Rowing: North pair prepare for Olympics

May 31 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

HEXHAM’S Matt Wells earned a rest today but there was no such luck for Durham’s Jess Eddie at the rowing world cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The pair are competing on the Rotsee lake in the second of three world cups this season, an important part of Great Britain’s preparations for the Beijing Olympics.

But while 29-year-old Wells and his double sculls partner Steve Rowbotham qualified direct for tomorrow’s final by winning their heat, 24-year-old Eddie’s women’s eight face a repechage this afternoon after finishing second in theirs.

Wells and Rowbotham were two of the star performers on a disappointing day for the British crews. They looked comfortable as they crossed the line in 6:16.05.

The women’s eight, including 24-year-old Eddie, finished strongly to see off China and New Zealand in an encouraging performance but with only the eventual winners, Australia, going directly into the final, they must race again today.

In all Britain had five heat winners, the others being Alan Campbell (single sculls), Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase (lightweight men’s double), James Clarke, Paul Mattick, James Lindsay-Fynn and Richard Chambers (lightweight men’s four) and the lightweight pair of Rob Williams and Chris Bartley.

But with a further eight crews facing repechages, the overall performance lacked the sparkle of three weeks ago in Munich. Olympic champion Steve Williams labelled the third-place finish by his injury-hit men’s four an “underperformance” despite claiming a semi-final place.