GB Rowing Team start well at World U23 Championships

The GB Rowing Team had an “encouraging start” to the World U23 Championships in Lithuania today with three crews progressing from their heats after tough racing in Trakai.

At the end of day one the team has two crews in semi-finals and one in the final after the women’s pair, men’s four and lightweight men’s pair won their opening races.

Team manager Steve Gunn said the results had given the rest of the Lottery-funded squad a lift ahead of the remaining heats tomorrow.

“It’s an encouraging start, it shows that the speed they had in training is converting here and that gives the other crews confidence as well,” said Gunn.

“Lithuania is putting on a really nice Championships, they are very friendly, make every effort to be helpful and it’s a great lake to row on,” he added.

The lightweight men’s pair of Matthew Bedford from Maidenhead and Londoner Wilf Kimberley started the day for GB with a first-place finish just ahead of Italy and France to reach Friday’s semi.

Caragh McMurtry, from Southampton, and Oxford Brookes rower Olivia Carnegie-Brown won their heat in the women’s pair by several lengths from Germany to qualify direct for Saturday’s final along with the German crew.

The GB men’s four of Andrew Holmes from Lochwinnoch, Newcastle University rower George Rossiter, Shrewsbury’s Patrick Lapage and Michael Evans from Ramsbury all won bronze together in the men’s eight at the 2011 World U23s in Amsterdam and started their 2012 account with a nail-biting finish against the USA.

The British boat won in the last few strokes, rowing through the USA who had led them for most of the race. They progress to the semi-finals on Friday along with the USA and third-placed New Zealand.

“The four were well down to start and came back to win in the last 30-40 metres which is always pleasing,” said Gunn.

The lightweight men’s quadruple scull of Glasgow’s Kieran Brown, Rupert Price from Kingston, Bedford’s Alexander Robertson and Imperial College rower Timothy Richards finished fifth in their heat, just behind Switzerland and will contest the repechage tomorrow afternoon.

ENDS

Race timetables can be downloaded from www.worldrowing.com
For action photos or head shots please email: press@matchtight.co.uk
For biographies please go to the GB Rowing Team website: www.gbrowingteam.org.uk

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================================================
=============================================================

RESULTS

WOMEN

Pair (1-2 to final, 3-4 to rep)

1. GREAT BRITAIN (Caragh McMurtry, Olivia Carnegie-Brown) 7:22.30
2. Germany 7:30.51
3. Czech Republic 7:40.94
4. Holland 7:49.37

MEN

Four (1-3 to semi, 4 to rep)

1. GREAT BRITAIN (Andrew Holmes, George Rossiter, Patrick Lapage, Michael Evans) 6:06.10
2. USA 6:07.04
3. New Zealand 6:19.10
4. Lithuania 6:42.88

LIGHTWEIGHT

MEN

Pair (1-3 to semi, 4 to rep)

1. GREAT BRITAIN (Matthew Bedford, Wilfred Kimberley) 6:51.14
2. Italy 6:53.26
3. France 6:56.26
4. Switzerland 7:10.24

Quadruple scull (1 to final, 2-5 to rep)

1. France 6:02.01
2. Austria 6:04.48
3. Denmark 6:06.61
4. Switzerland 6:10.05
5. GREAT BRITAIN (Kieran Brown, Rupert Price, Alexander Robertson, Timothy Richards) 6:11.92

Racing starts for the GB crews from 7:58am (UK time) tomorrow.
Start list available on www.worldrowing.com

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================================================
=============================================================
GB ROWING TEAM CREW-LIST (Name/Club/Home town/Date of birth)
2012 World U23 Rowing Championships, Trakai, Lithuania
July 11-15, 2012
(Listed bow to stroke)

WOMEN

Eight

Iona Riley (Aberdeen BC/Aberdeen/17.04.1992)/
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/Conwy/11.12.1991)/
Josephine Wratten (Tees RC/Yarm/23.03.1992)/
Amelda Gare (Bath University BC/Richmond/07.11.1990)/
Yasmin Tredell (Oxford Brookes University BC/Evesham/18.11.1992)/
Claire McKeown (Clydesdale ARC/ Glasgow/16.07.1990)/
Fiona Gammond (Headington School Oxford BC/Bicester/19.10.1992)/
Olivia Oakes (Agecroft RC/Warrington/21.04.1990)/
Charlotte Jackson (cox) (Durham University BC/West Byfleet/27.01.1991)
Coach: James Harris

Pair

Caragh McMurtry (Reading University BC/Southampton/22.08.1991)/
Olivia Carnegie-Brown (Oxford Brookes University BC/Goring Heath/28.03.1991)
Coach: Peter Sheppard

