Familiar names in new places

There will be some familiar faces but in new places when the GB Rowing Team competes at the first Samsung world rowing cup of 2013.

Olympic men’s four champions Alex Gregory, Peter Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge will race in an eight at the event from March 22-24 on the Sydney International Regatta Course – home of the 2000 Olympic Games.

Olympic bronze medallists Moe Sbihi, Tom Ransley, cox Phelan Hill and 2011 World silver medallist Dan Ritchie are also in the line-up with newcomers Lance Tredell and Matt Gotrel.

Neither Tredell nor Gotrel had been in a rowing boat before 2009. Both started rowing in that year – Gotrel, a former sailor, through the Start programme and Tredell as a novice at Oxford Brookes.

“The eight is proving fun and a new challenge to brush the winter cobwebs away”, said GB Rowing Team Performance Director Sir David Tanner. “It is a good mix of our established big guns and new names”.

The switch means that GB will field a brand new men’s four in the shape of Alan Sinclair, Scott Durant, Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, a 2011 World Silver medallist, and Matthew Tarrant.

Only Reilly-O’Donnell has raced and won medals at a senior world cup before but the others are experienced at youth level, including Tarrant’s gold at World U23 level in the men’s pair.

By contrast Britain’s other returning 2012 Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover has been selected for a familiar boat – the women’s pair. She will race in Sydney with Polly Swann who narrowly missed a 2012 women’s eight place after picking up an injury.

Glover’s Olympic medal-winning partner Heather Stanning is back on duty this year with the British Army.

The open weight women’s squad will pack in a lot of racing over the weekend with the two selected pairs and double sculls doubling up to race in the women’s eight, guided by cox Zoe de Toledo.

“We are expecting very competitive women’s fields and doubling up into an eight will be a tough challenge with a tight racing schedule but it will also give the chance for plenty of racing at the start of a new season”, said Tanner.

Glover and Swann will be joined by Frances Houghton, Katie Greves, Beth Rodford, Jess Eddie, Vicky Thornley and Victoria Meyer-Laker in the eight.

GB will also fleld a quadruple scull of Monica Relph – whose sister Pam won Paralympic gold at Eton-Dorney last summer – Kristina Stiller, Rachel Gamble-Flint and Olivia Carnegie-Brown.

Graeme Thomas, a single scull European finalist last season, joins Olympians Sam Townsend, Bill Lucas and Charles Cousins in a men’s quad with newcomers Peter Lambert and John Collins in the double and Jonathan Walton in the single.

Brothers and Olympic lightweight silver medallsts Richard and Peter Chambers have been split across two boats for the event. Richard, the elder of the two, races in a double scull with Olympic reserve Adam Freeman-Pask.

Peter returns to the boat in which he saw Olympic medal success – the lightweight men’s four – with his 2012 crew-mate Chris Bartley alongside Chris Boddy and Jonno Clegg. Jamie Kirkwood races in the single.

Britain has yet to name its selections in the lightweight women’s squad with a double and single to be selected from Imogen Walsh, Ruth Walczak and Kathryn Twyman.

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GB Rowing Team – Crew List
2013 World Rowing Cup, Sydney

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair – (two boats)

Helen Glover / Minerva Bath / Penzance / 17/06/86
Polly Swann / Leander Club / Edinburgh / 15/06/88

Katie Greves / Leander Club / Oxford / 02/09/82
Jessica Eddie / Univ of London BC / Durham / 07/10/84

Double scull – (two boats)

Beth Rodford / Gloucester RC / Gloucester / 28/12/82
Victoria Thornley / Leander Club / Wrexham / 30/11/87

Frances Houghton / Leander Club / Oxford / 19/09/80
Vicki Meyer-Laker / Leander Club / Premnay / 18/03/88

Quadruple scull

Monica Relph / Leander Club / Cambridge / 15/01/88
Kristina Stiller / Tees RC / Yarm, N.Yorks / 23/06/87
Rachel Gamble-Flint / Leander Club / Darlington / 13/09/91
Olivia Carnegie-Brown/Oxford Brookes Uni / Oxford / 28/03/91

