As we approach the final major head race of the season, the Vernon Trophy pennant will be highly sought after by a number of major UK clubs. It is awarded to the fastest eligible British Rowing club crew that rows on the Thames Tideway, between Teddington Lock and the mouth of the Thames. To win this pennant at Head of the River would be a serious statement for any clubs looking to win the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta later in the year as we edge ever closer to regatta season.
Thames RC
An undisputed powerhouse of UK club rowing in recent years, Thames have produced incredible results on the domestic rowing scene with an enormous squad size with an impressive amount of depth. Thames won The Vernon Trophy last time Head of the River took place back in March 2019, and then went on to reach the final of the Thames Challenge Cup, arguably the pinnacle of men’s club rowing in the UK. After taking the win at Remenham Challenge earlier in the season, Thames will be looking to continue this momentum into the Head of the River by winning the Vernon Trophy once more.
London RC
It is undeniable that London have been known to punch above their weight in the men’s club rowing scene in recent years. With a much smaller squad size than the likes of Thames, this club has been able to put out extremely high-quality crews year after year, consistently doing well at the likes of Head of the River and Henley Royal Regatta. They placed 30th overall back in 2019, and also reached the semi-final in the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta last year. After producing an impressive result at Remenham Challenge, being only five seconds behind the Thames ‘B’ crew, they are certainly ones to watch for this year.
Quintin BC
After a disappointing Henley Royal Regatta last year, getting knocked out on Wednesday in the Thames Challenge Cup, Quintin will be looking to get back to the front of the field in UK club rowing. They finished second in The Vernon Trophy back in 2019 behind Thames, however after a fairly anonymous first half of the 2022 season with no major results as the big head races, I would be surprised to see them at the top of the time sheets this weekend.
Lea RC
Considering their squad size and facilities, Lea have produced some incredible results over the last few years in the club rowing scene. They reached the final of the Wyfold Challenge Cup last year at Henley Royal Regatta and finished sixth place in The Vernon Trophy last time out at Head of the River. Such an impressive result at Henley will undoubtedly attract new athletes for this season and it’ll be exciting to see what Lea can bring to The Vernon Trophy this year.
Vesta RC
Vesta had a really strong 2021 season, they reached day three in the Thames Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, losing to Thames RC who eventually went on to win, which is a very impressive result in such a competitive event. They finished ninth in the Vernon Trophy in 2019 at Head of the River and Vesta will be looking to improve this in a few days time, something I could certainly see them doing after such a positive 2021 season.
Prediction
I don’t see anyone stopping Thames this year for The Vernon Trophy, I predict they’ll be out in front by a considerable margin, followed by London in second and then Vesta in third.
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