Five from six Olympic class boats win heats

British crews won five out of the six Olympic class heats in which they were involved  this morning as the 2007 World Championships got underway in nigh perfect conditions in Munich.

Anna Bebington and Elise Laverick were probably the headline-grabbers of the morning because the Siemens-backed double scullers beat the Olympic champions from New Zealand to progress to the semi-finals.

Britain’s other winners were the Camelot-backed, reigning world champions in the men’s four – who won despite being pushedall the way by France and Ireland –  the men’s pair, men’s double and men’s single – all Siemens-sponsored.

"With five from six Olympic boats winning their heats, I can’t complain", said a clearly-pleased GB Rowing Performance Director, David Tanner.

Britain’s lightweight single scullers and the women’s pair all face repechages on Tuesday – the latter finishing fourth in a very strong heat.

The Camelot-backed women’s quadruple scull opens its campaign tomorrow alongside the the lightweight boats that have been winning medals at world cups this season – the lightweight men’s double and lightweight men’s four – backed by Siemens. Tomorrow will also see the men’s quadruple scull, the men’s and women’s eights and the two lightweight quads and lightweight pair in action.  Great Britain’s four Paralympic class boats will also race their heats.

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RACE REPORTS

Alan Campbell, in the Siemens-backed single scull, opened Britain’s Olympic boat class account today in Munich and won, as expected, at a canter. His victory signalled the start of a good morning for Great Britain.

The man from Coleraine was tracked throughout by Austria’s Ralph Heidrich but never lost his rhythm or composure to race maturely to the line.

"It was controlled and relaxed today", he said. "I was conserving my firepower for the bigger races to come". Campbell faces quarter-finals tomorrow, semis on Thursday and a final on Sunday if he is to realise his dreams here.

His win was swiftly followed by victory for Colin Smith and Matt Langridge in the men’s pair. This Siemens-sponsored duo has had a chequered season but were clearly delighted to win today from a strong, closely-fought field after a poor showing in their last regatta – the world cup finals Lucerne.

"Lucerne wasn’t typical", said Matt Langridge. "We didn’t make any significant moves today but just kept up a fast race pace", added Smith.  The pair now race next in Thursday’s semi-finals.

Quick off the start and smooth in their race pace, Anna Bebington and Elise Laverick were GB’s next winners in the Siemens-backed women’s double scull. They got their nose in front quite early and led until the 1500m mark before being overhauled marginally by Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindells of New Zealand, the Olympic champions. "We were aware that they were there at that stage", said Laverick but the British women had enough to respond and pull away again.

Whilst the women’s double only returned to competition last month after a long injury break for Bebington, the equivalent men’s boat, with Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham on board has been a consistent
presence on the world cup podium this year.

The Siemens-sponsored men were well ahead of
the field by the 1000m mark and stayed there
all the way to the line today.  "It’s good to put down a marker", said Rowbotham after the race.  "It was a good opener.  This is a quality field and it’s going to be tight racing from now on".

In one of the session’s final heats, the men’s four went to the start line today in their more accustomed line-up of Steve Williams, Peter Reed, Alex Partridge and Andy Hodge after having raced in Lucerne last month with Tom James as a substitute for the injured Partridge.

Pushed all the way by France and Ireland, the  Camelot-sponsored quartet did not have the most comfortable of wins but were strong enough to pull through at the end and book their semi-final slot on Thursday.

"We always knew it was going to be tough today. Everyone’s moved on in the last six weeks of training", said Reed of the race in which the world champions were tested. "We also knew that many crews would go to the wire to try and make it through today and we saw it with France today".

"Steve (Williams) was clear and calm in his calls throughout the race today and that was a huge help", he continued. "And with all the training we’ve put in, we’re very positive".

Only the women’s pair, from GB’s Olympic class boats in action today, will now race a repechage on Tuesday. Beth Rodford and Natasha Page have come together here to race for the first time since the April GB Senior Trials. Each has moved into the pair after injuries to team-mates. Neither could have been expected to book passage today because their heat contained the gold, silver and bronze medallists from the Lucerne world cup finals last month. So, happy to have raced, they will now focus on the repechage as a means of moving through.

