A popular event in the calendar of many clubs, Henley Fours and Eights Head is back again. Running upstream from Greenlands to the Henley Royal Regatta finish, the 3km course is a great warm up event for some of the large head races, such as Hammersmith Head, Women’s Head and Eight’s Head. With eight entries, we are set up for a great contest.
Marlow RC
With two coxless fours entered, local club Marlow will want to put out a solid performance in home territory. Having produced some fast fours in the past, Marlow will be looking to replicate their strong fours form from 2021 and 2022. We have a mixture of youth and experience, with Henry Gavin, last year’s British Junior Champion in the pair, stroking one of the Marlow boats.
Shiplake College BC
Arguably one of the best places to row as a junior, Shiplake College have two entries in coxlees fours. Both of these crews look to be doubling up, racing in eights for the first division. The first crew is stroked by Luke Byca, a talented athlete who stroked Shiplake’s second eight last year.
Upper Thames RC
Another local club, Upper Thames Rowing Club will actually be able to boat from their own boathouse for this race. Upper Thames will be looking to be as competitive as possible. Coming off the back of a few good results in fours, Upper Thames will be aiming to show who’s boss on their home course.
Maidstone Invicta RC
Based on the River Medway, Maidstone Invicta have one entry in coxless fours. Last year Maidstone Invicta qualified an eight for the Thames Challenge Cup at HRR, but unfortunately drew the eventual winners, Molesey, in the first round. The crew did look strong though, so if there are any returning rowers from last year’s eight, Maidstone will be up for a competitive performance.
Llandaff RC
The award for travelling furthest goes to Llandaff Rowing Club. Based in Cardiff, Llandaff is a large club, catering for rowers of all abilities. It will certainly be interesting to see how Llandaff stack up against the more local crews, as they only make the trip across the country a few times a year.
Prediction
Overall, I predict a win for Shiplake. The strength in depth of the programme run by David Currie shows through, with a large number of entries at this year’s head race. Both Marlow and Upper Thames will be close behind, and I expect times to be relatively similar.
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