“It’s always special heading to Lucerne”: Great Britain names 14 crews for World Rowing Cup III
50 athletes have been selected for the final World Rowing Cup of the season, including one senior debut
Great Britain has announced 14 crews that will make the trip to Lucerne, Switzerland, for World Rowing Cup III.
After winning gold in their 2026 season opener, the Men’s Four all return. Reigning World Champions Dan Graham, James Robson, Douwe de Graaf and George Bourne won in Seville by more than five seconds ahead of France, who took silver.
Lauren Henry will once again race the Women’s Single Sculls. The 2024 Olympic Champion started the 2026 season in fine form, edging out a thrilling final to beat Olympic bronze medallist Viktorija Senkute of Lithuania in Seville by 0.14 seconds.
It’s been a busy season already for Benjamin Pritchard, BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2025. The European, World, and Paralympic Champion is fresh off the back of breaking his own PR1 World Record over 2000m on the Concept 2 Rower. After racing at the Paris Para Regatta and on home soil, Pritchard and Jake Woods will both travel to the Lake of the Gods, where the rest of the world will meet them for the first PR1 racing at a World Cup this year.
Making his senior team debut is Performance Development Academy graduate Josh Knight. In 2024, Knight stormed to victory in the Open 2000m at the British Rowing Indoor Championships. Knight trained out of South West Performance Development Academy and has spent this season rowing in the Second Varsity Eight at the University of California, Berkeley. He’ll join up in the first of two Men’s Double Sculls with 2025 world silver medallist Matt Haywood.
One change will be made to the crew that won silver in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls in Seville. Paris Olympic Champion Imogen Grant will stroke the crew, making her return from injury. Olympic Champions Hannah Scott and Lola Anderson are also back, as is Finn Stratton, whose senior debut in Seville resulted in a sensational silver medal.
2025 world silver medallist Sarah McKay will switch to the Women’s Double Sculls. She’ll join Cam Nyland, who raced in this boat in Seville.
There has been movement amongst the rest of the Men’s Sculling squad ahead of the racing in Lucerne. Following their race together at World Rowing Cup I, Callum Dixon and Tobias Schröder will move into the Men’s Quadruple Sculls. They’ll join up with Cedol Dafydd, who races for the first time since winning silver in this boat class at last year’s World Rowing Championships in Shanghai alongside Rory Harris, who is back stroking the crew. Dafydd is another graduate of the South West Performance Development Academy.
Much like Seville, a second Men’s Double Scull will race at the upcoming World Rowing Cup. James Cartwright and Jamie Gare, who won the B Final of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls a few weeks ago, will move into this new-look combination.
Both the Women’s Eight and the Women’s Four will race unchanged from their last run down the track. Holly Youd, Sarah Marshall, Angharad Broughton, and Eleanor Brinkhoff will look to build on their fourth-place finish at a first senior event for three of the crew.
Lizzie Witt, Jade Lindo, Amelia Standing, Katherine George, Lauren Irwin, Annie Campbell-Orde, Heidi Long, Megan Slabbert, and Jack Tottem are all back in action. After winning the 40th Windermere Cup in Seattle, the crew raced to a bronze medal at the first World Rowing Cup at the end of May.
There are two changes to the Men’s Eight that won silver in Seville. Will Stewart and Matt Rowe are back in the crew for the first time since winning silver at last year’s World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. They’ll slot into the bow pair following: Gabriel Obholzer, Sam Nunn, David Bewicke-Copley, Harry Geffen, Miles Beeson, Archie Drummond, and cox Tom Bryce.
Subject to medical, James Vogel, Fergus Woolnough, Matt Aldridge, and Josh Bowesman-Jones will race as the second Men’s Four. Aldridge and Woolnough will race the Men’s Pair under the same conditions.
“The standard on display at the first two rounds of the World Rowing Cup series in Seville and Plovdiv has set the scene for some great racing at World Rowing Cup III,” said Interim Performance Director Tom Dyson.
“It is always special heading to Lucerne to race, and this year we will be joined for the first time by members of the GB Rowing Team Paralympic Programme. They will race alongside some crews of their compatriots who are unchanged from World Rowing Cup I, while others have undergone adjustments and will be eyeing a first test of their new combinations.
“Everyone is eager to get racing again, and we must all capitalise on the opportunity to learn in the Games qualification venue for 2027 and 2028.
“It was great to get the World Cup season up and running in Seville,” added Women’s Head Coach Andrew Randell.
“For Lucerne, we have new line-ups in both the Women’s Quadruple Sculls and Women’s Double Sculls. I am looking forward to seeing how these boats perform, as well as how the continuing crews step up and progress.
