Strong GB Line-up for Lucerne
A strong Great Britain line up in the Olympic boat classes will test its racing mettle at the听 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听 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听 face challenging German and Dutch opposition.
Katherine Grainger will stroke the women’s quadruple scull featuring Debbie Flood, Sarah Winckless and Frances Houghton.听 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:听 "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.听 You relish the event more as a competitor. You want to be able to say at the end of the season 鈥業t took everything we had鈥 鈥.
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听 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听 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听 tenacious fighting unit.听 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:听 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:听 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:听 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:听 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:听 Robin Williams
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GB ROWING SQUADS = HOME TOWNS LIST
BRITISH ROWING SQUADS
NAME听听听 听听听 听听听 D.O.B/PLACEofBIRTH/HOMETOWN/LIVING/ROWING CLUB
Carla Ashford听听听 听听听 13.3.79/Northallerton, N.Yorks/Masham, N.Yorks/Brentford/
Chris Bartley听听听 听听听 2.284/Farndon, Cheshire/Nottingham/Notts Uni
Marcus Bateman听听听 16.9.82/Bermuda/Torquay/Henley on Thames/Reading Uni
Anna Bebington听听听 13.2.83/Leek, Staffs/Leek/Crowthorne, Berks/Leander
Matt Beechey听听听 听听听 3.4.77/Worcester/Worcester/Henley on Thames/Leander
Nick Brodie听听听 听听听 6.8.96/Oxford听听听 /Oxford/Oxford/OUBC
Alan Campbell听听听 听听听 5.9.83/Coleraine/Coleraine/Mortlake/Tideway Scullers
Helen Casey听听听 听听听 6.2.74/Stockport/Oxford/Oxford/Wallingford
Richard Chambers听听听 10.6.85/??/??/Oxford/Oxford Brookes
James Clarke听听听 听听听 13.12.84/London/London/Durham/Durham Uni
Ryan Davies听听听 听听听 16.2.85/??/Henley on Thames/Oxford Brookes
Jonno Devlin听听听 听听听 17.3.76/South Africa/Oxford/Putney/Oxford Brookes
Lindsay Dick听听听 听听听 27.7.71/Strathaven/??/??Glasgow RC
Jess Eddie听听听 听听听 7.10.84/Durham/Durham/Chiswick/Uni of London
Richard Egington听听听 26.2.79/Knutsford/n/a/Henley on Thames/Leander
Robin Ejsmond-Frey听听听 14.3.86/London/Hammersmith/Oxford/OUBC
Nick English听听听 听听听 11.5.78/Coventry/Whitley Bay/Nottingham/Notts&Union
Simon Fieldhouse听听听 4.9.76听听听 n/a/n/a/Thames Ditton, Sy/Molesey
Debbie Flood听听听 听听听 27.2.80/Harrogate/Leeds/Henley on Thames/Leander
Toby Garbett听听听 听听听 14.11.76/Chertsey, Sy/West Byfleet/Ascot, Berks/Leander
Hester Goodsell听听听 27.6.84/London/London/Cambridge/Rob Roy
Katherine Grainger听听听 11.12.75/Glasgow/Aberdeen/Bisham, Bucks/St Andrew
Alex Gregory听听听 听听听 11.3.84n/a/Wormington/Reading/Reading Uni
Katie Greves听听听 听听听 2.9.82/London/Oxford/Mortlake/Uni of London
Joanna Hammond听听听 28.1.80/Leamington Spa/Leamington/Cambridge/Leander
Daniel Harte听听听 听听听 12.12.75n/a/n/a/Putney/London
