September 16, 2011 News British Rowing NewsBritish Rowing EventsRowing CommunityGB Rowing TeamCompetitions and ClubsIndoor RowingPartners#YourStoriesArchive GB crews race World medallists at European Champs GB Rowing Team The GB Rowing Team had a testing but “pleasing start” to the European Rowing Championships in Bulgaria today with all five crews putting in promising performances against stiff opposition according to their team manager. Pete Sheppard, was impressed with the development crews who contested the opening day’s heats in Plovdiv, against a clutch of crews who won medals at the World Championships, despite none of his charges qualifying directly for the finals.ADVERT “It’s a pleasing opening salvo,” said Sheppard who has set the target for his crews to reach their respective finals in light of the level of competition – with many nations bringing their World Championship crews to Plovdiv. “All the crews who have raced have shown they are competitive in their events and all the crews racing tomorrow have an opportunity to progress into the ‘A’ finals. Everybody came in at a good level today.” The men’s double scull of former Cambridge boat club president Henry Pelly and Graeme Thomas, a product of the Siemens-sponsored World Class START programme in the North West of England, finished a close third behind Estonia in their heat in Plovdiv today with just winners Russia qualifying for the final by a comfortable margin. A young GB crew featuring the Durant twins from Lancaster at bow and stroke alongside Fred Gill and Mathew Tarrant, stayed within touching distance of the winning Greeks in the second heat of the men’s four, and pushed Serbia all the way for the second qualifying spot in the final, finishing just behind them in third with clearwater between them and the rest of the field. The Greek four was the same crew which won silver behind the unbeaten senior GB crew of Matt Langridge, Ric Egington, Tom James and Alex Gregory at the World Championships in Bled won their heat in Bulgaria. The Oxford-based duo of Kathryn Twyman and Andrea Dennis who won gold in the lightweight women’s quadruple scull in Bled a fortnight ago finished a comfortable second in the lightweight double in Buglaria behind the reigning World and European Champions from Greece, Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou. Just the winners went through to the final but the British crew finished ahead of the Czech Republic and Romania. The last competitive heat of the day for GB saw Henley’s Jono Clegg and Stockton-on-Tees’ Chris Boddy come fourth in the second heat of the lightweight men’s double, just behind Hungary and Poland, in a close race won by World bronze medallists Elia Luini and Lorenzo Bertini of Italy. The women’s eight, including Ro Bradbury and Emily Taylor, who were unused reserves at the World Championships earlier this month, took part in a preliminary exhibition race with the other eights in their final. In fourth with 500m to go they overhauled the Ukraine in their sprint for the line, crossing just behind Russia with Romania clear winners. The GB crews, with the exception of the women’s eight, will all race tomorrow from 8:56am UK time. For action photos or head shots please email: [email protected] For biographies please go to the GB Rowing Team website: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE ========================================================= ========================================================= RESULTS 2011 European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (GB crews only – for full results go to www.worldrowing.com) Heats – Friday 16 September 2011 MEN Double Scull 1. Russia 6:28.04 2. Estonia 6:34.89 3. Henry Pelly/Graeme Thomas (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:35.27 4. Israel 6:44.27 5. Denmark 6:52.51 6. Serbia 7:18.33 Four 1. Greece 5:59.37 2. Serbia 6:02.74 3. Mason Durant/Fred Gill/Matthew Tarrant/Scott Durant (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:04.60 4. Ukraine 6:24.35 5. Croatia 6:25.59 WOMEN Eight LIGHTWEIGHT Women Double Scull 1. Greece 7:11.93 2. Kathryn Twyman/Andrea Dennis (GREAT BRITAIN) 7:21.75 3. Czech Republic 7:33.88 4. Romania 7:42.64 Men Double Scull 1. Italy 6:28.22 2. Poland 6:29.22 3. Hungary 6:33.70 4. Jono Clegg/Chris Boddy (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:35.75 5. Russia 6:44.54 6. Austria 6:50.02 Exhibition race WOMEN Eight 1. Romania 6:32.26 2. Russia 6:38.28 3. Leonora Kennedy/Zoe Lee/Erica Bodman/Vicki Meyer-Laker/Ro Bradbury/Emily Taylor/Monica Relph/Polly Swann/Zoe de Toledo (cox) (GREAT BRITAIN) 6:40.06 4. Ukraine 6:42.39 