The next phase of the rigorous ongoing selection procedure for GB’s U23 team, April trials promises a fantastic pairs showdown between some experienced athletes – many of whom have already earned international vests. While the seat racing that follows is arguably more important than the pairs results, the 2- finish order is vital nonetheless – and, of course, club pride is much more at stake when the pairing comes from a single institution.
I’m going to look in detail at the combinations that I believe will be in serious contention for the top spots before I make a final prediction.
Ferraro/John, Cambridge University BC
Coming hot off an underdog Boat Race victory against a strong Oxford crew, as well as a first-place finish among U23 pairs (and second-place overall) at the GBRT February Trials in Boston, Ferraro and John are undeniable favourites for the U23 top spot at April Trials. Luca Ferraro has gone from strength to strength through his time at Cambridge. He’s been a part of the last three Cambridge Blue Boats, earning two wins, and has represented GB twice at U23 level – in the BM2- in 2022, and the BM8+ in 2023, winning gold in the latter. He’s facing several of his former crewmates from that U23 8+ here, several of whom are stronger on the rowing machine, but Ferraro’s record in the pair is unmatched: he’s been the top U23 at the long-distance trials in Boston four times.
His partner Gus John was at Durham last year and had some great results in the pair throughout the season, winning the Champ 2- at BUCS and was the 3rd U23 combination at April Trials. John ended up being selected for the silver-medalling GB 8+ at the U23 European Championships. His progress while at Cambridge has been demonstrable, and his result with Ferraro at February Trials is an impressive testament to the level of development that Cambridge is able to achieve. That being said, the Cambridge system is geared around training for the Boat Race – very helpful if you’re about to race a 5K in Boston; less so for 6-lane 2K racing. Miles do, however, make champions, and Ferraro and John will certainly have some very good miles under their belt, and will have spent the weeks preceding the Boat Race honing their racing instincts. Expect a very strong performance here.
Woolnough/Wincomb, Oxford Brookes University BC
The biggest hitters that Brookes have at the moment, Woolnough and Wincomb will undoubtedly have their sights set on the top U23 finish this weekend. Jake Wincomb is probably Brookes’ most decorated athlete – no mean feat when a large proportion of their squad are Henley winners with international vests. Wincomb is, however, a double Henley winner – in the Temple and the Ladies – as well as a double World Champion. A gold in the BM8+ in 2022 and in the BM4- in 2023 really sets Wincomb apart in this field, and his experience is unmatched.
He’s complemented nicely by Fergus Woolnough, one of the biggest and physically strongest athletes at Brookes. He won Worlds in the BM8+ last year, as well as the Temple at Henley. This pair were the second U23 combo at February trials, coming in only five seconds behind Ferraro and John. They’ll certainly be looking to reverse that result this weekend, and, needless to say, the Brookes program has a pretty enviable record when it comes to 2K racing. Watch out for these guys.
Nares/Lassen, Oxford Brookes University BC
Another cracking Brookes combination, Nares and Lassen are another pairing with plenty of success between them. Louis Nares is a double Henley winner, having been a part of the winning PA lineup in 2022, and stroke of the Temple lineup in 2023. He’s also a World Champion from the BM8+ last summer. He’s an incredibly impressive athlete, capable of producing a huge amount of power on the water despite not being the biggest guy.
Like Nares, Toby Lassen isn’t the biggest or strongest athlete, but his on-the-water prowess is undeniable, with Henley wins in the Temple in 2022 and the Visitors in 2023 to his name, as well as gold in the BM8+ alongside Ferraro, Woolnough and Nares. He’s also a European medallist, having won bronzes in the 2022 BM8+ and the 2023 BM4- at U23 Europeans. Brookes has a remarkable ability to develop athletes and build fantastically cohesive units, and this pair will no doubt be a fine demonstration. I don’t think they’ll have the power to hang with the top two pairs here, but they may well prove me wrong.
Reed/Brockway, Durham University BC/Newcastle University BC
This is a pair with a good amount of experience that could do well here, depending on how much time they’ve had in the combination in the past couple of weeks. Both George Reed and Ben Brockway were part of the silver-medalling BM8+ at the European Championships last year, and the pairing won the Open 2- at Tyne United New Years Head way back in January. At February trials, they had a bit of a disappointing run, finishing as the sixth-fastest full U23 pairing, but I imagine they will have come away knowing that they have more to show for themselves, and will be eyeing the trials this weekend as potential for redemption.
Reynolds/Austin-Baker, Oxford University BC/Hinksey Sculling School
These two are both products of the impressive program at Hinksey Sculling School, that has produced some very successful junior crews over the past couple of years. Gabe Reynolds was part of that historic coxed four from Hinksey that made the final of the Brit in 2021. He’s now at Oxford, and stroked a strong Isis crew that lost to Cambridge’s Goldie at the Boat Race two weeks ago. Herbie Austin-Baker is still a junior at Hinksey, and was in the quad that made the final of the Fawley last year. One might be surprised to see this young pairing featured here, but their third-place full U23 pair finish at February trials speaks for itself. This is a talented pair; whether they can hang with the more experienced combinations in this field remains to be seen.
Other combinations
There’s plenty of talent in this field that will pose a significant threat. The Brookes combinations of Bell/Cooper and Hawes/Schlottmann should both be pretty fast; Cooper and Bell were the fourth-fastest full U23 pair back in February, and Richard Hawes finished even higher with a non-U23 partner. His combination with Kai Schlottmann is new, but may well be quick. James/Beever should also be pretty quick; Leander’s Osian James has been stroking their third eight and has a great rhythm, while Cambridge’s Luke Beever stroked the winning Goldie lineup two weeks ago. These guys should complement each other pretty well.
Prediction
It’s tough to make a call here, as the top pairs are all very experienced, but I’m going to go with Ferraro/John in first, Woolnough/Wincomb in second and Nares/Lassen third.
Best of luck to all crews.
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