Following a turbulent winter of flooding and terrible conditions, the top development rowers in the country are headed to Boston this weekend for the February Assessment. In the wake of the cancellation of November trials, and only erg tests considered in the trialing process to date, this is the first time this season that non-Olympic triallists will get to show themselves on the water. The ultimate goals of every U23 pair will be to secure an invite to April Trials; placing well this weekend should ensure they achieve their objective.
Philippa Emery (Leander Club)
Philippa Emery is entered in a pair alongside Abi Topp, also of Leander Club, who has just aged out of the U23 category. Both girls raced together in the four at U23 Worlds in 2023, just missing out on a medal; such familiarity as a unit could prove key. Emery moved to Leander this season and will only have benefited from training alongside such a strong women’s team, many of whom are on the cusp of the senior squad. Topp herself had a successful U23 career and this, combined with Emery’s top U23 finish at April Trials last year, should set them up well this weekend.
Anna Grace (Durham University)/ Holly Youd (Newcastle University)
Anna Grace had an impressive debut sweep season last year, culminating with a seat U23 eight at the World Championships. This year, she teams up with Holly Youd of Newcastle University, who performed strongly throughout the trials process last season. Despite this being a composite crew, there should be enough experience in this boat to compete against better acquainted rivals.
Arianna Forde / Emilia Regan (Oxford Brookes University)
Forde and Regan are one of many crews in the Brookes fleet heading up to Boston this weekend. Forde is a returning U23, having raced in the eight at the U23 Worlds last summer, finishing fourth. Her teammate, Regan, is less experienced, but will no doubt have accelerated her development trajectory as part of the ever-dominant Brookes programme. A pair more accustomed to eights rowing, it will be interesting to see how this Brookes pair performs, and if training in the big boat translates to success in the smaller ones.
Rhianna Sumpter / Grace Richards (Oxford Brookes University )
Another all U23 Brookes crew, Sumpter and Richards return this year having been one of the standout U23 pairs last season. Their last outing at Boston saw them top the U23 standing – and that was only the start of their success in 2023. They went on to place second in the U23 category at Caversham-based trials, win the Island Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, and compete in the eight at U23 Worlds, missing out on a medal by a mere 0.1 seconds. They will aim to build on their outstanding pedigree this season, and cement themselves as the top U23s heading into April and beyond.
Aggie Burt (Oxford Brookes University) / Sarah Marshall (Oxford University)
An Oxford composite crew, Burt and Marshall are a young pair to look out for. Burt was part of the gold medal winning eight at U19 Worlds in 2023, whilst Marshall is part of a reformed Oxford squad, aiming for Boat Race success later this year. Marshall recently raced in the Blue Boat in the fixture against rivals Brookes in January, and now on the same team both rowers will hope their opposing programmes gel well enough to make for some fast racing this weekend. The youngsters are certainly ones to look out for the next few seasons, if not this weekend.
Jessie Martin (University of London)
Martin combines with the older Lizzie Witt of Imperial Boat Club this weekend. Witt just lost out on a win in the Hambleden Pairs at Henley Royal Rgatta in July so is undoubtedly one of the best pairs partners Martin could team up with. Martin herself had an impressive first season trialing as a sweeper last year, placing 12th overall at April trials. Having raced in the U23 team in 2022, as a sculler, she will want to sweep spot this year. An impressive February performance will be a strong starting point.
Predictions
It’s hard to look past Sumpter and Richards placing top of the U23 standings this weekend. If they continue to build on the success of last season they can be a dominant force this year. Whilst it is hard to compare against crews with a mixture of U23 and older athletes I would still look out for Emery’s and Martin’s pairs. These could be in the mix for top three spots overall this weekend, which would be impressive for younger athletes racing against more experienced senior crews. Pairs are likely to change before Final Trials in April so a solid outing in February will only do them favours in U23 rankings going forward.
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