Contrasting fates in Poland

Britain’s flagship crews, both sponsored by Camelot, experienced contrasting fates in today’s heats of the season’s second World Cup in Pozan, Poland.

Whilst the men’s four, stroked by Andy Hodge and featuring Olympic gold medallist Steve Williams, were comfortable winners, qualifying direct for Saturday’s final, the women’s quadruple scull, stroked by Katherine Grainger, were beaten by China and will now race a repechage tomorrow afternoon.

Alan Campbell, a world cup winner on his senior single scull debut in Munich three weeks ago, continued to impress today by setting the fastest time at the Poznan, Poland, leg of the world cup series in qualifying for tomorrow’s semi-finals despite the presence here of New Zealand’s World Champion, Mahe Drysdale, for the first time this season.

The lightweight men’s four were also impressive in winning their heat to secure a semi-final slot tomorrow.

Of the 17 crews racing, two are direct through to the  finals, six will contest semi-finals tomorrow and nine race repechages either today or tomorrow.

"It’s been a mixed day of racing for Great Britain with some highlights and some disappointments", said team manager David Tanner today.  "We will now see how many more boats can progress from the repechages".

Tomorrow’s semi-finals session starts at 1pm UK time, with Olympic-class finals beginning on Saturday at 9am UK time.

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RACE REPORTS

Britain’s lead men’s boat, the Camelot- sponsored men’s four, raced in slightly adjusted order in Poznan, Poland, today.

Olympic champion Steve Williams moved from bow into the two-seat, Alex Partridge took the bow seat and Peter Reed moved from his customary two-seat to the three-seat tucked in behind his early-season pairs  partner, Andy Hodge, at stroke.

The result was pretty similar, though, as the quartet, unbeaten in 2005, dominated the race from the outset to win comfortably in 6:03.36 from the Slovenians in lane four and now move straight into Saturday’s finals.

Stephen Rowbotham and Matthew Wells were heat winners this morning in the men’s double scull.  They led throughout the race and held off the fast-finishing French at the line.  They are now through to a  semi-final tomorrow.

In the men’s single scull Alan Campbell, set the fastest winning time – 6:51.85 –  of the  four heats by over two seconds. He led comfortably in the closing stages and will now race a semi-final tomorrow afternoon.

His compatriot, Alex Gregory, from Reading University, was fourth and will race a  repechage this afternoon.

U23 combination of Ben Smith and Oliver Moore will have used today’s heats here to soak up the experience. They were fifth and now race a repechage this afternoon.

Unusually in recent history, Great Britain raced two men’s eights here in Poznan. Whilst neither qualified for the final, the leading crew of the two, stroked by Kieran West, put in a solid performance to take second place in 5:49.11 behind Belarus.  The winners now race in the final whilst Great Britain’s two crews will contest tomorrow’s repechages.

The British women’s quadruple scull, sponsored by Camelot are world champions and used to winning their races from the front.  Today they got a wake-up call from China, recognised as rowing’s sleeping giant and a nation unlikely to unleash its full power until the Beijing 2008 Games, who overtook them with 150m to go today in the heats, leaving them to take second place and forcing them to race a repechage tomorrow afternoon in order the reach the final on Saturday.

Anna Bebington and Annie Vernon developed a tussle with the Australian opposition, including the young and talented Sally Kehoe, in their heat of the women’s double scull today.

Australia took the verdict on the line from the British duo who last month won gold in their first world cup outing in this event at senior level. Nonetheless Vernon and Bebington are through to the semi-finals tomorrow.

Finalists in Munich three weeks ago, the British women’s  eight battled throughout the course with 2005 world championships silver medallists Romania and, whilst they ultimately finished second and now face a repechage tomorrow, they can still take heart from this performance.

The lightweight women’s double scull of Helen Casey and Jane Hall tried to hold off the Chinese in their heat this morning but dipped out in the final 250m. They will now race a repechage tomorrow as will Great Britain’s other two crews who were fourth and fifth respectively in an earlier heat of this event.

By contrast the lightweight men’s double of Mark Hunter and James Lindsay-Fynn made sure of their semi-final place for tomorrow with a comfortable second place in today’s heat in a time of 6:39.32. Italy won the race.

The lightweight men’s four produced their fast- becoming "customary" speedy start to lead their heat throughout today to win in 6:12.45. This was a promising performance from a still developing crew who will now race in tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Tim Male was a heat winner, in the lightweight single scull. His result, because of the number of entries in the event, was good enough to take him direct into Saturday’s finals. His winning time was 7:02.59.

Laura Ralston, who showed great promise in reaching the final in Munich last month, booked a place in tomorrow’s semi-final of the equivalent women’s boat by taking third place in today’s heats in a time of 7:56.03.

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RESULTS – POZNAN WORLD CUP
DAY ONE

(Crews bow to stroke – plus cox – clubs
in brackets. GB crews only.  Full results
at:  www.worldrowing.com)

HEATS

OPEN

WOMEN

Eight

Heat 1
1.  Romania 6:24.63
2. Baz Moffat/Alison Knowles/Vicki Etiebet/Carla Ashford /
    Natasha Howard/Natasha Page/Katie Greves/Elise Laverick/
    Caroline O’Connor (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:27.89
3.  France 6:34.88
4.  Ukraine 1 6:43.13
5.  Ukraine 2 6:47.89

