TWENTY-TWO North-East rowers will compete for a place in the senior British rowing squad this weekend as GB Rowing’s senior trials take place in Hazewinkel, Belgium.

Hexham’s Matt Wells and former Durham University student Steve Rowbotham – Olympic bronze medallists together in the double scull – will attempt to secure their 2009 squad places, along with Durham’s Jess Eddie, who also competed in the Beijing Games.

Tyne Rowing Club’s Kieren Emery, a 2007 junior world champion, will be competing in the men’s open-weight pairs, while Tees scullers Chris Boddy and Bob Hewitt, twice selected to represent GB at Under-23 level, will be looking to impress the senior coaches.

They will race against their club-mate, Ben Rowe, and Durham-based Angel Boat Club rower Jamie Kirkwood in the lightweight men’s singles event.

Katherine Copeland and Nikki Bartlett will also be representing Tees in the lightweight singles category.

Four Newcastle University students – Andrew Corrigan, Ed Ford, Mason Durhant and Murry Wilkojc – will attend the trials.

Durham University has had six students invited – Sarah Cowburn and Emily Taylor will race in the women’s event, while Ian Couch, James Dodd, Nick Fernhead and Will Fletcher will all race in the lightweight men’s single scull event.

Former Durham-based rowers Nathaniel O’Reilly and John Preston will also attend the trials.

At the start of both a new racing season and a new Olympic cycle, all rowers, regardless of experience, must prove themselves to GB’s senior rowing coaches.

Therefore, Beijing gold medallists Andy Triggs- Hodge, Peter Reed and triple Olympic silver medallist Katherine Grainger are all expected to race.