Mixed fortunes in Lucerne

GB Rowing produced five heat winners from the first session of racing at the season’s second of three world cups taking place today through to Sunday on Lucerne’s Rotsee lake.

Scullers Alan Campbell, in the single, and Matt Wells and Steve Rowbotham, in the Siemens-sponsored double, led the way backed by wins from Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase in the lightweight men’s double and the lightweight men’s four of James Clarke, Paul Mattick, James Lindsay-Fynn and Richard Chambers plus the lightweight pair of Rob Williams and Chris Bartley.

Yet, the GB performance overall lacked the sparkle of three weeks ago in Munich. The Camelot-backed GB men’s four, with further changes to its line-up due to injury, were beaten into third place – still good enough to book a semi-final slot but termed an "underperformance" by Olympic champion Steve Williams. "Even with the changes we’ve had to make to the crew, I still expected them to be in the pack in that race", said GB Performance Director, David Tanner.

Britain’s female quadruple scull were also troubled by defeat to a new combination from China – albeit in a race to establish lane priority for Sunday’s final.

Whilst GB now has three boats already qualified for the finals and five through to semi-finals tomorrow, a further eight must now use today and tomorrow’s repechages wisely if they are to go any further.

Full results: www.worldrowing.com

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RACE REPORTS

GB had five heat winners on the opening day of the season’s second of three world cups here in Lucerne, Switzerland – all except the lightweight men’s pair coming from Olympic category boats.

Alan Campbell, winner of the men’s open single scull at the opening world cup in Munich three weeks ago began today where he left off by winning his heat in controlled fashion from Fernandez of Argentina to qualify for tomorrow’s semi-finals. World champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand has chosen Lucerne to open his season which will add spice to the field here.

Matt Wells and Steve Rowbotham, in the Siemens-backed men’s double scull, awarded themselves a day of rest tomorrow by winning today’s heat and qualifying direct for Sunday’s finals. Looking smooth as they crossed the line, they left the French and Australians vying with each other for second place.

Great Britain’s lightweight men also had a good morning. The world champion men’s four of Richard Chambers, James Lindsay-Fynn, Paul Mattick and James Clarke cruised to a win in 6:06.30. They were never headed after the 500m mark and held off the Dutch and Canadians behind them to win and book a semi-final place tomorrow.

Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter will join them in tomorrow’s semi-final line-ups. They moved past the early French leaders in the third 500m of their heat today and went on to win comfortably in 6:24.51.

Chris Bartley and Rob Williams never looked troubled in their lightweight men’s pair heats. They led throughout and took victory in a time of 6:48.88 ahead of Austria and France to take the one available direct qualification place for tomorrow evening’s final.

The Camelot-backed British women’s quadruple scull are also through to Sunday’s finals after a seeding race today saw them take second place behind China.

Elsewhere the British fayre was not quite as appetising. GB Rowing men’s four is experiencing a season of contrasting fortunes. Steve Williams, Andy Hodge and Peter Reed won in style in Munich with Tom Lucy in the bow seat in place of the injured Tom James. Lucy has retained his seat here as James is not quite back to full fitness and Colin Smith has joined the crew at stroke after Andy Hodge was forced to withdraw last week with injury, too.

Today the quartet looked as if their edges had been dulled somewhat They were in the hunt to win up to the half-way point but then did not have enough speed to dent the French and Dutch who vyed for victory ahead of them with the French prevailing in 5:53.90.

"It didn’t have any life in it today", said Williams after the race. "We’ve done much better stuff than that in training so it’s frustrating".

GB’s second men’s four and the men’s quadruple scull were both forced to withdraw this morning because of injury to Dan Ritchie and Alex Gregory respectively.

Andrea Dennis, winner of a silver medal in Munich in the non-Olympic lightweight women’s single scull three weeks ago, opened the world cup programme for GB Rowing here in Lucerne but found the going tough in her heat. She was third in a time of 7:55.69 behind home favourite Pamela Weisshaupt and China’s Chen Haixia, the eventual winner, and will now race a repechage tomorrow morning.

Sarah Winckless, part of the GB double scull which reached the final in Munich, looked out of form here this morning in the women’s single scull heats. She was fifth in 7:47.96 behind her GB U23 sculler Tina Stiller who was fourth. Winckless and Stiller will both now race repechages later this afternoon.

