The event was cancelled after this preview was completed.
Due to the persistent rain and fast river conditions on the Henley stretch, it looks as if the 2025 edition of Henley Fours and Eights Head may be yet another casualty of this head season. However, the entries in the women’s coxless fours category have a breadth of experience and potential and could have produced some excellent racing.
Leander (Chumas)
Leander have a singular crew entered in this category. Sophie Chumas, an alumnus of Durham University, raced in Leander’s B entry into The Town Challenge Cup last season at Henley Royal Regatta. They also interestingly narrowly placed fourth in the A-final, just behind an Upper Thames coxless four on the Saturday of the Metropolitan Regatta. I would suspect this weekend’s combination to be somewhat similar to the crew from last summer, and they will be hoping to continue to increase in speed and success this year.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
Upper Thames, another club racing on their home stretch, have three boats entered. Their growing women’s squad had excellent results in this boat class last year. At Henley Women’s Regatta, they entered two championship coxless fours, and two crews in the Lester Trophy, with the ‘A’ boat making the final, and B boat the quarterfinals. They also qualified a boat for The Town Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, which is always impressive for any club crew. None of Hills, Pickthall, or Reddy – the three names listed – appear to have featured in the coxless fours last summer, nor in the prospective crews Upper Thames entered for Fours Head, so it would be hard to say who may come up as the fastest of these three boats this weekend.
Putney High School
The plucky juniors will be looking to see how their speed matches with some experienced senior athletes. Putney High’s coxless four placed second in the B-final at the National Schools’ Regatta in 2024, and
whilst their experience on the Tideway will serve them well in what may be challenging conditions this weekend, they will likely struggle to match the speed of Leander and Upper Thames.
Notable Mentions
The other crews entered in this category are three Globe Rowing Club boats, two Warwick Rowing Club boats, and an outfit from the University of East Anglia. Whilst I suspect none of them will be competing with Leander/Upper Thames for the win this weekend, the experience of racing on the Henley stretch will be vital come the summer.
Prediction
I believe the most likely result this weekend would be a Leander win—their experience as a crew during the last regatta season, combined with racing on their home stretch of water, will make them hard to beat. However, the depth of entries from Upper Thames may challenge the ladies in pink.
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