Far ahead of the summer events, this weekend the iconic Henley course is being used for a relatively short head race, with crews competing over just 3km down the well-known stretch. There are ten boats entered into the women’s coxless fours event, comprising of just six different clubs, with Henley and Upper Thames making up half the entries between them.
Henley RC
An incredibly prestigious club, Henley is a name that virtually anyone interested in rowing will know. While it does not seem as though their senior women have done many races this head season so far, they performed well at Upper Thames Autumn Head, with their Band 1 Coxed Four coming second and their Band 1 Eight coming third. With the homestretch advantage on their side, the two entries from Henley will no doubt be the ones to watch out for.
Upper Thames RC
Upper Thames have had a very successful season so far, which was kicked off at UTAH, where their two eights both came second in Band 1 and 2. They consolidated this success at Fours Head, where their club quad beat 22 other crews to win the category. Then just a couple of weeks ago, they won the women’s intermediate band one category at Quintin Head. With such a long string of successes to give them confidence, at least one of this club’s three entries will surely be a strong contender.
Llandaff RC
Making the long journey over from Cardiff, Llandaff seem to have only raced in more local competitions so far this season. Nevertheless, their women’s eight won its category at Monmouth Winter Head, and it will certainly be interesting to see how they perform on the Henley stretch.
Prediction
I expect to see one of the Henley boats to be taking the lead, with the crews from Upper Thames giving them a run for their money, being the only two clubs entered into the event who regularly train on this stretch of river.
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