The Henley Long Distance Sculls is a head race of about three kilometres, stretching from just beyond Temple Island, all the way down the historic Henley Royal Regatta Course until the famous finish just before Leander Club. The event could not run in 2023 or 2022 due to weather conditions, and even the event this year is on shaky ground, with a strong stream caused by heavy rainfall during the past couple of months. Nonetheless, the Junior 16 Quads should prove to be an exciting race, with several crews who all seem poised to take the top spots.
Tideway Scullers School Boat Club
Tideway Scullers School Boat Club entered two quads for the event – their ‘A’ crew, with Edward Metcalf at stroke, and their ‘B’ crew, led by David Phillipson. They had a varied season last year, but peaked just in time for the National Schools’ Regatta where their fifth place in the time trial secured them a place in the A final, where they finished in last place, but still sixth place overall. They closed their season with what was doubtless a disappointing result for them, placing tenth in the Junior 15 Coxed Quad at Marlow Regatta, narrowly missing out on winning their B final. This will be, for all of them, likely their first time racing a coxless quad, and I’m sure they’re keen to get out there and show what they can do.
Westminster School Boat Club
Westminster School also entered two quads for the event, their ‘A’ crew, Doruk Sevinc’s quad, and their ‘B’ crew, Ramana Niranjan’s quad. However, neither of these two crews can be considered their true top boat, as they have also entered four singles, who look to be the four strongest scullers, so these are really the ‘B’ and ‘C’ crews. Nonetheless, this particular cohort of Westminster rowers seem to have strong pedigree in sculling, and despite being a schoolboy program – which typically prefer sweep-oared rowing – they seem to place great emphasis on sculling as well. They are just coming off of a successful showing at Pair’s Head of the River, where their crews placed in first, third, and seventh in the Junior 16 Double Sculls. Being a tideway crew, their skill in navigating the river will doubtless help them navigate this unfamiliar territory. For many of them, this will be their first time racing at a large race in the quad category due to their typical focus on eights racing. They rarely ran any sculling events aside from a first quad last year, and I’m sure they’re excited to show that they can excel in both sweep rowing and sculling.
Henley Rowing Club
The local crew and organisers of the event, Henley Rowing Club, have entered only one quad. Being a crew that regularly trains on this stretch of the river, their familiarity with the river will doubtless help them steer the fastest line, especially given the river’s current fast stream. They had a disappointing season last year, consistently missing out on the A finals at most regattas by just one or two places, culminating in winning the B final at National Schools’ Regatta. After the bigger regattas had finished, they claimed a few wins in a series of smaller local regattas, and they’ll be looking to replicate this success in the upcoming races. This will be their debut race for the 2024/25 season, and I’m sure they can’t wait to redeem themselves this year. Furthermore, setting off first, immediately ahead of the two aforementioned crews means that they’ll have Westminster and Tideway Scullers hot on their heels throughout the course.
Prediction
It’s difficult to truly compare these crews as it’s so early in the season, and the curved, choppy race course may present a new angle on the flat-water racing we saw in the summer. Moreover, we’ve never seen any quads from Westminster School aside from their first quad, all of whom but one are racing in the singles at this event. However, I think the advantage that Henley Rowing Club’s local knowledge gives them can’t be underestimated, and I think that’ll give them the edge over the visiting crews. However, all three ‘A’ crews seem to be similar in speed, and I think any one of them could put up a fight for the win.
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