Image Credit: AllMarkOne
Still early into the season with many unknowns and limited racing so far, these trials mark the first significant test of the season, where early form begins to translate into results. With established names looking to reaffirm dominance and a new wave of U23 hopefuls eager to disrupt the hierarchy and step up to the senior team, the men’s field promises fierce racing and fine margins. The majority of the GB Senior Team are exempt from these trials after attending the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, so it will be all to play for both on and off the water.
Single Sculls
Matt Long
Despite still falling into the U23 category, I imagine Matt Long will be a feature name and one for many current GB senior scullers to keep a close eye on. Last season, we saw strong, consistent results, including top-five placings at every trial and selection for the U23 World Rowing Championships. This season, he seems to have only continued building upon these impressive results. With a comfortable triumph at Vesta Scullers Head 2025 and a second-place finish at the Wingfield Sculls 2025, fighting off opposition including Olympic medallists, it seems the sky is the limit for this young sculler, and I am excited to see if he can continue to build on this momentum of success.
Oliver Costley
Few athletes have enjoyed the level of sustained success that Oliver Costley has over the past few years. A four-time Henley Royal Regatta champion, serial winner in The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup and consistent high-ranking name among GB Trials results, including sixth place at last year’s November Trials, and fresh off a third-place finish this season among a competitive field at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls. With that level of consistency behind him, he looks well placed to mount another strong challenge in Boston. His ability to handle the longer course and deliver under pressure makes him a genuine contender for the top spots once again.
James Cartwright
Having just missed out on selection for the 2025 World Rowing Championships, James Cartwright will be determined to keep on track for LA 2028, even if it is many years away. He has clearly impressed GB coaches already, with last season’s top-ten trials results resulting in selection for the World Rowing Cup I in Varese and a 14th-place finish. On the domestic scene, he also won The Ladies’ Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta 2025 with Leander Club. In the absence of the majority of the GB senior sculling team and a runner-up finish at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls against many of this weekend’s contenders, he’s well positioned to challenge near the top once more.
Alex King
With a very respectable sculling record, Alex King has risen through the ranks over recent years. From GB Start to domestic success at GB Trials, he placed 15th last November, and took the win over a competitive field last summer at the Metropolitan Regatta. Despite not having any international experience like his peers, he should not be counted out. This season, we have already seen him show his technical prowess and power by comfortably taking first place at Wallingford against a competitive field featuring many athletes attending this weekend’s trials. If he beat them on the water once this season, what’s to say he can’t achieve the same on Sunday…
Jake Wincomb
Another Project LA hopeful, Jake Wincomb, has typically been spotted in sweep boats throughout his rowing career. He was unlucky not to be selected for the 2025 World Rowing Championships and be exempt from these trials, but nevertheless, he has an extremely impressive rowing resume. Three gold medals at U23 World Rowing Championships and four wins in four different events at Henley Royal Regatta with Oxford Brookes is an insane combination, paired with his impressive senior debut this last year at various World Rowing Cups and the European Rowing Championships in the coxless four. With regulations forcing him into the single, it will be interesting to see how he can translate that demonstrated sweep pedigree to the single sculls, especially against a field of already renowned scullers.
Prediction
On the sculling side, I can see Matt Long being the feature of the weekend despite still being in the U23 category. His successes last season, and already building on that this season, lead me to think that the No.1 spot is pretty comfortably in reach. His hottest competition will likely come from those in pink from Leander Club. Oliver Costley or Alex King have already shown strong starts to the season and have a wealth of experience down the 5k course at Boston.
Pair
Felix Rawlinson
The name Felix Rawlinson is becoming increasingly familiar among the British Rowing community. A Dartmouth alumnus and seasoned Boat Race rower, we have already seen the impact that swapping dark for light blue has achieved. Fresh off the back of helping Cambridge University retain their Head of the Charles title and a senior debut with Toby Lassen at the World Rowing Cup in Varese, one might say that he’s hitting his stride now that he is back on British waters. Last November, he dominated the pairs category with partner Saxon Stacey, achieving a promising 12th-place finish after the senior Olympic team returned. Assuming he is paired with another CUBC athlete, I am sure we can expect big things for the duo and will be looking to match his previous results.
Gabriel Obholzer
Another of the many young British rowers who have been overseas the last few years, Gabriel Obholzer, will be looking to prove he is ready to step up to the senior team. Swapping the crimson of Harvard University for the light blue of Cambridge University, he already has a wealth of overseas and international experience. He has a history of success, which features two gold medals from the U23 World Rowing Championships and a consistent presence on the 1V roster in the United States, including multiple top-three results at the IRA Championships. He was also named on multiple All-American First Teams over the years, an honour bestowed on some of the best rowers in the whole country. It will be interesting to see who Cambridge have paired him with, but no matter who, this pair will have a lot of horsepower.
Theo Bell
A former Princeton Tiger, Theo Bell, has been absent from the British Rowing scene for some time, despite being selected for multiple U23 World Rowing Championships. He has made guest appearances at Henley Royal Regatta, including a win in The Ladies’ Challenge Plate in 2024, rounding out the Tigers’ incredible undefeated season. Now stepping up into the senior category, this is a big jump. I doubt he will have any issues getting through to the Sunday after the 2k erg on Saturday, but with who remains an outstanding question, can his American success continue now that he is back on home waters? We will have to wait and see.
Prediction
On the sweep side, it will be a battle of the Americans: Harvard, Princeton or Dartmouth. However, with a bit more seniority than the others, I imagine Felix Rawlinson will be looking to continue his winning streak. I think Gabriel Obholzer will closely follow this, as he has slightly more international experience and a collection of silverware marginally better than most of his counterparts. It has not been confirmed yet that these athletes are sweeping, so this prediction assumes that.
