Archive News 2006

17 December 06: Anna Bebington recorded the fastest time in the women's division at this weekend's national trials in Boston, where she beat Katherine Grainger into second place. Steve Rowbotham and lightweight Mark Hunter won the men's singles events and Peter Reed was once again fastest in the men's pairs with partner Andy Hodge. Report and detailed results here.

'One man went to row' at Scullers Head

2 December 06: Dave Jones was the sole Leander representative at the Scullers Head in London where he placed second in the men's Senior 3 lightweight category and 26th overall. Most of the Leander club development group have only just returned from training camp in Spain, while our athletes in the GB squad are still away in Spain and Cyprus. Mahe Drysdale, the world champion from New Zealand, won the event with a 25 second margin ahead of the rest of the field.

Fast stream forces cancellation of Marlow Fours Head

26 November 06: Heavy rain for several days caused fast stream conditions and forced cancellation of the Marlow Fours Head this weekend. The two Leander development crews entered for the event, rowing as Star and Arrow, have now been denied their last chance to race before the New Year.

Two pennants spell disappointment at Fours Head

19 November 06: With ten crews on the water Leander had been hoping to better the four pennants they brought home after last year's race, but at the end of the day only the men's and women's elite coxless fours came away victorious. Report, pictures and results here.

World Indoor Champion completes hat trick of wins

13 November 06: Seven Leander athletes took part in this year's British Indoor Championships in Birmingham but once again it was World Indoor Champion Graham Benton who took gold for the third successive year with Matt Langridge the fastest of the Leander squad in fourth place. Report and details here.

Wingfields title eludes Leander contenders

26 October 06: Club captain Mark Hunter took second place in the Wingfield Sculls over the Championship Course on the Tideway, but Alan Campbell of Tideway Scullers led the five-boat field from start to finish to become the 166th Amateur Champion of the Thames. Report and results here.

Triple success at Boston Trials

22 October 06: Leander athletes were top of the rankings at this weekend's GB Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire. Ian Lawson won the heavyweight men's division, Lou Reeve won the women's event, and Simon Jones was fastest of the lightweight men. Report and detailed results here.

Pairs Head victory for Flood and Gater

14 October 06: Debbie Flood and Laura Gater were sole Leander representatives at the Pairs Head on the Tideway, where they took the Elite Double Sculls title in a time of 13mins 37secs, seven seconds faster than the Rob Roy/Durham University composite (Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking) in second place.

Honorary doctorate for World Champion

14 September 06: Steve Williams, who won Olympic gold two years in Athens as a member of the GB men's four, has received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Oxford Brookes University, in recognition of his rowing achievements. Report and pictures here.

Agony and ecstasy for Leander at Eton

29 August 06: Leander athletes came away from the World Championships at Eton with three gold medals, a silver and a bronze. But the taste of success enjoyed by the men's four was tempered by disappointment when the women's quad scull were beaten into the silver medal slot by Russia. Race reports and crew listings available here.

Empty-handed after World Under-23 Championships

24 July 06: At the World Under-23 Championships in Belgium there were three Leander athletes among members of the GB squad but, unusually, no medals to bring home to Henley. Report and pictures here.

Leander athlete wins Doggett's Coat and Badge

14 July 06: Ross Hunter added another title to an already-impressive list when he won the race for Doggett's Coat and Badge over the traditional four miles, five furlongs, course from London Bridge to Chelsea. Report and photograph here.

Gold and silver success in Lucerne

9 July 06: The third and final World Cup regatta of the season provided Leander athletes with another clutch of international medals, but more importantly it set down a marker for the shape of things to come at this year’s World Championships. Race reports and photographs here.

Henley medals for seven Leander athletes

2 July 06: Leander had more medals to celebrate after Finals Day at Henley, where our athletes helped win the Princess Grace, the Double Sculls and the Visitors', and won the Men's Quads outright. But there was disappointment for our world champion GB men's coxless four who had to withdraw due to illness. Full reports, results and pictures here.

Fatherhood a reality for Sir Matthew Pinsent

1 July 06: Four-times Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent and his wife Demetra have today announced the arrival of twins Jonah and Lucas, born last Monday morning at 10 am. Both boys have been thriving since birth but Demetra, after a protracted recovery period, is now reunited with the boys and making speedy progress. Leander offers its heartiest congratulations to both Matt and Dee for this happy news!

Four gold medals for Leander athletes in Poland

17 June 06: The GB women's quad scull, with Leander's Debbie Flood on board, and the GB men's four, which includes Alex Partridge, Steve Williams and Pete Reed, have won their events at the second World cup regatta of the season in Poznan, Poland, where there were also bronze medals for Mark Hunter in the lightweight double and Steve Rowbotham in the men's double scull. Full report, results and pictures here.

World Cup season kicks off with five golds in Munich

28 May 06: Leander athletes came away from the first World Cup regatta of the season with five gold medals after the GB men’s four, women’s quad and women’s double scull all crossed the line in first place. And when Mark Hunter in the lightweight single and Dave Currie in the lightweight pair added bronze to the tally it meant that seven out of fifteen Leander athletes in Munich finished in the medal zone. Report here.

Jurgen Grobler awarded honorary OBE

7 May 06: Jürgen Grobler, chief coach to the GB men’s rowing squad, has been awarded an honorary OBE. The award recognises his immense contribution to our Olympic success since he began his first coaching job in the UK at Leander in 1991. Full report here.

Myers leads Star and Arrow challenge at Wallingford

30 April 06: The Leander development squad featured strongly at Wallingford regatta this weekend, where Vicky Myers won the women's elite sculls and the remaining three crews reached second place in their respective finals. Report and results follow here.

Athletes take centre stage at Food Festival

29 April 06: As Henley staged its inaugural Food Festival this weekend Debbie Flood and Rebecca Romero gave two presentations at the Town Hall entitled 'Nutrition for High Performance Athletes'. Report and picture available here.

GB Trials provide stern test for international hopefuls

18 April 06: Leander’s Peter Reed, rowing with Andy Hodge of Molesey, stormed off the blocks to beat clubmates Steve Williams and Alex Partridge in the final of the men’s pairs, while Leander vice-captain Debbie Flood came third in the women’s singles, just ahead of Anna Bebington. There's a full list of all 23 Leander triallists, with photos and racing reports here.

Headship retained against stiff Italian opposition

25 March 06: Leander retained the No. 1 slot in today's Head of the River Race with a three second margin against the Italian internationals, rowing as Fiamme Gialle. Leander II won the Senior 1 pennant by finishing a creditable fifth and moving up four places, as did Leander III, whose efforts weren't enough to hang on to the lightweight pennant they won last year. Crew lists, race report and pictures here.

Romero returns from retirement for Women's Head

13 March 06: Just days after announcing her retirement Rebecca Romero stepped back into the Leander crew last Saturday to replace Jo Cook, who reported sick on the morning of the race. But the GB composite starting at 169, with six internationals on board proved too strong for both Thames and Leander, who finished third overall. Race report and full details here.

Rebecca Romero retires from Rowing

25 February 06: World champion and Olympic silver medallist Rebecca Romero, a leading member of the women's squad at Leander, has announced her retirement from rowing. A chronic back strain has prevented her from training in the boat throughout the winter and she has now made the decision to withdraw from the squad as they prepare for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Full story here.

Two Wins for Leander at Boston Trials

11 February 06: Peter Reed won the men's pairs with Andy Hodge of Molesey, and Mark Hunter had a narrow win in the men's lightweight single. Debbie Flood finished second in the women's singles, with Anna Bebington in fourth place.