“Results at World Rowing Cup II in Plovdiv saw the American, Chinese, and Italian crews race for the first time this year. It will be good to pit ourselves against these strong crews in a large field on the Rotsee.”
“We’ve had a good block of training and conducted a small amount of testing off the back of a successful start in Seville with the Men’s Four and Eight,” explained Men’s Head Coach Paul Stannard.
“It was great to see the fast times at the World Cup in Plovdiv, particularly from the New Zealand Men’s Pair who just missed out on the World Best Time.
“In Lucerne, we’re looking forward to going racing again! Whilst the sweep team remains largely unchanged, we have some exciting new combinations in the sculling. It will be great to get back to the Lake of the Gods, which is a favourite venue for many of the athletes.”
The GB Rowing Team to race World Rowing Cup III, Lucerne
Women’s Eight
Lizzie Witt (Leander Club / Imperial College BC)
Jade Lindo (Molesey BC / Twickenham RC)
Amelia Standing (Oxford University BC)
Katherine George (Leander Club)
Lauren Irwin (Leander Club / Durham University / Chester-le-Street ARC)
Annie Campbell-Orde (Marlow RC/Leander Club)
Heidi Long (Oxford University BC / Leander Club)
Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC)
Jack Tottem (cox) (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Coach: Andrew Randell
Women’s Four
Holly Youd (Molesey BC)
Sarah Marshall (Oxford University BC)
Angharad Broughton (Molesey BC)
Eleanor Brinkhoff (Leander Club / Dundee University BC)
Coach: Dan Moore
Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Lola Anderson (Leander Club / Newcastle University BC)
Hannah Scott (Bann RC / Leander Club)
Finn Stratton (Reading University BC)
Imogen Grant (Cambridge University Women’s BC)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Women’s Double Sculls
Sarah McKay (Grosvenor RC / Leander Club)
Cam Nyland (Leander Club)
Coach: Helen Taylor
Women’s Single Scull
Lauren Henry (Leicester RC)
Coach: Andrew Randell
Reserves: Becky Wilde and Lauren Carey
Men’s Eight
Will Stewart (Newcastle University BC)
Matt Rowe (Kingston RC)
Gabriel Obholzer (Cambridge University BC)
Sam Nunn (Oxford Brookes University BC)
David Bewicke-Copley (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Harry Geffen (Oxford University BC)
Miles Beeson (Leander Club)
Archie Drummond (Leander Club)
Tom Bryce (cox) (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Steve Trapmore
Men’s Four 1
Dan Graham (Leander Club)
James Robson (Cambridge University BC / Leander Club)
Douwe De Graaf (Leander Club)
George Bourne (Leander Club)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Men’s Four 2
James Vogel (Leander Club)
Fergus Woolnough (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Matt Aldridge (Christchurch RC/Oxford Brookes University BC)
Josh Bowesman-Jones (Leander Club)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Men’s Pair
Fergus Woolnough (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Matt Aldridge (Christchurch RC/Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Christian Felkel
Men’s Quadruple Sculls
Cedol Dafydd (Leander Club)
Callum Dixon (Twickenham RC)
Tobias Schröder (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Rory Harris (Leander Club / Reading University BC)
Coach: Paul Stannard
Men’s Double Sculls 1
Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC / Burton Leander RC)
Josh Knight (Minerva Bath RC)
Coach: Richard Chambers/Dan Harris
Men’s Double Sculls 2
James Cartwright (Leander Club)
Jamie Gare (Leander Club / City of Cambridge RC)
Coach: Richard Chambers/Dan Harris
Reserves: Adam Oliver
PR1 Men’s Single Scull 1
Benjamin Pritchard (City of Swansea RC)
Coach: David Breen
PR1 Men’s Single Scull 2
Jake Woods (Strathclyde Park RC)
Coach: David Breen
Team Management and Support Staff
Team Leader – Tom Dyson
Team Manager – Jo Bates
Resources Manager – Karl Offord
Head Coach, Women – Andrew Randell
Head Coach, Men – Paul Stannard
Men’s Coach – Richard Chambers
Men’s Coach – Christian Felkel
Men’s Coach – Steve Trapmore
Men’s Coach – Dan Harris
Para Coach – David Breen
Women’s Coach – Dan Moore
Women’s Coach – Helen Taylor
Women’s Coach – Darren Whiter
Physiotherapist, Men – Stephen Greenan
Physiotherapist, Women – Beatrice Caitas
Physiotherapist, Para – Marie Grant
Sports Scientist – Gareth Turner
Doctor – Ann Redgrave
Coach Developer – Doug MacDonald
Coach Development – Zoe Taylor
Media – Anna Bloomer