GB Rowing has a new-look women’s pair in Lucerne. Olivia Whitlam, who emerged from the ARA’s World Class Start scheme, sponsored by Siemens, to take world U23 gold in the pair last year, raced today with Louisa Reeve, part of the GB eight last year. The duo were in contention in the final stages but finished fourth and will now need a repechage later today if they are to make the semi-finals.

Toby Garbett and Marcus Bateman kept in the pack up to the halfway mark of their men’s pair heat this morning before dropping back to finish fifth in 6:48.69 and move into a repechage. The race was won by reigning world champions Drew Ginn and Duncan Free of Australia. Oli Moore and Tom Parker were fourth in their heat of the same event and will also now race a repechage later today.

Elise Laverick and Anna Bebington were involved in one of the closest finishes of the morning’s session when they were third in their heat of the women’s double scull, narrowly pipped by winners China and second-placed USA. Less than a second divided first from third in the blanket finish. All three now go into the semi-finals tomorrow with only Norway missing out.

GB Rowing continues to experiment with its potential lightweight women’s double scull combinations. Laura Greenhalgh and Helen Casey teamed up here for the first time and were fourth here in a time of 7:15.79 and will now need a repechage later today if they are to progress.

The women’s eight finished strongly in an encouraging performance behind Australia and ahead of China and New Zealand in their heat today but, with only one crew progressing to Sunday’s final, they will now race a repechage tomorrow afternoon.

Less than a second separated the first three boats until the race mid-point in Great Britain’s heat of the men’s eight today. Australia were leaders but nothing much separated them from Germany and GB. By the 1500m mark Australia had stretched their lead somewhat and it became clear that they had sufficient control to claim the one place available for Sunday’s final. Germany pipped a strong-finishing GB crew to second place. GB, racing here with Al Heathcote back from injury at stroke, will now race a repechage tomorrow afternoon.

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RESULTS
(Races featuring GB crews only. For full results visit:
www.worldrowing.com)

Heats

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Heat 3
1. Eleanor Logan/Caroline Lind (USA 1) 7:11.05
2. Juliette Haigh/Nicola Coles (New Zealand) 7:13.64
3. Yan Yanfeng/Zhao Yuqin (China 2) 7:14.05
4. Louisa Reeve/Olivia Whitlam (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:16.41

Eight

Heat 1
1. Australia 6:04.45
2. Beth Rodford/Carla Ashford/Alice Freeman/Natasha Page/
Natasha Howard/Alison Knowles/Katie Greves/Jess Eddie/
Caroline O’Connor (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:10.37
3. China 6:12.49
4. New Zealand 6:13.44

Single scull

Heat 4
1. Mirka Knapkova (Czech Republic) 7:31.22
2. Phillipa Savage (Australia) 7:35.95
3. Sophie Balmary (France 1) 7:35.95
4. Kristina Stiller (GREAT BRITAIN 2) 7:45.09
5. Sarah Winckless (GREAT BRITAIN 1) 7:47.95

Double scull

Heat 3
1. Zhu Weiwei/Zhang Yangyang (China 2) 6:55.87
2. Renee Hykel/Jennifer Goldsack (USA) 6:56.14
3. Elise Laverick/Anna Bebington (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:56.25
4. Martha Helgeland/Tine Schoeyen (Norway) 7:13.72

MEN

Pair

Heat 2
1. Drew Ginn/Duncan Free (Australia) 6:32.30
2. Wu Lin/Zhang Shunyin (China 2) 6:33.09
3. Tom Lehmann/Felix Drahotta (Germany 2) 6:35.58
4. Philip Naruhn/Florian Eichner (Germany 1) 6:36.13
5. Toby Garbett/Marcus Bateman (GREAT BRITAIN 1) 6:48.69

Heat 3
1. Jakub Makovicka/Vaclav Chalupa Jr (Czech Republic) 6:37.20
2. Terence Alfred/Karsten Forsterlung (Australia 2) 6:40.13
3. Chris Jarvis/Derek O’Farrell (Canada 2) 6:42.59
4. Oliver Moore/Tom Parker (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:46.89
5. Morten Nielsen/Thomas Larsen (Denmark) 6:51.32

