19 June: Leander athletes are celebrating another successful weekend after the second World Cup regatta of the season in Poznan, Poland.

Four members of their squad came back with gold medals after the GB men’s four and women’s quad scull crossed the line in first place, confirming their status as lead boats as Britain’s international rowers prepare for the World Championships themselves at Eton in August.

But they weren’t the only Leander athletes to come home with a medal from Poland’s ‘City of Rowing’. Club captain Mark Hunter won bronze in the lightweight doubles with James Lindsay-Fynn of London RC, and there was another bronze for heavyweight double sculler Steve Rowbotham and his partner Matt Wells of University of London. 

Vice-captain Debbie Flood is now back in the women’s quad scull, the boat in which she won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics. But it wasn’t plain sailing for the crew last weekend where China beat them to the line by just one second in the opening heat of the regatta. The crew, which also includes Katherine Grainger, Fran Houghton and Sarah Winckless – every one of them a medallist in Athens -  had to qualify for the final by racing the repechage, which they won easily. On the start line it was set to be another battle between Britain and China for the gold.

This time the British crew made no mistake - they began strongly today and had a lead of over two seconds on the Chinese by the midway point with Germany in third. As the crews moved into the second half the Germans came back on the Chinese and moved into second position, but China mounted a counter-attack. As the Chinese came back to within half a length, the British combination went up a gear and surged ahead to win by just over a second.

There were no such scares for the men’s four, which includes Leander’s Steve Williams, Pete Reed and Alex Partridge together with stroke Andy Hodge of Molesey BC. Coach Jurgen Grobler had swapped Williams and Partridge in the bows as an experiment to try and gain extra boat speed, and the idea seems to have worked. Although Slovenia and New Zealand tried to hang on to their blistering race pace the GB four surged ahead and had a three second lead on the second placed Slovenes by the 1500m mark, with New Zealand a further five seconds back in third, and although the pack closed the positions were unchanged over the line.

"The other crews have been probably studying our times" said Reed afterwards.  "I know we have a quick start but I was also aware that Slovenia and New Zealand were still with us at the beginning. They are human beings, too, though, so I knew they would pay for that effort later".

In the men’s double sculls Leander’s Stephen Rowbotham and Matthew Wells of University of London made a good start and were in third by the 500m mark with Slovenia and France leading the race at that stage. In a closely bunched leading pack the British duo were fourth, just a whisker behind Germany in third, at the mid-way point but still in touch ahead of Hungary and the Ukraine. By 1500m they were just four tenths behind Germany and battling for bronze. As the line approached France were the clear leaders but a huge battle broke out behind them.  Britain overhauled the Germans and held off a finishing burst by the Hungarians to take bronze with Slovenia in silver medal position.  France's winning time was a world best time.

"It's incredible what's happening to British sculling" said Rowbotham, a member of  the GB quad scull which last season won a World Cup bronze – the first sculling medal for a GB crew at  a world-class regatta for almost 30 years.

In the lightweight double sculls Leander captain Mark Hunter, who won a bronze in the lightweight single three weeks ago in Munich after recovering from an early-season knee injury, is now back in partnership with James Lindsay-Fynn of London RC.

The double, who secured seventh place overall at last year’s world championships in Japan, put themselves into contention early in the Poznan final. They battled hard with Australia who overhauled them to move into second place in the second 500m but who dropped back down after a strong GB push in the third 500m. In the race for the line, Britain held onto bronze, behind Denmark and Italy, despite a final effort from the Australians.

"We just needed to tick over at a higher rate" said Hunter.  "It's important that we keep stepping up in this tough Olympic class" added Lindsay-Fynn.

Leander’s other finalists in Poland included vice-captain Jane Hall in the lightweight women’s double with Helen Casey. With every race this new combination has made improvements and after qualifying for their first major final together they finished in sixth place overall behind the Chinese gold medalists who recorded a new world’s best time.

Matt Beechey rows at bow in the new GB lightweight men’s four which is coached by Leander supremo Mark Banks. After winning their heat in fine style they moved into second place behind Egypt in the final, but Ireland moved through to take the lead at the midway point.  In a superbly contested finish the British quartet were rowed out of the medals in the dying metres by a spurt from Australia, eventual silver medallists, with Egypt coming back to take bronze ahead of Germany.

Anna Bebington, a Leander athlete who started rowing as part of the World Class Start programme,  won a gold medal in the women’s double sculls three weeks ago, partnered by Annie Vernon. But Poznan marked the first appearance this year of the world and Olympic champions, the Evers-Swindell sisters of New Zealand. Having qualified for the final Bebington and Vernon knew they were up against it, with Australia and China also in the running for medals

As expected the Olympic champions cruised into an early lead, leaving the GB double in fifth place at 500m behind two Australian crews. They attempted a fightback but were still fifth at the line as the New Zealand double took yet another gold medal head of the class field.

The GB men’s eight, with four Leander athletes on board - Tom Stallard, Matt Langridge, Josh West and Toby Garbett - were excluded from the competition after winning their repechage, in which the rudder lines broke and cox Acer Nethercott had to steer the boat using his hands on the rudder bar behind him. For a few brief seconds the blades on stroke side dipped into the adjacent lane occupied by China, who protested that they had been impeded. Although China had been more than a length astern at the time of the incident the protest was upheld and the GB crew, who stood a chance of a medal in the final, were out of the regatta.

Report by Leander Press Officer Robert Treharne Jones

SCROLL DOWN FOR LEANDER RESULTS

Results from A Finals (for crews including Leander athletes)

Full results available on www.worldrowing.com)

Men’s fours

1. Great Britain (Alex Partridge, Steve Williams, Peter Reed, Andy Hodge) 5:44.92
2. Slovenia 5:47.81
3. New Zealand 5:51.07
4. Czech Republic 5:51.93
5. Ireland 5:56.22
6. Poland 6:02.52

Women's quadruple sculls

1. Great Britain (Debbie Flood, Sarah Winckless, Frances Houghton, Katherine Grainger) 6:15.32

2. China 6:16.60

3. Germany 6:18.75

4. Denmark 6:21.74

5. Romania 6:26.12

6. Australia 6:27.35

Men's double sculls

1. France 6:03.25

2. Slovenia 6:04.44

3. Great Britain (Steve Rowbotham, Matthew Wells) 6:04.57

4. Hungary 6:04.82

5. Germany 6:05.76

6. Ukraine 1 6:14.93

Lightweight men's double sculls

1. Denmark 6:13.52

2. Italy 6:17.04

3. Great Britain (Mark Hunter, James Lindsay-Fynn) 6:19.92

4. Australia 6:21.62

5. Cuba 6:24.00

6. Portugal 6:31.17

Women's double sculls

1. New Zealand 6:42.96

2. Australia 1 6:44.16

3. Australia 2 6:44.28

4. China 3 6:45.46

5. Great Britain (Anna Bebington, Annie Vernon) 6:51.82

6. Ukraine 6:55.38

Lightweight women's double sculls

1. China 1 6:49.77

2. China 2 6:52.78

3. Ireland 6:57.38

4. Poland 7:00.36

5. Finland 7:02.06

6. Great Britain (Jane Hall, Helen Casey) 7:05.20

Lightweight men's fours

1. Ireland 5:55.23
2. Australia 5:56.70
3. Egypt 5:56.80
4. Germany 5:57.22
5. Great Britain (Matt Beechey, Daniel Harte, Paul Mattick, James Clarke) 5:57.62
6. China 5:59.90

ENDS