After two years of respite, Henley Fours & Eights Head has returned once more. Over 3000 metres upstream, ten crews from six clubs across the country will race to see the who can win the title of fastest Women’s Coxless Four.
Upper Thames RC
With three boats entered into this category, Upper Thames RC tips the scales in their favour in the pursuit of a win. The Upper Thames crew stroked by Tijssen caught my interest, after placing twelfth out of twenty-seven crews in the Women’s Quads at Fours Head earlier this year. I’m interested to see how their placement at Fours Head will translate across to sweeping at Henley this coming weekend.
Marlow RC
If Fours Head is to be a guideline for upcoming performances, it would be foolish to forget Marlow RC. In the Women’s Club Coxless Fours, a Marlow crew stroked by Crosby ranked joint twenty second, whilst another crew stroked by Harrison placed fifth out of thirty crews. With this in mind, there’s a chance that Marlow could dominate the race, given the crew that they have entered has some semblance to their Fours Head crew.
Henley RC
It comes as no surprise that Henley RC coxless four is definitely one to watch in this division. Not only do they have the home advantage, but they will also be looking to replicate their win in 2019 of this very event. At Hampton Head this year, the Henley juniors placed second in the Women’s Junior Coxless Fours, suggesting that there may be some sort of precedent in this division – I look forward to seeing if the senior women continue the trend.
Surbiton High School BC
Amongst the senior crews is Surbiton High School BC. Given that there is no Junior Women’s Coxless Four category, it comes as no surprise to see them in the mix. Sadly, there is little information available about this crew as they didn’t start at Hampton Head, however, I’m really excited to see how they fair against the other competitors after such a strong showing at Henley Royal last season.
Prediction
It’s really refreshing to see a division that offers a sense competition with crews offering a wide variety of experience. I predict that Henley RC and Marlow RC will feature at the top of the pack. However, that’s not to say that the crews that I have little information on, such as Norwich RC or Thames RC, won’t make a play for the win.
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