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Ali Oyston at Dorney Lake, Eton, Saturday May 28th 2005 The Great Britain Eton World Cup team had a good shot this weekend at silencing those who think that British rowing is just about Redgrave, Pinsent and Cracknell. It was billed as a test of Hodge, Partidge, Reed and Williams and they passed with flying colours. Possibly more exciting though was the emergence of a new group of British athletes at the other end of the squad, who want to, and more importantly could be capable of carrying the torch for British rowing. To insiders the 'new' names are not so new. Many have been pushing their way into the senior squad over the past few seasons and winning medals at junior and U23 level. But yesterday gave them a chance to prove their worth on home ground against an international field. Twenty-nine of the sixty-two British competitors wake up with a World Cup medal beside their beds today. Their medals are less a symbol of achievement in the international finals and more a symbol of what is to come.
In Athens the British lightweight squad fell below the radar somewhat but they have been buoyed by the appointment of new chief coach Robin Williams. Single sculler Tim Male took bronze, as did the pair of Nick English and Daniel Harte. English described the lightweight squad as a 'work in progress', and this was seen in the new names who put in attention grabbing performances despite not making the podium. Naomi Hoogester led the women's singles final until 1km, eventually finishing fourth, and the newly formed men's four made the A final. In some ways, the World Cup was rather like a debutante ball for the athletes earning their first senior international vest. They have dreamt of it for years, yet the nerves, excitement and glamour were all over in the blink of an eye. Now that the grandstands and television cameras have gone, hopefully the aura of success lingering over Dorney Lake will be enough to drive this new generation through the next Olympiad.
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The penultimate race of the day saw the home crew win the first medal for a British women's eight during this millenium. Coach Gary Stubbs was quick to point out that "we've got a long way to go with them", but their gutsy fight for bronze with the Australians bodes well for a crew with an average age of just 22. The line up has echoes of the bronze medal-winning British eight from the 1997 Worlds. Back then it was the bottom boat of the squad with the aim of developing promising young athletes. Eight years on, two members of that crew, Katherine Grainger and Elise Laverick, are Olympic medallists.