This race was cancelled after JRN had created the preview.
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The series of undesirable weather we have already seen this year has led to many races being cancelled. Despite this, these February Trials still plough ahead, and it is clear that these trials mean one thing: everyone is back in the mix. After athletes attending the World Championships in September bypassed the November Trials, this weekend sees Boston become the first true battleground of the season for Britain’s top single scullers. Expect to see some familiar faces and performances that reveal who is in form and who has work to do ahead of the summer season
Tobias Schröder
Lining up as one of the most seasoned athletes in this event, Tobias Schröder’s long record in GB colours from junior to U23 and now as a senior, makes him a serious contender if he finds that same speed that saw him succeed at each level. In 2022, he was part of the famed Oxford Blue Boat to overturn a series of Light Blue Boat Race wins, and in 2023, he finally swapped out one blade for two, joining the GB senior sculling squad. Since then, he has represented GB at various World Rowing Cups and World Rowing Championships in the double sculls, but has yet to reach a major final. Despite this, his raw speed has shown through in previous trials, where he has consistently finished among the top, and the 2024/2025 season was no different. This season, we haven’t yet seen much of him on domestic waters. However, on land, we have seen an impressive performance at the British Rowing Indoor Championships, demonstrating the pure strength and grit he has by pulling a respectable 5:47 2k to take the title. As rowers commonly say, ergs don’t float, but this weekend, Schroder will be looking to prove that his speed translates across both.
Cedol Dafydd
Having already established himself as arguably the man to beat in GB sculling since his rapid rise within the senior team, Cedol Dafydd looks to further cement how crucial he is to the future of GB sculling. Under the experienced coaching of Dan Harris, he learnt to row in 2021 at the South West Performance Development Academy, with his talents not being recognised on the international stage until recently. The 2025 season marks his first year training and representing GB as a senior, and he has already shown his pedigree with podium finishes across all competitions in the quad, starting an impressive collection of gold, silver and bronze medals from the World and European Rowing Championships, and the World Rowing Cups. With a sub-5:50 ergo time and a series of podium finishes at all of last year’s trials, he stands out as the logical favourite on paper, and it is up to the rest of the field to disrupt what could otherwise look like the continuation of an upward march.
Callum Dixon
Despite bringing one of the more unconventional rowing CVs to this field, having traded a much larger boat within the British Sailing Team for a much smaller sculling boat in British Rowing, Callum Dixon has stamped himself as a serious prospect in GB colours. Learning to row at Twickenham RC in 2019, he was selected for the U23 World Rowing Championships only two years later, before making his senior debut on the World Rowing Cup circuit in 2022 with an impressive fourth-place finish. His talent is clearly demonstrated by his selection to the quad for GB at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he just fell short of a medal. Since then, we have seen him achieve gold at both the European Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup III, and silver at the World Rowing Championships. On the domestic scene, his performances led to an invitation to the Wingfield Sculls, where he finished behind fellow competitor Matt Long, among others. At trials, he has a proven track record of success, with a first-place finish in the double sculls alongside partner Cedol Dafydd at last year’s February Trials. Dropping back into the single here feels less like a change of pace and more like a return to his natural hunting ground, with tensions among teammates and previous partners remaining rife.
Aidan Thompson
One of the few exempt from the November Trials after World Rowing Championship performances, Aidan Thompson will be another former GB Start athlete looking to stamp his mark in sculling. After learning to row in 2016 at Swansea University, he was identified and placed in GB’s Student Development Programme, before eventually joining the Welsh World Class Start Programme. Similar to teammate Callum Dixon, he joined the West London Performance Development Academy based at Twickenham RC after graduating, eventually finding his way into the senior squad in 2023 initially as a reserve before stepping into the double and grinding out minor‑final finishes on the World Rowing Cup and World Rowing Championships stage, a pattern he has since repeated in the single with solid B and C‑final showings across the 2025 World Rowing Cups and European Rowing Championships. On the domestic scene, he is lesser seen. At February Trials in 2024, he won, finishing ahead of many in this year’s field, before rounding this out with another impressive performance, finishing third at February Trials 2025 with fellow teammate Matt Haywood in the double. All of this suggests Thompson arrives in Boston less as a wildcard and more as a quietly serious threat to the established sculling order.
Matt Long
It is hard to deny, Matt Long is having a phenomenal season and only seems to be continuing his rise. Starting off with an arguably unfortunate fourth-place finish in the quad at the U23 World Rowing Championships in July, with a crew that was a favourite to medal throughout the regatta. Building upon this, we’ve seen him dominate at both Scullers Head and GB Trials in November, with a clear lead of at least 20 seconds. Wingfield Sculls, a competition wherein only the top scullers in the country are invited, saw him push off some of the GB senior squad members while chasing down George Bourne, another man on a run of success over recent seasons. Despite still being U23 at these trials, I would not be surprised to see him back on the podium among a seriously competitive field. We’ve seen him beat some of these top contenders before, so there is nothing to say that with that technical pedigree and power, he can’t do it again.
Honourable Mentions
While the top senior squad members are expected to dominate, a few scullers will be worth keeping an eye on. Leander continues to breed this pedigree, with James Cartwright making steady progress on the GB senior sculling team, with highlights including 14th at the World Rowing Cup in Varese and a win in The Ladies’ Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta 2025, topped off with consistent top-ten finishes at previous trials. These are impressive results, and I expect we will continue to see more from him; however, compared to the international pedigree of other senior squad members, the podium may be just out of reach. Also bred from the pink palace, Oliver Costley brings consistent form and experience from previous trials, including a sixth-place finish at the November 2024 Trials and second-place at the November 2025 Trials, accompanied by an impressive four wins at Henley Royal Regatta over the years. This season, he has also finished third at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls behind Cartwright. Yet to make his debut for the GB senior team is Temple University alumnus and Tideway Scullers athlete Adam Oliver. Fresh off a third-place finish at the November Trials, he returns to the single after last racing internationally at the 2022 U23 World Rowing Championships. This weekend, he will be eager to measure up against the senior squad once again, seeing what the gap to the top looks like.
Prediction
With many senior squad scullers included, I would expect them to be the ones vying for the top spot. 2025 saw the doubles pairing of Callum Dixon and Cedol Dafydd dominate at GB trials, so it is likely we will see a battle between the two for the win. Going off the logical criteria of experience and results, it would likely be Aidan Thompson or Tobias Schröder who round out the top three. However, my gut tells me not to count Matt Long out for one of those podium positions. I’m excited to see what he can bring to these trials when matched up against top senior scullers in the single on a high-pressure stage.
