperial BC/Bury St Edmunds/09.06.84)/
Monica Relph (Leander Club/Cambridge/15.01.88)/
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.88)/
Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.87)
Coach: Nick Strange
MEN
Four
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.85)/
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.88)/
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)/
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.90)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Eight (Boat 1)
Tom Ransley (Leander Club/Cambridge/16.09.85)/
Dan Ritchie (Leander Club/Herne Bay/16.01.87)/
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth/27.07.81)/
Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.89)/
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)/
Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.84)/
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/02.10.89)/
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Hebden/03.03.79)/
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.79)
Coach: Jürgen Grobler
Eight (Boat 2)
Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.89)/
Colin Williamson (Molesey BC/Perth/03.04.83)/
Nick Middleton (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/12.08.88)/
Philip Congdon (Molesey BC/East Molesey/06.06.89)/
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.90)/
John Collins (Leander Club/Twickenham/24.01.89)/
Mason Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.88)/
Lance Tredell (Leander Club/Hale/25.10.88)/
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Cambridge Univ BC/Barnes/25.11.88)
Coach: Rob Dauncey
Single Scull
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.83)
Coach: John West
Double Scull
Bill Lucas (London RC/Kingswear/13.09.87)/
Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)
Coach: Mark Banks
Quadruple scull
Jonathan Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.90)/
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.85)/
Charles Cousins (Leander Club/Willingham/13.12.88)/
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/03.12.86)
Coach: Paul Stannard
Men’s Spares
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.87)/
Tom Clark (Leander Club/Worcester/28.01.89)/
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.88)/
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single Scull
Ruth Walczak (Molesey BC/Rochdale/15.09.88)
Coach: Paul Reedy
Double scull
Kathryn Twyman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/29.03.87)/
Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.84)
Coach: Paul Reedy
MEN
Pair
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Fofar/28.01.88)/
Mark Aldred (London RC/London/18.04.87)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Four
Adam Freeman-Pask (Reading Univ BC/Windsor/19.06.85)/
William Fletcher (Leander Club/Chester-le-Street/24.12.89)/
Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.89)/
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.84)
Coach: Rob Morgan
Single Scull
Jamie Kirkwood (Leander Club/Cresswell/30.08.89)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Double Scull
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.85)/
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/14.03.90)
Coach: Darren Whiter
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