Earlier in the morning, Britain’s first racer today on the 1972 Munich Olympic course – famed for its crystal-clear water – was Andrea Dennis who was fourth in the lightweight women’s single scull, in a race won by Jennifer Goldsack of the USA, a former GB squad member, who has switched allegiances this year.

Alasdair Leighton-Crawford, an international  debutante this year, was next and gave a good account of himself in the equivalent men’s event, finishing second but still facing a repechage tomorrow.

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RACING TIMETABLE

Racing in Munich from now on takes place
as follows (full timetable
at www.worldrowing.com):

Heats
27 August

Repechages

28 and 29 August

Semi-finals

30 August and 31 August

FINALS

1 and 2 September

(Full details:  www.worldrowing.com and click on media
center before selecting events).

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RESULTS – Day one/26 August
(races featuring GB crews only. Full results:
www.worldrowing.com)

HEATS

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Heat 3
1.  Juliette Haigh/Nicola Coles (New Zealand) 7:11.21
2.  Georgeta Damian-Andrunache/Viorica Susanu (Romania) 7:11.74
3.  Portia McGee/Anna Mickelson (USA) 7:16.60
4.  Beth Rodford/Natasha Page (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:23.95

Double scull

Heat 1
1.  Elise Laverick/Anna Bebington (GREAT BRITAIN)  6:50.45
2.  Georgina & Caroline Evers-Swindells (New Zealand) 7:01.41
3.  Gabriela Varekova/Jitka Antosova (Czech Republic) 7:01.91
4   Kerry Hore/Amber Bradley (Australia) 7:11.14
5. Ji Yoo Jin/Shin Yeong Eun (Republic of Korea)  7:16.59
6. Olena Buryak/Kateryna Tarasenko (Ukraine) 7:22.66

MEN

Pair

Heat 1
1. Colin Smith/Matt Langridge (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:37.27
2.  Jason Read/Kyle Larson (USA) 6:40.59
3.  Daniel Casaca/Chris Jarvis (Canada) 6:43.37
4.  Niksa & Sinisa Skelin (Croatia) 6:48.21
5.  Ramon di Clemente/Donovan Cech (South Africa) 6:53.00
6.  Martin Martini/Alan San Martin (Argentina) 7:09.05

Four

Heat 1
1. Steve Williams/Peter Reed/Alex Partridge/Andy
Hodge (GREAT BRITAIN)  5:57.01
2.  Ireland 5:58.60
3.  France 6:00.99
4.  Canada 6:05.52
5.  Portugal 6:06.86
6.  Poland 6:07.61

Single scull

Heat 1
1.  Alan Campbell (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:04.83
2.  Ralph Kreibich (Austria) 7:06.71
3.  Bajrang Lai Takhar (India)  7:19.75
4.  Shin Eun Chul (Kor) 7:22.96
5.  Haydar Rashid (Iraq)  7:26.80

Double scull

Heat 5
1.  Matt Wells/Stephen Rowbotham (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:25.70
2.  Milan Dolecek/Vaclav Chalupa (Czech Republic) 6:29.99
3.  Martin & Ivo Yanakiev (Bulgaria) 6:48.07
4.  Akos Haller/Tibor Peto (Hungary)  7:10.59

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Heat 3
1. Jennifer Goldsack (USA) 7:41.61
2.  Marit van Eupen (Netherlands) 7:48.37
3.  Melanie Kok (Canada) 7:49.11
4.  Andrea Dennis (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:51.61
5.  Valentina Galmarini (Italy) 7:57.67
6.  Latt Shwe Zin (Malaysia) 8:12.68

MEN

Single scull

Heat 4
1.  Grant Duncan (New Zealand) 7:05.63
2.  Alasdair Leighton-Crawford (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:11.00
3.  Timothy Colson (Canada) 7:13.12
4.  Dong Tianfeng (China) 7:23.09
5.  Rodrigo Ideus Forero (Colombia) 7:33.93
6.  Paul Kondrashov (Israel) 7:41.13

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GB CREWS FOR THE 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Munich, August 26 – September 2, 2007)
(NB – listed from bow to stroke with
athlete name followed by club, home town
and date of birth in brackets).

