GBRT February Trials 2025 – Women’s Senior Pairs Preview

As winter racing rumbles on in the background, the priority for these athletes has become the pair, ready to ship up to Boston for the February Trials. After having all raced in the single back in November, each of these senior team hopefuls will have made the 18:15 five-kilometre ergo cutoff time at their respective clubs and now have the chance to prove that they have what it takes on the water.

Megan Slabbert and Eleanor Brinkhoff (Molesey BC/Leander Club)

Going into this set of trials with the highest combined placing in the single certainly puts Slabbert & Brinkhoff in a good position. Having both been on the cusp of the senior team for a few years, this could be an exciting pair to watch. Brinkhoff made her international debut at World Rowing Cup III in 2024, placing fifth in the coxless four, while UCLA graduate Slabbert has a silver medal from the 2019 U23 World Rowing Championships in the same event. With their combined experience, this should be an exciting pair to watch, and I expect to see them placing competitively with some of the returning Olympic athletes.

Martha Birtles and Amelia Standing (Oxford Brookes University BC/Leander Club)

Former JRN writer Martha Birtles is no stranger to GB trials, having raced first with Oxford University and latterly with Oxford Brookes. This time, Birtles is partnered with former Oxford teammate Amelia Standing, who is also no stranger to coming out on top at trials – ranking first by almost 12 seconds with Juliette Perry in February 2024. This duo also raced in the coxless four at World Rowing Cup III in 2024, placing fifth, so one can imagine that the transition to the pair will put them in good form to post a quick time on Saturday.

Annie Campbell-Orde and Philippa Emery (Leander Club)

After bursting onto the senior squad in 2023 and quickly becoming the steadfast stroke seat of the women’s eight through Paris 2024, Annie Campbell-Orde is no stranger to the trials and tribulations of the GB Rowing Team. This experience, in partnership with strong contender Philippa Emery, should make for a duo that can expect to be relatively high up the rankings in Boston this weekend. Although in her first year of trialling as a senior, Emery is not to be underestimated. Like fellow trialists Grace Richards and Jessie Martin, Emery finished her U23 career with a gold medal at August’s World Rowing Championships in the coxless four, so I’m excited to see how these two fare as a unit.

Gemma King and Carys Earl (Cambridge University BC)

Having both cemented themselves as CUBC’s Blue Boat regulars in recent years, King & Earl return to Boston in the pair. With King acting as a facilitator once again, I’m sure they’ll be looking to replicate last year’s third-place finish in Boston. The sheer distance of the Lincolnshire course perhaps favours Boat Race athletes as they begin to advance into final selection, approaching the peak of their season and ready for the gruelling 6.8km Championship Course in April. Given their previous success, I’d like to see this pair punching with some of the senior squad names and vying for Earl’s chance to enter the senior sphere.

Natasha Morrice and Samantha Morton (Cambridge University BC)

Despite accomplished Australian rower, Morton, acting here as a facilitator, I think that this is a combination that we can hope for big things from. Both are in their first year rowing for Cambridge University, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this Light Blue pairing reasonably high up the ranks. Tash Morrice made her senior international debut at the European Rowing Championships in 2023, coming away with a silver medal in the women’s eights: matching her identical placing in the same event at the U23 World Rowing Championships in 2022. Coupled with Morton’s extensive experience in international racing, this duo should be an exciting one to watch.

Juliette Perry and Elizabeth Witt (Leander Club)

Neither Juliette Perry nor Lizzie Witt are strangers to the pair, with both having taken the boat class through to summer racing and the likes of Henley Royal Regatta in previous seasons. Similarly, both athletes bring extensive international racing experience and are looking to make a name for themselves within the senior squads with one eye on the LA 2028 Olympics. Despite being primarily sweep athletes, both were in the top 25 at the November Trials in the single. Perry also started as bow number eight, following an impressive 2k erg the day prior. With such a wealth of experience in this boat, I hope to see them climb the ranks at the weekend.

Eve Stewart and Lauren Irwin (Leander Club)

Returning from Paris with bronze medals in the women’s eight, these two athletes are accustomed to spending time together in a boat. Both were inside the top six pairs with their respective partners in the 2023 edition of February Trials, and I imagine that this time, they’ll be looking to come out on top with many of their Olympic teammates absent. Even though we didn’t see them race at the November Trials, I do not doubt that both will have bounced back into training post-Olympiad and, like many of the athletes racing here, will already have an eye on making the team for LA 2028. With both Stewart and Irwin having won a multitude of medals across World Rowing Cups and European or World Rowing Championships, this is a trend I think we can expect to see continue as they reinstate themselves within the national squad through the opportunity of this weekend’s trials.

Notable Mentions

Despite trialling in U23/senior composite pairs, some key names are certainly coming out of UK universities at the moment. It goes without saying that Grace Richards is an accomplished athlete in her own right, ending her U23 career with a gold medal at the U23 World Rowing Championships in the coxless four, and paired with Rhianna Sumpter, this duo appears to be formidable. After placing fifth overall and fastest U23 pair at February Trials in 2023, I imagine they’ll be looking to keep up this performance and for Richards to break onto the Senior team. Similarly, Daisy Faithfull trials with Jessie Martin in a strong University of London pair. Having shifted her focus from sculling to sweep following successful stints with Bath University BC and Shanklin Sandown RC, Faithfull is now firmly rising up the ranks at UL. With a host of BUCS medals and England vests behind her, I hope to see Faithfull solidify her contention for the senior squad in partnership with Martin this weekend.

Prediction

This is certainly a stacked field, and it’s hard to predict a standout winner. Irwin & Stewart will likely come out on top despite having had a well-deserved break post-Olympiad, although I can certainly see the likes of Perry & Witt or Slabbert & Brinkhoff nipping at their heels. The light blue pairing of King & Earl have also previously shown their strength within the senior field, so I hope to see another stellar performance from them down the Boston track to challenge some of the girls who are perhaps more bedded into the GBRT pack. I think it’s safe to say that we can expect some tasty racing in Boston this weekend, and I, like many, eagerly await the final results.

About The Author

Lara Robinson

Having first sat in a boat aged 13 at Stratford upon Avon BC, Lara’s love for the sport has only gone from strength to strength. Now Women’s Captain at City of Oxford RC and in her second season writing for JRN, she primarily covers student and club level women’s rowing alongside her day job as a neuroscience researcher at the University of Oxford.

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