Strong GB Line-up for Lucerne
A strong Great Britain line up in the Olympic boat classes will test its racing mettle at the World Cup Finals in Lucerne, Switzerland, this weekend (July 7-9) as part of the squad’s season-long preparation for the World Championships which take place at Dorney Lake, Eton, this August – the first time this event has been in the UK for over twenty years.
Alongside the flagship, Camelot-sponsored men’s four and women’s quadruple scull a number of names are returning to world cup-level racing in Lucerne after a gap.
These include Colin Smith and Tom James, old adversaries with Oxford and Cambridge respectively and who are back in the squad after taking exams. They will join forces in a men’s pair, having won in their first international regatta together in Amsterdam at the end of June.
Zac Purchase, the talented 19 year-old reigning U23 World Champion who also won world senior silver in Japan last year, is back from injury and competes in the lightweight men’s single scull. He returns to an event in which Tim Male won world cup gold in Poznan three weeks ago.
The men’s four of Steve Williams, Peter Reed, Alex Partridge and Andy Hodge will face challenging German and Dutch opposition.
Katherine Grainger will stroke the women’s quadruple scull featuring Debbie Flood, Sarah Winckless and Frances Houghton. Winners in both Munich and Poznan, the crew’s opposition in Lucerne will include the Germans and Russians but not the Chinese who beat them in the heats in Poland.
Grainger is relishing the thought of the challenge ahead in Lucerne and at Eton in August, especially as the depth of field in this event, she believes, is getting stronger: "I suppose one of your first thoughts is to ask why they have all joined our event but you dismiss that quickly.
"As an athlete there is not so much satisfaction in winning easily, like we did in Munich and the strength of the opponent hits the target with your competitive drive. You relish the event more as a competitor. You want to be able to say at the end of the season ‘It took everything we had’ ”.
Alan Campbell looks set to renew his rivalry with world champion and sometime training partner Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand in the men’s single scull although both will be aware of the quality of the field which includes names like Olaf Tufte of Norway.
Britain’s two open weight doubles of Stephen Rowbotham and Matt Wells as well as Annie Vernon and Anna Bebington will look to consolidate good early-season performances.
The lightweight men’s four showed much promise in reaching the final in Poznan – venue of the last world cup in from June 15-17. They race again in Lucerne in this competitive boat class.
Mark Hunter and James Lindsay-Fynn will contest the lightweight men’s double scull after winning a bronze medal in Poznan just weeks after Hunter returned to racing following a knee injury.
The lightweight women’s double, of Jane Hall and Helen Casey, have continued to improve throughout the season and will be looking for more of the same in Lucerne.
Britain’s men’s eight were disqualified in Poznan after rudder failure caused them to allegedly "infringe" the Chinese crew in the repechage which would otherwise have assured them a place in berth in the A Final.
Whilst coach Steve Gunn was philosophical in Poznan about the disqualification he was pleased with that repechage performance and will be looking for a repeat in Lucerne.
Great Britain will also feature a second men’s four in Lucerne composed of rowers from the men’s eight group.
The British women’s eight are proving to be a tenacious fighting unit. They have a great team spirit and have reached both world cup finals so far, winning bronze in Poznan.
Beth Rodford is back in the crew after injury and his means that Baz Moffat and Jess Eddie will race in a women’s pair in Lucerne.
