LUCERNE WORLD CUP REGATTA

8-10 JULY 2005

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Sunday

The GB men's four, including Leander's Steve Williams and Alex Partridge, completed their World Cup hat-trick with their third successive win in Lucerne. But their victory was won in the face of a strong challenge from the Netherlands, whose crew included half of last year's Olympic silver medal eight.

The British four, fresh from their success at Henley, were first off the blocks followed by the Netherlands and Canada, who lost last weekend's Henley final. As the GB crew continued to make all the running the Dutch challenged hard but a finishing burst from the World Cup leaders put paid to that and Steve Williams, in the bow of the GB four, was the first man first across the line, with the Netherlands 0.81 sec adrift in second. In the final 100m Poland came on strongly and eclipsed Canada for the bronze medal, almost two seconds further behind the Dutch.

Afterwards Steve Williams acknowledged the closest race the four had had all season.

"It's a luxury to be sitting seconds up on a crew when you're untouchable, but if we think we're getting through the next four years with races like that then we're going to be dreaming. We all know that our race today wasn't very close for an elite sport, but I've enjoyed these races - that's what it's all about" he said.

"It was nice to have a test under pressure - they had a good crack at us but we just closed the door with 500m to go" said Alex Partridge.

Leander vice-captain Debbie Flood won her first World Cup medal of the year when she and Elise Laverick took bronze in the double sculls final in Lucerne. The new combination, put together after Eton and Munich in which Debbie had competed in the single, now means they are allmost certain to travel to Japan next month to contest this boat class at the world championships.

As expected it was the Evers-Swindell sisters of New Zealand, Olympic champions in Athens, who made the early running as Bulgaria and GB fought out second and third. But with less than 500m to go the Bulgarians, including Henley winner Rumyana Neykova, challenged strongly and took the line 0.06 sec ahead of New Zealand, in a time only 2.4 secs outside the current world record. It was the first time in more than two years that the Evers-Swindell sisters had failed to win a gold medal at any world class regatta.

"It was a really good start for a completely new combination" said Debbie afterwards. "We've been learning lots and we're by no means perfect yet. It was really encouraging that we could feel the Bulgarians right until the last 500m. It gives us confidence that we can really move on and hopefully close that gap a bit more" she said.

The bronze medal won by the GB men's quad, with Leander's Matt Langridge at stroke, was the first ever medal won by Britain in this boat class. The quad had started slowly down the 2000m course on the Rotsee, and were trailing in sixth place until they raised the pace with the fastest split of the last 500m and pushed past the Ukraine, Germany and Russia to take third place.

In the women's quads the Ukraine took advantage of Rebecca Romero's injury with their first gold medal of the season. The Leander athlete is having treatment for an injury sustained on Thursday evening, so Annie Vernon has subbed in the bow seat of the quad this weekend. The GB crew crossed the line 1.15 secs behind the Ukraine to take the silver medal but still finish the season with first place in the World Cup rankings for W4x.

In the final race of the day the GB men's eight, with Leander's Tom Stallard Rick Egington on board, trailed in fifth place. Germany, with their long pedigree in this boat class, led the field from start to finish, ahead of second-placed Poland and Italy third.

Earlier in the day the B finals featured the GB lightweight men's four and the lightweight double scull. The four, including Leander's Dave Currie in the 3 seat, went off just behind South Africa and squeezed past them at the halfway mark, staying in front until 1500m. Then the South Africans, rowing the fastest split of the race cruised past to take the line by just 0.04 sec ahead of GB, who finished eighth overall.

Then it was the turn of Leander captain Mark Hunter and his sculling partner James Lindsay-Fynn, fresh from their success in the Double Sculls last week in Henley. The experienced Russians Varfolomeyev and Moisseyev made all the running with GB close on their tail, and despite a late challenge by Hunter and Lindsay-Fynn it was Russia who reached the line 0.9 sec ahead with GB second and Austria third.

