Image Credit: AllMarkOne
With a wealth of athletes boasting previous Olympic, world, and U23 medals and experience, it is safe to say that this weekend is only the start of the season, and the competition already looks set to be a dogfight. They face a full-on weekend in Boston with a 2k erg test on Saturday and a 5k time trial in singles on Sunday. Many of the U23 medalists from last summer will face their first senior season, and it will be interesting to see how their experience translates in this unique test of single sculling.
Holly Dunford (Molesey Boat Club) & Annie Campbell-Orde (Leander/Marlow)
Two members of the Paris Olympic bronze medal-winning women’s eight make their return to the GB scene this weekend. Holly Dunford has a wealth of international experience and medals to her name, with U23 sweep gold and a junior sculling gold amongst her most notable achievements before bursting onto the senior team in 2023-2024. Annie Campbell-Orde stroked the British women’s eight through their successes of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, before also taking a well-earned break after Paris. Both will obviously be ones to watch this weekend – in particular, Holly, having represented GB at a junior and U23 level in sculling.
Natasha Morrice (Molesey Boat Club)
Natasha Morrice also has experience racing in the GB women’s eight in the 2023 season, winning World Rowing Cup medals and placing fourth at the World Rowing Championships. She was a part of the victorious Cambridge University Blue Boat earlier this year, although she had to miss out on racing with them at Henley Royal Regatta due to injury. A gritty and determined athlete, Natasha will be looking to be back to her best this weekend, although her sweeping strength may mean she is not quite at the top of the pack in a single on Sunday.
Freya Keto (Leander/Thames/Cambridge) & Jenny Bates (Leander/Oxford Brookes)
Placing second and third at the November trials last year, Freya and Jenny had a very successful 2024 season in the double together. Domestically, they were finalists in The Stonor Challenge Trophy at Henley Royal Regatta, and made their senior debut at World Rowing Cup III earlier that June. Freya raced in the women’s double at the European Rowing Championships earlier this year, placing fifth, and was the reserve for the World Rowing Cup series. Meanwhile, Jenny had a quieter remainder of the international racing season. Their sculling experience and success should serve them well this weekend, and I would expect to see them both near the top of the results on Sunday.
Philippa Emery (Leander/Durham), Georgie Robinson Ranger (Leander/University of London Boat Club)
Two members of the GB development squad who are ones to watch this weekend are Philippa Emery and Georgie Robinson Ranger. Philippa won a gold medal at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Canada in 2024 and went on to place second at April trials in her first senior season last year (in a pair with Olympic champion Hannah Scott). After a long rehab from a hip injury, Georgie raced alongside Philippa as part of the GB development eight last summer, winning the championship eight at Henley Women’s Regatta and losing out in an epic semifinal battle in the inaugural Bridge Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta. Georgie is a notably talented single sculler and looks to be back in competitive form, having already been crowned the fastest woman at the Scullers Head of the River in September. Both athletes will be looking to put in a notable performance this weekend and take that step towards senior international competition.
Poppy Baker (Nottingham Rowing Club), Finn Stratton & Ellie Cooke (Reading University)
Three members of the victorious women’s quad at this summer’s U23 World Rowing Championships in Poznan return to the GB scene this weekend. Inspired by the results of the senior team’s quad in Paris and at the recent World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, they will have aspirations to achieve the same success in LA 2028. They will be highly motivated to put in a strong performance this weekend; their sculling prowess will hopefully serve them well, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some or all in the top 10-15, in particular Poppy Baker, who recently placed second at the Scullers Head.
Notable Mentions
There are countless other previous U23 world champions and medalists to look out for in this field: Olivia Hill (women’s eight, 2024/5), Holly Youd (women’s pair, 2024), Anna Grace (women’s pair, 2024 + women’s eight, 2025), Jessie Martin (women’s coxless four, 2024/5), Grace Richards (women’s coxless four, 2024), and Abigail Topp (women’s coxless four, 2024). Jessie Martin fared the best in November last year in her single, placing 20th. These strong sweepers may not all possess the technical finesse to match the scullers this weekend, but none of these exceptional athletes should be counted out.
Prediction
I can imagine the two Olympians, Annie Campbell-Orde and Holly Dunford, fighting for the top spot at the weekend. However, strong scullers such as Freya Keto, Georgie Robinson Ranger and Jenny Bates will be hot on their heels. It speaks to the depth of talent in GB Rowing at the moment that there are still multiple athletes with significant international and domestic success on the start list not mentioned above – it looks to be an exciting weekend!
