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• Roy Sinclair

The Great Britain squad for the first World Cup regatta of the year has been announced, with several athletes set to make their senior international debuts in Belgrade

hero__imagePhoto (c) Naomi Baker
Fifty-four athletes have been selected to race for Great Britain at the first World Rowing Cup regatta of the 2018 season, held in Belgrade, Serbia, between 1-3 June.

Following a comprehensive Trials process over the winter, Chief Coaches Jürgen Grobler (men’s), Paul Thompson (women’s) and Tom Dyson (Paralympic) have assembled their first crews of a busy year, which sees the GB Rowing Team compete in five international regattas between June and September.

Grobler is coaching the men’s eight for the Belgrade regatta, with two gold medallists from Rio 2016 – Moe Sbihi and Will Satch – included.

Four Worlds medallists make up the men’s quadruple scull, with Tom Barras – bronze medallist in the single – joining Jonny Walton, Graeme Thomas and John Collins in the crew. Thomas, of course, won a memorable silver with Walton, Collins and Jack Beaumont in Sarasota-Bradenton, having replaced the injured Peter Lambert just minutes before the race.

Beaumont races with Angus Groom in the double scull, with Harry Leask – second at Trials in April – selected in the single.

Having taken the win at Trials, Jamie Copus races in the lightweight single, with Zak Lee-Green and Sam Mottram in the lightweight double.

Six athletes in the women’s squad will double up in Belgrade, racing in two boat classes. Rebecca Shorten, Karen Bennett, Holly Norton and Fiona Gammond will race both the eight and in a four, while Anastasia Chitty and Rebecca Girling are in the eight and the pair.

Vicky Thornley continues in the single scull, having won silver at the Worlds last year, while Ellie Piggott joins Trials winner and European bronze medallist from 2017, Emily Craig, in the lightweight double.

Two Para-rowers will compete after strong showings at the Gavirate International Regatta earlier in May. Andy Houghton, fourth in Sarasota-Bradenton, races in the PR1 single scull, with Paralympic champion Laurence Whiteley in the PR2 single.

Grobler said: “We’ve seen some strong performances in training and through the Trials process this winter and now this first World Cup allows us to see where our form and fitness is compared to the rest of the world.”

Thompson added: “The first World Cup of the year is always an exciting time, where we see how the winter of training has prepared the team for racing. I have been pleased and impressed with the winter intent of training from the rowers and they should be confident coming into the world cups with what they have behind them. We are trying some different things at this regatta in some of the boats as well as blooding some new crews.”

Dyson said: “Gavirate International Regatta was a good season opener for Andy and Laurence and both scullers are clear on the standard they are chasing. On the back of a good camp in Varese, we will be looking for both scullers to take a step closer to that standard in Belgrade.

Live coverage of the Sunday A finals from Belgrade will be on the BBC Red Button between 09.30-13.30, with highlights following on BBC 2.

World Cup I, Belgrade
Men’s squad
Pair
Harry Glenister (Club: Leander Club/ Hometown: Princes Risborough)
George Rossiter (Leander Club/ Newbury)
Coach: Steve Trapmore

Four

GBR1
Morgan Hellen (Molesey BC/ Maidstone)
Callum McBrierty (Leander Club/ Edinburgh)
Ross Jarvis (Leander Club/ Upminster)
Tom Ransley (Leander Club/ Ashford, Kent)
Coaches: Christian Felkel/ Steve Trapmore

GBR2
James Johnston (Leander Club/ Henley-on-Thames
Adam Neill (Leander Club/ Peterborough)
Jacob Dawson (Leander Club/ Plymouth)
Tom Ford (Leander Club/ Holmes Chapel)
Coaches: Christian Felkel/ Steve Trapmore

Eight
James Rudkin (Newcastle University BC/ Litchborough)
Josh Bugajski (Oxford Univ BC/ Stockport)
Tom Jeffery (Leander Club/ Plymouth)
Oliver Wynne-Griffith (Leander Club/ Guildford)
Moe Sbihi (Molesey BC/ Surbiton)
Alan Sinclair (Leander Club/ Inverness)
Matthew Tarrant (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/ Shepperton)
Will Satch (Leander Club/ Henley-on-Thames)
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Leander Club/ London)
Coach: Jürgen Grobler

Single Scull
Harry Leask (Leander Club/ Edinburgh)
Coach: Dan Moore

Double Scull
Angus Groom (Leander Club/ Glasgow)
Jack Beaumont (Leander Club/ Maidenhead)
Coach: Dan Moore

Quadruple Scull
Tom Barras (Leander Club/ Staines)
Jonny Walton (Leander Club/ Leicester)
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC/ Preston)
John Collins (Leander Club/ Twickenham)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Lightweight Single Scull
Jamie Copus (Oxford Brookes Univ BC/ Watlington)
Coach: Hamish Burrell

Lightweight Double Scull
GBR1
Zak Lee-Green (Agecroft RC/ Cardiff)
Sam Mottram (Leander Club/ Stoke Mandeville)
Coach: Hamish Burrell

GBR2
James Temple (Edinburgh Univ BC/ Kew)
Gavin Horsburgh (Edinburgh Univ BC/ Lochwinnoch)
Coach: Colin Williamson

Women’s squad
Pair
GBR1
Anastasia Chitty (Leander Club/Oxford)
Rebecca Girling (Molesey BC/ Fareham)
Coach: Jane Hall

GBR2
Emily Ford (Leander Club/ Holmeschapel)
Emily Ashford (Leander Club/ Buckfastleigh)
Coach: Jane Hall

Four
GBR1
Caragh McMurtry (Coalporters ARC/ Southampton)
Rebecca Chin (Agecroft RC/ Deganwy)
Jo Wratten (Leander Club/ Middlesborough)
Sara Parfett (University of London BC/ Rochester)
Coach: Tom Pattichis

GBR2
Fiona Gammond (Leander Club/ Bicester)
Holly Norton (Leander Club/ Johannesburg)
Karen Bennett (Leander Club/ Edinburgh)
Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC/ Belfast)
Coach: James Harris

Eight
Anastasia Chitty (Leander Club/Oxford)
Rebecca Girling (Molesey BC/ Fareham)
Fiona Gammond (Leander Club/ Bicester)
Hattie Taylor (Leander Club/ Sunningdale)
Rowan Mckellar (Leander Club/ Glasgow)
Holly Norton (Leander Club/ Johannesburg)
Karen Bennett (Leander Club/ Edinburgh)
Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC/ Belfast)
Matilda Horn (cox) (University of London BC/ Windsor)
Coach: James Harris

Single Scull
Victoria Thornley (Leander Club/ Wrexham)
Coach: Paul Reedy

Lightweight Single Scull
Imogen Grant (Cambridge Univ BC/ Cambridge)
Coach: Rob Baker

Lightweight Double Scull
GBR1
Ellie Piggott (Wallingford RC/ Bedford)
Emily Craig (University of London BC/ Mark Cross)
Coach: Darren Whiter

GBR2
Elisha Lewis (Agecroft RC/ Marlow)
Francesca Rawlins (Tideway Scullers School/ Uckfield)
Coach: Darren Whiter

Para squad
PR1 Men’s Single Scull
Andy Houghton (Maidenhead RC/ Newbury)
Coach: Tom Dyson

PR2 Men’s Single Scull
Laurence Whiteley (Tees RC/ Northallerton)
Coach: Tom Dyson