BRITISH INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

Sunday 20 November 2005

Captain Mark Hunter once again led the club from the front at today's British Indoor Championships in Birmingham, when he took the gold medal in the men's lightweight division.

Matthew Langridge took silver in the men's heavyweights behind the reigning champion, Graham Benton, and our total medal haul of one gold, two silver and two bronze was completed when Laura Gater took third place in the women's event, while Jo Hammond and Lorna Norris took second and third in the women's lightweights.

Although Leander entered 26 athletes in Birmingham a number of injuries and viral illnesses meant that seven were forced to pull out from the biggest mass-participation indoor sporting event in Britain.

The women's lightweights was the first of the end-of-day finals in which Naomi Hoogesteger led off the start, with Jo Hammond in third place and Helen Casey, who was competing towards the back of the rows of ergos, well up with the leaders, despite not being able to see the strength of the competition. Hoogesteger began to up the rate, as Hammond and Norris came through into the other medals positions and Casey began to fall off the pace, unsighted from the other contenders. Appraching the line Hoogesteger's lead was reduced by Hammond, who failed to get past as the Durham University athlete took gold by 1.9secs ahead of silver and bronze for Leander.

In the men's lightweight event it was world champion Zac Purchase who was first off the blocks but Mark Hunter quickly edged back into the lead with four scullers vying for the three medals at 500m. Through the second quarter Hunter was well clear with Tim Male and Rasmus Quist behind, and Purchase back in sixth. At halfway Hunter looked comfortable in the lead, followed by Tim Male and then a fight for the bronze, with Leander's Matt Beechey also hoping for a place. Into the final 500m and Tim Male gave it everything, as Hunter fought off the challenge to take the line just 0.3 sec ahead.

It was in the women's open class that the club suffered its most serious setback, with Anna Bebbington, Jo Cook, Debbie Flood, and Rebecca Romero all either unwell or injured, leaing only Laura Gater to fly the Leander flag. World champion Sarah Winckless was first off, with her crewmate from the quad scull, Frances Houghton, close behind. For a moment it seemed that the form book might be upset as Claire Abbey of City of Oxford briefly took the lead but Winckless came back, followed by Laura Gater and Annie Vernon. Approaching the line Winckless still led while Vernon, now in second place, was being pushed hard by Gater, but as the field closed up the positions remained unchanged, with Winckless taking gold three seconds clear of Vernon and Gater another four seconds back in third.

The day was completed with the awesome power of the men's open event, with cricketer Graham Benton taking an early lead as he determined to repeat his success from last year. Through the first 500m Benton maintained his lead with Langridge, the fastest Leander athlete, back in fifth place. As the athletes approached the 1500m split it was Alan Campbell who came through the field into second place, with Langridge hot on his heels, but the irrepressible Benton, who has now been recruited by the World Class Start programme, had an unassailable lead. The three leading athletes rowed splits of 1:25 through the last 100m, with Benton taking gold ahead of Langridge, who came through to take the silver ahead of Campbell.

Leander results:

Men's Open Heavyweight

Did Not Start

Richard Blagrove

Alex Partridge

Men's Open Lightweight

Did Not Start

Dave Currie

Women's Open Heavyweight

Did Not Start

Anna Bebbington

Jo Cook

Debbie Flood
Rebecca Romero

Women's Open Lightweight

Did Not Start

Antonia van Deventer

Full information regarding the championships can be found here

Report by Leander press officer Robert Treharne Jones