GB Rowing Team men win Windermere Cup

The GB Rowing Team men’s eight have won the Windermere Cup in Seattle – only the third crew in the history of the event to beat the University of Washington men’s crew dubbed “The Huskies”.

They came home two seconds ahead to finish in 5:54.0 after a tight race.

Earlier the GB women had raced neck and neck with the University of Washington women’s crew before losing out in the final 500m. Washington’s winning time was 6:27.9 to GB’s 6:31.3.

“They were two close races today and that’s what we came here for”, said Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director.

He added: “All credit to the Washington crews they have given us a great early season competition. We’ve had a very warm welcome here and I’d like to thank Windermere Real Estate whose founder John Jacobi and his family, plus the Seattle Yacht Club, have made it possible for us to be here”.

The GB Rowing Team competed today at the event for the first time since a GB women’s crew took part back in 1998 and beat Washington.

Crews from the University of Washington have been taking part in a regatta every year since 1970 in Seattle to mark the opening day of boating at the Seattle Yacht Club.

The event was backed and developed originally by Jacobi and has developed into somewhat of a tradition in the Northwest of the USA.

Tens of thousands of “Seattleites” flock to the Montlake Cut each year to witness 800 rowers taking part in races which culminate in the Windermere Cup. This is followed by a parade of boats.

A squad of 22 British rowers flew out six days ago to the USA to take part in two eights that blended youth with experience.

Bob Ernst, Director of Rowing at the University of Washington – whose crews have won both the men’s and women’s races for the past seven years – said: “I wanted to invite Great Britain here as they ‘re the best program in the world”.

The GB Rowing Team crews today were:

MEN
(bow to stroke plus cox)

Oliver Cook, Phil Congdon, Alan Sinclair, Scott Durant, Matt Gotrel, Dan Ritchie, Mat Tarrant, Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell, Henry Fieldman (cox).

WOMEN
(Bow to stroke plus cox)

Georgia Francis, Sam Courty, Laura Wheeler, Rebecca Chin, Ro Bradbury, Zoe Lee, Caragh McMurtry, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Zoe de Toledo (cox).

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GB ROWING TEAM SQUAD LIST
Windermere Cup, Seattle, 3 May, 2014

MEN

EIGHT

Phil Congdon (Molesey BC/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.1989)
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.1990)
Mason Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
Matt Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.1989)
Adam Neill (Leander Club/Peterborough/29.5.90)
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.1988)
Daniel Ritchie (Leander Club/Herne Bay/06.01.1987)
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Munlochy/16.10.1985)
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Imperial College BC/Barnes/25.11.1988)

WOMEN

EIGHT

Karen Bennett (Molesey BC/Perth/05.02.1989)
Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.1988)
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.03.1991)
Sam Courty (Bath University BC/Alnwick/7.1.93)
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Deganwy/11.12.1991)
Katherine Douglas (Leander Club/Midlothian/03.08.1989)
Georgia Francis (Pangbourne College BC/Tunbridge Wells/18.08.1994)
Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond/15.12.1985)
Caragh McMurty (Reading Univ BC/Southampton/22.08.1991)
Laura Wheeler (Nottingham RC/Burton-on-Trent/16.02.1985)
Zoe de Toledo (cox) (Leander Club/London/17.07.1987)

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THE SEASON AHEAD

GB Rowing Team Diary Dates for 2014
MAY

14
Announcement of the GB Rowing Team for the European Championships, Caversham.

28 – 1 June

European Championships, Belgrade

June

11

Announcement of GB Para-Rowing crews for the World Cup, Caversham

20-22

World Cup II, Aiguebelette, France (includes para-rowing)

July

2-6

Henley Royal Regatta – TBC

12-13

World Cup III, Lucerne, Switzerland

18

Announcement of GB Rowing Team crews for the World Championships – venue TBC

23-27

World U23 Championships, Varese, Italy

August

6-10

World Junior Championships, Hamburg, Germany

16-28

World Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing, China

24 – 31

World Championships, Amsterdam

September

13-14

World University Championships, Gravelines, France (U23s only)

October

19-20

British Championships – GB Rowing Team participation TBC

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