With the Women’s Head of the River Race fast approaching, Hammersmith Head is one of the last chances for crews to finalise their preparation ahead of the highlight of the head season. The championship women’s eights sees a mixture of clubs going head to head, all of whom will want to lay down a marker this weekend.
University of London
Victors at Quintin Head in January, UL are one of the favourites for this race. They have started this season strongly and both their first and second eights look convincing. Their recent fixture against London will have been useful preparation, and on home water this weekend, they will look to record another Tideway victory.
Vesta
Another Tideway crew, Vesta, will hope to show progress on their previous races this season. At Quintin Head, they placed second in women’s senior eights, and although they race in the championship category this weekend, it would not be unrealistic to see them record a similar result. Before this, they placed ninth in the Remenham Challenge before Christmas. Beaten by Molesey and London, they can close the gap on both these clubs this week.
London
London have had an encouraging start to the season and are another club that will look to build confidence from this race. Their battles with UL continue, beaten into second place at Quintin Head and in their recent fixture. Although reversing these results may be a push this week, putting some distance between their next closest competitors would be an important boost ahead of bigger challenges to come.
Molesey
Molesey are a crew to watch this weekend and beyond. Their women’s squad is growing in strength and their first eight has been steadily improving. Before Christmas they only placed seventh at the Remenham Challenge, but have since strengthened their crew and convincingly beat Oxford in their recent fixture. At Hammersmith Head last year, they placed second to UL, so switching these positions will certainly be an aim.
Lea
It’s exciting to see Lea racing again on the Tideway this season. Their most recent result was fifth place in the women’s senior eights division at Quintin Head. Beaten by UL’s second boat and Vesta, these are two crews whose scalps they can aim to take.
Cantabrigian
Cantabrigian make up the draw for this premier division. With most of their head races disrupted by the weather this winter, it will be great for their crew to finally put a performance down. Their recent training and fixtures with Mortlake Anglian and Alpha Boat Club will have been a great boost, and it will be exciting to see how they fare this weekend.
Predictions
This could be a tight contest between Molesey and UL. Both crews have big aims for this season and will want to continue building on their winter form. Expect these to be the top two, and London to finish third.
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