Reports by Leander press officer Robert Treharne Jones

Saturday

Technical difficulties meant that we were unable to bring you race reports from Saturday's racing in Lucerne.

Friday

Leander athletes were at the heart of the action today in Lucerne where the GB squad qualified for six semi-finals at the final World Cup regatta of the season, with eight more crews having the opportunity to progress through repechages later in the programme.

But Rebecca Romero, twice a gold medallist in the GB women's quad, is out of the competition after a training injury yesterday forced a substitution. Annie Vernon, who was due to take part in the single scull after Leander vice-captain Debbie Flood was put in the double scull with Elise Laverick, subbed in the quad which won their heat to move forward to the final on Sunday.

Meanwhile the GB men's four, including Leander's Steve Williams and Alex Partridge, were solid winners of their opening heat. The four which also includes Oxford University's Peter Reed and Andy Hodge have already won the World Cup overall title after earlier wins at Eton and Munich, giving them the latitude to experiment with their style this morning in the heats.

"We raced a little differently as this is the time to do it", said coach Jurgen Grobler today. "It is to build up confidence, using technique and harmony in the boat rather than just going flat out".

Britain's men's quad scull, with Leander's Matt Langridge in the stroke seat, were a close second to the Czech Republic in their opening heat here having moved up through the field from fifth at the 500m mark. However, only one crew qualified from the heat direct to the final and the British crew will race a repechage tomorrow.

The British men's eight, including Leander's Tom Stallard and Rick Egington, who missed Munich last month to stock up training hours as a new combination this season, raced here with substitute Toby Wallace who was flown out yesterday to replace Tom Broadway who has been struck down by a stomach virus. In this morning's heat Germany were dominant, leading throughout a race rowed in a swirling headwind and pouring rain. Great Britain were third in 6:15.23 behind Poland in second and will now have to race a repechage late tomorrow afternoon.

Leander's Debbie Flood, sculling in a new double combination with Olympic bronze medallist Elise Laverick, were also third in a tough heat this morning and will race again tomorrow. They were overhauled in the final 300m by the Germans after holding second position for the earlier part of a race won by the Bulgarian double, which included Henley winner Rumyana Neykova, who led throughout.

"If that is to be their worst result and if we step on through the regatta then that is not a bad benchmark", said Leander chief coach Mark Banks. "But they have to step on".

The GB men's lightweight double, including Leander captain Mark Hunter, finished fourth in their heat and face their repechage tomorrow. The lightweight men's four, including Leander's Dave Currie, looked in particularly good shape as they approached the line to hold onto third place and qualify for the semi-final in 6:28.48. Ireland moved gradually up the field to win in 6:25.69.

GB TEAM LIST

(Crews including Leander athletes only)

Women's double scull
Elise Laverick (Thames)/Debbie Flood (Leander)

Women's quadruple scull
Rebecca Romero (Leander)/Sarah Winckless (Walbrook)/Frances Houghton (Uni of London)/Katherine Grainger (St Andrew)

Men's four
Steve Williams (Leander)/Peter Reed (Oxford Uni)/Alex Partridge (Leander)/Andy Hodge (Oxford Uni)

Men's eight
Tom Broadway (Uni of London)/Phil Simmons (Molesey)/Jonno Devlin (Ox.Brookes)/Tom Stallard (Leander)/Tom Parker (Ox.Brookes)/Richard Egington (Leander)/Simon Fieldhouse (Molesey)/Henry Bailhache-Webb (Ox.Brookes)/Nethercott or Rudge (cox)

Men's quadruple scull
Matt Wells (Uni of London)/Steven Rowbotham(Molesey)/Alan Campbell (Tideway Scullers)/Matt Langridge (Leander)

Men's lightweight four
Mike Hennessy (Tideway Scullers)/David Currie (Leander)/Nick English (Notts & Union)/Simon Jones (Notts & Union)

Men's lightweight double scull
Mark Hunter (Leander)/James Lindsay-Fynn (London RC)