NEWS, REPORTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

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HAVE YOU JUST GRADUATED AND LOOKING TO TAKE YOUR ROWING TO A HIGHER LEVEL?

The open door policy at Leander Club means that it has never been easier for recent graduates and gap year students to further their rowing careers towards the highest level. The club is open to male and female athletes in open and lightweight categories - the only real qualification is the will to succeed. As part of its future development the Club plans a residential assessment and trial period later in the summer. For further information choose a leaflet to download for recent graduates or gap year students and then get in touch with our Chief Coach, Mark Banks.

Clean sweep for elite men at Wallingford

6 May: A clean sweep in the men’s elite events got the regatta season off to a cracking start for Leander, sponsored by Invesco Perpetual, at Wallingford this weekend. Report, results and pictures here.

Gold medal four unchanged for first World Cup

26 April: Eight Leander athletes are among six crews named today to contest the first World Cup regatta of the season in Austria in early June. The men's four stays unchanged from the line up which won the world title for the last two years, and Debbie Flood retains her place in the gold medal women's quad. Further announcements regarding the GB squad for Linz will follow. Crew details and report here.

Hat trick for Reed leads Leander charge in Belgium

17 April: Pete Reed won his third successive GB pairs trial with Molesey's Andy Hodge at Senior Trials in Hazewinkel, Belgium, this weekend where the Leander squad, sponsored by Invesco Perpetual, produced some impressive results that bode well for the international season ahead.

Report, pictures and athletes' listing here.

Sinking conditions force Head cancellation

4 April: A stiff north-easterly wind blowing against the falling tide caused sinking conditions for Saturday's Head of the River Race where more than 15 of the lead boats, including Leander II, failed to get as far as Hammersmith - the event was cancelled after just 45 crews had started. Race report available here.

Leander rule the waves against Oxford

24 March: Our annual fixture against a Boat Race crew resulted this year in a three and a half length defeat for Oxford on the Tideway and meant a welcome boost the powerful Leander crew as they prepare to defend their title in next Saturday's Head of the River Race. Full report here.

Women's eight maintain third place on the Tideway

20 March: The Leander eight matched last year's third place in the Women's Eights Head held over the Championship Course in blustery conditions last weekend, when the GB national squad eight took the top honours. Race report from world champion Debbie Flood here.

Winter virus fails to dent strength on the Trent

18 February: While their GB international clubmates were notching up the wins in sunny Spain the Leander development squad were putting in class performances of their own in Nottingham, with a win for the elite coxless four and a second place for the Senior 1 eight. Details here.

GB crews secure FISA Team Cup in Seville

18 February: With five wins to their credit in the second day's sprint regatta in Spain the British men's squad were comfortable winners of the 'friendly' international regatta on the Guadalquivir regatta course in Seville. Full details, results and crew lists here.

Bad weather forces cancellation of Boston Trials

8 February: Adverse weather conditions this weekend have forced the cancellation of the third winter assessment trials at Boston, Lincs, where 25mph winds have been forecast to add further misery to the snow and ice which are already widespread. Selections for the early season international regattas will depend on further assessments culminating in final trials at Hazewinkel, Belgium, in May.

GB crew become World Champions after Russian fails drug test

4 February: Leander's Debbie Flood and her crewmates in the GB women's quad scull received their gold medals at a star-studded night to remember, surrounded by their families and friends at the GB Annual Rowing Team Dinner. The awards to the second-placed crew at Eton came five months late, after it was announced that one member of the winning Russian boat had failed a drugs test. Full details here.

CBE for former Leander Chairman

2 January: Christopher Rodrigues, Chairman of Leander 1993-2000, has been created CBE in the New Year Honours. Mr Rodrigues, a Cambridge Blue and Steward of Henley Royal Regatta, has recently been appointed to the chairmanship of the national tourism body, VisitBritain.

