Photo credit: AllMarkOne
Filippi once again proved its mettle as the choice of victors at the GBRT February U19 Trials 2025, achieving two category wins on the Saturday of racing alongside a host of top-ten finishes. With dozens of juniors heading to Boston to register their second claim on an international seat in the summer, stakes were high and racing fiercely over the five-kilometre course.
Our standout results on the sculling side was another victory for Max Fullman of Wycliffe College. Max won the November trials and followed that up with an eight-second triumph last weekend in his Filippi shell. With stern competition behind him – including Henley Royal Regatta winners and junior internationals – Max was the fastest athlete on the water in both halves of the course to finish as the only sculler to dip under 20 minutes.
Our next fastest finisher in the men’s single was fourth-placed Ezra Ferguson of George Watson’s College. The Scottish sculler was five seconds back on third and will have put himself firmly in contention for an international vest after finishing second at the British Rowing Championships in July and winning the GB-France match in his single. Elsewhere, Joe McCarthy of the Tideway Scullers School placed seventh, and Fraser Jones of Maidenhead Rowing Club was eighth, having both raced in Filippi shells. Closing out the top ten was Tommy Beever of Claires Court School Boat Club.
In the women’s single, our quickest sculler was Emily Nicholas of Sir William Perkin’s School, who finished fifth overall. Nicholas was 12 seconds back on the pace set by division winner Eleanor Lawrence-Preston and will be keen to continue her pursuit of a second successive international vest. Last summer, she was a silver medallist in the women’s coxless four at the U19 World Rowing Championships.
Charlotte van der Wiele of the Tideway Scullers School was seventh, 12 seconds behind Nicholas, while teammate Kate Cohalan was 12th overall. In what looks like it will be a very competitive quad come the summer, Jess Kerbiriou finished 14th in the same colours and boat manufacturer. We secured two further top-20 finishes courtesy of Lucy Whiteley of Royal Grammar School Worcester Boat Club (19th) and Charlotte Tong of Henley Rowing Club (20th).
In the Saturday edition of the men’s pair, a Filippi won the division whilst carrying the St Edward’s School combination of Xenophon Chapman and Elam Hughes. They took the win by just under four seconds, ahead of boats from St Paul’s School and Hampton School. Our next fastest finisher came from Shiplake College, who were fourth with Isaac Dean and Luca Hunt-Davis. Filippi shells dominated proceedings from that point on, accounting for over 50% of the boats on the water, and our other notable results were fifth (King’s College School), sixth (Westminster School), seventh (Shiplake College), eighth (Eton + Radley College) and tenth (St Paul’s School).
On the women’s side, our best result on the Saturday came via the Headington School combination of Sophie Haisman and Elayna Yap. They were a little way back on the winning crew from Shiplake/Hinksey but comfortably clear of third place from Godolphin and Latymer. We also placed fifth with Latymer Upper School, sixth with Headington School and eighth with a composite from Pangbourne College and Wallingford Rowing Club.
With so many outstanding results across a range of categories, the future is bright for Filippi athletes. We look forward to supporting and cheering for all of these rowers as they take to rivers and waterways up and down the country in pursuit of domestic and international honours.