Four

Heat 2
1. France 5;53.90
2. Netherlands 5:53.94
3. Tom Lucy/Steve Williams/Peter Reed/Colin Smith (GREAT
BRITAIN) 5:58.48
4. Argentina 6:05.69
5. Ireland 6:12.29

Eight

Heat 1
1. Australia 5:29.03
2. Germany 5:30.67
3. Robin Bourne-Taylor/Tom Stallard/Matthew Langridge/
Tom Solesbury/Josh West/Richard Egington/Alex Partridge/
Alastair Heathcote/Acer Nethercott (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 5:31.49
4. Poland 5:37.68

Single scull

Heat 3
1. Alan Campbell (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:53.60
2. Santiago Fernandez (Argentina) 6:55.45
3. Karsten Brodowski (Germany 2) 6:55.74
4. Anderson Nocetti (Brazil) 7:20.03
5. Patrick Loliger Salas (Mexico) 7:22.30
6. Matthew Trott (New Zealand 2) 7:22.46

Double scull

Heat 1
1. Matthew Wells/Stephen Rowbotham (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:16.05
2. Jean-Baptiste Macquet/Adrien Hardy (France) 6:18.65
3. David Crawshay/Scott Brennan (Australia) 6:20.25
4. Clemens Wenzel/Falko Nolte (Germany) 6:38.89
5. Sobhy Zoghba/Hassan El Lawandy (Egypt) 6:47.43
6. Alexis Marcano/James Abou (Venezuela) 6:50.44

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Heat 1
1. Haixia Chen (China) 7:45.32
2. Pamela Weisshaupt (Switzerland) 7:45.56
3. Andrea Dennis (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:55.69
4. Magdalena Kemnitz (Poland) 8:01.81
5. Helle Tibian (Denmark) 8:04.28
6. Ilona Hiltunen (Finland) 8:23.17

Double scull

Heat 1
1. Melanie Kok/Tracy Cameron (Canada) 7:00.96
2. Kirsten van der Kolk (Netherlands) 7:04.68
3. Berit Carow/Marie-Louise Draeger (Germany) 7:05.29
4. Laura Geenhalgh/Helen Casey (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:15.79
5. Cecilia Lilja/Karin Hoegberg (Sweden) 7:23.73
6. Marie Gottlieb/Sine Christiansen (Denmark 2) 7:28.75

MEN

Pair

Heat 2
1. Chris Bartley/Rob Williams (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:48.88
2. Juliusz Madecki/Paul Ruttmann (Austria) 6:50.37
3. Jeremy Pouge/Vincent Faucheux (France) 6:52.27

Four

Heat 3
1. Richard Chambers/James Lindsay-Fynn/Paul Mattick/
James Clarke (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:03.25
2. Netherlands 6:06.30
3. Canada 6:07.83
4. Poland 2 6:10.70

Double scull

Heat 4
1. Zac Purchase/Mark Hunter (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:24.51
2. Jeremie Azou/Remi Di Girolamo (France 2) 6:27.70
3. Dominik Sigl/Sebastian Sageder (Austria 1) 6:34.27
4. Michal Rychlicki/Tomasz Mrozowicz (Poland 2) 6:46.52
5. Tomasz Kucharski/Robert Sycz (Poland 1) 6:49.38

RACE FOR LANES

OPEN

WOMEN

Quadruple scull

1. China 6:18.20
2. Annie Vernon/Debbie Flood/Frances Houghton/Katherine
Grainger (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:21.80
3. Germany 6:22.12
4. USA 6:23.37
5. Ukraine 6:24.58
6. Australia 6:30.87

Single scull
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GB CREW LISTS (with clubs/home towns/dates of birth)
Munich World Cup 2008

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Olivia Whitlam( Agecroft/Warrington 16.09.85)/Louisa
Reeve (Leander/London/16.05.84)

Coach Rob Morgan

Eight

Beth Rodford (Thames RC/Burton-on-Trent/ 28.12.82)/Carla Ashford (Oxford Brookes BC/Northallerton/13.03.79)/Alice Freeman
(Wallingford RC/Oxford/06.09.78)/Natasha Page (Reading Uni/
Hartpury/30.04.85)/(Tideway Scullers/West Runton/3.9.80)/Natasha
Howard (Tideway Scullers/Norfolk)/Alison Knowles (Thames RC/
Bournemouth/27.3.82)/Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/
02.09.82)/Jess Eddie (Uni of London/Durham/07.10.84)/Caroline
O’Connor (Oxford Brookes/Ealing/25.04.83) (cox)

