World Junior Championships begin tomorrow in Amsterdam

GB Rowing today announced its team to contest the World Junior Championships in Amsterdam hot on the heels of victory, for the second year in a row, in the annual "Coupe de La Jenuesse" junior event in Groningen, Holland, over last weekend which also featured Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

GB took the overall Coupe title with 248 points, including 14 of the available 24 golds, across the combined girls’ and boys’ matches and will be looking for success now from its U18 crews in Amsterdam.

Experts predict that the girls’ four could be the lead female boat for Great Britain at the event. This features a mixture of club-based and school-based rowers.

Charlotte Howard-Merrill (Headington, Oxford) and Maria Larsen (Dame Alice Harpur, Bedford) are the two school rowers whilst Emma Young (Shoreham) and Zoe Johnson (Worcester) are from clubs.

One of the more interesting boats in the boys’ squad is the boys’ pair of Mohammed Sbihi (Molesey) and Charles Cousins (Rob Roy) who are both graduates of the ARA’s World Class Start programme, which is sponsored by Siemens. Neither has been rowing for more than two years. Each is a considerable talent.

Mohammed is of Moroccan descent and is around 2m tall whilst Charles is one of eight children in his family.

The British boys’ four includes Anthony Locke (Eton), Lewis Beech (Stourport), Tom Lucy (Monmouth) and Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, (St Leonards School, Durham). Lucy was a bronze medallist at last year’s World Junior Championships in the four.

The heats are tomorrow in Amsterdam, the repechages on Thursday with semi-finals on Friday and finals on Saturday.

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GB CREW LISTS

GIRLS

Pair
Abby Johnston (LEH)/Rosie Henderson (St
Neots)

Coach: Eve Singfield (St Edwards)

Four
Lottie Howard-Merrill (Headington)/Maria Larsen
(DAHS)/Emma Young (Shoreham)/Zoe Johnson
(Worcester)

Coach: Martyn Rooney (St Neots)

Single

Lucy Walczak (Hollingworth Lake)

Coach: John Reynolds (Hollingworth Lake)

BOYS

Pair

Mohammed Sbihi (Molesey BC)/Charles
Cousins (Rob Roy)

Coach: Adrian Cassidy

Four

Anthony Locke (Eton College)/Lewis Beech (Stourport)/
Tom Lucy (Monmouth School)/Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell
(St Leonard’s School)

Coach: Richard Boulton

Coxed Four

Calum Wright (Molesey BC)/Nick Baker (Windsor Boys)/
Ben Tufnell (Pangbourne College)/Peter Stuart
(Cheltenham College)/Patrick Vickers (cox) (Abingdon)

Coach: Simon Croucher

Eight

Karl Hudspith (Hampton School)/Will Gray (Shrewsbury School)/
Freddie Hay (Shrewsbury School)/Ryan Bucke (Abingdon)/
George Nash (Winchester College)/Charlie Brereton (Pangbourne
College)/Nick Fearnhead (King’s Chester)/Will Orchard (King’s
Chester)/Jack Plummer (cox) (Eton College)

Coach: Neville Orme (King’s Chester)