As regatta season looms, five doubles will travel to Caversham to compete for a spot on the U23 squad this summer. With five athletes returning from last year looking to improve their performances and five more hoping to break into the team this year, the stakes are high, and everyone will be looking to show their speed.
Cheesmur/Stratton, Molesey BC/Reading University BC
As the two fastest U23 scullers at the third assessment, the pressure is on for Cheesmur and Stratton to top the table again. Stratton previously had much success on the international stage at the U23 level as a member of the bronze medal-winning quad at the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer. Cheesmur will be looking to replicate her performance at the U19 World Rowing Championships, where she won a silver medal in the double on the more competitive U23 stage. She has had a strong run in her first set of U23 trials, placing second at the initial November evaluation and winning in February. As the two front runners from trials so far banding together, they should be set to be the fastest U23 double this weekend and probably hoping to take down some of the senior athletes in the process.
Baker/Bradley, Nottingham RC/Newcastle University BC
Having raced together at the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer, this duo will have much experience racing against top-class opposition. They placed second in the B-final last year, so they must step on if they want to be at the top of the rankings this year. Individually, both athletes have climbed the rankings in the single during the 24/25 campaign, with Bradley moving from the fourth U23 at the February assessment last year to third in 2025 and Baker from seventh to fifth. Their history of competing together will aid them this weekend as they look to earn another shot at the U23 World Rowing Championships.
Cooke/Knight, Reading University BC
With both athletes hailing from Reading University, this combo will be well rehearsed. They raced together at BUCS Head, dominating the championship quads category and winning by 40 seconds. Another two members of the silver medal-winning quad from the U23 World Rowing Championships last summer, if there is a double to challenge Cheesmur and Stratton, I think Cooke and Knight would be the ones to look to. Both are strong scullers in their own right, with impressive performances in the singles this season and potentially more time together as a crew to develop synergy.
Dash/Povey, Hartpury University & College BC/Greenbank Falmouth RC/Reading University BC
Povey performed extremely strongly at the November assessment, finishing as the fastest U23 sculler. In February, however, she dropped to sixth position. She hopes to be back on winning form at this final assessment to secure a spot on the GB squad. Dash won The Rosie Mayglothling Trophy at the Henley Women’s Regatta last summer. This season, she has performed well at trials and won the U23 2000m event at the British Rowing Indoor Championships. It will be interesting to see how this speed is translated into a double.
Court/Fullman, Bath University BC
Despite being two of the lowest-ranked athletes from the February trials racing this weekend, these two will likely benefit from an increased amount of time spent training together, as both are based at the Bath University Performance Development Centre. They raced together in the championship quad at BUCS Head, where they placed fourth. Despite their results at previous rounds of trials, their time spent training alongside each other may mean this boat comes together to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Prediction
As the two top scullers from the February assessment, Finnola Stratton and Olivia Cheesmur are expected to be a winning combination. They will also be looking to tackle some of the senior squad. If there’s one crew set to challenge them, I would expect it to be Ellie Cooke and Megan Knight, both of whom are strong scullers in their own right.
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