With the latest round of GB trials, we can see who stands out and are looking to be favourites for the limited places in the U23 GB squad. On the men’s sweep squad have had a lot of success on the international scene over the last few years, and with many of these athletes, the likes of Freddie Davidson, David Ambler, David Bewick-Copley, and others moving up into the senior team this season, it’s up to a new crop of young athletes to maintain Britain’s place at the top of the roster.
Oliver Parish & Luca Ferraro
In the 5k time trial the fastest U23 pair of the day by far came from Cambridge University BC almost 20 seconds ahead of the next U23 pair. With both Oliver Parish and Luca Ferraro having been selected for the Blue Boat for this year’s Boat Race, it is not surprising to see this pair in form and showing great speed at this time of the season. With the speed they have shown in this set of trials it is no shock that they have found themselves a seat in possibly the most prestigious rowing race in the world. Certainly, this has put them in line to also get a seat in the GB U23 squad.
Robbie Prosser-Wrench & Theodore Bell
The pair of Robbie Prosser-Wrench and Theodore Bell also look to have been standouts in the 5k time trial. Particularly Bell, as the second fastest U21, certainly looks to have the speed to drive on Eton College to another year at the top of the UK junior rowing scene.
Pairs from Oxford Brookes
As has become common at GB trials, there was no shortage of pairs from Oxford Brookes University BC. Jacob Wincomb and Benjamin Hinves would come out on top as the fastest of the U23 Brookes pairs ahead of Toby Lassen and Louis Nares as well as Jack Prior and Jens Hullah. If there’s one thing that is made clear from this set of trial results it is that Brookes continues to have massive depth in its squad and will likely continue its domination of student rowing. With several pairs towards the top of the rankings, it’s possible that the Brookes squad could form the back bone of much of the GB U23 sweep team.
Max Deering & Felix Rawlinson
The other most notable pair came from Thames RC. Max Deering and Felix Rawlinson were the second fastest U23 pair of the day. Although with a clear gap between them and the leading Cambridge pair, this very competitive result will set them up well to move further into the selection process.
Summary
What we can be most sure of is that selection for the U23 sweep squad remains very competitive and those selecting have no shortage of talent from which to choose. It’s worth adding, however, that these athletes will also have to contend with a large contingent studying over the pond in the US, with the likes of Miles Beeson, Calvin Tarczy, and Douwe De Graaf all due to return.
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