Coach: John Keogh

Single scull (two boats)

Sarah Winckless (Walbrook & Royal/Henley/18.10.73)

Coach: Eira Parry

Tina Stiller (Nottingham/Yarm, N.Yorks/23.6.87)

Coach: Miles Forbes-Thomas

Double scull

Elise Laverick (Thames RC/Poling, W.Sussex/27.07.75)/
Anna Bebington (Leander Club/Leek, Staffs/13.2.83)

Coach: Miles Forbes Thomas

Quadruple scull

Annie Vernon (Marlow RC/Wadebridge/01.09.82)/Debbie Flood
(Leander Club/Leeds/27.02.80)/Frances Houghton
(Tyrian Club (Uni of London)/Oxford/19.09.80)/Katherine
Grainger (St Andrew BC/Aberdeen/12.11.75)

Coach: Paul Thompson

MEN

Pair (two boats)

Toby Garbett (Leander Club/Woking, Surrey/14.11.76)/Marcus
Bateman (Leander Club/Torquay/16.09.82)

Oli Moore (OUBC/Burford/22.12.85)Tom Parker (Oxford
Brookes/Winchester/24.10.82)

Coach: Jonny Singfield

Four (2 boats)

Senior
Tom Lucy (Oxford Brookes/Monmouth/01.05.88)/Steve Williams
(Leander Club/Cheltenham/15.04.76)/Peter Reed (Leander Club/
Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.81)/Colin Smith (Leander/Henley on
Thames/23.09.83)

Under 23s
Will Laughton (Uni of London/Douglas IOM/18.6.87) Cameron
Nichol (Uni of London/London/26/06/87) Dan Ritchie (Reading Uni/
Herne Bay Kent/06/01/87) Moe Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.88)

Coach: Jurgen Grobler

Eight

Robin Bourne-Taylor (Army RC/Oxford/22.07.81)
Tom Stallard (Leander/Welwyn, Herts/11.09.78)/
Matt Langridge(Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.83)/
Tom Solesbury (Molesey BC/Petts Wood, Kent/23.09.80)/
Josh West (Leander/Santa Fe, USA/25.03.77)/
Richard Egington (Leander/Knutsford/26.02.79)/
Alex Partridge (Leander Club/Alton, Hants/25.01.81)/
Alastair Heathcote (Army RC/London/18.8.77)/
Acer Nethercott (University College Oxford BC/Harlow/28.11.77)
(cox)

Coaches: Mark Banks, John West

Single Scull (two boats)

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers/Coleraine/09.05.83)

Coach: Bill Barry

Double Scull

Matt Wells (Leander Club/Hexham, Northumberland/19.04.79)/
Stephen Rowbotham (Leander Club/Winscombe, Somerset/11.11.81)

Coach: Mark Earnshaw

Quadruple scull

Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey/Thames Ditton/04.09.76)/Sam Townsend
(Reading Uni/Reading/26.11.85)/Alex Gregory (Reading Uni/
Wormington/11.03.84)/Charles Cousins (Reading Uni/Cambridge/
13.12.88)

Coach: Adrian Cassidy

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Andrea Dennis (Wallingford RC/Oxford/03.01.82)

Double scull

Helen Casey (Wallingford RC/Oxford/06.02.74)/
Laura Greenhalgh (Reading Uni/Oxford/02.09.85)

Coach: Rob Morgan

MEN

Pair

Chris Bartley (Leander/Chester 2.2.84)/Rob Williams
(London RC/Maidenhead/21.01.85)

Coach: Robin Williams

Four

Richard Chambers (Oxford Brookes/Coleraine/10.06.85)/
James Lindsay-Fynn (London/Trim/29.09.75)/Paul Mattick
(Wallingford/Oxford/25.04.78)/James Clarke (London RC/
London/31.12.84)

Coach: Robin Williams

Double scull

Zac Purchase (Marlow RC/Tewkesbury, Glos/02.05.86)/
Mark Hunter (Leander Club/Romford, Essex/01.07.78)

Coach: Darren Whiter