Eight

Katie Greves / Leander Club / Oxford / 02/09/82
Jessica Eddie / Univ of London BC / Durham / 07/10/84
Beth Rodford / Gloucester RC / Gloucester / 28/12/82
Vicki Meyer-Laker / Leander Club / Premnay / 18/03/88
Frances Houghton / Leander Club / Oxford / 19/09/80
Victoria Thornley / Leander Club / Wrexham / 30/11/87
Helen Glover / Minerva Bath / Penzance / 17/06/86
Polly Swann / Leander Club / Edinburgh / 15/06/88
Zoe de Toledo (cox) / Leander Club / London / 17/07/87

Spares

Zoe Lee / Sport Imperial BC / Richmond, N. Yorks / 15/12/85
Erica Bodman / Leander Club / Guernsey / 24/01/1988

OPEN

MEN

Four

Scott Durant / Oxford Brookes Uni BC / Lancaster / 12/02/88
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell / Uni of London BC / Durha m / 13/04/88
Alan Sinclair / Leander Club / Inverness / 16/10/85
Matthew Tarrant / Oxford Brookes Uni BC / Shepperton / 11/07/90

Eight

Matt Gotrel / Leander Club / Chipping Camden / 01/03/89
Alex Gregory / Leander Club / Wormington / 11/03/84
Tom Ransley / Leander Club / Cambridge / 06/09/85
Pete Reed / Leander Club / Nailsworth, Glos / 27/07/81
Dan Ritchie / Leander Club / Herne Bay / 16/01/87
Mohamed Sbihi / Molesey BC / Surbiton / 27/03/88
Lance Tredell / Leander Club / Hale / 25/10/88
Andrew Triggs Hodge / Molesey BC / Hebden, N. Yorks / 03/03/79
Phelan Hill (cox) / Leander / Bedford / 21/07/79

Single scull

Jonathan Walton / Leander Club / Leicester / 06/10/90

Double scull

John Collins / Leander Club / Twickenham / 24/01/89
Pete Lambert / Leander Club / Johannesburg / 03/12/86

Quadruple scull

Charles Cousins / Leander Club / Willingham, Cambs / 13/12/88
Bill Lucas / London RC / Kingswear / 13/09/87
Graeme Thomas / Agecroft RC / Preston / 08/11/88
Sam Townsend / Reading Univ BC / Reading / 26/11/85

Spare

Oliver Cook / Uni of London / Windsor / 05/06/1990

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Double scull

Ruth Walczak / Molesey BC / Rochdale / 15/09/88
Imogen Walsh / London RC / Inverness / 17/01/84

Single scull

Kathryn Twyman / Wallingford RC / Oxford / 29/03/87

LIGHTWEIGHT

MEN

Double scull

Richard Chambers / Leander Club / Coleraine / 10/06/85
Adam Freeman-Pask / Imperial College BC / Windsor / 19/06/85

Four

Chris Bartley / Leander Club / Chester / 02/02/84
Chris Boddy / Leander Club / Thornaby-on-Tees / 16/11/87
Peter Chambers / Oxford Brookes Uni BC / Oxford / 14/03/90
Jonno Clegg / Leander Club / Maidenhead /14/07/89

Single scull

Jamie Kirkwood / Leander Club / Cresswell / 30/08/89

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OUTLINE RACING TIMETABLE
(All times given are local times. Sydney is 11 hours ahead of the UK. Times may be subject to change once all entries and the draw are known)

Friday 22 March

08.00 – 10.00 – heats
17.55 – 18.31 – Repechages

Saturday 23 March
08.00 – 09.30 – Reps and Semi-finals
17.00 – 17.42 – B Finals

Sunday 24 March
09.30 – 12.45 – FINALS

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CONTACT DETAILS

For media enquiries about this event please contact:

Caroline Searle on (01225) 443998 or 07831 755351 or e-mail [email protected]

GB Rowing Team website, including full rower biogs: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk

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