News

Posted:  14 May, 2014

The GB Rowing Team have announced the squad that will travel to Belgrade later this month for the European Rowing Championships, and there is a strong Scottish contingent with Alan Sinclair, Sam Scrimgeour, Polly Swann, Imogen Walsh and Victoria Meyer-Laker all selected.

Edinburgh’s Swann will step back into the women’s pair with Helen Glover from Minerva Bath BC, after Glover’s 2012 gold medal winning partner Heather Stanning, from Lossiemouth, had to withdraw from consideration from Belgrade on medical advice.

Stanning and Glover had been reunited at the GB Senior Team Trials in April after 18 months apart whilst Stanning continued her career in the Army but during this time Swann and Glover formed a formidable partnership, winning the World Championships last year.

GB Rowing Team’s Performance Director, Sir David Tanner said: “We are in an enviable position with our open women’s squad. Helen, Heather and Polly are a strong triumvirate for the women’s pair seats and it was always a tough call to make.

“We simply need to get Heather to step back off the training a little, rebuild and come back stronger later in the season”.

Speaking after the selections, Swann said: “I’m really looking forward to the Europeans. I have not seen any other countries line-ups but it looks like it should be a strong event and it’s something that’s new to our calendar so it’s going to be exciting”.

Swann also commented on the switch between partners, saying: “You do have to adapt slightly because everyone is different, but it doesn’t take too long to get back into it. We have all rowed together before and we all try and row to a similar model, so it’s quite easy to make the adjustment”.

Sinclair, who comes from Munlochy, has been selected to race in the men’s pair with his fellow Leander Club teammate Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell. The pair raced together at the recent GB Senior Team Trials in Caversham where they finished third for the second consecutive year, which was made all the more impressive given this year they were racing against 2012 gold medallist Alex Gregory and double Olympic champion Andy Triggs Hodge.

Imperial College’s Sam Scrimegour, who is from Kirriemuir, has been selected to race with Leander’s Jonno Clegg in the lightweight men’s pair. Both men were World bronze medallists last year in different crews.

Following the selection of the squad, Chief Coach Jurgen Grobler said; “I am looking forward to seeing how all the rowers perform in Belgrade at what a new event for us in recent years. I am sure that the opposition will be strong and it will be a good test for us”.

Imogen Walsh of Inverness has been selected to race in the lightweight women’s double scull with Kat Copeland. Walsh was a finalist at the World Championships last year and finished in second place in the lightweight single at the recent GB Senior Team Trials, behind Copeland who is the reigning Olympic champion in the lightweight women’s double.

Premnay’s Victoria Meyer-Laker will race in the women’s quadruple scull alongside Leander teammate Lucinda Gooderham, Beth Rodford, of Gloucester RC and Tees RC’s Kristina Stiller. Meyer-Laker already has a European Championships bronze medal, having rowed with the women’s eight in 2012.

Sir David Tanner also spoke about the importance of the tournament, saying: "The European Championships have emerged as an important event in their own right and we are ambitious to do well in Belgrade. We are excited to see how our winter's training translates into these first races before making decisions on the world cups in June and July and the World Championships in August".

Full details of the team slection are set out below.

KEY: BC = Boat Club, RC = Rowing Club.
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CREW LISTS (Includes club, home town, date of birth)
GB Rowing Team for the 2014 European Championships,
Belgrade, 30 May - 1 June.

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Helen Glover (Minerva Bath RC/Penzance/17.06.1986)
Polly Swann (Leander Club/Edinburgh/15.06.1988)
Coaches: Paul Thompson & Robin Williams

Eight

Rosamund Bradbury (Leander Club/Banstead/17.12.1988)
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Oxford/28.03.1991)
Jessica Eddie (London RC/Durham/07.10.1984)
Donna Etiebet (Sport Imperial BC/London/29.04.1986)
Katie Greves (Leander Club/Oxford/02.09.1982)
Zoe Lee (Imperial College BC/Richmond, N. Yorks/15.12.1985)
Caragh McMurtry (Reading Univ BC/Southampton/22.08.1991)
Louisa Reeve (Leander Club/London/16.05.1984)
Monica Relph (Leander Club/Cambridge/15.01.1988)
Zoe de Toledo (cox) (Leander Club/London/17.07.1987)
Coach: James Harris

Double scull

Frances Houghton (Leander Club/Oxford/19.09.1980)
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/Wrexham/30.11.1987)
Coaches: Paul Thompson & Robin Williams

Quadruple scull

Beth Rodford (Gloucester RC/Gloucester/28.12.1982)
Lucinda Gooderham (Leander Club/Norfolk/09.06.1984)
Victoria Meyer-Laker (Leander Club/Premnay/18.03.1988)
Kristina Stiller (Tees RC/Yarm/23.06.1987)
Coach: Nick Strange

OPEN

MEN

Pair

Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/Inverness/16.10.1985)
Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell (Univ of London BC/Durham/13.04.1988)
Coach: Rob Dauncey

Four

Alex Gregory (Leander Club/Wormington/11.03.1984)
Mohamed Sbihi (Molesey BC/Surbiton/27.03.1988)
George Nash (Molesey BC/Guildford/10.02.1989)
Andrew Triggs Hodge (Molesey BC/Henden, N. Yorks/03.03.1979)
Coach: Jurgen Grobler

Eight

Phil Congdon (Molesey BC/Bury St Edmunds/06.06.1989)
Oliver Cook (Univ of London BC/Windsor/05.06.1990)
Scott Durant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Lancaster/12.02.1988)
James Foad (Molesey BC/Southampton/20.03.1987)
Matthew Gotrel (Leander Club/Chipping Campden/01.03.1989)
Matt Langridge (Leander Club/Northwich/20.05.1983)
Pete Reed (Leander Club/Nailsworth, Glos/27.07.1981)
Will Satch (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/09.06.1989)
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
Phelan Hill (cox) (Leander Club/Bedford/21.07.1979)
Coach: Christian Felkel

Single scull

Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers School/Coleraine/09.05.1983)
Coach: John West

Double scull
John Collins (Leander Club/Twickenham/24.01.1989)
Jonathan Walton (Leander Club/Leicester/06.10.1990)
Coach: Mark Banks

Quadruple scull

Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/Preston/08.11.1988)
Sam Townsend (Reading Univ BC/Reading/26.11.1985)
Charles Cousins (Leander Club/Willingham/13.12.1988)
Peter Lambert (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/03.12.1986)
Coach: Paul Stannard

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Charlotte Taylor (Putney Town RC/Bedford/14.08.1985)
Coach: Tom Evens

Double scull

Imogen Walsh (London RC/Inverness/17.01.1984)
Kat Copeland (Tees RC/Ashington/01.12.1990)
Coach: Paul Reedy

LIGHTWEIGHT

MEN

Pair

Jonathan Clegg (Leander Club/Maidenhead/14.07.1989)
Sam Scrimgeour (Imperial College BC/Fofar/28.01.1988)
Coach: Rob Morgan

Four

Mark Aldred (London RC/London/18.04.1987)
Peter Chambers (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/Coleraine/14.03.1990)
Richard Chambers (Leander Club/Coleraine/10.06.1985)
Chris Bartley (Leander Club/Chester/02.02.1984)
Coach: Rob Morgan

Single scull

Adam Freeman-Pask (Reading Univ BC/Windsor/19.06.1985)
Coach: Darren Whiter