An event that has gained much more popularity in recent years, Hammersmith Head occupies a unique position in the rowing calendar between Quintin Head and Head of the River Race. With the Head Season ending and the sunshine and warmth of six-lane tantalizingly close, this is it. With most of the higher tier club and university rowing programs having opted to compete in the Intermediate eight and Championship Eight events, this category is arguably more open than it was last year when the University of Warwick Boat Club took home the win, one wonders if a similar story will occur this year.
Vesta Rowing Club
Under the tutelage of double Olympic gold medallist and newly installed head coach James Cracknell, change is in the air at Vesta Rowing Club. Located on the Putney Embankment alongside the Henley winning machines of Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club, Vesta hasn’t seen a Henley red box since 1981. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the adage says, but Vesta has already shown flashes of what they’re capable of this season with two top-ten finishes at Quintin Head (third and eighth, with the first eight finishing two seconds shy of Thames Rowing Club’s third eight) and at the Remenham Challenge earlier in the year with a win in both Open and Women’s Development Eights. Given that Vesta seems to have more depth of talent in their squad than might have been seen in previous seasons, one would think they would perform well here. However, given that they finished seventh in last year’s event behind the likes of Auriol Kensington Boat Club and City of Cambridge Boat Club, it will be interesting to see if Vesta can shake off their shackles and win this event.
City of Cambridge Boat Club
In Cambridge, where the rowing clubs are as numerous as the colleges of its world-renowned university, it can be difficult for a rowing club to stand out. The City of Cambridge Rowing Club has punched above its weight. Not many clubs can say they’ve qualified two boats for Henley Royal Regatta, but the City of Cambridge can. Like many clubs outside the London rowing circuit, the City of Cambridge tends to stick to local regattas during the first part of the season, which makes gauging their true speed more difficult. Adding to this, the unpredictable nature of the beast, that is, the Tideway, and how they will fare is anyone’s guess. I would expect to see them in the top half of performers based on strength in depth and a good showing at this event last year, but they will have a real fight on their hands in the form of Vesta to bring home first place.
Lea Rowing Club
Famous for its bright orange blazers and AIOs, Lea Rowing Club has a short but proud history. Founded in 1980 and based in the east London borough of Hackney, the club prides itself on its sense of community and inclusion and has a successful track record of widening access to rowing. Current Cambridge University Boat Club president Luca Ferraro and current Leander athlete Marlow Depeza learned to row here as juniors, and the club’s senior set-up is equally as impressive. Both the women’s and the men’s squad qualified an eight in The Wargrave and Thames Challenge Cups at Henley Royal Regatta over the past two years, making Lea one of only a select group of clubs that have qualified a crew in every club event in consecutive regattas. Lea has a good track record in this event, having finished above Auriol Kensington and Vesta in last year’s regatta but slightly off the pace of Swansea University Rowing Club and Warwick. With Warwick not having entered this category and Swansea still looming large, a win is possible for Lea or at least a top-five finish.
Predictions
There has been a lot of chatter about the Vesta men’s squad in the wake of James Cracknell’s takeover at the start of this season, so I will be bold and predict that Vesta Rowing Club will win in this event. In terms of competition, I think the City of Cambridge Rowing Club and Lea Rowing Club will provide the most opposition.
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