Double scull

Heat 1
1.  Dana Faletic/Sally Kehoe (Australia) 6:50.55
2.  Annie Vernon/Anna Bebington (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:51.10
3.  Aliz Konya/Lidia Veroci (Hungary)  7:03.58
4.  Wu Liping/Gao Yulan (China 1)  7:08.13
5.  Coralie Simon/Benedicte Dorfman (France 2) 7:10.09
6.  Asta Romeryte/Vaida Arbocuite (Lithuania)  7:13.68

Quadruple scull

Heat 2
1.  China 6:34.96
2.  Debbie Flood/Sarah Winckless/Frances Houghton/Katherine
     Grainger (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:35.38
3.  Ukraine 6:51.39
4.  Czech Republic 6:59.21

MEN

Pair

Heat 3
1.  Jochen Urban/Andreas Penkner (Germany 1)
     6:29.03
2.  Goran Jagar/Nikola Stojic (Serbia&Montenegro 1)
     6:34.89
3.  Goran Todorovic/Jovan Popovic (Serbia&Montenegro 1)
     6:37.90
4.  Dzmitry Dubinchyk/Aliaksei Dzianisau (Belarus)  6:42.67
5.  Ben Smith/Oliver Moore (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:46.87

Four

Heat 2
1.  Alex Partridge/Steve Willliams/Peter Reed/Andy Hodge
     (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:03.36
2.  Slovenia 6:06.31
3.  Australia 6:13.15
4.  Ireland 2 6:15.22
5.  Czech Republic 6:23.19

Eights

Heat 1
1. Belarus 5:45.95
2. Jonno Devlin/Tom Stallard/Matt Langridge/Tom Solesbury/
    Josh West /Hugo Lee/Toby Garbett/Kieran West/Acer
    Nethercott (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:49.11
3.  Germany 5:52.67
4.  China 5:53.10
5.  Egypt 5:54.63
6.  Estonia 5:56.51

Heat 2
1.  Australia 5:44.12
2.  Poland 5:50.45
3.  Romania 5:51.64
4.  Matthew Tucker/Ryan Davies/Nick Lloyd/James Orme/
     Sam Townsend/Tom Parker/Marcus Bateman/Simon
     Fieldhouse/Seb Pearce (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN 2)  5:52.32

Single scull

Heat 1
1.  Alan Campbell (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:51.85
2.  Yoennis Arruez Hernandez (Cuba)  6:54.59
3.  Ariel Suarez (Argentina)  6:59.53
4.  Alex Gregory (GREAT BRITAIN)  7:00.41
5.  Leonid Gulov (Estonia 1)  7:07.40
6.  Silver Sonntak (Estonia 2)  7:28.93

Double scull

Heat 2
1. Matthew Wells/Stephen Rowbotham (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:19.40
2. Jean-Baptiste Macquet/Adrian Hardy (France)  6:20.93
3.  Nils-Torolv Simonsen/Morten Adamson (Norway)  6:27.10
4.  Kostyantyn Zaitsev/Hennadii Zakharchenko (Ukraine 1)  6:32.13
5.  Giorgi Gegeshidze/Teimuraz Sulakadze (Georgia)  6:53.02

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Heat 1
1.  Berit Carow (Germany)  7:53.68
2.  Katrin Olson (Denmark)  7:53.68
3.  Laura Ralston (GREAT BRITAIN)  7:56.03
4.  Pamela Weisshaupt (Switzerland)  7:56.71
5.  Orla Hayes (Ireland)  8:16.56

Double sculls

Heat 1
1.  Xu Dongxiang/Yan Shimin (China)  7:05.98
2.  Daniela Reimer/Marie-Louise Draeger (Germany)  7:13.45
3.  Magdalena Kemnitz/Ilona Mokronowska (Poland) 7:16.27
4.  Hester Goodsell/Jennifer Goldsack (GREAT BRITAIN2) 7:17.99
5.  Lindsay Dick/Antonia van Deventer (GREAT BRITAIN3) 7:21.02
6.  Sara & Lena Karlsson (Sweden) 7:21.99

Heat 2
1.  Fan Xuefei/Chen Haixia (China)  7:10.69
2.  Jane Hall/Helen Casey (GREAT BRITAIN)  7:12.97
3.  Sinead Jennings/Niamh Ni Cheilleachair (Ireland)  7:15.46
4.  Sanna Sten/Minna Nieminen (Finland)  7:16.43
5.  Liu Jing/Chen Lihong (China) 7:18.18
6.  Ola Ahmend/Manal Mahoud (Egypt)  8:32.90

MEN

Four

Heat 2
1.Matt Beechey/Daniel Harte/Paul Mattick /James Clarke
     (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:12.45
2.  Germany 6:14.48
3.  Egypt 6:15.20
4.  Poland 1 6:25.11
5.  Poland 2 6:34.24
6.  Portugal 6:55.60

Single scull

Heat 1
1. Tim Male (GREAT BRITAIN)  7:02.59
2.  Maxime Goisset (France 2)  7:08.28
3.  Bastien Tabourier (France 1)  7:11.84
4.  Tim Smith (Austria)  7:15.35
5.  Jacob Moeller (Denmark)  7:24.79
6.  Edgar Nanne Nanne (Guatemala)  7:34.29

Double scull

Heat 1
1.  Marcello Miani/Elia Liuni (Italy)  6:36.00
2.  James Lindsay-Fynn/Mark Hunter (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:39.32
3.  Oleksandr Serdiuk/Valerii Chykyrynda (Ukraine 1)  6:42.84
4.  Nuno Mendes/Pedro Fraga (Portugal)  6:45.14
5.  Sean Walsh/James Brinn (Ireland 2)  7:00.29
6.  Xie Jun/Liang Youxiang (China)  7:05.90

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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