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Beth Rodford (Thames RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)/
Natasha Page (Reading Uni/Hartpury/30.4.85)

Coach: John Keogh

Four

Georgina Menheneott (Mortlake, Anglian & Alpha RC/North Bradley,
Wilts/18.12.79)/Rebecca Rowe (Rebecca/Bridgend/16.5.81)/
Vicki Etiebet (Auriol Kensington/Ottowa, Canada/12.2.79)/
Vicky Myers (Leander/Cheshire/31.3.81)

Coach: Nathan Williams

Eight

Carla Ashford (Thames RC/Northallerton/13.3.79)/Baz Moffat
(Thames RC/Bradford/8.4.78)/Alice Freeman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/
6.9.78)/Louisa Reeve (Leander/London/16.05.84)/Natasha Howard (Tideway Scullers/West Runton/3.9.80)/Alison Knowles (Thames RC/
Bournemouth/27.3.82)/Katie Greves (Uni of London/Oxford/2.9.82)
Jess Eddie (Uni of London/Durham/7.10.84)/Caroline O’Connor
(Oxford Brookes/Ealing/25.4.83) (cox)

Coaches: John Keogh

Double scull

Elise Laverick (Thames RC/Poling, W.Sussex/27.7.75)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.2.83)

Coach:  Miles Forbes Thomas

Quadruple scull

Annie Vernon (Thames RC/Wadebridge/1.9.82)/Debbie Flood
(Leander Club/Leeds/27.2.80)/Fran Houghton
(Uni of London/Oxford/19.9.80)/Katherine Grainger
(St Andrews BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Coach: Paul Thompson

MEN

Pair

Colin Smith (Leander/Henley on Thames/23.9.83)/
Matt Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.5.83)/

Coach:  Jurgen Grobler

Four

Steve Williams (Leander Club/Cheltenham/15.4.76)/Peter
Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.7.81)/Alex Partridge
(Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.1.81)/Andy Triggs Hodge
(Molesey BC/Hebden, N.Yorks/3.3.79)

Coach: Jurgen Grobler

Coxed four

Oli Moore (Imperial/Burford)/James Orme (Leander Club/
Colchester/1.4.84)/Marcus Bateman (Leander Club/Torquay/
16.9.82)/Tom James (CUBC/Wrexham/11.3.84)/Phelan Hill (London
RC/London/21.7.79) – cox

Coach: Richard Tinkler

Eight

Tom Parker (OUBC/Winchester/24.10.82)/Tom Stallard
(Leander/Welwyn, Herts/11.9.78)/Tom Lucy (Oxford Brookes/
Monmouth/1.5.88)/Tom Solesbury (Molesey BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.9.80)/Josh West (Leander/Santa Fe/25.3.77)/Richard Egington (Leander/Knutsford/26.2.79)/Robin Bourne–Taylor (Army RC/Oxford/22.7.81)
/Alastair Heathcote (Army RC/London/18.8.77)/Acer Nethercott (OUBC/Harlow/28.11.77) (cox)

Coaches:  Mark Banks, John West

Single Scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/9.5.83)

Coach: Bill Barry

Double Scull

Matt Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.4.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

Quadruple scull

Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey/Thames Ditton/4.9.76)/Sam Townsend
(Reading Uni/Reading/26.11.85)/Alex Gregory (Reading Uni/
Wormington/11.3.84)/Ian Lawson (Leander/Otley, W.Yorks/4.3.77)

Coach: Steve Gunn

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Andrea Dennis (Wallingford RC/Oxford/03.01.82)

Coach: Rob Dauncey

Double scull

Helen Casey (Wallingford RC/Oxford/6.2.74)/
Hester Goodsell (Rob Roy/Cambridge/27.6.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Quadruple scull

Sophie Hosking (Durham Uni/Wimbledon/25.01.86)Laura Greenhalgh (Rob Roy/Oxford/2.9.85)/Mathilde Pauls (Imperial College BC/Berlin & Putney/26.09.83)/ Jane Hall (Leander/Caversham/20.10.73),

Coach: Rob Dauncey

MEN

Pair

Matt Beechey (Leander/Worcester/3.4.77)/Daniel
Harte (London/Edinburgh/12.12.75)

Coach:  Paul Reedy

Four

Richard Chambers (Oxford Brookes/Coleraine/10.6.85)/
James Lindsay-Fynn (London/Trim/29.9.75)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford/Oxford/25.4.78)/James Clarke (London RC/
London/13.12.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Single scull
Alasdair Leighton-Crawford (Tideway Scullers/Richmond-upon-Thames/
09.12.81) – racing spare.

