The Fours Head of the River Race is one of the British racing season’s most prestigious and competitive head races. Every year, the club open coxless fours are an example of great racing between talented athletes, and with 40 entries into the category this year- competition will be fierce.
Thames Rowing Club
First in the start order for this category is Thames Rowing Club. The ‘A’ crew from Thames in this category is a well-composed crew of Nelson, Whitcombe, Bowie and Phelps. Each crew member brings a good racing pedigree, with a wealth of experience racing at Henley Royal Regatta and on the Tideway. Last season, Nelson raced in the ‘D’ crew at the Head of the River Race, which placed 17th overall. Additionally, he was a member of The Thames Challenge Cup ‘B’ Crew, which reached the quarterfinals of Henley Royal Regatta and claimed victory at the British Rowing Championships in the championship coxless four. Whitcombe raced in The Ladies’ Challenge Plate ‘B’ crew, and Bowie in The Wyfold Challenge Cup ‘B’ crew. As Thames Rowing Club is the current pennant holder for this category, this crew will be vying to continue the tradition and come away with the top spot.
London Rowing Club
Hot on the heels of their Putney rivals are the two entries from London Rowing Club (LRC), seeking to unseat Thames as pennant holders for the open club coxless four. Making up the ‘A’ crew in this event are Powell, King, Finch and Christian. As members of last season’s Wyfold Challenge Cup ‘A’ crew, who were knocked out of the regatta on day two in a closely-fought battle with Tyne Amateur Rowing Club, Powell and Christian are familiar with this boat class. This may give LRC the advantage needed to come away with the win, as this crew have more experience rowing together and with the boat class than their counterparts from Thames.
Directly behind the second Thames entry is the LRC ‘B’ crew comprising Krivdin, Davidson, Overturf and Wiese. Krivdin and Davidson featured in last season’s Britannia Challenge Cup ‘A’ crew, who made it to Day three of Henley Royal Regatta. They demonstrated their gutsy racing ability by coming out on top of their photo-finish race with Upper Thames Rowing Club on day one of the regatta. I am sure they will be channelling this feeling on Sunday with the prospect of usurping their opponents from Thames.
Vesta Rowing Club
Following the appointment of new men’s head coach James Cracknell, Vesta Rowing Club will have their eyes on a strong result to start their season. The crew of Lawn, Waring, Thorpe and Meinecke bring ample racing experience. This season, the combination of Thorpe and Meinecke raced at the Pairs Head of the River, where they came sixth in their category and 20th overall. Meinecke also raced in Vesta’s Thames Challenge Cup crew at Henley Royal Regatta, which reached the Thursday before being knocked out by a strong Marlow crew. Before joining Vesta, Lawn raced at the 2023 European Universities Rowing Championships in the lightweight mixed double- coming away in eighth place. It will be exciting to see how this crew performs and how they are taking shape under the guidance of their new head coach.
Marlow Rowing Club
After their first club event win at Henley Royal Regatta this summer in The Wyfold Challenge Cup, Marlow Rowing Club will be coming into this season on a high. The Fours Head entry of Forster, Chung, Jacques and Fyffe seeks to cement their club’s excellence on the Thames this Sunday. The experience in this crew is plentiful and diverse. Forster was a member of the stellar crew who brought home a win at Metropolitan Regatta 2024, with a strong time of 6:13; the crew from Marlow also beat out three Thames crews and one other LRC, two of their close competitors at Four’s Head this year. Marlow’s impressive reputation for solid results means this entry will be one to watch.
Nottingham Rowing Club
Nottingham Rowing Club are no strangers to taking on the national scene. The Club based near the famous Trent Bridge have a growing club, which is counting success after success in recent years. With the club’s growing presence in high-profile regattas, the club is hoping to achieve a strong result at the infamous Four’s Head this year. With a top-ten finish last year at Four’s, the crew from the midlands enter this race as underdogs but serious contenders to challenge for the top spot.
Predictions
The club open coxless fours is sure to be an incredible race in which all entered crews will put on a display of class rowing. However, in this stacked category, I believe Thames Rowing Club ‘A’ is the most likely crew to come out on top, with London Rowing Club and Marlow Rowing Club close behind. This race is sure to be a demonstration of rowing at the highest calibre, and it will be worth watching this Sunday.
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