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GB ROWING CREW LISTS
ROWING WORLD CUP – LUCERNE
7-9 JULY, 2006
(Crews bow to stroke – plus cox – clubs
in brackets)
OPEN
WOMEN
Pair
Baz Moffat (Thames RC)/Jess Eddie (Uni of London)
Coach: Gary Stubbs
Eight
Beth Rodford (Thames RC)/Alison Knowles (Thames RC)/Vicki Etiebet (Thames RC)/Carla Ashford (Thames RC)/Natasha Howard (Tideway Scullers)/Natasha Page (Reading Uni)/Katie Greves (Uni of London)/Elise Laverick (Thames RC)/ Caroline O’Connor (cox) (Oxford Brookes)
Coaches: Ron Needs/Gary Stubbs
Double scull
Annie Vernon (Thames RC)/Anna Bebington (Leander)
Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas
Quadruple scull
Debbie Flood (Leander)/Sarah Winckless (Walbrook)/
Frances Houghton (Uni of London)/Katherine Grainger
(St Andrew)
Coach: Paul Thompson
MEN
Pair
Colin Smith (Oxford Uni)/Tom James (Cambridge Uni)
Coach: Rusty Williams
Fours
Alex Partridge (Leander)/Steve Williams (Leander)/Peter Reed (Leander)/Andy Hodge (Molesey)
Coach: Jurgen Grobler
Tom Parker (Oxford Uni)/Richard Egington (Leander)/
Marcus Bateman (Reading Uni)/Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey)
Coach: Richard Tinkler
Eights
Jonno Devlin (Oxford Brookes)/Tom Stallard (Leander)/Matt Langridge (Leander)/Tom Solesbury (Molesey)/Josh West (Leander)/Hugo Lee (Oxford Brookes)/Toby Garbett (Leander)/Kieran West (CUBC)/Acer Nethercott (cox) (OUBC)
Coach: Steve Gunn
Single scull
Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers)
Coach: Bill Barry
Double scull
Matthew Wells (Uni of London)/Stephen Rowbotham (Leander)
Coach: Mark Earnshaw
LIGHTWEIGHT
WOMEN
Single sculls
Laura Ralston (Rob Roy)
Antonia Van Deventer (Rob Roy)
Coach: John Keogh
Double scull
Helen Casey (Wallingford)/Jane Hall (Leander)
Coach: Rob Dauncey
Lindsey Dick (Glasgow RC)/Hester Goodsell (Rob Roy)
MEN
Four
Matt Beechey (Leander)/Daniel Harte (London)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford)/James Clarke (Durham Uni)
Coach: Mark Banks
Single scull
Zac Purchase
Coach: Robin Williams
Tim Male (Tideway Scullers)
Coach: Alan Inns
Double scull
James Lindsay-Fynn (London)/Mark Hunter (Leander)
Coach: Robin Williams
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GB ROWING SQUADS = HOME TOWNS LIST
BRITISH ROWING SQUADS
NAME D.O.B/PLACEofBIRTH/HOMETOWN/LIVING/ROWING CLUB
Carla Ashford 13.3.79/Northallerton, N.Yorks/Masham, N.Yorks/Brentford/
Chris Bartley 2.284/Farndon, Cheshire/Nottingham/Notts Uni
Marcus Bateman 16.9.82/Bermuda/Torquay/Henley on Thames/Reading Uni
Anna Bebington 13.2.83/Leek, Staffs/Leek/Crowthorne, Berks/Leander
Matt Beechey 3.4.77/Worcester/Worcester/Henley on Thames/Leander
Nick Brodie 6.8.96/Oxford /Oxford/Oxford/OUBC
Alan Campbell 5.9.83/Coleraine/Coleraine/Mortlake/Tideway Scullers
Helen Casey 6.2.74/Stockport/Oxford/Oxford/Wallingford
Richard Chambers 10.6.85/??/??/Oxford/Oxford Brookes
James Clarke 13.12.84/London/London/Durham/Durham Uni
Ryan Davies 16.2.85/??/Henley on Thames/Oxford Brookes
Jonno Devlin 17.3.76/South Africa/Oxford/Putney/Oxford Brookes
Lindsay Dick 27.7.71/Strathaven/??/??Glasgow RC
Jess Eddie 7.10.84/Durham/Durham/Chiswick/Uni of London
Richard Egington 26.2.79/Knutsford/n/a/Henley on Thames/Leander
Robin Ejsmond-Frey 14.3.86/London/Hammersmith/Oxford/OUBC
Nick English 11.5.78/Coventry/Whitley Bay/Nottingham/Notts&Union