Double scull

Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury, Glos/2.5.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/1.7.78)

Coach: Darren Whiter

Quadruple scull
Simon Jones (Leander/Henley/8.6.78)Rob Williams (London
RC/Maidenhead/21.1.85)//Chris Bartley (Wallingford/Chester/
2.2.84)/Dave Currie (Leander/Bridgend/10.1.82)

Coach:  Rob Morgan

ADAPTIVE CREWS

WOMEN

Single scull

Helene Raynsford (Guildford RC/Frimley/29.12.79)

Coach:  Chad King

MEN

Single scull

Tom Aggar (Royal Docks/Barnet, London/24.5.84)

Coach: Chad King

MIXED

Mixed adaptive coxed four

Naomi Riches (Marlow RC/Harrow Weald/15.6.83)/
Alastair Mckean (Herne Bay ARC/Whitstable/14.4.79)/
Alan Crowther (Nottingham BC/Derby/29.7.65)/
Vicki Hansford (Guildford RC/Lewisham/31.10.79)/
Alan Sherman (cox)

Coach: Chad King

Double scull

Karen Cromie (Royal Docks BC/Ballinamalllard, Co.Fermanagh/
24.9.79)/James Roberts (Swansea/11.5.86)

Coach: Chad King

SPARES

Olivia Whitlam (Agecroft RC/Warrington/16.9.85)
Tom Wilkinson (Leander/Henley/4.7.85)
Charles Burkitt (Leander/Reading/28.4.86)
Bill Lucas (Reading Uni/Dartmouth/13.9.87)
Atlanta St John (Reading Uni/North Leigh, Oxon/13.1.87)

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

Team Manager:  David Tanner
Assistant Team Manager:  Maggie Netto
Doctor: Ali Sanders
Chief Coach Men: Jurgen Grobler
Chief Coach Women and Lightweights:  Paul Thompson
Logistics Manager:  Maurice Hayes
Adaptive boats coordinator:  Louise Kingsley
Lead Physio:  Mark Edgar
Physios:  Pam Gardiner, Gill Edmondson, Mike Chisholm
Physiologist:  Al Smith
Pyschologist:  Chris Shambrook
Nutritionist:  Wendy Martinson
Sponsorship Liaison Manager:  Fran Bullock
Drivers: Phil Tinsley, John Brockway
Press Officer:  Caroline Searle

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OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC QUALIFYING DETAILS

Each nation competing in Munich will be seeking to
qualify for Olympic Games’ quota places, available for
each event.  It is important to remember, though, that
it is the "boats" that qualify in Munich and at the later
regattas (see below). In Britain’s case the individual "rowers’
names" will not be put to the places in each boat
until late June, 2008.

Events (with quota places available in Munich)

MEN

Single scull (11)
Pair (11)
Double scull (11)
Four (11)
Quadruple scull (11)
Eight (7)

WOMEN

Single scull (9)
Pair (8)
Double scull (8)
Quadruple scull (7)
Eight (5)

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN

Double scull (11)
Four (11)

LIGHTWEIGHT WOMEN

Double scull (8)

If British boats do not gain a quota place in any given
event in Munich, there will be one further chance
via the final qualifying regatta in June of 2008 in
Lucerne, Switzerland where a small number of
further quota places will be available but for which
the competition will be fierce.

ADAPTIVE BOAT CLASSES

Each adaptive boat class has eight spaces
available in Munich for Beijing 2008.  For those
who do not qualify in Munich there will be a
second-chances at the world cup from
9-11 May, 2007.