New Vice-Captains now in post

1 January: Steve Williams and Laura Gater today take up their new positions as Vice-Captains at Leander. Steve is the only member of the Athens gold medal Olympic four to continue rowing, while Laura, who won the double sculls with Debbie Flood at the Pairs Head in the autumn, is a member of the Leander development squad. Mark Hunter continues as Captain, the post he has held for the last two years.

17 December: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 : 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

Lawson and Hunter top the table at GB Trials

18 December: At this weekend's trials in Boston, Lincolnshire, Leander athletes Ian Lawson and Mark Hunter recorded the fastest times in the men's singles event. Lawson has had a dramatic return to form this season, as he bids for the GB single nomination for next year's World Championships, while Mark Hunter continues to lead from the front in the lightweight event. Full details of all Leander athletes in Boston here.

Former Leander athlete trials for Oxford

13 December: Irishman Serryth Colbert, a member of the Leander squad for the last four years, has made it to the last sixteen vying for places in the Oxford crew for next April's Boat Race. Most athletes move to Leander from university but Colbert, who has won the Thames and the Ladies Plate as a member of the Leander eight at Henley, is a qualified doctor and dentist who has gone back to study before resuming his professional career.

Three pennants at Scullers Head

26 November: Three Leander athletes won pennants at the Scullers Head, but difficult conditions on the Tideway meant that Mark Hunter failed in his bid to retain the Head title. Full race details and finishing positions here.

Gold for Mark Hunter at Indoor Championships

20 November: Leander captain Mark Hunter won the men's lightweight division at the British Indoor Rowing Championships in Birmingham, with a further two silver and two bronze medals for the rest of the Leander squad. Details and full Leander results here.

Headship and Three Pennants at the Fours Head

14 November : Leander retained the overall Head title on Saturday when the men's quad crossed the line in first position and there were pennants for the men's coxed four and the women's lightweight quad. Race details and Leander crew lists here.

From Boston, USA, to Boston, Lincs!

24 October : Leander won on both sides of the Atlantic, with Debbie Flood and the men's eight competing in the Head of the Charles, Boston, USA, and Ian Lawson proving fastest of the 16 Leander athletes by winning the GB Assessment Trials at Boston in Lincolnshire. Full details of the action in America can be found here and there's a round-up of Leander results at the GB  trials here.

World Championships - Gifu, Japan

Gold for Steve Williams, Alex Partridge and Rebecca Romero!

4 September: On the final day of the regatta the GB women's quad, with Rebecca Romero in the bow seat, became the new world champions, to add to the gold won yesterday by the British men's four. Full reports from the finals in Japan together with daily race reports from earlier in the week and full crew listings here.

Under-23 World Championships - Amsterdam

24 July: Leander's Tom Wilkinson finished fifth in the A final of the coxed fours, while Ben Tipney won the C final to finish in thirteenth place overall in the lightweight double sculls. Crew lists and race details here.

Club Entries at National Championships

17 July: Silver for the lightweight pair and bronze for the coxed four was the Leander medal tally at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham. Crew lists and race details here.

Henley Royal Regatta

3 July: Club captain Mark Hunter won the Double Sculls with James Lindsay-Fynn, and Leander won the Britannia Challenge Cup for the first time since 1989. Full race details and photos can be found here.

Leander entries at Marlow - 18 June

The Leander coxed four heading for the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley next week took another scalp yesterday at Marlow where they won the Elite Coxed Fours in a straight final ahead of Oxford Brookes and IC. The eight also had a straight final in which they finished third behind the Oxford and Cambridge Blue boats who will be contesting the Grand at Henley, while Leander is hoping to retain the Ladies Plate. The visiting Australians from Tasmania, also entered for the Ladies, finished fifth.

Leander Director of Rowing appointed to top job at Dorney

Ivor Lloyd, for many years the the captain of Leander and present Director of Rowing, has been appointed as the new managing director of the Eton rowing lake at Dortney, the venue for the recent World Cup regatta and the 2006 world championships. Full press release available here.....