Single scull

Rachel Gamble-Flint (Leander Club/Darlington/13.09.1991)
Coach: Jane Hall

MEN

Pair

Kieren Emery (Leander Club/Newcastle-upon-Tyne/01.06.1990)/
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes University BC/Shepperton/11.07.1990)
Coach: Henry Bailhache-Webb

Four

Andrew Holmes (Castle Semple RC/Lochwinnoch/04.10.1991)/
George Rossiter (Newcastle University BC/Newbury/09.03.1992)/
Patrick Lapage (Leander Club/Shrewsbury/16.07.1990)/
Michael Evans (Leander Club/Ramsbury/23.08.1990)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Eight

Cameron MacRitchie (Leander Club/Oxford/16.05.1993)/
James Edwards (Leander Club/Henley-on-Thames/26.09.1991)/
Samuel Arnot (Newcastle University BC/Newcastle-upon-Tyne/09.07.1991)/
Adam Janes (St Peter’s School BC/York/19.12.1993)/
Oliver Cook (University of London BC/Windsor/05.06.1990)/
Ertan Hazine (University of London BC/Maidenhead/01.08.1991)/
James Cook (University of London BC/Windsor/02.07.1992)/
Alexander Davidson (Isis BC & Oxford University BC/Weybridge/08.06.1990/
Maximilian Gander (cox) (University of London BC/Oxford/26.01.1990)
Coach: Chris Collerton

Double Scull

Jonathan Walton (Loughborough Students RC/Leicester/06.10.1990)/
Jack Beaumont (Sir William Borlase’s BC/Maidenhead/21.11.1993)
Coach: Howard Marsh

Quadruple Scull

Samual Knight (University of London BC/Addlestone/25.09.1992)/
Joshua Bugajski (Cardiff University RC/Cardiff/05.10.1990)/
Edward Couldwell (Loughborough Students RC/Loughborough/13.08/1991)/
Angus Groom (Durham University BC/Wanborough/16.06.1992)
Coach: Phil Gray

LIGHTWEIGHT WOMEN

Double Scull

Eleanor Piggott (Wallingford RC/Olney/16.05.1991)/
Charlotte Burgess (Wallingford RC/Swineshead/25.06.1990)
Coach: Ben Reed

LIGHTWEIGHT MEN

Pair

Matthew Bedford (University of London BC/Maidenhead/21.01.1991)/
Wilfred Kimberley (Imperial College BC/London/15.07.1992)
Coach: Brian Young

Single Scull

Michael Mottram (Leander Club/Stoke Mandeville/08.06.1990)
Coach: Rob Dauncey

Double Scull

Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/Cardiff/05.02.1991)/
James Coombes/Hereford RC/Hereford/22.06.1990)
Coach: Hamish Burrell

Quadruple Scull

Kieran Brown (Edinburgh University BC/Glasgow/21.03.1993)/
Rupert Price (Cambridge University Lightweight RC/Kingston-upon-Thames/11.09.1990)/
Alexander Robertson (Leander Club/Bedford/29.03.1992)/
Timothy Richards (Imperial College BC/London/12.05.1992)
Coach: Sean Leyland

MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT STAFF

Team manager: Steve Gunn
Chief coach: Peter Sheppard
Equipment manager: Andy Knee-Robinson

MEDICAL & SPORTS SCIENCE

Doctor: Guy Evans
Physio: Abbie Turner & Katherine Vials

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================================================
=============================================================

PROVISIONAL U23 WRC SCHEDULE
(for full timetable go to www.worldrowing.com)

Heats – Wednesday, July 11
Heats & Repechages – Thursday, July 12
Repechages, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals – Friday, July 13
Semi-finals and Finals A, B, C, D, E – Saturday, July 14
Finals A and B – Sunday, July 15

=============================================================
=============================================================

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

The GB Rowing Team’s U23 crews are funded by the National Lottery

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE
=============================== ===============================
==============================================================

KEY DATES FOR 2012

JULY

11-15
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

SEPTEMBER

12-16
European Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy

OCTOBER

1

Start of training for the 2013 season for senior members of the GB Rowing Team

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: press@matchtight.co.uk

GB Rowing Team website www.gbrowingteam.org.uk – full biogs available here.

Follow us on facebook: www.facebook.com/gbrowingteam
Follow us on twitter @gbrowingteam: www.twitter.com/gbrowingteam
Follow us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GBRowingTeam

=============================== ===============================

The GB Rowing Squad is supported by the National Lottery
Sports Fund as part of UK Sport’s Podium Programme.

GB Rowing Team News bulletins are issued by the GB Rowing Team office