Bebington Wins in Boston

Staffordshire’s Anna Bebington, a world cup winner in the double scull last year, sprung a surprise at the GB Winter Assessment Trials by taking the women’s title ahead of Olympic medallists, Katherine Grainger and Sarah Winckless, in Boston, Lincolnshire, today.

Peter Reed and Andy Hodge won the men’s pair event by 19 seconds from their GB men’s four colleagues Steve Williams and Alex Partridge. Hugo Lee and Matt Langridge came home third with Tom Stallard and Josh West in fourth – all from the 2006 GB "eights" group.

The crews raced in a time trial over the 5km course – all in single sculls apart from some of the senior "sweep"  men’s squad who competed in pairs.

Stephen Rowbotham won the men’s single ahead of Simon Fieldhouse and Colin Smith. Next came Alex Gregory, Tom Lucas and Sam Townsend – all products of the ARA’s World Class Start programme which is backed by lottery-funding and now also supported by Siemens. Alan Campbell, one of the strong favourites to do well, had earlier withdrawn through illness.

Mark Hunter was the winner of the lightweight men’s single scull with former GB U23 James Clarke in second.  Hunter’s 2006 double scull crew-mate James Lindsay-Fynn was third.  Zac Purchase, the reigning world single scull champion, was absent through injury.

There was a surprise, too, in the lightweight women’s single scull trial.  Naomi Hoogesteger took the title with Hester Goodsell and Matilda Pauls in second and third. Last year’s leading women – Helen Casey and Jane Hall – were
fourth and sixth respectively.

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