After a frustrating string of early-season race cancellations last year, athletes will hope for more opportunities to race this winter. At this year’s Fours Head of the River Race, over 400 crews will cross the start line and begin their assault on the Tideway to see who will come out on top.
Thames Rowing Club
One of the dominant forces in women’s rowing, Thames Rowing Club, will have their eyes on retaining the club women’s coxless four pennant. Featured in this crew is Alex Lapkowska, who raced in the ‘B’ crew for the Redgrave Challenge Vase at Henley Women’s Regatta last season. Additionally, Denise Martin van Meurs, who raced in the University of London Boat Club Island Challenge Cup ‘B’ crew at Henley Royal Regatta, joins the line-up. These experienced athletes will be looking to continue the Thames tradition of dominating on home water.
London Rowing Club
London Rowing Club (LRC) have two coxless fours fighting for one of the top spots this year. After finishing second in this event at Fours Head in 2022, both crews will be looking to replicate such a result and even challenge for the win. Many of the athletes from these crews are drawn from LRC’s entries to The Copas Cup for Aspirational Eights at Henley Women’s Regatta last season. In this Sunday’s ‘A’ crew are Rowena Price, who raced in The Copas Cup crew that made the final, and Nicole Seredenko and Charlottle Bawn, who raced in The Copas Cup that made the quarterfinal. This crew will be eager to leverage their experience to usurp Thames as pennant holders in this category.
Vesta Rowing Club
The crew from Vesta Rowing Club is another Tideway unit looking to lay down some solid times on Sunday. In 2022, they placed fourth and eighth in this event and have continued to produce solid crews that consistently strive to join the battle between London and Thames. This year may be their best yet with good athlete retention, confirmed by the promising entry of three crews into this event. All eyes will be on Vesta on Sunday.
Notable Mentions
Marlow Rowing Club finished third and sixth in this event in 2022 and will be looking to replicate another brilliant result this year. Upper Thames Rowing Club is another crew I expect to see battling for a top-five finish, who performed well at both the Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta this year. Finally, I would not be surprised to see one of the Nottingham Rowing Club crews or Derby Rowing Club rounding out the pack in what promises to be exciting racing within the toten10 and across the entire category.
Prediction
Based on previous performance and Tideway experience, I anticipate Thames Rowing Club’s win. It will be closely followed by London Rowing Club and Vesta Rowing Club, which also have the crucial expertise to navigate the course to their advantage. Yet, other crews should not be dismissed on this account, as it remains to be seen who may appear as an underdog and surprise us all on Sunday.
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