Champions coming to town

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Marlow International Regatta will play host to Great Britain’s flagship rowing women’s quad at the Eton Rowing Lake at Dorney this weekend.

GB Rowing has made swift arrangements for the World Champions to race in a men’s elite quadruple scull event instead of travelling to the World Cup in Poznan, Poland, where their event, due to take place from June 20-22 was cancelled due to a lack of entries.

Many key nations in  the women’s quad event, like China, have either returned home to train or seem to have decided to keep their powder dry before the summer’s big showdown at the Olympic Games.

The Marlow event offers the opportunity to keep racing and will give the crowd the opportunity to see World Champions and Marlow rowing club members Annie Vernon and Kathleen Grainger in action.

Mike Spencer-Jones, honorary secretary of the Marlow Regatta, said:  “It’s great that we can give them a chance to race against crews of a similar speed in the UK.

“The Elite Quads category should be a competitive event this year for them with overseas crews also expected to race.”

The Regatta is taking place at the host venue for the 2012 London Olympic rowing and canoeing events and this year host 383 crews for Saturday’s racing and 285 on Sunday including crews from as far afield as Argentina and Australia, South Africa and Pakistan.

There will be lots of local interest in the school and junior quadruple sculls events with 27 entries including two entries from Maidenhead who will race in a heat against Argentina at 11.10am and at 11.15am against Marlow at 11am.

Those that are not effected by cancellations and who will be rowing on the international stage in Poland this weekend are Marlow rowers Zac Purchase, Sarah Winckless and Maidenhead-born Rob Williams.

Purchase and his partner Mark Hunter who have won golds at their last two world cup events will be looking to continue their good form in the men’s double scull, while Sarah Winckless will line up in the women’s eight.

Williams completes the local interest when he races in the men’s quadruple scull.