Simon Fieldhouse 4.9.76 n/a/n/a/Thames Ditton, Sy/Molesey
Debbie Flood 27.2.80/Harrogate/Leeds/Henley on Thames/Leander
Toby Garbett 14.11.76/Chertsey, Sy/West Byfleet/Ascot, Berks/Leander
Hester Goodsell 27.6.84/London/London/Cambridge/Rob Roy
Katherine Grainger 11.12.75/Glasgow/Aberdeen/Bisham, Bucks/St Andrew
Alex Gregory 11.3.84n/a/Wormington/Reading/Reading Uni
Katie Greves 2.9.82/London/Oxford/Mortlake/Uni of London
Joanna Hammond 28.1.80/Leamington Spa/Leamington/Cambridge/Leander
Daniel Harte 12.12.75n/a/n/a/Putney/London
Mike Hennessy 24.12.76/London/Deptford/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Rob Hollis 14.2.84/Wendover/Monmouth/Cowley/Oxford Brookes
Naomi Hoogesteger 22.5.81n/a/Wells/Spennymoor/Durham Uni
Frances Houghton 19.9.80/Oxford/Oxford/Putney/Uni of London
Natasha Howard 3.9.80/Harare, Zimbabwe/West Runton/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Mark Hunter 1.7.78/Forest Gate, London/Romford/Cadmore End, Bucks/Leander
Tom James 3.11.84/Cardiff/Wrexham/Cambridge/CUBC
Simon Jones 8.6.78n/a/n/a/Cropwell Butler/Leander
Alison Knowles 27.3.82/Bournemouth/Bournemouth/Putney, London/Thames
Matthew Langridge 20.5.83/Northwich, Cheshire/Northwich/Henley on Thames/Leander
Elise Laverick 27.7.75/Rustington, Sx/Poling, W Sx/Putney/Thames
Ian Lawson 4.3.77/Bradford/Otley, W.Yks/Henley on Thames/Leander
Hugo Lee 5.3.84/Guildford/Jeburgh, Scottish Border/Oxford/Oxford Brookes
James Lindsay-Fynn 29.9.75/Dublin/Trim, Ireland/London/London
Rachel Loveridge 7.5.80/Swindon/Hayling Island/Putney/Thames
Tim Male 9.7.75/Yeovil, So/Yeovil/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Paul Mattick 25.4.78n/a/Oxford/Wallingford
Acer Nethercott 28.11.77/Newmarket/Harlow, Ex/Oxford/OUBC
Lorna Norris 23.12.75n/a/na/a/Mortlake/Mortlake Anglian
Caroline O’Connor 25.4.83Ealing/Ealing/Ealing/Oxford Brookes
Natasha Page 30.4.85n/a/Hartpury/Reading/Reading Uni
Charlie Palmer 25.10.78/Melbourne Hagley, Tasmania/Cambridge/CUBC
Tom Parker 24.10.82/Hammersmith/Winchester/Oxford/OUBC
Alex Partridge 25.1.81/San Francisco/Alton, Hants/East Sheen/Leander
Seb Pearce 10/5/82/?/Bromsgrove/Oxford/OUBC
Peter Reed 27.7.81/Seattle, USA/Nailsworth/Oxford/Leander
Beth Rodford 28.12.82/Burton/Trent/Gloucester/Cowley/Thames
Steve Rowbotham 11.11.81n/a/Winscombe/West Molesey/Leander
Rebecca Rowe 16.5.81/Bridgend/Cardiff/Cardiff/Rebecca
Phil Simmons 6.2.75/Wimbledon/Thames Ditton/Thames Ditton/Molesey
Colin Smith 3.9.83/ Harare, Zimbabwe/Henley on Thames/Oxford/OUBC
Tom Stallard 11.9.78/London/Welwyn, Herts/London/Leander
James Stephenson 4.4.77/n/aChipstead/Thames Ditton /Molesey
Florence Temple 11.3.79/Harlow/Northampton/Putney/Thames
Sam Townsend n/a/ Reading/Reading/Reading/Reading Uni
Andrew Triggs Hodge 3.8.79/Aylesbury/Hebden, Skipton/East Molesey/Molesey
Matt Tucker 5.1.85/??/Winkfield, Nr Windsor/Oxford Brookes
Antonia van Deventer 23.7.78/?/London/Rob Roy
Annie Vernon 1.9.82n/a/Wadebridge, Cornwall/Marlow, Bucks/Thames
Matthew Wells 19.4.79/Bradford/Hexham, Northumberland/East Sheen/Uni of London
Josh West 25.3.77/Santa Fe, USA/Santa Fe/Oxford/Leander
Kieran West MBE 18.9.77/Kingston-upon-Thames/W. Byfleet/Mortlake/CUBC
Steve Williams 15.4.76/Warwick/Cheltenham/Henley/Leander
Sarah Winckless 18.10.73/Reading/Hurley, Bucks/Marlow, Bucks/Walbrook
