Frances won a superb Olympic silver medal in the quad in Athens after a great season when the crew won the World Cups in Poznan and Lucerne and with their silver in Munich were worthy World Cup Series winners. The quad qualified directly for the Olympic final by winning their heat. In the Final they could not hold the fast-starting Germans but came through the field to win an emphatic silver with great credit.

At the GB Rowing Senior Trials in 2005, Frances finished 4th in the single, probably below her best, and she will race in the women’s lead boat, the quad, at the Eton World Cup Regatta.

In 2003 Frances raced in the quadruple scull, narrowly missing a medal in 4th place, which secured a qualifying place for the Athens Olympics.

In 2001 and 2002 Frances sculled in the double with her previous partner Debbie Flood. They were world junior bronze medallists in 1998 and made an impressive Under 23 debut in 1999, winning gold at the World U23 Regatta in Hamburg. They finished 7th in Lucerne in 2001 and moved up to 4th in Seville the following year.

Frances started rowing at Kings School Canterbury. She was only fifteen at her first World Junior Championships where she finished fourth in the quadruple scull. Frances is not only talented with oars in her hands, she is also accomplished on the rowing ergometer. In November 1998 she won the Junior title at the British Indoor Rowing Championships and set a new junior British record. She travelled to Boston in February 1999 and returned as world junior indoor rowing champion.

In 2001, as part of her studies, Frances spent a year living and training in Seville so the 2002 World Championships host city was well known to her. She took a break from her studies at King's College, London in order to prepare for the Olympics but then resumed full time education, graduating in 2003.