5. Bulgaria 6:42.42 6. Poland 6:53.73 SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE ============================================================= ============================================================= GB ROWING TEAM CREW-LIST (Name/Club/Home town/Date of birth) 2011 European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria September 16-18, 2011 (Listed bow to stroke) WOMEN Eight Leonora Kennedy (Sport Imperial/Putney/12.01.1987)/ Zoe Lee (Sport Imperial/London/15.12.1985)/ Erica Bodman (Reading Uni BC/St Martins, Guernsey/24.01.1988)/ Vicki Meyer-Laker (Nottingham RC/Nottingham/18.03.1988)/ Ro Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead, Surrey/17.12.1988)/ Emily Taylor (Leander Club/Lincoln/28.06.1987)/ Monica Relph (Reading Uni BC/Henley on Thames/15.01.1988)/ Polly Swann (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/05.06.1988)/ Zoe de Toledo (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/17.07.1987) Coach: Eira Parry Spare Lucinda Gooderham (Upper Thames RC/Diss, Norfolk/09.06.1984) MEN Four Mason Durant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)/ Fred Gill (Molesey BC/Shrewsbury/09.01.1986)/ Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Shepperton, Surrey/11.07.1990) Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Uni BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988) Coach: Henry Balihache-Webb Double Scull Henry Pelly (Molesey BC/London/30.07.1983)/ Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.1988) Coach: Paul Stannard LIGHTWEIGHT Women Double Scull Kathryn Twyman (Wallingford RC/Oxford/29.03.1987)/ Andrea Dennis (Imperial College BC/Oxford/03.01.1982) Coach: Pete Sheppard Men Double Scull Jono Clegg (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/14.07.1989)/ Chris Boddy (Leander Club/Stockton-on-Tees/16.11.1987) Coach: Paul Stannard SUPPORT STAFF Team manager and lead coach: Pete Sheppard Coach: Paul Stannard Coach: Eira Parry Coach: Henry Balihache-Webb, Oxford Brookes Physio: Katherine Vials Lead driver: Phil Gray Second driver: Karl Offord SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE ============================================================= ============================================================= PROVISIONAL ERC SCHEDULE (for full timetable go to www.worldrowing.com) Opening Ceremony – Thursday, September 15 Heats & Repechages – Friday, September 16 Repechages, Semi-finals and Finals A, B, C – Saturday, September 17 Finals A and B – Sunday, September 18 ============================================================= ============================================================= MORE INFORMATION For a full timetable and results go to the FISA website: www.worldrowing.com For more information on the GB Rowing Team go to: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk *SIEMENS is the high performance partner of the GB Rowing Team (as such they sponsor all the Olympic and Paralympic Class boats in the senior squad and add value to the GB Rowing Teams’ Start and High Performance Programme in Clubs Schemes) SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE =============================== =============================== ============================================================== KEY DATES FOR 2011/2012 The 2012 season is about to begin for the nation’s top rowers culminating in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. SEPTEMBER 2011 16-18 European Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. 27-28 Start of training for the 2012 season – senior and adaptive members of the GB Rowing Team MARCH 2012 8-11 GB Rowing Team senior trials, Eton/Dorney MAY 2-6 Rowing world cup I and final Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Belgrade, Serbia 20-27 Rowing world cup II and final Olympic Qualification Regatta, Lucerne, Switzerland JUNE 13-17 Rowing world cup III, Munich, Germany JULY 9-15 World Rowing U23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania July 24 – August 5 OLYMPIC GAMES REGATTA, Eton/Dorney AUGUST 12-19 World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria August 25 – September 3 PARALYMPIC GAMES REGATTA, Eton/Dorney SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE =============================== =============================== CONTACT DETAILS For media enquiries about The GB Rowing Teams please contact: Caroline Searle, Andy Sloan or Miranda Edwards on: T: (01225) 443998 M: CAROLINE (07831) 755351 M: ANDY (07714) 168391 e: [email protected] GB Rowing Team website www.gbrowingteam.org.uk – full biogs available here. 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