Mike Hennessy听听听 听听听 24.12.76/London/Deptford/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Rob Hollis听听听 听听听 14.2.84/Wendover/Monmouth/Cowley/Oxford Brookes
Naomi Hoogesteger听听听 22.5.81n/a/Wells/Spennymoor/Durham Uni
Frances Houghton听听听 19.9.80/Oxford/Oxford/Putney/Uni of London
Natasha Howard听听听 3.9.80/Harare, Zimbabwe/West Runton/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Mark Hunter听听听 听听听 1.7.78/Forest Gate, London/Romford/Cadmore End, Bucks/Leander
Tom James听听听 听听听 3.11.84/Cardiff/Wrexham/Cambridge/CUBC
Simon Jones听听听 听听听 8.6.78n/a/n/a/Cropwell Butler/Leander
Alison Knowles听听听 听听听 27.3.82/Bournemouth/Bournemouth/Putney, London/Thames
Matthew Langridge听听听 20.5.83/Northwich, Cheshire/Northwich/Henley on Thames/Leander
Elise Laverick听听听 听听听 27.7.75/Rustington, Sx/Poling, W Sx/Putney/Thames
Ian Lawson听听听 听听听 4.3.77/Bradford/Otley, W.Yks/Henley on Thames/Leander
Hugo Lee听听听 听听听 5.3.84/Guildford/Jeburgh, Scottish Border/Oxford/Oxford Brookes
James Lindsay-Fynn听听听 29.9.75/Dublin/Trim, Ireland/London/London
Rachel Loveridge听听听 7.5.80/Swindon/Hayling Island/Putney/Thames
Tim Male听听听 听听听 9.7.75/Yeovil, So/Yeovil/Chiswick/Tideway Scullers
Paul Mattick听听听 听听听 25.4.78n/a/Oxford/Wallingford
Acer Nethercott听听听 28.11.77/Newmarket/Harlow, Ex/Oxford/OUBC
Lorna Norris听听听 听听听 23.12.75n/a/na/a/Mortlake/Mortlake Anglian
Caroline O鈥機onnor听听听 25.4.83Ealing/Ealing/Ealing/Oxford Brookes听听听
Natasha Page听听听 听听听 30.4.85n/a/Hartpury/Reading/Reading Uni
Charlie Palmer听听听 听听听 25.10.78/Melbourne听听听 Hagley, Tasmania/Cambridge/CUBC
Tom Parker听听听 听听听 24.10.82/Hammersmith/Winchester/Oxford/OUBC
Alex Partridge听听听 听听听 25.1.81/San Francisco/Alton, Hants/East Sheen/Leander
Seb Pearce听听听 听听听 10/5/82/?/Bromsgrove/Oxford/OUBC
Peter Reed听听听 听听听 27.7.81/Seattle, USA/Nailsworth/Oxford/Leander
Beth Rodford听听听 听听听 28.12.82/Burton/Trent/Gloucester/Cowley/Thames听听听
Steve Rowbotham听听听 11.11.81n/a/Winscombe/West Molesey/Leander
Rebecca Rowe听听听 听听听 16.5.81/Bridgend/Cardiff/Cardiff/Rebecca
Phil Simmons听听听 听听听 6.2.75/Wimbledon/Thames Ditton/Thames Ditton/Molesey
Colin Smith听听听 听听听 3.9.83/ Harare, Zimbabwe/Henley on Thames/Oxford/OUBC
Tom Stallard听听听 听听听 11.9.78/London/Welwyn, Herts/London/Leander
James Stephenson听听听 4.4.77/n/aChipstead/Thames Ditton听听听 /Molesey
Florence Temple听听听 11.3.79/Harlow/Northampton/Putney/Thames
Sam Townsend听听听 n/a/ Reading/Reading/Reading/Reading Uni
Andrew Triggs Hodge听听听 3.8.79/Aylesbury/Hebden, Skipton/East Molesey/Molesey
Matt Tucker听听听 听听听 5.1.85/??/Winkfield, Nr Windsor/Oxford Brookes
Antonia van Deventer听听听 23.7.78/?/London/Rob Roy
Annie Vernon听听听 听听听 1.9.82n/a/Wadebridge, Cornwall/Marlow, Bucks/Thames
Matthew Wells听听听 听听听 19.4.79/Bradford/Hexham, Northumberland/East Sheen/Uni of London
Josh West听听听 听听听 25.3.77/Santa Fe, USA/Santa Fe/Oxford/Leander
Kieran West MBE听听听 18.9.77/Kingston-upon-Thames/W. Byfleet/Mortlake/CUBC
Steve Williams听听听 听听听 15.4.76/Warwick/Cheltenham/Henley/Leander
Sarah Winckless听听听 18.10.73/Reading/Hurley, Bucks/Marlow, Bucks/Walbrook
