The Saturday of Hneley Royal Regatta is semi finals day in most events, however in the case of the Diamond Jubilee challenge cup, there were two blocks of races, the first 4 races of the day were the quarter finals, with the winning crews then going onto race their semi finals in the final two races of the day.
Quarter Final reviews
The first quarter final of the day put Latymer ‘A’ up against Marlow RC. This was a race that Latymer established an early lead in, and effectively strangled Marlow from this point onwards to take out a win by 2.25 lengths, and crucially were able to ease up towards the end, to save something for the second race of the day.
The other race on this side of the draw, was a contest between Henley ‘A‘ and Latymer Upper School ‘B’. This was a race saw both crews locked together until the start of the Enclosures, after which Henley put the hammer down and extended away to a length, in a race that saw both crews going hammer and tongs the full 2112m of the Henley track.
On the opposite side of the draw, Shrewsbury School dispatched Lea RC in what was a seemingly routine victory, with the final verdict of 1 3/4 lengths allowing them to conserve themselves in the second half of the race thus progressing to the semi final.
The final quarter final, saw Headington take on a strong Tideway Scullers outfit, and the result may be one that ruined a few people’s fantasy Henley entries, as Headington took the bull by the horns as they went out to a lengths advantage, and held off every Tideway Scullers attack to win by a mere 3/4 of a length.
Semi Final Reviews
The first of the two semi finals saw Headington School go up against Shrewsbury School. This was a race that was nip and tuck out of the blocks, with Headington seemingly inching away with every stroke. This was a theme that continued as the race went on which saw Headington take a win that they controlled from start to finish.
The second semi final, was a remarkable race, which saw Latymer ‘A’ dispatch the much fancied Henley ‘A’ crew, in a race that saw a sharp contrast in the style of sculling. Latymer sculled a much smoother style, leaving Henley, the far more powerful crew struggling to match them. The end result was a comfortable Latymer win, in a result that shocked the press box.
Looking at tomorrow’s final, the race has the potential, as with all Henley finals to be a race that will be decided by the finest of margins. The times to the Barrier and Fawley were identical, and both crews were able to relax somewhat towards the finish. It would be a fool to predict a winner at this stage, so the diplomatic conclusion to this is to say it will be a superb race and to wish all the best to the crews.
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